The cosmic tear pulsed violently.

Arthur Sterling stood on the edge of the Sovereign Summit. He was spinning the Apex Crown on his finger.

Suddenly, the swirling and blinding light within the rift shifted.

A massive booming voice spilled out from the Celestial Court. It was entirely devoid of emotion and echoed with absolute sterile authority.

"Lower Realm Livestock," the voice commanded.

The sheer volume of the voice cracked the remaining obsidian glass on the platform.

"You have overstepped your designated parameters. The death of the harvesters has been noted. Await your eradication."

Sylvia’s hands immediately sparked with absolute zero energy. Morwenna hissed with her fangs bared at the rift.

Arthur just chuckled.

He stopped spinning the crown and gripped it tightly in his fist. He stepped right up to the edge of the tear and stared directly into the blinding light.

"Eradication?" Arthur called back. His voice was laced with pure and unadulterated arrogance.

He tossed the Apex Crown casually into the tear. He watched it disappear into the Celestial Court.

"I think you mean Delivery. Keep the throne warm for me. I will be up to collect it shortly."

With a flick of his wrist, Arthur used his Grandmaster Spatial laws to forcefully pinch the edges of the cosmic tear.

The rift did not close completely. However, it shrank from the size of a city down to a stable glowing doorway no larger than a standard gate.

He locked it firmly in place.

"Alright," Arthur said and turned back to his Queens. "We have a month before I get bored. Let us get to work."

Thirty days of absolute and uninterrupted peace settled over the newly formed Ebon Empire.

Arthur did not waste any time.

He used the vast and functionally infinite reserves of System Points he had acquired from slaughtering the Apex Council. With it, he initiated a massive multiversal restructuring.

He merged the atmospheric leylines of the Mortal Domain directly with the Apex Realm. This created a singular and unified super-dimension.

The Ebon Citadel became the capital of all existence.

He did not just hoard the wealth. A good CEO knows that investing in employees yields the best long-term dividends.

Arthur spent billions of points mass upgrading the Vanguard army.

He outfitted his mortal troops with starlight-forged armor and divine-tier weaponry. He also enhanced their magical cores.

By the end of the third week, the weakest foot soldier in Arthur’s army could have easily executed an old Vanguard instructor.

But the most significant payout came on the twenty-fifth day.

Arthur was lounging on the sun-drenched balcony of his private quarters in the Citadel. He was nursing a glass of highly refined celestial whiskey.

Suddenly, the sky above the Mortal Domain fractured.

A figure shot upward. The person was wreathed in a blinding tornado of razor-sharp wind magic.

The young man shattered the dimensional barrier. He roared with pure unyielding grit as he successfully ascended to the Higher Realms.

Caden Cross had finally arrived.

The sixteen-year-old landed on the primary courtyard of the Ebon Citadel. His heavily chipped longsword was drawn.

He fully expected to fight a horde of ancient Gods to secure a foothold for humanity.

Instead, he found a pristine and perfectly manicured paradise. It was populated by heavily armed Vanguard troops who were casually drinking coffee and maintaining their weapons.

[Ding!]

[Employee Target Caden Cross has Ascended!]

[10,000x ROI Multiplier Activated!]

[Massive influx of foundational world-energy absorbed. Host’s Grand Sovereign core solidified.]

Arthur smiled lazily from his balcony. He felt the warm and dense rush of passive EXP flood his veins.

He set his glass down and vanished. He instantly teleported to the courtyard.

Caden spun around and raised his sword, only to freeze in place.

His eyes went incredibly wide as he recognized the towering dark-coated man standing before him.

"C-Commander?!" Caden stammered. He completely dropped his combat stance.

He looked around the opulent Citadel and then looked back at Arthur.

"You... you conquered the Heavens already? I thought I was coming up here to save you!"

"You are late for your shift, kid," Arthur chuckled and walked forward.

He did not radiate any oppressive aura at all. To Caden, Arthur just felt like an infinitely deep ocean.

Arthur reached out and patted the boy on the head twice. It was exactly like one might praise a very loyal and very violent golden retriever.

"But you did good work down there. The company appreciates your dedication. Go get fitted for your new armor. You are leading the planetary defense of the Vanguard while I am out of town."

Caden’s face flushed with absolute awe and pride. "Yes, Emperor! I will not let you down!"

Arthur watched the boy sprint off toward the barracks. He shook his head with deep amusement.

The protagonist tropes were absurdly easy to manipulate.

With the defenses of the empire secured, Arthur spent the final week indulging in the spoils of his conquest.

The private hyper-dimensional sanctuary of the Ebon Citadel became a haven of absolute luxury.

He spent long uninterrupted days and deeply intimate nights with his Queens.

He sparred with Aurelia in the mornings. He broke down her Valkyrie combat arts with playful brutality.

He plotted espionage routes with Lyra over lunch. He rewarded her cunning with stolen Apex artifacts.

His nights were consumed by the fiercely competitive affection of Sylvia and Morwenna.

The Arch-Mage and Demon Empress were constantly vying to prove their absolute devotion to him.

The bond between them transcended mere system mechanics. They were his inner circle. They were his equals in everything but authority.

On the thirtieth day, the five of them stood at the edge of the Sovereign Summit. They looked at the glowing cosmic doorway leading directly to the Celestial Court.

Arthur was dressed in a pristine tailored dark suit. The Ebonheart Cube hovered faithfully at his shoulder.

His four Queens stood behind him. They were draped in their newly forged divine-tier battle regalia.

They radiated an immense world-ending power that made the very air around them vibrate heavily.

"They expect a single ascender," Sylvia noted. Her icy eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"The physical pressure of the Celestial Court is designed to crush anyone without divine merit."

"Good thing I brought my own gravity," Arthur smirked.

He did not look back. He knew they were there and ready.

He raised his hand and pointed toward the blinding light of the new hostile market.

"System," Arthur commanded. His Grand Sovereign aura flared to life.

"Let us go crash heaven."