Lord Joyde The Madman: Heylo, everybody! How're you all doing this fine day?
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Ahh.
This is one of those chapters which I think will make 50% of you go WTF AUTHOR?!.
40% of you will be genuinely confused.
And the last 10% are going to be comparing me to a certain Throne Of Games. (You read that wrong, didn't you?) xD
Anyways, here comes the next chapter of EUPHORIA! I sincerely hope that you enjoy, let us begin!
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Don't mind me guys and girls! I'm just a line break...
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Beyond The Reach Of Time - The Red World - Leonardo's Point Of View...
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"Huh?" I heard myself mutter out in both uncertainty and confusion.
The fleshy feeling beneath my hands revealed my current location before I opened my eyes.
I was in the red world again. For the umpteenth time recently.
And this time, I had a really bad feeling about this..."Finally... here, eh? Took.. you.. long enough."
I looked upwards to see... an Angel nailed to a wooden cross.
Eadom.
But with his skin back.
Long, waist-length golden hair flowed behind him. His pale, ironically angelic skin shone a foreboding white.
Something is wrong."Eadom? What's up with your voice? What's going on?"
He didn't reply, merely pointed up. Following the finger, I discovered that the sky was a battleground between this realms natural crimson and the white of God.
...
No.
Not a battleground.
Merely a discussion.
A civil one, in fact. Grounded in logic and reason, without emotions.
Thunder roared in the skies as the two entities conversed, without words, without thought.
Both were far beyond anything so primitive.
Both were unwilling to belittle themselves to that level just so I could comprehend the conversation.
Suddenly, the white sky twisted upon itself and seemingly turned down to look at me.
Colorless light shone forth and coiled itself around my head, flowing into my eyes as I let out an immaculate scream.
Good God that hurt, like someone was pushing sharp paper into your eyeballs, cutting, prodding... reaching for my brain.
And the strands of strange cloth finally reached into my mind.
.. And without any warning, I understood.
Eadom. He lied to me."You... you didn't sacrifice yourself in order to save humanity from vampires."
He let out a dry laugh."And you were an idiot to ever even believe that in the first place!... no, its safe to say that you never even fucking cared. So why are you getting pissed of now?"
"Oh I'm not pissed off Eadom. I'm disappointed. I would have thought that someone like you would be stronger as a person." He went silent as I recalled all that was shown to me mere moments ago.
An image showing a thousand angels with immense wings, all praying as they melt away and return to their origin. To God.
A mere two thousand and twenty two years ago, at the eve of Christ, God made a decree saying how all angels and demons above the level of Arch would be deleted from existence and returned to their origin.
Save the few who still had their part to play during the biblical time.
The thousand angels calmly accepted this, even if it meant their own demise. They fully believed in God, in Gods plan.
But Eadom did not. He knew that becoming a fallen angel would not save him, as Lucifer accepted this decree and started hunting down his own demon-kind.
He would have merely exchanged the being to end his miserable existence.
His pride ensured his desire for survival.
And survival is something Chaos tends to adore in lesser creatures. So when the bastard *sacrificed* himself in order to survive, Chaos was moved by his actions and responded accordingly.
Why God made this decree, I do not know.
Something tells me that I will find out eventually.
But now, his past has caught up with him, as Chaos has finally found a vessel more worthy to suit its design.
Namely me.
The tendrils of white reached into me again, showing me something damming.
My blood-rage earlier today... it was not my own at all. It was Eadoms attempt at forcing me to stray from Gods plan and Chaos's design. Whatever those two have in store for me, I'm surprised that they've planned it together.
Eadoms own rage flowed into my soul, causing me to tear everything apart.
Today was not meant to be as it was.
I did not wish to attack Maxima like I did. That was not what I wanted.
Another set of feelings rushed through me as Chaos made its judgement clear.
Eadoms soul is far too entrenched, far too connected to mine to be removed without damaging my own soul severely.
God, however, desires Eadoms existence.
Another flash of thunder echoed within this world before a sense of serenity blocked out the storms.
God would take Eadoms consciousness and reforge what is left of Eadom afterwards into my weapon. Eadoms current physical form.
Chaos relented, the storms dying down in what appeared to be a nod of approval on their level of existence.
"So this is it, then? All this time.. and you aren't even going to shed a tear, are you?" Eadom asked me with a quirked eyebrow as I shrugged."Been nice knowing ya, mate."
Taking in a deep breath, he scowled at me."One day, when I am finally reborn, I am going to hunt you down, Leonardo. I am going to do everything in my power to tear your pathetic, mortal self apart!"
I laughed."By the time your consciousness is back on track, I'll be far more than merely mortal."
"Maybe so, but it will not save you from me." He spat with rage clear in his tone, a far different image than the Eadom I knew up till now.
Another flash of thunder struck the ground as Eadom's soul ruptured itself out of his body and, in its stead, a new name forged itself into my eyes view.
Caedes. Latin for slaughter, carnage and massacre all in one.
A new name for the living crusade.
God's light flashed upon me one last time and I felt a weight, a limitation break off my soul.
... The limit upon souls is gone.
And here I thought I'd finally have some kind of weakness.
An echo of Chaos tore through my earlobes, a newfound sense of freedom and purity filling my entire existence.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
"Now... at long last, you are complete." The voice of Chaos sent shivers up and down my spine like a very passionate lover.
And another thundered after it, the white cloth surrounding me offering one last piece of advice.
The image of a world, of the Earth, as seen from the cosmos. Huh, guess both the Flat Earth Society and The Earth is Round people were in the wrong...
Its more like a misshapen, giant comet. Honestly, it looks far more realistic for the result of bashing several millions of tons worth of comets together than a supposedly perfectly round object.
The image then flowed into the world.
It showed me ...
A woman. Bound in chains within the metal core of our world.
A woman with flowing tendrils for hair, four long arms and two legs.
With sickly, dark blue skin.
Suddenly, as the image drew closer to her face, her eyes opened, showing me their golden glow.
...
Mother.
Gaia.
...
Imprisoned.
About to wake up.
And if she ever does...
The image twisted upon itself, taking me back to where it started, to seeing Gaia from the outside of her prison.
Then, the world started to crack, molten lava spewing forth from it as ...
As Gaia tore herself free from her prison.
You know, I always found it weird.
Weird how all these Gods and God, all these evil and good, all-powerful entities supposedly found us humans interesting enough to keep watch over us.
But now, I do truly understand.
There is a calamity, a monster, an entity meant for destruction on the scale of reality, buried deep within our planet.
Our people, the human and the inhuman... we are just the sad souls, unlucky enough to be born upon her skin.
Pitied, by everyone and everything else.
Foredoomed to the moment in time when this creature breaks free from her prison of earth and rock.
A blink as the cloth recedes, almost saddened by having to reveal this to me.
... For telling a child that its own mother... was the enemy.
And all this time, I thought that...
I shook my head.
How the hell am I going to explain this to father, to the others?! They all think that I'm some prophet of Gaia!
I turned my head upwards and opened my mouth to question them... I mean, just what the hell am I supposed to do?!
If the reasoning behind God's decree is to regain a level of power where they would be equal to her... who am I to even stand in her way?!
A flash of red dawned upon me as a giant space-ship formed before my eyes. A great Ark that would guide the children of Gaia out of her way.
Is..
Is that my purpose?
But without any form of further explanation, I am torn from The Red World and thrown back into reality.
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Don't mind me guys and girls! I'm just a line break...
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At That Same Time - A Certain Place - Reader Point Of View...
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The woman upon the throne of gold and crimson silk, opened her weary eyes.
"Ah.. so he knows now." Her melodious voice echoed outwards, forming a tense atmosphere in the giant room she was in.
A massive hall, full of people.
Men.
Women.
Children.
All hers.
All born to serve.
As they should, for she is their mother, after all."Mother?"
A metallic voice creaked from her side as she turned towards her only remaining son with a smile."Ah, Harold. Tell me child, how our hunt for my children coming along?"
Harold took a step back and bowed, his frame shaking with fear as he answered."T-Thor and Odin are hiding somewhere on Island, disguised as old men both. "
"And the children of Olympus?" She asked him with an inquisitive gaze. He swallowed down hard."The Gods of Olympus are hiding alongside their demi-god descendants all across the world. Our scientists are devising a planet-wide scanner of divine DNA, but work has been slow as the only source material we have is the decaying corpse of Zeus."
"How long until you finish it?" Her tone turned deathly and he thought for a brief moment before replying."I-It should be done by the end of the week."
"And the remainder of those who dared to take of my power?" Another question as he nodded towards her."All are either already dead or have been captured. Gods are easy prey when their power has been taken away."
She leaned back into her throne, seemingly satisfied for the moment as a wicked smile formed upon her lips.
Her two jailers thought themselves so smart, pulling their power back into themselves in order to prepare for her eminent return.
Though... she hadn't expected them to recruit the Firstborn.
Antioch...
Watching him proved to be quite entertaining.
In the end, he is but a man.
And men can be seduced to her cause.
She smiled as she let out another sigh.
More work for her to do, but her enemies newest weapon would be hers, in the end.
She was sure of it.
For now, she should just lean back and enjoy the view.
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Don't mind me guys and girls! I'm just a line break...
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Moments Afterwards... - The Skies Of Japan - Leonardo's Point Of View...
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Opening my eyes, I noticed that I was still flying high."Oh! You're back! Leo something is wrong, I can't feel Eadom's presence anymore!"
"Don't try. He's gone, Yomi." I answered her with a scowl upon my face as she sent me an imaginary tilted head."Huh? Gone? How? WHY?!"
"Turns out he way lying about being a good guy. He sacrificed himself in order to save himself from Gods wrath... but his time's run out." I explained to the best of my current ability.
Shock was still rushing through my veins like wild-fire.
Ah, so that's why the flow of genes has stopped. Great, now I'll have to find another way into that massive font of biomass... wait, didn't he say how your heart is the portal into your soul? Hmm...
Aria said without a single hint of emotion in her tone."So what happens now?" Yomi asked with a quirked eyebrow, seemingly getting over the situation rather quickly.
I let out a laugh."Guess none of us really cared much for him, huh?"
What is there for me to care about a guy that I've never even seen? His only use was providing me with useful genetic material.
"And what about that time you actually referred to him as your second father?" A tilted head was her answer.
Aria merely scowled.
Just because I called him one of my fathers, does not mean I liked him. He was useful to me while he was here. So its not like I'm happy that he is gone, but I don't really have a reason to be really sad either.
A dark chuckle escaped me as I turned my attention to Yomi."And you? What's your take on this?"
"In all honestly? Too much good has been happening to you recently so losing Eadom was along the lines of things that I had expected... you still seem to have his physical form as a weapon, though." Yomi explained in an equally disinterested voice.
Oh well, I guess I should have expected as much."Caedes!" I exclaimed to the skies as a massive gold and crimson Jerusalem cross materialized in front of me before glowing hot like molten metal and reshaping itself.
Molding itself into a great, burning claymore with a great crimson ruby etched into the hilt. My Living Crusade's living heart, eager to devour everything and anything that stood in my way.
But it was weak.
Not at full power.
Guess that, even with Eadom gone, his soul is still scattered around the world.
One good thing did come out of all this though, as I am no longer bound by Gods rule for when it comes to the amount of souls that I can carry.
I suppose that the real reasoning behind it must've been something along the lines of preventing Eadom's escape until he fulfilled his destined role."A-ah! There it is.. huh, something is wrong! My home! Its on fire!"
Yomi screeched me back into reality as I looked downwards and spotted a hidden valley. The scent of fire entered my nostrils as several screams followed behind it.
Without wasting any more time, I descended to the ground to find myself standing in front of a ruined wooden fox temple. The structure was ancient and its design elegant... but this was no time to ogle ancient architecture.
My eyes blazed with fury and rage as I readied my sword and entered the temple's grounds."Where are you hiding her!? Tell us or we shall annihilate this pathetic temple of yours alongside your little garden!"
A man bearing a katana glowing with white energy threatened a two-tailed male kitsune as he pressed the edge of the blade upon the fox's throat."We don't know! T-the pulses, they clearly show that she yet lives, but she who is of the Funeral March is not h-here!"
Ah."So this is my fault... well, I did say that I used enough mana to alert half the continent..."
"She who is of the Funeral March?" I questioned her with a snort and she mimicked my actions."That's the name they gave me. Not a bad one mind you, considering that I left a trail of carnage and destruction wherever I went."
"That just makes it easier for me to do this." I said out loud, gathering the attention of several yokai-hunters and kitsune that were fighting.
Without wasting another moment, I pushed the darkness and fear around my heart away and steeled myself."What the fuck?! Who are y-ughg!"
The man who threatened the male kitsune tried to speak, but a crimson line appeared upon his neck momentarily before he was turned to ash, his existence devoured by me.
I felt myself smile as the others took a step back, both the kitsune and the humans around me standing frozen in total fear.
I rushed towards another, who barely managed to pull his katana out of his sheath.. for all the good it did him, as my blade cut through his unprepared weapon and tore the man in half, erupting in an explosion of ash and dust.
Turning around and twisting gravity around me as I did, I let out a maddening chuckle as the man who was behind me is suddenly torn apart by an invisible wind, his flesh and skin removed, leaving only bone and ash behind.
Leaping forwards, I impaled another man through the chest with a hand and tore out his heart before I flung his corpse onto the last one, a woman with pink hair.
The corpse turned skeleton smashed against her head."AAARGH!"
She fell onto her ass as I calmly, with that special kind of villainous steps, walked over to her before grabbing the one sixty tall woman by the throat and rising her sky-high."Go. Run. Tell your masters that the one they seek is The Living Crusade and that he would be more than happy to relive them of their pathetic lives."
I let her down just in time to avoid being pissed on as the yellow liquid flowed into the ground below her for the briefest moment, as she slammed her hands into the ground so hard that I heard something crack, pushing herself off the earth and running out of the compound, screaming all the while.
I turned around to face a frightened kitsune, the very same guy that I saved mere moments ago."Hi."
He swallowed hard."Uh.. hi... can I help you?"
"Uh, Yomi? What's your brothers name?" I unconsciously asked out loud, causing them all to flinch."Y-Y-Yomi?! T-then, you a-a-a-are t-the l-l-lumberjack?"
I let out a massive sigh and nodded."Of this day and age, I guess."
He swallowed down hard once more before straightening himself up."Men, I want you to scout out the nearby area and rid the compound of the flames. After that, prepare our defenses. We cannot allow ourselves to be caught unaware like this again!"
The others nodded towards him as he turned back towards me."Uhh, please follow m-me. Elder Saburo shall be seeing you now."
Saburo?"Third son, eh?" I asked Yomi as she sent me several deep chuckles."Yep, third in line for the guillotine. Just after me and my older sister... good god, I hope to heaven and hell that she is not alive as well."
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Don't mind me guys and girls! I'm just a line break...
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And that is it for this chapter of EUPHORIA!
... Well, not much to say here.
Other than you guys and girls shouldn't worry much.
I simply figured how Eadom as a character was currently... bland and unnecessary in the long run.
So instead, I created a potential rival and revenge arc for the future.
Oh yeah, he'll be back and with a vengeance, don't you worry.
Now... now I'll go and get myself something to eat.
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Anyways, read and review! And Good Morning/Day/Night to you all! ADIOS FOR NOW!