Family system-Chapter 247: The Cosmic War Begins
The fall of Zarakis was the first true step into the cosmic war. The universe had taken notice, and now, Aetheria was no longer just a rising power—it was a threat. Jack had expected retaliation, but what came next was more than a simple counterattack.
In the weeks following Aetheria's first conquest beyond the mortal world, whispers of Jack's unprecedented powers spread across the cosmos. The fractured realms, long ruled by warlords and demigods, had never seen anything like him. He was not merely another tyrant claiming dominion over a small corner of the stars. He was a conqueror who did not bow to any cosmic law, an anomaly in a universe where even gods had territories, but none had true sovereignty.
The first signs of resistance came swiftly. Reports flooded in from Aetheria's scouts—entire regions of space, once dormant, were stirring with newfound urgency. Alliances were forming. Kingdoms that had spent millennia locked in stalemate were now unifying, not out of mutual respect, but out of sheer terror. The Warring Lords of the Void had come together, forging the First Cosmic Coalition, their sole purpose being to end Jack's expansion before it consumed them all.
Jack welcomed the challenge. He had always known that this war would be inevitable. Now, it was simply arriving sooner than expected.
It began with a strike unlike any Aetheria had faced before.
From the depths of the void, massive war fleets descended upon Aetheria's newly conquered dominion. Dravok, the former stronghold of Zarakis, was the first target. The Coalition's forces came in numbers beyond reckoning, their ship's dark silhouettes against the backdrop of the cosmic Abyss. Their banners bore the insignias of many factions—the Void Tyrants of Othuun, the Celestial Knights of Mirradax, the Black Sun Empire, and the Bloodborne Broodlords. Enemies who had once fought amongst themselves now stood united against a greater enemy.
Jack watched from the Dominion's Reach as the first waves of war engulfed Dravok. The Coalition's battle strategy was simple—overwhelm, crush, annihilate. Hundreds of warships bombarded the planet's defenses, and energy lances pierced the sky, sending shockwaves through the already war-torn landscape.
Selene commanded the planetary defenses precisely, deploying Aetheria's elite forces to counter the invading troops. But the Coalition's numbers were overwhelming. Even with Aetheria's divine technology, even with warriors empowered beyond mortal limits, the sheer force of the enemy fleet threatened to break through.
Jack knew this battle would not be won through brute force alone.
"Let them come," he said, a knowing smirk on his lips. "Let them think they are winning."
Jack unleashed his true response as the Coalition's forces pushed deeper into Aetheria's stronghold.
From the dark edges of space, the Abyssal Vanguard emerged—a force unlike anything the Coalition had ever seen. Soldiers infused with the power Jack had taken from the Abyss, beings whose very presence distorted reality, descended onto the battlefield. They did not fight with conventional weapons. They tore through enemies with raw abyssal energy, corrupting, consuming, and twisting the battlefield into a nightmare of shifting shadows and howling voidstorms.
And then came Amaterasu and Kali.
Descending like avenging goddesses, their divine radiance clashed against the invading hordes. Amaterasu's golden fire engulfed entire enemy warships, turning them into falling comets that crashed into the battlefield below. Kali's scythe cut through the so-called immortal champions of the Coalition, tearing apart their souls before they could even attempt to regenerate.
The tide of war shifted instantly. What had started as an overwhelming invasion became a massacre for the invaders.
And at the center of it all stood Jack.
He descended onto Dravok himself, his mere presence sending ripples of power across the battlefield. The Coalition's most powerful warriors rushed him, believing their combined strength could bring him down. They were wrong.
Jack did not even need a weapon. With a wave of his hand, he shattered the will of the Bloodborne warlords, forcing their armies to turn upon themselves. His abyssal energy corrupted the minds of the Celestial Knights, reducing them from noble warriors to madmen screaming in agony. The Void Tyrants of Othuun attempted to drain his life force, but instead, they found themselves being pulled into the Abyss within him, consumed by the very power they had sought to wield.
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The battle, once tipped against Aetheria, had become a one-sided slaughter.
The Coalition's war fleets lay in ruins after the battle. Entire factions had been annihilated. The Warring Lords, who had once thought themselves invincible, were now nothing more than broken remnants scattered across the void.
Jack stood amidst the ruins of Dravok, his golden eyes surveying what remained. This battle had been a warning, a test of Aetheria's might, and they had passed it easily.
The message was clear.
Aetheria was not to be challenged.
But Jack knew this was only the beginning.
This was merely the first wave of resistance. The universe had seen his strength; now, stronger enemies would come.
And that was exactly what he wanted.
Turning to Amaterasu and Kali, who stood beside him, he smirked. "This war isn't over. It's only just beginning."
Amaterasu wiped the divine ichor from her blade, her golden eyes gleaming. "Then let them come. We will burn them all."
Kali grinned, her scythe resting upon her shoulder. "I was hoping for a real challenge. So far, all we've done is crush insects."
Jack looked back toward the void, toward the endless realms that had yet to bow before him.
Aetheria had faced its first true challenge.
And it had emerged stronger than ever.
The cosmic war had begun, and Aetheria stood at its epicenter. The fall of the First Coalition sent ripples through the vast universe, striking fear into those who had once ruled unchallenged. The fractured celestial rulers, warlords, and rogue gods who had long waged their petty conflicts now faced a new reality—Aetheria was not simply another kingdom rising and falling in the cycle of chaos.
It was the force that would break the cycle entirely.
Jack had no intention of letting the universe settle back into its stagnant ways. The moment the first war was won, he set his sights on the next frontier of conquest. There would be no rest and no waiting for the next attack—Aetheria would strike first.
Jack gathered his most trusted advisors, generals, and divine commanders within the war chambers of Aetheria's Grand Citadel. A holographic projection of the known universe hovered before them, the remnants of the First Coalition's broken territories blinking red, their defenses shattered. But beyond them lay the greater prize—realms that had not yet felt the terror of Aetheria's advance.
Ela stood at the center, her sharp mind calculating the next steps. "We have momentum, but if we stop now, others will regroup and form a second coalition. We must press forward."
Amaterasu's golden light burned with anticipation. "We should take the inner sanctums of the Celestial Lords next. They command vast strongholds, but they are divided by their arrogance. If we remove them, the balance of power will collapse entirely."
Selene, ever the pragmatic warrior, crossed her arms. "Our warriors are eager, but we must choose our battles carefully. We should strike at their economic and logistical cores first. Cut off their supply lines, and they will crumble before we draw our blades."
Jack listened to them all before speaking. "We do it all. We don't just take their strongholds—we erase their entire infrastructure. Their gods will fall, their armies will kneel, and their worlds will serve. We move swiftly, decisively, and without mercy."
Kali grinned, her scythe resting lazily on her shoulder. "Now, this is the kind of war I enjoy."
With the plan set, Aetheria's forces prepared for the next wave of conquest.
The campaign was launched in three phases. The first phase was simple: destabilization. Aetherian infiltrators and spies infiltrated the outer realms, spreading discord among the lesser warlords. They manipulated local factions, orchestrated betrayals, and planted false information to turn former allies against each other.
The second phase was economic warfare. Ela's networks executed a flawless operation, disrupting trade routes, severing supply chains, and corrupting interdimensional portals. Without food, weapons, and reinforcements, the enemy's strongholds began to weaken before Aetheria even launched a full assault.
The final phase was total annihilation.
Jack led the assault on Mirradax, the City of Eternal Blades, one of the greatest military strongholds in the universe. It had stood untouched for over ten thousand years, its rulers believing themselves invincible. But they had never faced Aetheria.
Aetherian warships descended from the heavens, shattering their sky-shields with celestial artillery. Kali and Selene personally led the ground forces, their warriors cutting through the famed Immortal Guard of Mirradax like they were mere mortals. The air burned with divine magic as Amaterasu unleashed her radiance, reducing entire legions to ashes.
Jack walked through the battlefield untouched, his presence alone breaking the will of the enemy generals. One by one, the Celestial Lords of Mirradax fell before him, their divine powers nothing compared to the abyssal force he now wielded.
By the time the sun rose, Mirradax was no more.
Word of Mirradax's fall spread faster than the light of the stars. The once-mighty warlords of the cosmic frontier now faced the inevitable—Aetheria was unstoppable.
Some chose to fight, throwing their dying forces against Jack's empire in futile defiance. They were crushed beneath his heel, their names erased from history.
Others saw the truth and bent the knee before the inevitable. They swore loyalty to Aetheria, pledging their armies, resources, and faith to Jack, the god who had proven himself supreme.
But there were still those who hid in the dark, whispering of forbidden weapons, ancient alliances, and desperate measures. Jack knew they would come.
And he was ready.
Aetheria's domination march had begun, and nothing in the cosmos would stop it.
