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Our teamwork was remarkable at first, a convergence of powers that defied logic itself. The dualities, Kenos and Belenos, synchronised their forces, their opposing essences resonating in flawless unity, leaving the rest of us to act as the vanguard.
Mors, however, fought alone. She swung the Scythe of Unwritten wildly, unleashing chaotic arcs of Yuánlì. Each strike was unpredictable, deadly even to us. If I lost focus for even a fraction of a second, one of her arcs would've bisected a comrade. I can't let that happen.
Beside me, Algol fought with relentless fury. We were equals, each blow we traded shaking the transcendent Pond. Together, we closed in on Quantum Quake, who stood perfectly still, unmoving amidst the carnage.
Then came the truth of his Indigo Void, every successful strike from him was instant annihilation, even for beings like us. Not even Phoenix's Curse could preserve itself. His Ontologions, those sacred pillars of Identity were being unmade, as Quake's void is approaching the level of Nihiliths, the state of absolute collapse. No Akasharytes, no record. No Arcanocysts, no rebirth spell. No Essereos, no self, nothing left to rebuild from.
Foreseeing this, Elara took fragments of his Ontologions with her and withdrew, soaring through the Layers of Reality. As the Goddess of Creation, she alone could sustain his existence, preserving him from total oblivion while the rest of us continued the impossible battle.
Mors was the extraordinary one. She had died more times than any of us yet somehow, she always returned. The source of her resurrection remained a mystery in Etherium itself. Could it be that her death was superior to the Indigo Void? The thought lingered in my mind, whispering of some deeper truth, perhaps that was why she bore the title Angel of Death.
Indigo Voids collided with Black Voids as Kenos struggled to keep pace, fighting, reviving, and dissolving in an endless cycle. His True Form was the void itself, Conceptual Void, Metaphysical Void, Meta Void or Existential Void, he's all in one yet, the void beyond them.
I was certain there was a connection between him and the Indigo Void. Because his Black Void which is supposed to be inferior was Nihiliths Level, the same level as Quantum Quake's Indigo Void.
If he truly has a connection with the Indigo Void, then perhaps he could never truly be killed. Of course, it was only a theory... but one I couldn't shake.
Algol, however, was something else entirely. Unlike the rest of us, and just like me, he hadn't fallen once. His body is wildly adapting to the Indigo Void. Watching him withstand that corruption sent a familiar chill through me. That same cold fear I'd once felt for him had returned. A being to be feared.
The battlefield was now stripped bare, nothing remained but that transcendent void. The Sacred Yuánlì Particles themselves were barely holding on, most of its Fragments erased from the fabric of Reality.
But I was not without means. I had other channels, alternate conduits, and through them, my supply remained inexhaustible.
Even with all my speed, I couldn't outrun fear. When the Indigo Void touched my flesh, the pain wasn't physical, it was existential. Aurether struggled to mend me, patching the hollow gaps where my very being had been erased.
(Nihiliths, one of the few Divine Fragments of Línglì/Ether. The inevitability that beheld Existence itself. It can annihilate Yuánlì and its Sacred Fragments, triggering resets or Existential Collapse. This isn't death, is the point where death itself becomes prey.
Best used by Others to remove void entities beyond Yuánlì. Just a quick recap of Nihiliths.)
Vortexes spiralled, beams and blasts of Aurether tore through the abyss. And amid that chaos, I began to see, to truly perceive Línglì. My Essereos started binding with it, particle by particle, until both fused in perfect equilibrium: a 50/50 bond of existence and transcendence. And with that union, Aurether evolved, becoming something far greater than before.
Around me, the cycle of death and resurrection continued endlessly. We were dying faster than we could kill, yet not one of us found a way to deliver a fatal blow. The Quantum Quake's regeneration defied reason, transcending even ontological limits.
But then, everything began to shift. When the bond deepened to 65/35, my Essereos took dominance. Power surged through me, reshaping my body. I felt my golden eye ignite, burning brighter, radiating with a light that pierced even the Indigo Void.
In response, Algol ascended further, his form distorting under the strain. Black streams, like living ink, spread across his skin in intricate, writhing veins.
"His body is overloaded with Black Void, but there's no ascension. Perhaps, he is different after all."
Kenos muttered grimly, analysing the situation like a scientist.
"Meaning?"
Mors, her dark armour shattered leaving few plates, mask completely destroyed. The Scythe of Unwritten floated behind her like a shadowed crescent. Yet in her hands now gleamed a weapon no Star should wield, something I had once touched only briefly, long ago.
'Impossible... how is she able to summon the Genesis Sword: Unlogos, bestowed only to the Supreme Star God by the Grand Lord?'
I cursed under my breath, a bitter surge of envy rising.
"What is the time limit for Unlogos?"
I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Thirty seconds, one swing. That's all."
She replied flatly.
"Cancel it. I have a plan. We'll need that strike for the end."
I commanded, voice heavy with urgency.
"You can't order me."
She snapped back, defiant.
"Do what he says!"
Algol's voice cut through the chaos, sharp & absolute. His gaze locked on her, and for a moment, even death hesitated.
She exhaled sharply, eyes narrowing.
"Fine."
With a reluctant motion, she dismissed the Genesis Sword, reclaiming the Scythe of Unwritten.
"Just know that..."
Her words stopped mid-breath. As if summoned by defiance itself, he appeared, the being, the monster, the abomination we were fighting, Quantum Quake.
"How did you acquire the Nether Aspect of Death?"
Its voice was clearer now, no longer distorted, but articulate, reverberating through the void like an ancient echo.
Then, without warning, its left arm began to corrode, consumed by its own Indigo Void. The creature growled, the sound deeper than sound itself, as the very power it wielded turned inward, devouring its form.
"NOW!"
I announced, stepping forward. Algol caught on instantly, recognising the fleeting, impossible opening and lunged.
His fist burned with Black Void, the sheer density of it resembling a condensed sun of annihilation. I gathered my own power, fingertips pressed together, ready to strike.
But the creature moved first, already recovered form it's pain. It turned, faster than thought, its arm igniting in an Indigo Void.
The two Voids met. The Indigo devoured the Black whole, swallowing it like a bottomless abyss. An instant later, its fist connected with Algol's chest.
The impact was catastrophic. Algol was hurled backwards, vanishing across the breadth of the Pond, his presence flickering out, either lost to Unknown Space or erased entirely.
I spread my palms, silvery threads of Aurether spiralling between my fingers, ready to retaliate. But before the attack could leave my hand, it appeared before me. Its arm blurred, and in the next heartbeat, its clawed hand was around my throat.
"Y..you..."
It spoke.
"Light of Destruction!"
Belenos roared, a thunderous sound that shook the Indigo haze, as her Polaris Lance ignited, hurling forward like a blazing spear through the void.
Kenos followed instantly, his dark orbs coalescing, condensing into a solid abyssal rod that carried the weight of the Abyss itself.
I felt the threads of Aurether tighten around its arm, binding it for an instant, just enough to restrain its motion.
"Futile."
The single word resonated like a verdict.
Still gripping me by the throat, it ascended effortlessly, dragging me upward through collapsing light. With one smooth motion, it kicked both incoming attacks, redirecting them midair, sending the combined force careening toward Mors, who was still reeling.
I didn't think but I acted.
"I'll buy time, active."
The thread pulsed, silver burning, before snapping violently, severing its arm cleanly. The recoil of the indigo energy shredded the surrounding space, but I used that distortion.
In a flash of refracted Aurether, I tore open a rift and teleported us straight into my personal reality.
"Y...you...think you can...win?"
It asked in that old distorted voice, damage and death not an obstacle.
"Won't know unless we try."
I extended my arm and in the next instant, it was severed.
Pain surged through me, brief but sharp. I forced regeneration, flesh reforming in streaks of light as I charged forward, refusing to yield. I met it head-on only to be completely overpowered. Its raw force eclipsed mine, crushing the air around us.
But then, something shifted. A flicker, a distortion in its stance, an opening. I might be hallucinating but I'll give it a try.
Without hesitation, I drove my fist forward. The impact wasn't on its body, it struck the fabric of my own reality, shattering the crystalline walls of my domain.
Light fractured and I was back in the Pond.
"He's strong,"
Phoenix muttered, still motionless, his eyes glowing faintly, calculating. Just as the last embers of hope began to fade, a voice echoed within my mind a telepathic message, clear and urgent.
'Vikir, a Wraith.'
Elara transmitted.
'Wraith?'
I asked, such a name blurred in my omniscient mind.
'A Wraith, the dominant race in Delta-Singularity. Vikir is the fourth and the youngest to be gifted with the power of void. It's a cycle and now, he's chosen to wield it.'
'So the voids in the higher Layers are Indigo?'
'No. It's... It's from a weird source beyond my Creation. I can't say that not even it, Vikir can.'
-Like an opposition to Línglì?'
I asked.
'H..how did you...-
'He said something similar and permanently lost an arm. Nether Aspect of Death.'
'Their titles are conscious. Anyone unworthy will meet an inevitable end instantly.'
'Skip the lectures. How can we defeat him?'
'First of all, he's the youngest. He's inexperienced in many ways as well as in his powers. Else, we'd be dead long ago. So naturally, we can't.'
She said in all honesty.
'I mean, he's so strong, I'm surprised the Star Realm hasn't fallen yet. A fully experienced Wraith is too strong for my creation. Mother has to intervene, kicking them out of the system.'
'Don't underestimate the creations of the First Light. Any tips?'
I asked, my gaze steady despite everything. No matter how powerful it might be, my pride would never accept defeat.
Just like Orivielle, if this was a being worth interfering with, then His Grace would act. And if it did… then I would have to live with it, carrying that weight, knowing I had faced it and failed. I would spend the rest of my existence cursing the fact that I couldn't bring it down.
I'll never disappoint my creator. I am it's perfect creation, I'll win!
'An Indigo Void, a special belonging to one of Them.'
'Them?'
I repeated, before knowing what she meant.
'I see, it's really bad.'
'He's from the Fourth Layer, but that is still not enough for him to wield that power. No one in Mother's Existential Shells can wield such power.'
'So that's why he's crumbling.'
'That's good news. If he keeps going, he'll self-destruct, but...'
'He probably knows it and will take more measures to achieve his goal before then.'
'Exactly. I'm heading home immediately.'
'Hurry up, Algol is out of the picture for a while now.'
'Roger.'
The voice cut off, and I drew my attention back to the real world.
"Elara just contacted me. I've got a plan..."
To be continued...