PHASE 50 - NECROSS ASCENSION

My mind froze and went blank. The moment I heard Hades’ words made me fear for my life. However, I know that my life is not in vain since I am invincible. But somehow, something from her last sentence was off.

“Necross Ascension Ritual is complete.” Hades scoffed.

“And what does it mean?” I asked. “No matter how many power-ups you have, no matter how many times you raise your divinity, you can never put a scratch on me.”

“No, you don’t understand.” Hades shook his dragon-skull head. His rainbow third-eye glowed as we spoke. “This whole plan is not about Tiara or the . This ambush is all about you, Alaric Eisenhower, who has lived and died for seven million timelines.”

“What are you getting at?” I asked.

Hades stood up straight and his hand that is wielding the went down as if he’s no longer in battle mode. But he kept the Heavenly Blade materialized anyway.

“Your deaths are more than enough to summon the Necross in this plane of the universe. Six million, six hundred sixty-six thousand, six hundred sixty-six deaths are all the ultimate Underworld requires to destroy this universe.”

I really don’t get what this guy is talking about. I kept silent until Hades spread out his hand and looked from above.

“See it for yourself.”

When I looked upward, sweat ran through my forehead. It is the most unexplainable thing that I have experienced.

The outer skies of Yami have been shattered completely. The crimson skies are now just fragments of broken glass, endlessly floating in an infinite void of darkness. Even the crimson moon of this dimension has ceased to exist, as it was replaced by a more sinister dark planet that is about to collapse in this world.

The dark planet above has this endless malefic and evil energy on it. I can hear thousands, no, millions of voices of the dead that sing phrases of curse towards the world of the living. The dark planet has these lava rivers rooting all around its surface, and I can see living corpses desperately reaching for our world. The planet covers three-fourths of the dark skies and is getting closer every second.

It is as if a planetary collision is bound to happen.

The otherworldly aura, in which I could only sense so vaguely, is what makes this thing terrifying. I don’t think that the physical or quintessential laws will apply to that planet.

“The world will be destroyed, and everything around it. There is nothing you can do now, Alaric Eisenhower. This is the fate of this universe.”

“I can still make you stop it!” I shouted out loud as I dashed forward. Using my sword that is buffed with the divinity of multiple gods, I swung it with speeds faster than light. “!!!”

In just a split second, everything became dark, and ninety-nine flaming silver streaks danced. When the darkness faded, the powered-up Hades had his body full of burning cuts. He had no way of evading my fastest attack.

However, the flames on his wounds extinguished, and all his cut flesh reconnected its body part completely.

“It’s no use, as we are of the same standing now.” Hades laughed. “I’m now an absolute immortal, just like you using the Aether Armor. No matter how many times you attack me, I regenerate instantly. I have now the power of the Underworld right on my palms. I am now… Necross Hades!”

I have no intention of giving up here!

“Haaah!” I used my blinding-flash sword strikes as my normal attacks. Each and every swing is as fast as a . I cut his neck, stabbed his heart, smashed his lungs, and skewered his spine. However, all the injuries he sustained would end up healing immediately.

I hate to admit this, but our one-on-one battle is a complete stalemate. We are both immortals, and it would take infinity before this battle could be decided!

“You should be worrying about others instead of me.” Necross Hades laughed.

I turned around and saw the grim fate of my allies.

<>

As the Underworld started to go into the earth’s atmosphere, the pressure of the cosmic collision started flames in the air. It’s like watching a meteor except that it’s absurdly big and it’s filling up the skies.

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The falling Underworld is not the only thing affected by this flaming pressure. Even this world is now blasted into flames as both planets attract each other like a magnet. Everything here in Yami started to vaporize: the debris of the bell tower, the shrine, and the trees are now reduced to ashes.

“” Naomi raised her staff for the last time, and then she fell down flat on the floor. Her whole body is suffering from a second-degree burn. She just used her last ounce of prana to heal everyone around her.

“Naomi…” Kristoff crawled until he finally reached the burnt corpse of her loved one. He held his dead lover’s hand even though he could no longer feel it since he’s suffering worse burns than his dead wife. “Naomi…” With his last breath once again, he muttered the name of his love before passing out for eternity.

“Grraaaagh!!! Shit!” Lord Hephaestus is the only one left standing. Since he’s the God of Smithing, he can endure the atmospheric flames with no sweat. However, it is a different story if there are dark hands that are trying desperately to drown him on the ground. “!!!”

All of a sudden, a glass dome covered the gilded demigoddess that protected her from the intense heat. He's prioritizing in protecting Tiara even with the cost of his life!

“You are so persistent!” Esperia appeared out of nowhere and stabbed Hephaestus on the back with her sharp claws. The moment Esperia withdrew her witch hands, she is already holding the god’s heart.

“Gah!” Hephaestus fell flat on the ground, his mouth spurting out blood. His lifeless corpse was immediately destroyed by the sea of flames in an instant, reducing him into ashes.

“Francois... Kristoff… Naomi….” Tiara cried as she tried to gasp for air. Unlike Kristoff and Naomi, Tiara is yet to have a scald on her skin. Naomi focused her healing spell on Tiara earlier as she was the priority.

As of this moment, Tiara and I are the only ones living in this place… or even the whole world.

<>

“The Earth Realm is now nothing but a sea of flames.” Necross Hades proclaimed his victory as he uttered a laugh. “And soon after, the whole universe will be nothing but a place for the dead.”

“!!!!” I shouted out loud as I raised my sword upward and unleashed all my prana into a beam of light. Using and the fragments of the God Cores I have collected, the divine blaster is supposed to wipe out anything that exists.

My pierced the planet, which made a big hole that made it look like a doughnut. However, just after the stopped, the Underworld regenerated as if it’s a clay being remolded to its original form.

“It’s no use! Once Necross Ascension is complete, it can no longer be destroyed! Hahaha!” Necross Hades laughed.

“Damn it!” I shouted out loud as I looked towards the love of my life, still chained.

The protection of Hephaestus’ barrier is now starting to disintegrate, and that bitch Esperia is now approaching her! There’s no way Tiara could do anything to defend herself as long as the are binding her!

“!!!” I dashed forward and slashed Esperia in half. However, just like before, Esperia reconstructed her body as if she is not bothered by an injury at all.

“Rikkun!” Tiara cried. Her skin is now starting to burn, as well as her demigoddess dress and her long hair.

Tiara’s cry for my name is not out of worries. It’s more of a warning, as Necross Hades dashed and followed me the moment I slashed Esperia.

“This is your end, Tiara Hikari.” Necross Hades raised his dark obsidian sword, ready to stab Tiara.

Having her chest wide open, Tiara could not do anything but to close her eyes.

Time slowed in my perception. In my eyes, I saw the future of Tiara with the help of my . I saw her future being stabbed by the sword, immediately ending her life.

If I block the sword with my armored body, she will only survive a second longer. The barrier of Hephaestus is now completely shattered and the heatwave would vaporize my love.

Even if Tiara managed to stay a little more alive somehow, there is still this threat of Esperia. I saw on my back that she is plunging her claws towards me. If I evade it, Tiara would get hit.

It’s a pincer attack with no escape.

It is a complete checkmate where Tiara is not guaranteed to survive.

We were utterly defeated.

The enemies have planned each and every move, and we got beat out of our asses.

However…

Even if the fate of the world has been decided, I will never give in. I am the owner of my fate, and my fate will never own me! The same applies to Tiara! I still have one more card to play!

“!!!”

In a split second, my disassembled itself into millions of fragments of ice and immediately went to Tiara. The fragments wrapped the demigoddess’s whole body and immediately transformed back into Aether Armor, completely nullifying any outer attack and freezing the state of her body and soul in the process.

One second left. With that tiny amount of time, the armorless me leaped forward and punched Necross Hades’ face. It didn’t deal any damage at all, but I’m sure that his pride has been gravely damaged.

“Why you!” Necross Hades finally lost his cool as he stabbed the obsidian sword straight to my heart. Blood gushed out from my chest, my back, and my mouth.

“Gah!”

“Rikkun!” Tiara cried out loud with her cybernetic voice. Now that she’s inside the Aether Armor, nothing could hurt her anymore. But seeing me on the verge of death is enough to damage her emotionally and mentally. “RIKKUN!!!”

“Gah...hah…” I made a tired smile on my face. I think my spine is crushed too due to the blade stabbing my chest. This is absolute death for me. But I still have the energy to laugh at the enemy’s face.” Hah...hahaha…”

“You are commendable, being able to save your love from the brink of death, and sacrificing yourself.” Necross Hades met me with a cold glare. “However, this ends now.”

I felt a surge of energy inside my body and the pain in each cell of my existence blasted out.

“”

Before I wither out of existence, I whispered loudly to all the people around me a declaration of my arrogance.

“This is not the end. This is just the beginning.”

And then, I had a final glance at my love. I gave her an assured stare that everything will be okay.

“RIKKUUUUUUUUUUUNNNN!!!”

Tiara out loud as soon as my body was engulfed by flames and transformed into dark ash particles.