Mar reveled in victory for only the briefest of heartbeats, because at the moment right after Old Yoss had been joined to his fragment and attached to the Sovereign Swarm. A lot of very complicated things happened in a very complicated way at the same time. First, Mar was hit with a tidal wave of notifications to the point that they forced their way into their mind rather than waiting as they normally did.
* Congratulations: Your Resilience has increased from 9 to 10
* Congratulations: Your Mastery has increased from 8 to 10
* Congratulations: You have RANKED UP from Rank 1(Seed) to Rank 2(Sprout), may reality tremble as you grow into yourself.
* Congratulations: You have reached Tier 3 and in the process moved through Tier 0, 1, and 2. A long journey has been made shorter because of this, but ultimately it is still a long way ahead.
* Title: First Farmer of Hor: You are the honored divine ancestor of all humans in Hor and the chief caretaker of the valley and lands around the Great Forest of Halla. Has been Usurp-
* Title: The Thrall-King of Hor: You are the slaver of all that lives in Hor and the one who farms the land both, all that lives here pays you respect as their ultimate god of farming and dominion itself. Has warped and replaced Title: First Farmer of Hor.
* Trait: Divine Nature: You are a living being permeated by faith and that gives you access to the perks and downsides of being a god. Has been Usurped
* Trait: Prayer Eater: You can consume prayers in lieu of food if the amount is sufficient to replace your unusual needs, if not then prayers can supplement your nutritional intake. Has been Usurped.
* Trait: Holy Symbol(Hammer and Sickle): Faithful beings identify one of your most important symbols to be the Hammer and the Sickle, faith can be channeled through such implements by the right individuals. Has been Usurped
* Power: Make Mah Field: You can turn an appropriate area into high-quality farmable land, only agricultural plants can thrive in such a field and all others will shy away from it. Has been Usurped
* Power: Animate Scarecrows: With the power of your will Scarecrows can be made animate and protect farms more than they ever could as a mere symbol of fear. Has been Usurped
* Power: Draw Water From Soil: You are capable of pulling out water from the ground and creating bodies of water within your sphere of influence. Has been Usurped
* Trait: Chained by the Sovereign: People who make promises to the Sovereign Swarm are chained by them, for both good and ill your nature forces them to complete their promise at almost any cost. Has been Gained
* Trait: Efficient: Your Units and Subjects have their metabolism enhanced with nanites and as such, they need less food and nutrients to grow and function than they normally would. Has been Gained
* Trait: Elusive Web: The bonds that connect the Sovereign Swarm are harder to see than before, not impossible but they are no longer glaringly obvious. Has been Gained
* Power: Create Subjects: Just like you can create Units, you can now create sapient beings to serve alongside the converted in the Swarm at a higher cost. Has been Gained
* Power: Imbue Avatar: At a massive cost you may sacrifice to create living Avatars of Will, true Generals and Champions who like you can always be reborn if the Swarm persists. Has been Gained
* Power: Enlarge Unit: Funneling energy into a Unit with this power can make it grow larger to the point that it is almost titanic in size. Has been Gained
* Note: Usurped Power: Animate Scarecrow resonates with both Create Subjects and Create Units. Do you wish to partially merge it with one of them?
* Note: Divine Nature cannot fully subsume your nature as the Sovereign Swarm and will therefore only be partial in effect.
Mar was sent reeling by the waves of power radiating through the Swarm and as a result of that along with the other things that happened the central intelligence of the Sovereign Swarm was rendered inactive for several hours. The only thing it managed to do was direct the Animate Scarecrow ability to merge with Create Subjects, before the darkness of a power high consumed their consciousness.
----------------------------------------
The mind of Mar had more interesting places to be than just in the material at any rate, as their consciousness blacked out it was redirected to somewhere else. Mar was no longer only on one plane, after all, on the Divine Plane their energies merged with the old domain of Old Yoss.
Like a repeat of the darkening fields, Mar could feel their very essence imprinting and usurping the entire realm that the erstwhile god had created for himself. Thousands of dead worshipers screamed out in terror as a Swarm rushed through and twisted the landscape around them. Sprouting toxic fungi, fields of grave blossoms, nanites and biomechanical machinery replaced buildings and insects, the sky was filled with countless bees and the ground itself seemed to be infused with spider webs. In the center of it all the old rocking chair of Old Yoss twisted into a throne of metal and chitin where a burned human sat overlooking the domain.
"Well...this is interesting."
Mar remarked as they felt the strange experience of existing at multiple planes of reality at the same time. Mar existed just as much in this sole divine vessel within their divine domain as much as they existed within every living Unit and Subject in the material plane. For the first time in their entire existence, Mar had an actual vessel for the prime consciousness that controlled the Swarm, which somehow didn't distract from the usual existence of being within the minds and bodies of every part that constituted the Swarm.
All around them Mar could feel the quailing and shivering worshipers of Old Yoss seeing their afterlife being usurped by a new god and in the end, Mar couldn't say that they rightly cared about that. Instead, they focused on feeling the power that had spilled into the Sovereign Swarm and pushed it to overflow, which turn had pushed them into the dark before waking up again.
There were notifications to read and abilities to understand as Mar had only absorbed the most pressing ones before they overwhelmed them.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
----------------------------------------
Archmagus Uralda of the Shivering Isles was busy with her latest experiment when it happened. She had busily overseen the "Sword project" when a sudden wave of power through the aether between the planes tore at it and her concentration. So she rushed out of her sanctum while leaving the pile of swords to soak up magic in peace.
She strode out on her balcony and looked out over the ocean from her floating island and exhaled in surprise. Somewhere far away from here, a power had awoken, or something monumental must have happened to tear such large chunks of the native magic asunder before they could be stabilized. Her golden robes glinted in the light and she almost squirmed with anticipation and excitement.
"Whatever happened must truly been a sight to see, because if I can feel it from countless miles away...who else noticed that?"
The times to come could be very, very interesting indeed. She would have to prepare for those times so she could delve into them headfirst and with no hesitation.
----------------------------------------
Jelequan the Devil Prince was juggling before an excited young lady at a tavern in the kingdom of Chilvale and enjoying her smile as he did so. He was fashionably attired of course with high-heeled shoes, a flowing purple cape, a large hat with a peacock feather, and proper tight red trousers. She was a woman of seemingly no significance, and dressed in a blue dress with an apron, but appearances could be deceiving. Jelequan knew that better than most he saw the potential resting in that woman and like all Devils he sought to make people better than what they had been.
With some right introductions, a few well-placed bribes, a confidence-boosting night of passion, and a few toxic friends removed from her social circle. And Julia Turma could easily become one of the premier Minstrels in the entire Kingdom, all she needed was to be polished and get the grime away so she could shine on her own. This was what Jelequan lived for so he juggled 13 items and gave her a winning smile, preparing for when he was going to ask her to sing for him when the wave of power hit his senses and all the items cluttered to the ground.
He felt the aether being torn and something massive passing through it into the Divine Plane, but without fully leaving. Julia tried to ask what was wrong but her words fell on deaf ears as Jelequan stepped out to look at the calm afternoon sky. To a normal mortal it just looked like a pleasant afternoon, but he could see the great rift in the aether that had been opened up somewhere not too far from his location.
A soft hand touched him shoulder and asked a question but he didn't hear it and spun around to face Julia. She recoiled away from him as in a brief moment it was clear that she thought she had seen something, but that was no matter he had to go but he couldn't just give up on polish job mid way through. He cupped her face between his dainty hands and kissed her gently before saying.
"I am sorry, I must go dearest Julia, but never give up the song in your heart. You can enthrall thousands with your voice, do not let your friends distract you from that. Dream freely and soar, and remember old Jelequan once you have flown."
He let the power of a Devil pour into her through his eyes and left her in a daze, and when her focus returned she discovered that he was gone and the room looked like he had never been there. Only the brief imprint of his lips against hers indicated that anything had happened as even her dress looked pristine again, and all the items he had juggled were left on the exact same spot as before.
----------------------------------------
Leringexis was busily eating the large pit of flesh within the castle that he had awoken in. He had battled against some kind of large flesh abomination for days and caused several avalanches in the process, but now he could rest and try and take stock of the situation.
He didn't know where he was but it was not Hell nor was it the Material World he was used to, the twisting purple light of Ko did not shine down on this world. It looked more like the fabled sun which no demon he knew had been old enough to remember, as only the originals had seen that one.
Foreign power also seemed to permeate this world and they seemed so different from the magical forces that he was used to. He wondered deep down if it was going to be possible for him to adapt to the strange conditions here, first he would need a guide, and those interesting humans that had tried to stop him from entering this chamber could be used for that. But what would he do once he had learned?
Maybe he would never answer that question because he felt a power that tasted similar to what was used to filling the air for just a moment.
"Father?"
Leringexis looked past the magically fortified stone and towards the horizon. Maybe his father was there or an ancestor demon had come...or maybe one of his distant relatives among the other demonic choirs. Or perhaps even Urmalaratyk himself had entered this strange world? He didn't know for sure but he resolved to find out...at some point at least.
----------------------------------------
Gods, demons, spirits, judges, and other extraplanar beings felt the tear in the Aether most acutely as a process that should take centuries or at least years to happen, took place over the span of a few hours at most. But they were not the only ones who felt the sudden shift passing through the world. Visitors like the Carnies were much less...universally affected compared to the beings who simply traveled planes and not realities themselves.
Dragons stirred in their slumber, Devils were distracted from their schemes, Archmages, Heroes, Grand Priests, and other mortals at the pinnacle of power felt it as well. And other beings even stranger than those also took interest in this event for that matter, but there was one group who like gods felt it at a universal level. Every traveler, summoned hero, and other mortal interlopers from another plane with a Soul Guidance System were informed.
Quest/System Notifications, "Divine" Visitations, Ancestral Seances, Helpful words from a stranger, or whatever form their system took they all were informed of the same thing. A new threat to the very world itself had come and great rewards could be theirs if they engaged with that threat in some way.
Noaidi Nanit was approached by his noaidegadze while he prepared to heal a young woman by aiding her soul. Listig and other adventurers like them had a world quest system notification pop up, just as they ran into Michel and Hans Reclis while they stood over the dead family of the former. Sibling Lucas formerly of the Cistercians Order was touched by having a vision from Bernard of Clairvaux come to him while he prayed. Hilda Trout had an advertisement flyer hit her straight into the face as she crested a hill on her eternal mission to find her husband.
----------------------------------------
Mar was blissfully unaware of all of these things happening but even if they had it would not have bothered them. Let them come for the Swarm, they were going to be prepared and they would not lose. After all phase two was now complete and it was time to enter phase three, the armies of the world would come and Mar had no intention of losing just because they were outmatched at the moment.
Mar would win using the tools of their trade: subtlety, patience, and deception.