With his stats allocated, he felt in better shape for the journey ahead. His body was far more durable than before, and he felt as if he could take a lot more damage. He needed to find some more monsters to level up with, but at least for now, he was content with his strength.

He had gained more in terms of his bodily strength than he had ever gotten in a single go. In addition, he had magic now. It was power beyond his wildest dreams. Before he had come to terms with his new life, he had been in a state of mental dissonance. Now, however, he was more in touch with his new purpose. In fact, he preferred this to his old life. Being constrained by nothing save for his need to level up was very freeing. However, there was a risk of death. Better to live life to the fullest than die having done nothing.

Having wasted much of his old life, he now had another chance. It would be criminal for him to miss that opportunity. With a grin, he set off into the woods searching for more monsters to kill.

In the Brazen Citadel, Capital of Markovia

Markovia was a planet largely in a state of devastation. However, islands of peacefulness and prosperity were possible to find. The Brazen Citadel was the greatest among those. A veritable nation of a city, filled with the powerhouses of the world, ruled over the Council, the group of nine beings that presided over the entire planet.

After their coup against Metricoth, they had quickly consolidated their power, changing the names of cities and the old dominions of the former god to suit their own desires. Because their leader, Sarkon Grantor, the Ferrous Hegemon, used Metal magic, he had been the chief reason why the capital was now called that. As well as this, his abilities allowed him to control metal, which meant that he could keep watch over the entire brass coated city at once.

His spiritual senses reached around the entire planet, but their effectiveness decreased with range. The other eight of the council members were weaker than their leader, but still incredibly potent. Markovia was a world that was far larger than Earth had been, and if it had been placed within the Solar System, it would have filled the space from the Sun to Earth. As such, judging the abilities of the rulers by their effects over the planet was a lot more impressive than it might seem.

The Brazen Citadel alone easily covered as much space as the entire surface of Earth. Within their innermost sanctum, a room built from purified adamant, infused with the magic of all of the Council members, they met in conclave to address any matters important enough to potentially affect the entire world. They sat on thrones, tailored to their specific power sets. Each of them was magnificent, but there were clear demarcations based on the difference in power.

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“This Outsider infestation is beginning to grow worse. I believe it is time to take a stand,” the third strongest member of the Council said, his voice grim. Petrus the Juggernaut was his name, and he certainly lived up to that title. Over nine feet of solid muscle, the man was barely recognizable as a human. A single punch from him could take out a mountain range. Although he appeared to be nothing more than a dim brute, he was actually a canny schemer.

“Yes. Over three invasions of this world within the last decade alone,” Elina Andus replied. She was the second among the Council, a mage of great skill. Her powers were often used in concert with the abilities of Sarkon, to magnify his abilities. With her aid, he could manipulate the very magnetic field of the planet itself.

As his subordinates spoke, Sarkon himself simply watched. Half of his mind was scouring the world, looking for the newest invasion. Generally, the metal content in the blood of those from other universes was different than that of a native. Using this fact, he could find them. However, it was still like looking for a needle in a haystack. He could only survey so many people at once. Perhaps if he reached the next rank, he would be able to watch the entire planet, but until he reached the vaunted levels of Lesser Godhood, he was still too weak. He was quite a bit away however. Only a few centuries, but still an annoying amount for a being like him, with the amount of anticipation that he felt.

“What do you wish for us to do, my lord?” Petrus asked.

Sarkon retracted his consciousness from his information gathering array, and turned it towards his followers. As his true consciousness came to bear, the others paled. The weight of a planetary body made of pure metal seemed to come to bear within the room. Had any of them been any weaker, they would have been crushed by the force.

“You know the rules for situations like this. We cannot risk the corruption of Outsiders by Metricoth. He lurks still within the Astral Plane. It is possible that he could have created a champion. Send some appropriately leveled outriders, and crush the threat.”

The words were spoken in a normal tone, but they contained such an aura of majesty that it was hard for the others to reply. With simple nods, they left the room, leaving Sarkon to fully devote himself to his surveillance. Witnessing someone desecrating one of his temples a continent away, guided by the iron hammer that they were using and its resonance with his specially constructed metallic icon, he quickly seized control of their blood, and ripped them apart from the inside. Sarkon had reached these heights of power through cruelty and intelligence. He did not tolerate any threats to his power.