"It's somewhat strange to assimilate that my existence is now tied to yours. If you die now, I will die too, correct, Void creature?"
"Yes," Uriel did not react to that.
"And stop calling me Void creature. I have a name, and it's Uriel."
"I will continue calling you creature. If I ever say your name, it's because I recognize you. As I see it, you're just a creature playing at being mortal," Skadi expressed with a mocking tone.
"Let's make something clear from now on," Uriel crossed his arms.
"If you try anything, I will destroy you. It would be good for me to test what happens when I destroy something Supreme."
The woman's smile turned cold.
"I would like to see you try. But since we will be cooperating until you die, I will set my own conditions."
"And what would these conditions be?"
"One: You will answer my questions every time I have one.
Two: I will decide what type of battle I fight for you. I hate fighting against things not worth my effort.
Three: At least once every fourteen days, we will have a battle.
Those are my three conditions for working with you."
Uriel remained silent for a few seconds, analyzing each word as if it weighed more than it seemed.
The Sea of Souls around him rippled slightly, reacting to his thoughts.
"Interesting..." he murmured finally.
He lifted his gaze toward Skadi, his eyes calm but calculating.
"The first condition is not a problem... if you ask, I will answer. Though I don't promise you'll always like the answer."
He made a brief pause before continuing.
"The second..." he narrowed his eyes. "You are not the one who decides what is worth it in my life. But..."
He sighed slightly.
"I understand your point. I won't force you to fight against garbage... but if the situation demands it, you fight. No exceptions."
Skadi did not respond immediately, but her smile tightened slightly.
Uriel stepped closer, his presence becoming denser.
"The third condition..."
He looked at the void around them, as if seeing something beyond.
"One battle every fourteen days..."
A slight smile appeared on his face.
"That is not a condition... it is a necessity."
The air seemed to grow colder.
"But it will not be on your terms," he continued. "I don't want empty fights just to entertain you. Each battle will have a purpose. To grow, to test limits... or to destroy something that must be destroyed."
His eyes locked onto hers.
"If you accept that... then we have a deal."
Skadi watched him in silence for a moment. There was no mockery this time, only evaluation.
"...Hmph."
She turned her face slightly, as if hiding a small satisfaction.
"You speak like someone who understands what is at stake... creature."
Uriel did not react to the nickname.
"Fine. I accept your terms... partially."
She looked at him again, her eyes shining with dangerous intensity.
"But don't forget something, Uriel."
The Sea of Souls trembled softly.
"I am not your weapon... nor your subordinate."
An overwhelming presence emerged for an instant from her figure.
"I am a calamity that decided not to kill you."
Uriel held her gaze without flinching.
"...And I," he replied calmly, "am someone who still hasn't decided if letting you exist was a mistake."
The silence that followed was dense... almost violent.
Then, unexpectedly, Skadi let out a short laugh.
"This will be interesting."
Uriel looked at Skadi until finally beginning to ask his questions.
"Now it's my turn to ask questions," Uriel said, making Skadi look at him.
"What do you want to know, creature?" the Supreme asked.
"You mentioned that I belong to the void. What did you mean?"
Skadi looked at him without being impressed or responding. She remained silent for a few moments and finally spoke.
"What I said is literal. You are a Void creature. That which the gods sealed away out of fear. You carry its mark on your weapon." Skadi made a brief pause and then continued.
"Void creatures are in some ways the same as the gods but of a totally different nature. Their power is vast and terrifying. No logic applies to them. They follow no concept. Their nature is unknown, and their thoughts are unknown. Apart from Void creatures, the closest things to them are the Nephilim."
Uriel blinked. This new information gave him much to think about. Then he remembered something Azarax had mentioned.
"You carry the scent of that which the gods hate most," he recalled those words.
"A while ago, I heard something. Someone told me I carry the scent of that which the gods hate most."
Skadi looked at Uriel, bringing a hand to her chin, then looked around before making a thoughtful sound.
"So, True Darkness," she murmured.
"What he was referring to was True Darkness. Countless years ago, when the six gods were creating their divine realms, a Void creature appeared that emerged from the seal of nothingness. The Void creature was so vast and powerful, its hunger and desire for destruction were terrifying. Threatening to consume what the gods had built, the gods united and faced the Void creature. The battle shook all the divine realms, still in their infancy. Finally, the gods killed the hateful creature, and its blood flooded all the gods' realms like an indelible plague, earning the absolute hatred of the gods."
"Your soul is completely imbued with True Darkness. So much so that even I cannot see anything beyond the darkness. How did you achieve that?"
"I don't know. I suppose it must have been because of my original ability."
Skadi raised an eyebrow.
"Originally, my ability was called White Slate. A blank canvas, or also a malleable mold with nothing. I was injected with True Darkness, and then one thing led to another, and this is the result."
Skadi nodded.
"So you are a vessel."
Uriel blinked.
"A vessel?"
"Yes. Your soul and body are adapting to the darkness, becoming part of you and constantly shaping you. I suspect that is why you were able to withstand my will and begin learning to use your own."
"Hey, wait. Are you saying that the reason I am so strong is because I am being enhanced by True Darkness?"
"Yes. This power is strange and unknown to all. In my time, there were Awakened who used True Darkness as a drug to increase their power, suffering severe side effects in their bodies such as madness or corruption. It is surprising that you remain in control without presenting strange symptoms. Although..." Skadi paused.
"Although what?"
"No, it's nothing."
"Do you have any other questions?"
"Yes, do you know how to get to Ariel's pyramid?"
"That ancient tomb made by the Demon of Terror?"
"Yes."
"Yes, I know how to get there," she replied.
"Good. Oh, and another thing... can you kill a Corrupted Titan for me?"
"A Corrupted Titan?"
"Yes, it has been given the name Winter Beast. It is causing great devastation, and I cannot kill it since I am only an Ascended."
Skadi thought it over for a few seconds, then nodded.
"I can do it. A Corrupted Titan is just child's play for me. Take me to where this Titan is, and I will kill it. Consider it my only voluntary service, so feel proud."
"Yeah, whatever. The information you gave me was very useful," Uriel said, preparing to dismiss Skadi, but she stopped him.
"Don't dismiss me. I am curious about your soul, so I will study it."
Uriel did not like the idea of a Supreme-ranked entity wandering around his soul. However, he trusted the security system that would stop her if she tried anything strange, like destroying his soul cores or his other dark creatures.
Now that he thought about it, he should feed her parts of a Great Devil's rock to make her more durable.
Uriel, without saying anything, simply disappeared from his Sea of Souls. When Uriel disappeared, a new figure appeared. It was Shade, who had a cold and placid expression on his face.
"So you were listening, creature," Skadi said to Shade, who sighed.
"Yes," Shade said with a smile.
"This isn't the first time we've met, is it?"
"Who knows," Shade hummed. "I'm surprised you didn't mention more things about his soul to him."
Skadi smiled.
"This way, what happens in the end is more interesting. Although, for a creature like you who knows more than you say and acts more than you show."
Shade nodded.
"I suppose so. I suppose I'm just tired. Who knows?" Shade smiled while his red eyes shone with cold malevolence before smiling in an amused and arrogant way.
"But well. I would invite you to my dwelling, but well, I suppose an old woman like you would reject it."
Skadi made a gesture, causing Shade's body to explode into dark fragments.
The fragment that was Shade's mouth smiled, showing his white teeth.
"Oh, right, you're a tsundere who hates being called old."
"What are you really?" Skadi asked.
"Hmm... none of your business. See you later, daughter of war and descendant of the sun." Saying that, Shade's presence faded completely.
---
Uriel continued with his eyes closed, feeling the omnipresent cold air. Opening his eyes, he observed how Camp Erebus was buzzing with activity while several civilians stopped to take photos next to the enormous tree.
"Isn't it a nice view?" Uriel looked at Shade, who was sitting on the branch with a carefree attitude.
"I suppose so."
"By the way, I checked what Skadi is doing, and she's not doing anything strange," Shade said.
"Oh, and I also finally caught up with the Naruto manga. I must say, the best fight of all is Sakuta vs Ino. Without a doubt, it was the best fight of invalids I've ever seen in my life."
Uriel blinked several times.
"Really, there are times when I want to..."
"Oh, thanks, me too."
"Throw you from Mount Everest," Uriel finished, discouraging Shade.
"Why are you so mean?" And so Shade cried for several hours.
---
The days passed quickly, and nothing happened. After a week, the Ariadne finally arrived, and unlike what Uriel expected, the ship was intact and would transport the first five hundred thousand civilians to Falcon Scott on a three-day journey.
He was informed that two other ships were on their way to evacuate and relocate everyone from Camp Erebus to Falcon Scott. This operation would last about three weeks until the entire city was evacuated.
The first to be transferred were Professor Obel and his assistant Beth, about whom Shade had told Uriel that she had a nice rear end, to his bewilderment.
After the first ship left, two more arrived three days later, where one million people were evacuated, considerably reducing the burden.