Chapter 40
Elena Warwick spoke, but her voice unsteady.
"So what you're saying is more like a multiverse with infinite possibilities?"
She shook her head slowly.
"It's really hard to believe… I never knew any of this before."
She paused, her expression tightening.
"And this realm… I can see why it's really bad news if we go there."
"Yes," Sakura replied calmly.
Then Lily stepped forward, her voice low and serious.
" ehh miss...
Elena... Elena responded back
Ah that's right miss Elena The Chronoverse… it's not just a realm.
According to rajah
It's an endless void beyond space and time. Within its silence, infinite threads of memory drift endlessly as each one carrying the knowledge of a moment that once existed."
She looked at them all.
"in other words the moment a consciousness enters the Chronoverse, the void floods the mind with infinite memories at once… overwhelming even the strongest will."
Sakura crossed her arms.
"Apart from defying natural law which is no god or higher beings can take humans to that realm...… you'll never be the same."
Takeda exhaled slowly.
"So basically… the Chronoverse exists in a void outside time, where every memory of existence flows together."
"Yes," Elyra replied.
"That's very correct."
She paused.
"But it's more than that."
Elena's eyes widened.
"Wait… there's more?"
Elyra nodded.
" hmm hmm although I shouldn't tell you this, but yes there's more, the Chronoverse… comes in layers."
Renji sighs
" wait layers?" Takeda asked.
Like how onions have layers
Ehhh! Sakura exclaimed how the fuck did you come up with that idea!!?
Hmmm well I mean onions have layers don't they? , inner bodies or whatever takeda answering firmly with a gloomy face
Elyra cuts in as she sighed softly, then raised a finger.....
You are correct on it having layers like onions
But this isn't an onion Mr takeda
The layers can be described into four different parts
..... Wait four ?
Yes Elyra answered firmly although you aren't supposed to know this but who gives a fuck anyways
The Outer Layer or the Memory Drift
"At the outermost boundary, faint threads of memory float like fragments
Each thread carries the memories of lives, worlds, forgotten histories.... To step into this place is to hear thousands of thoughts at once voices from the past whispering endlessly into your mind...
Corrupted souls who has been drifted into the Authodox realm is where thier memories are stored and kept
For ordinary beings, the experience is unbearable. Minds collapse under the weight of infinite memories. Only those with immense willpower or supernatural resilience, like the Angels of Olympia can truly remain conscious here."
She raised a second finger.
The Middle Layer ( Memory Ocean )
" Now deeper within, the threads merge into a vast ocean of consciousness. Waves made not of water, but of thoughts, emotions, entire histories, crash endlessly....
This is where the flow of time begins to break apart past and present blend into a single incomprehensible moment.
A memory from the birth of a universe could sit beside the final moments of a dying star or the collapsing of a galaxy
Only spirit-beat users like lily here , and the lesser gods, can venture here without losing themselves entirely."
A third finger.
The Inner Layer ( Origin Archive )
"Here lies the first memories ever created, the primordial records from the dawn of existence.
Every universe, every timeline, every living being traces back to these memories. The pressure of knowledge is unimaginable; only the twelve true entities, whose existence rivals each other, can truly stand it. For anyone else… the mind is destroyed instantly."
Including mine
Finally, she raised her last finger.
The Core Layer ( True Void )
"Beneath even the Origin Archive lies the True Void, a place no being was meant to see. No memories, no time, no matter, no energy, only pure potential not knowledge, but the canvas upon which all realities can emerge… or be erased. To enter is to confront infinite blankness consisting of nothing and oblivion but yet possiblities
Even the twelve true entities would tremble here. Only the Supreme Deity can manifest here, for it is an extension of the Lexarion....
The lexarion? Elena asked
Yes Elyra responded it's beyond even the chronoverse where even the supreme diety cannot transcend..
Takeda and Elena were at a loss for words.
Finally, Takeda broke the silence.
"I… I don't know what to say, my whole life, I never knew any of this. How are we supposed to stop a war if realms like this exist?"
And you say it's an extension of a le... What now?
Meaning there's a higher realms than this
I'm a fucking human how am I supposed to fight gods who have this level of power
Elyra sighed.
"The good news is… we still have a chance. Azerin's forces cannot destroy universes, except through their top generals. And the Echoes… somehow, if they find a way... but For now we focus on the future, not the past. That goes for you too, Renji."
"Huh? Me?" Renji exclaimed.
"Yes you bozo," Elyra replied sharply. "How can you be so sloppy, knowing what it could do, and still wanting to take them there?"
Renji's face flushed red.
"Eh… ehh," he coughed. "Anyway… another reason I brought them here it's to teach them the power of the Apex. That's where you come in, Elyra."
Elyra blinked.
"Huh? Me? Why me
I told you our deal is to stop the echoes and we do it together.. not babysitting so why me?
"Because you are the Demi-God of Balance," Renji said, spreading his arms wide. "Well… they'll die before opening the 6th Harem Gate, so it's a win-win for me."
"Eh… Renji, could you say that with a little optimism?" Takeda muttered, gloomily.
Renji smiled faintly.
"I'm sorry, Takeda-sensei, but it is what it is,after all… you taught me everything I know about optimism. She'll teach you how to balance the scales of the Harem Gate and hopefully without dying.
But we're going to win this war. All of us, together.
He stretched his hands forward, curling his fists with resolve.
"All of us… together as one, as family and as friends."
Lily chuckled, stepping forward to place her hand over his.
"Sure, big brother."
Sakura sighed, following suit.
"Alright, Januza-sama."
One by one, everyone in the room joined, hands meeting in the center.
Renji's voice rang out, steady and unwavering.
"We do this together....
All answers… together. Yeah."
LOCATION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Marcus let out a low chuckle, his shoulders shaking slightly.
"Shaking? Don't make me laugh aunty… I was just getting warmed up."
He tilted his head, eyes gleaming.
"From my info, it was only a matter of time before you and your buddies showed up."
His smile widened.
"lucky for me I guess Christmas came a little early for me."
Betsheba raised a brow, amused.
"Ooooh… what's this now? Trying to act all cool and mighty, are we?"
Marcus smirked.
"Nah… I blew your head off before."
His gaze sharpened.
"Then I'll just have to do it again."
In a blur.....
He vanished.
With blinding speed, Marcus appeared right in front of her, fist already driving forward with deadly force.
If she can regenerate her head… then let's see her regenerate her heart when it's smashed to pieces.
THUD!!!
The blow landed....
…but something was wrong.
It passed straight through her.
Marcus' eyes flew wide open.
"What…?"
Betsheba smirked.
In one fluid motion....
BAM!!!
A spinning kick tore through the air and smashed into Marcus' face.
He was sent flying...
CRASH!!!
His body slammed across the park, tearing through the ground before skidding to a stop.
"Ghk....! Cough...!"
Blood gushed from his mouth as his body convulsed.
"Just… a kick…?" he muttered.
He forced himself up, only to freeze as pain shot through him.
His ribs screamed. His hands trembled uselessly.
"seriously they are both broken…?"
His thoughts spiraled.
How…? What just happened?,my punch went straight through her…
But before… I blew her head off with a single hit…
And now… just one kick from her did this much damage to my body...
"What the hell is going on…?"
Betsheba laughed.
A slow… chilling laugh.
"Ahahaha… yes, yes.… there it is."
She tilted her head, eyes gleaming with dark amusement.
"That face… that confusion… that's exactly what I wanted to see."
Marcus snapped, rage exploding through him.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?! ANSWER ME!"
His mind raced, "how did my attack go through her… but hers didn't miss me, that's not speed…
That's something else…
Betsheba stepped forward slowly.
Each step echoed unnaturally, as if the space around her lagged behind.
"Ahh… yes. There it is."
She laughed softly.. "the look of confusion."
Her gaze sharpened.
"You Pillars… rely too much on raw force, charging without thinking that's why you get your ass kicked all the time."
She raised her hand.
The space around her fingers distorted, it was subtly at first, then visibly bending.
"Let me educate you."
A ripple spread outward.
The air itself began to separate."In this world… no…"
She smiled wider.
"…in the layers beyond your understanding…"
Her eyes darkened.
"Everything that makes up your existence lies within Resonance Layers."
Marcus' eyes widened slightly.
"The body… the soul… life… and death…"
Her voice deepened.
"Think of me as… the in-between."
Each word landed heavier than the last.
"You struck my body…"
She tapped her chest lightly.
"But I simply shifted my existence into a different phase layer."
A pulse of energy spread.
For a brief moment...
Her body flickered.
As multiple versions of her overlapped, out of sync with reality itself.
"That… is my Authority."
Her voice dropped into something cold and absolute.
"Phase Authority."
Marcus clenched his teeth.
"So… you're saying I can't hit you?"
Betsheba chuckled.
"Oh, you can…"
She vanished, then appeared right in front of him.
"…but you don't have the power to."
BAM!!!
Another strike , a second hit slammed into his ribs.
CRACK!!!
Marcus crashed into the ground, coughing violently as his body folded in on itself.
"Right now," she said calmly, "your attacks exist only in the physical resonance layer."
She leaned closer, her voice almost a whisper.
"But my attacks…?"
Her smile widened.
"Exist across multiple layers at once."
Betsheba straightened, laughing softly.
"Hmmm… well, well it's really funny because I thought Christmas came a little early for you…"
She placed a hand over her cheeks, mockingly.
"But now that I think about it…"
Her eyes darkened, " I think it came a little early for me instead."
She looked down at him.
"Look at you… pitiful… arrogant…"
Her aura grew heavier.
"I wanted to test the strength of you 'Pillars'…"
Her face twisted into something far more sinister.
"And if they're all like you…"
A dark pressure spread across the park.
"…then you're all too weak.", Her smile widened unnaturally.
"Not even worthy of my minions."
Marcus' eyes sharpened.
Despite the pain, he forced himself to his feet.
A faint grin formed on his blood-stained face.
Betsheba watched him with interest.
"Well then…"
She stretched out her hand.
Darkness began to gather, warping the air around her
Her eyes glowed deeper more abyssal.
"Let's play with you a little longer, shall we?"
The atmosphere shifted as she whispered
"Song of Despair."