Devil's Nest
Uriel blinked in confusion. He felt as if his body had been put through a giant meat grinder, and he was burned—though the burns were healing thanks to the properties of his Void Mantle.
He was bound with black chains that pinned him against the wall.
"Finally back to your senses," Shade said.
"Again?"
"Yes, again," he replied. "I had to stop you with Nephis's help—she recovered faster."
Uriel looked around. Everything was a scorched wasteland of ash and volcanic glass. The mouth of the tunnel they had entered through was melted to a certain extent. Likewise, enormous craters were scattered here and there from powerful impacts.
The lake was boiling, with clouds of steam rising.
Seated on a rock was Nephis, with a distant expression on her face.
Uriel freed himself from the chains of darkness as Shade returned inside him.
He approached Nephis, who looked at him for a moment.
"Seems you're back to your senses."
"Sorry for what I did, even if I don't remember it."
"You were right. That tunnel... the truth Ariel left behind was too much to bear, even as a Supreme."
Uriel nodded.
"Do you want me to block those memories?"
"No," Nephis replied. "Don't."
Uriel nodded.
"Alright. Then I'll go get Sunny," he said, taking out the amulet. After using a few names, Sunny emerged, somewhat disoriented.
"What happened?"
"Let's just say there were some complications. But Nephis knows the details—I don't," he said, pointing to Nephis still sitting on a rock.
Without hesitation, Sunny approached Nephis, concerned.
Ah, love. So pure... Uriel frowned.
And I'm still single and a virgin—damn fate.
Uriel grew depressed. A dark aura enveloped him as in his mind, Shade began playing a saxophone with a sad melody, making him even sadder.
Some time passed before they set off again, crossing the river.
The journey continued in silence across the great lake where the names of the seven demons were inscribed, along with the truth Ariel had left behind about the gods' transgression against the Seventh God.
They crossed the lake in silence, gradually approaching the chamber where the Tomb of Oblivion lay.
They continued advancing until Uriel reached the same point he had used in the past to travel to the future. Though the current was weak, it was still enough to return to his exact time in one final leap.
Uriel guided Sunny and Nephis through the labyrinth using the same path Daeron had used, thanks to his blessing from the Storm God lineage.
The journey was calm, with little conversation.
After the three exited the labyrinth, they arrived at the inner lake where the Guardian had been.
Uriel walked across the lake's surface, looking at the floating corpse of the Guardian he had killed.
"You really killed that thing?" Sunny asked, gazing at the immensity of the creature.
"Yes, it was hell to accomplish, but in the end it happened. It's well dead."
"Then why aren't you a Supreme?"
"I have no idea. At this point, I don't even care about being a Supreme or not," he replied calmly.
Walking toward a corpse, he created a hand of darkness with sharp claws, which pierced through the corpse. With a strong pull, he extracted a Supreme soul fragment—gray and dead.
Shaking his head, he tossed the fragment into the lake, where it quickly sank.
The three advanced for a time, stopping before reaching the chamber where Oblivion rested in eternal slumber. They had decided to fight in that dark, spacious place.
"We'll lure the Vile Thieving Bird here. So prepare for battle."
Uriel nodded. He used his Transcendent form, becoming a mass of darkness. Then Uriel had an idea. He summoned his Aspect Legacy—his Supreme Titan, which he still hadn't named.
She materialized in the darkness, and he felt her presence.
Uriel connected with her through the bond he shared with all his dark creatures.
"Will you let me possess your body to fight?"
"Bastard," the girl replied, nodding enthusiastically.
"Thank you. I'll give you a name when the fight is over, and uh... good girl," he said, not being very good with children.
Uriel launched himself at the small girl, his darkness wrapping around the body that had been willingly offered.
He felt a connection much deeper than any of his other creatures. He supposed it was because she came from his very Aspect, born from his nature as a Void being.
The process was quick, lasting less than a minute.
When it finished, in place of the mass of shadows stood a young girl no older than twelve, with black hair and black eyes, wearing black robes with her hair tied in a ponytail.
Uriel examined the body, feeling how his will suddenly became much vaster and immeasurable. His senses were greatly enhanced, giving him a strange perception.
"So this is what it feels like to be a Supreme. The sensation is intoxicating," he murmured in a childish, girlish voice. In his hand appeared his Supreme sword, which had adapted to his new size.
Uriel felt gazes upon him—looking at Sunny and Nephis.
"What?" he asked, tilting his head.
"What do you mean, 'what'? What the hell, Uriel?"
Uriel smiled.
"Don't worry about this form—it's part of my Aspect Legacy," he explained.
"So your Aspect Legacy is being an adorable little girl?"
"Well..." Uriel scratched his cheek, looking away.
"I suppose so. Though my Legacy is divided into seven parts called Relics, and this is the second—a Supreme Titan. So you could say I cheated and possess the power and will of a Supreme while only being Transcendent."
"I give up trying to analyze you," Sunny said. "I feel like I'm watching an invincible character that the plot gives power-ups to out of nowhere and without reason."
"Hey, that offends me—I'm not a cheater character... I think."
"Anyway, let's drag the devil out of its filthy nest."
Sunny smiled as he summoned a silver bell.
As the bell's echo spread throughout the Estuary, Sunny took a deep breath and then shouted:
"Hey! Come out and face me, Vile Bird! Repulsive scum! Degenerate fowl! Or are you afraid to show your atrocious excuse for a face here, huh? Come get me, you miserable chicken!"
Uriel blinked upon hearing all that.
"Quite the language."
"You're not one to talk," Nephis said.
"I suppose you're right."
They waited a while until finally something interesting emerged—though it was not the atrocious Bird.
Uriel felt something strange—as if his vitality was slowly beginning to leak away.
At the same time, a soft white glow emanated from Nephis's skin.
"Vile? Vile..."
Uriel looked behind Sunny, seeing something interesting.
Behind him stood a black figure wrapped in shadows, resembling Sunny. Its skin was an intense black, its eyes gleaming like onyx, and a smile curled across its face.
The resemblance to Sunny was undeniable.
Uriel felt the soul of that thing thanks to the powers of the body he now possessed, sensing four Supreme soul cores.
Uriel watched as Nephis immediately attacked the creature, launching a strike with her sword, unleashing a torrent of radiant white flames. However, before the flames could reach the Spawn, it vanished.
The shadow creature appeared a hundred meters away, now bearing an undeniable resemblance to Nephis. She—or it—tilted its head like a bird and smiled.
"Vile!"
Raising its hand, it pointed at them.
Uriel immediately transformed into pure darkness, hiding within it, witnessing a sea of black flames that spread, consuming a large portion of the shadow legion Sunny had summoned.
After the flame attack ended and the steam subsided somewhat, Uriel emerged from the darkness, hearing a pained shriek from the creature.
"Interesting," was all he said.
The Spawn approached a dying wolf. It abandoned its Nephis-like form, replaced by that of the wolf. The vile creature, using the wolf's form, sank its fangs into the wolf's neck, tearing out its throat.
The wolf smiled, resuming Sunny's form. From its shadows, countless shadows it had killed—including the wolf's own—emerged, now following their new master.
Uriel witnessed how the Vile Progeny was stealing Sunny's domain, eliminating his soldiers at enormous speed, causing Sunny to lose ground rapidly.
Ignoring that, he set his gaze into the distance.
The suns aren't here either. Where the hell are they? he thought, annoyed.
There was no trace that the Cursed Terror had stolen the six divine suns to adorn its nest, nor even traces that they had been destroyed. It was as if they had simply vanished.
Uriel observed as the shadow army clashed, Sunny splitting into seven versions of himself and Nephis fighting.
Taking a step, Uriel appeared atop an enormous moth—the same great moth monster he had killed upon entering the tomb.
Brandishing the Wyvern Fang, he cut a Supreme shadow in half.
His will, now that he controlled a Supreme-ranked body, was much more powerful and lethal than ever.
Smiling, he used a large portion of his essence to manifest an enormous wave of pure darkness that crashed against the shadow army, killing thousands of them—both allies and enemies, since he couldn't distinguish them amid the chaos of battle.
Uriel extended his will, increasing his control over the surrounding darkness, strengthening it. A rain of different curses descended upon the shadows, while terrible devastation wiped out entire sections of the Vile Progeny's army.
Sensing a presence, Uriel turned just in time to see the Vile Spawn extending its hand to crush him.
However, Uriel smiled, grabbing the Supreme Devil's wrist. Spinning on his axis, he hurled it against the ground at breakneck speed.
The inexperienced Devil had no time to move between the shadows when its body impacted the dark river, sending up an enormous column of water.
Uriel descended into the water, becoming absolute darkness. He observed the shadows like a predator, tracking the Vile Spawn moving at high speed.
Shooting forward, he intercepted the Spawn within the shadows, landing a devastating blow that surpassed the Devil's defense.
Expelled from the shadows, the Spawn broke free, retreating hundreds of meters. A fist-sized hole was in its chest.
The Spawn's face twisted, letting out a loud shriek, resembling that of a bird.
At that instant, the world seemed to stop. A chill settled into Uriel's body.
He could feel it.
Uriel was the first to react, immediately moving away—but it was too late. A vast and terrifying existence laid its gaze upon him.
It happened in less than a blink. A massive claw was in his chest, piercing through his flesh, his bones, even his soul—digging much deeper into places he never knew existed within his soul.
Blood gushed from Uriel's mouth. Indescribable pain spread through his entire body—yet he smiled.
Uriel activated the most useful and powerful enchantment his Void Mantle possessed.
[Retribution]—an enchantment that reversed a mortal wound. In other words, the mortal wound the Vile Thieving Bird had inflicted simply never happened, and instead, the same wound was received by the Vile Bird.
The Thieving Bird tilted its head, its enormous, crazed eyes looking at him as if cataloging his worth. Even when it received the same damage Uriel had taken, it was nothing more than a minor annoyance—such was the vast difference in power.
At that moment, Sunny appeared, plunging his sword into the Cursed Terror's neck with a smile on his face, sending enormous amounts of killing intent and destruction into the vile bird.
However, it wasn't enough. The Terror wasn't dead.
The Vile Bird turned its massive head, directing its beak toward Sunny, striking him head-on, smashing his head like a crushed watermelon.
A moment later, Sunny still had his face, as if his head had never been destroyed.
Uriel grabbed the Cursed Terror's claws, then simply transformed into pure darkness, merging with the environment—something made possible by his unique and strange soul that had once housed a divine entity.
Sunny likewise retreated from the repulsive Bird.
Uriel emerged a few hundred meters away alongside Sunny, observing the magnitude of the enormous bird that had to hunch over to fit within the immense cavern.
Both watched as Nephis used her white flames, creating an inferno of fire that engulfed the Cursed Terror.
However, the Terror merely moved its wings and shook itself, extinguishing the flames with absurd ease.
The Cursed Terror leaped, its enormous body landing where its Progeny lay, agonizing from the hole in its chest.
The Spawn shot a furious glare at Uriel, then looked at Sunny with something akin to sadness before disappearing into shadows, hiding within the Cursed Terror's shadow.
In the distance, the shadow army clashed, with Sunny's shadows gaining the advantage.
Finally, this left only the three possessors of divine Aspects against a Cursed Terror.
"Any ideas, Uriel?" Nephis asked.
"None at the moment. Well, I could detonate some Sacred fragments I have, but that would kill us all—and I don't want to be a kamikaze."
"What the hell is a kamikaze?"
"It's... we don't have time to talk about that—we have a Cursed Terror in front of us."
"Anyway, we need to run," Sunny said, earning strange looks from Uriel and Nephis.
However, they asked no questions and simply retreated.
The three ran back to a great cliff. Just as the Vile Bird was about to pursue them, an enormous skeletal hand emerged from the shadows.