Western part of the End of the World
When Archie thrust his hand through Corrector's torso, it interrupted Corrector's abilities, as everyone else fell to the ground, groaning in pain, writhing, and holding their sore backs.
Corrector looked down at his pierced chest and lowered the hand that held the fan, a smile spreading across his face. Archie didn't hold back and felt his arm burning, instinctively knowing what to do. His silver glowing eyes faded, but at the same moment, the Corrector flinched as three silvery arrows tore through his body, causing huge holes.
Archie withdrew his hand and slowly stood up while Corrector took a few unsteady steps back. Archie was annoyed because he didn't see any blood or anything to indicate that the Corrector was actually injured. The Corrector's body seemed empty. At that moment, Archie noticed something on his arm and quickly rolled up his sleeve to see that there was a round mark on his arm. The sign was round with a semi-moon in the center on one half and a star on the other. The mark glittered in silver color.
Archie watched for only a second before clenching his hand into a fist and glancing again at the Corrector, who kept smiling. "Better. But there's still a lot to correct," he said while he raised the hand he was holding the fan in.
Archie didn't say anything, and a flash of light came from his feet as his body shot forward, spinning around and kicking his leg high in the air to kick Corrector in the head. Archie's eyebrows pulled together in pain as his hips creaked at the movement, not yet recovered from the torturous position.
Corrector swung the fan in the direction of his kick, and Archie felt the wind resistance; the leg of his pants exploded into strips of fabric and many shallow cuts appeared on his calf that bled. Archie jumped back and gritted his teeth as he stepped on the wounded leg, instead reaching out his hand and summoning again the new power he had gained from the Moon.
Silver light flashed, and three silver arrows of energy formed around him, focusing on the Corrector, but the light in Archie's eyes faded as well, leaving only a faint glimmer in his irises. Corrector shook his head as he looked at it. "Better, but still not good enough," he commented.
"Save your advice for someone who cares, freak," Archie said angrily.
Corrector started to fan himself, but Archie noticed that his torso was unstable and small pieces of paper were falling off from the wounds he had caused. "I'm not taking this personally. I really don't. Most don't see how much they need correcting. And then when they're corrected, they start to be grateful," Corrector was saying it more to himself than to Archie, perhaps offended that Archie called him a freak.
Archie couldn't believe the bastard. He was abusing them and killing his men; there was no chance he was grateful. "I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do," Archie growled, and the silver arrows aimed at Corrector.
Corrector stopped moving his hand and looked at Archie benevolently with a raised eyebrow. "Kill me? You'll be able to do that after you correct yourself. You're a long way from that. You'll need more of my correction."
"Fuck you, like I need it!" Archie snapped, sending the first arrow forward. Corrector waved his hand and struck the silver arrow with his fan with a powerful blow. The arrow shattered and scattered into silver powder that fell to the ground.
Archie did not hesitate and sent the remaining two arrows with only a slight delay one after the other at Corrector. He struck one of the arrows again, but was slower on the second one, so he dodged to the side instead, but the arrow bit into his shoulder and put another hole in it. Corrector looked down at his arm, which was now hanging by only a few thin pieces of paper, and as he watched, even those couldn't withstand the weight of his arm, which fell to the ground where it crumbled like wet paper.
Corrector sighed and looked up again, only for his eyes to meet a flying fist that hit his chin hard enough to shake the bookmarks on his chin. Corrector took a step back and touched his chin, a bit of ink oozing from the corner of his lips, which he wiped off with his fingers, the ink soaking into his fingers.
Archie retreated again, rubbing his bruised knuckles. It was as if he were pounding on *iron armor with his bare fist. How could the paper be so hard?! Unfortunately, Archie could no longer use the divine power he had gained from the Moon. He could still feel it simmering inside of him, and he suspected it would return again, but now he couldn't use it.
He could go back to using his original power, but his new view of the god Baa made him feel uncomfortable with doing so. While Archie was struggling with himself, the Corrector took a step. Archie immediately became alert and saw a folded fan heading for his chest. Archie quickly crossed his arms in front of his body, and the impact sent electrifying pain into his arms as he was thrown backwards.
Corrector froze momentarily in a straddled position with his arm outstretched in front of him, and his torso slid a little to the side. "Tsk," he clicked his tongue and carefully straightened, unfolding the fan and covering the lower half of his face with it while he watched Archie rise from the ground with a groan.
"It seems this is my last correction for now. As you can see, without divine power, you are weak. You can't use your natural power correctly, and you can't even use the divine one correctly. Even this condition of mine would not change the fact that I could defeat you," Corrector said coldly.
Archie got up from the ground. "What are you talking about? You're falling apart," Archie countered his words.
Corrector's eyes curved as he smiled hidden behind his fan. "Yet my last strike would have torn you apart if I used all my strength. Don't be under any false illusions about what happened."
Archie pressed his lips together, feeling his arms still trembling under the blow. If he had been a little weaker or the blow a little harder, he probably would have broken both arms. Archie suppressed his reluctance, wanting to use his original strength to smash the paper bastard to pieces. "Hm?" He made a surprised sound as he noticed more and more pieces of paper falling off of the Corrector. Corrector pulled back his fan and turned towards Archie's men who still hadn't recovered from the torture. Archie's eyes widened in fright, and he quickly rushed forward to stop Corrector from doing any more damage to them.
With a swift skid, he stopped in front of Corrector and summoned his shield with a prayer, but no blow came. Corrector laughed briefly before his body slumped to the side completely and fell away. Corrector was still laughing even as the top half of his body hit the ground, where the paper loosened and unfolded into a crumpled paper from under which ink slowly oozed out. The lower part of the body followed, and the papers quickly fell off on their own. Eventually, all that was left was a large pile of crumpled paper on top of which sat an open book with several bookmarks that had once formed part of Corrector's face.
Archie stood in surprise before lowering his hands and processing the situation, slowly walking over to the pile of paper. "Fuck!" He cursed, kicking the paper away. He felt a complete lack of satisfaction at what had happened. Was this even a fight? Corrector was just messing with them.
"Kekeke."
"Kekeke."
Archie heard the laughter and quickly turned around. He saw Cyrano and Julie crouching on a nearby roof like some kind of monkeys, laughing to the point their teeth rattled. "You!" Archie shouted and threatened them with his fist.
"Shocking! The invaders are defeating the newspaper's Scream Corrector!" Julie called.
"Surprising! Most of the invaders have made it through the Corrector's hellish correction program! What are their impressions of that?" added Cyrano.
An angry, throbbing vein swelled on Archie's forehead. "You fucking mummies! I'll deal with you too!"
"Huh? Julie, does he want to fight us?" Cyrano leaned curiously toward his partner. Julie mimicked him and leaned in as well; they looked like they were planning to whisper to each other, but in reality, they were still talking quite loudly. "Looks like it."
"What do we do?"
"He beat the Corrector."
"And the Corrector is stronger than us."
The two paused for a moment, exchanging glances. Finally, Cyrano raised his hand toward Archie in salute. "Have a good day! I have some articles to write!"
Julie waved at Archie as well. "Right! Newspapers don't write themselves, you know? Don't worry! Your picture in the newspaper will be original!" The two said a quick goodbye and started jumping and gliding away over the rooftops.
Archie stared after them, stunned, before raising his hands and running them through his hair, ruffling it wildly. "I'm going crazy!!! These fuckers!"
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Half an hour later, Archie and his group found themselves in one of the abandoned houses. Most of them had to help each other, as their backs and buttocks were so butchered that the most some could do was walk around all bent over.
Archie was in the best shape of all, although he felt like someone was drilling a screw into his backbone every time he turned around. He was helping everyone with first aid, but he could see that they weren't going to be able to move from their seats for a while yet, so it was up to him to put up a defense around the room with prayers as well. Again, he felt uncomfortable doing this, and to make matters worse, he also felt uncomfortable looking at his people. Was it because they were followers of Baa? Archie didn't doubt what he was seeing. Some things just couldn't be faked.
Archie wondered how it was possible that Baa had become the God of the Moon and Night if he hadn't been chosen. Unfortunately, Archie had no idea how things worked among the gods, but he suspected it had a lot to do with the mask Baa wore. He remembered the sensation he felt through the Moon.
The mask... was the true Successor of the Moon. He could feel the agony and the cry of the soul. Was the original Successor somehow still alive? Archie shuddered at the thought and looked down at his hand, which he clenched into a fist repeatedly. He was disgusted and felt betrayed.
But what should he do now? He had become the successor of the moon god. Was he to become a god? And how was he to do it? He couldn't defeat Baa or snatch the mask from his grasp. And the way he knew Baa, he'll murder Archie when he finds out. After some thought, he looked up and looked out the window where he could see part of the palace in the middle of the city. He didn't like the idea either; he didn't want to associate himself with someone who had his people killed, but he probably had no choice.
Baa would tear him apart. Then he should get help. And they say the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Archie stood up and patted his aching back. Plus, Moon had mentioned someone named Liege. And that name came up in the tossed newspaper, too. He didn't believe it was all a coincidence. He would have to find the ruler of this place and get answers.
Archie, after ensuring his men were all right and kicking one of them out to keep watch, headed out himself. He didn't want to take them with him; besides, they would be a nuisance, and it was also safest for them to stay where they were right now.
Archie hurried forward, keeping an eye on his surroundings, but he didn't encounter any obstacles. No one was waiting for him, no traps, as if beating the paper team would give him a free pass.
When he reached the staircase leading to the palace, he was a little out of breath because he had been running almost the whole way. He looked up at the palace and felt a considerable pressure at the sight, as if a huge monster had suddenly looked up at him. His step faltered, but he shook his head and climbed up. The pressure increased as he approached, but it didn't stop him. He stopped in front of a large open door, then turned to look down and swallowed.
A large number of statues stared back at him. Their white motionless eyes were eerie because they looked all too real. Archie had to wonder if maybe these were enemies of the Evil God? Had she petrified them all?
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. He turned his head and noticed a group moving down Main Street in the distance. They were still far away, but even so, Archie could tell who they were. "Damn. I gotta hurry," Archie muttered as he recognized Primas Jason. And he felt a bit like crap when he realized that Primas was not missing a single member of the team.
Archie turned and walked through the gate. The pressure he felt here was even worse than before, and sweat began to trickle down his temple, and the veins in his neck tightened with exertion, but he pushed forward. He didn't look at his surroundings; he just looked at the staircase he had to climb. He lifted his foot and reached the first stair. "Ugh... ugh..." He sighed heavily on the third step but didn't let himself stop.
He had a feeling that if he did, he would fall back down. Fourth step. Fifth. Sixth. He was moving slowly, and it frustrated him even more. He looked up and saw that there were still a few stairs to go. "Gggrraaaah!" He barked, gathering all his strength and forcing his body upwards. He basically ran up the rest of the stairs, feeling like he had an entire mountain sitting on his back as he did so.
He threw his body into the open door at the top, and all the pressure seemed to disappear. It felt like walking through a waterfall of warm water, and his body suddenly felt light and refreshed even though he was still dripping sweat. He landed on the floor of the throne room and was greeted by silence. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked up.
Archie's gaze met the eyes that burned with blue flame, glowing in the darkness of the hood of the ruler who sat on the throne. Beside the throne stood a short man with green skin and long pointed ears. On the other side stood a beautiful woman wearing a witch's hat and a disgusted look that she used to size him up. In addition to them, there were also several other people and creatures behind the throne.
Archie gulped at the sight of the animated skeleton, a strange furry creature that looked cute at first glance before it smiled and revealed a mouthful of sharp teeth, its vertical eyes narrowed bloodshot into a thin line. The white-haired and bearded man in loose robes looked normal until he suddenly opened his eyes to reveal that his eyes were filled with wriggling worms, and a head with strawberry eyes peeking out from the back of one of the large vases.
"Haaa..." The figure on the throne exhales quietly, and Archie locks eyes with her again. He hesitates. He feels that the entity's gaze is strangely soft.
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End of the World Palace
Caila, after returning from her Divine Space, sits quietly and thinks. She doesn't shed a single tear, yet she feels as if she's crying; she feels a sense of loss, but she doesn't know what she has lost. It's uncomfortable for her, but no matter how much she thinks, she can't figure it out.
"My Liege. Someone is coming," Lambert's voice snaps her out of her thinking. She looks up and exhales; even though the feelings bother her, she should focus on the present.
"Yes? Who is it?" she asks.
"The purple monkey," Zenobe answers from the side.
Caila hesitates, but then she remembers the man with purple hair. "Him?" Eliz hadn't really followed his center with Paper Team. Despite being a goddess, she couldn't keep track of everything that was going on. Maybe when she was stronger, she would be able to follow events on multiple fronts, but for now, she couldn't. She had already tried it while watching the first fight.
"Did anyone from the Paper Team die?" Caila asks first, tapping her fingers on the back of her throne.
"'Corrector was defeated, but he's not dead. The Journalists have retreated, and the Editor has remained hidden. In the end, however, they did very well. For now, they have the most killed enemies," Lambert replies, looking at his clipboards while he tells her the results.
"So now the survivors are coming here?" Caila reassures, looking back behind the throne. "Take the non-combatants and the children away," she orders before turning to Lambert, who holds a round monocle in front of his eye, glowing slightly as he looks at something.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
"No, my Liege. He's coming here alone," Lambert replies.
Caila frowns. "Alone?"
Lambert nods. "Yes. He'll be here soon." He takes the monocle from his eye as he says this, and it stops glowing before he tucks it into the front pocket of his vest.
Caila waits until everyone who has nothing to do here is gone before she relaxes on her throne and looks towards the door. Why is he coming here alone? Does he think he can deal with her alone? Or is there something else behind this? She is curious but isn't about to lower her guard. Plus, she also hadn't fully expected him to be the first to get here. He honestly seemed the least capable of all of them.
Caila soon hears footsteps, heavy breathing, and finally a battle cry, which makes Caila raise an eyebrow in surprise. What the hell is he doing there? Finally, a stooped man runs through the open body, staggering a few steps and falling to the ground, where he gasps for breath.
The moment the man lifts his head and their gazes meet, Caila sits up straight, and her vision splits. The man's appearance seems to match that of another man with red hair. Caila blinks and feels a familiar tickling in her head, another memory emerging.
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Caila was the first to smell the odor of ozone and smoldering coal, and a muffled humming sounded in her ears. She opened her eyes and found herself once again in the role of Supernova. This time she was older, looking down at her height and hands, she estimated she was around eight years old. Though how much time had actually passed she couldn't tell. The body that Supernova had and that Caila now inhabited was strange, and after the first two memories, she realized that she had aged much more slowly.
Caila looked around and recognized the place where she had been. The Abyss. She walked slowly alongside Hellcage, who hadn't changed at all. Still the same tall, elegant figure with the high top hat and the face hidden in the darkness. Caila looked up to him and saw his large hand lightly gripping her small one, and even through the gloves, she could feel the warmth coming from his palm.
If it weren't for where they were, it would have seemed like a rather peaceful scene. But there was a circle of blue fire around them, separating them from the darkness of the Abyss. Energy and darkness roared and swirled around them, the shadows of monsters and other creatures floating past, crossing the black rocks and heading in some direction.
Supernova turned her head when a short distance away, a war cry of many throats suddenly rang out, and what looked like the shadows of an army rushed around. She could see the foot soldiers, the lancers, the cavalry, rushing forward and disappearing into the darkness again, their cries dying away.
Supernova looked ahead again. "Tell me about the Abyss," Hellcage said.
She felt his hand tense slightly. "Yes, my Liege. What do you want to know?"
"Tell me from the beginning. The origin."
Hellcage sighed and nodded. "First, I'll ask, what do you think the Abyss is?" He asked.
Supernova was silent for a moment before answering. "Hell and prison?"
"That's not entirely wrong, but it's also not right," Hellcage nodded. "The Abyss was created at the same time as the Universe. It's the opposite side of the same coin," he explained.
"Hell is something humans invented because their brain capacity is unable to contain something as vast as the Abyss. Hell is something where bad people go and stuff like that. But the Abyss is much more complex. It's where the gods go to die and where all the negativity of the universe is stored."
Supernova looked at him, and Caila could feel her curiosity and intrigue. "The negativity of the universe?"
Hellcage shifted his hat on his head, considering how to explain. "I've always said that feelings are a very powerful thing. They shouldn't be ignored. The moment life began, the cycle of life and death began. Positive and negative. The planets, the suns in the new universe formed and disappeared. From new life comes new life. But what comes out of death? Or do you think all that negative energy just vanishes into space and nothing happens? If a new planet is created and then suddenly perishes, where does all that wasted potential go? The Abyss is where everything goes. Wasted opportunities, negative energies, bad feelings, the Abyss is the waste of the universe."
Supernova was stunned by this. She had no idea that the Abyss was a natural place like the Universe, and as she looked around, she couldn't imagine this place as the waste drain of the Universe. This place was dark, powerful, terrifying, and dangerous. Caila felt the same way. Was this the real Abyss?
"What about the gods?" Supernova asked, not knowing why the deceased Gods would end up as waste.
"Everything has a price. The Gods are given great power, but in return, they are deprived of the cycle of life. Their souls can never be reincarnated again. When they die, they have nowhere to go and become the waste of the universe," Hellcage looked around and sighed.
"They are given great power..." Supernova repeated, looking up. "Who will give it to them?"
"Eon," Hellcage answered without hesitation. "The god of the universe, the supreme being." Supernova remained silent, trying to imagine such a being. The God of the Cosmos. How powerful did he have to be?
"So there's a God of the Abyss, too?" Supernova asked, and it was something that Caila wondered about as well.
Hellcage was silent for longer, and it seemed he wasn't going to answer, but finally, he spoke. "Sort of."
"Hellcage," Supernova admonished him gently but firmly.
"I'm sorry, my Liege. But if you don't mind, I don't want to talk about it now," Hellcage said apologetically, and Supernova looked at him for a moment before nodding.
"Very well. Tell me in time. When you feel ready," Caila would have dropped her chin if she could. Was it possible that Hellcage was the God of the Abyss? But if so, why and how did he end up half-mad in chains?
Caila still felt overwhelmed, but Supernova was tougher than Caila and quickly pushed the matter to the side.
"How can feelings end here?" She asked next.
Hellcage relaxed as she changed the subject. "Negative energy tends to accumulate, and a lot of not-so-nice things can come out of negative energy. So that the space between the Universe and the Abyss doesn't end up in chaos, everything ends up in the Abyss." Supernova pondered and looked at the large serpentine shadow that passed over their heads.
"But there is still negative energy in the interspace, and not everything goes into the Abyss," she argued, knowing that that wasn't always true.
"That's why I say feelings are powerful. Even the Abyss can't take away something someone isn't willing to let go of," Hellcage smiled in the shadows.
"Explain," Supernova wanted him to explain more.
"Suppose you have a friend. A best friend you've known all your life. You're inseparable, you trust each other completely, that sort of thing. But then suddenly that friend changes. He starts bullying you, abusing you, humiliating you, and hurting you in all sorts of ways. Friendship and loyalty are gradually turned into resentment, hatred, and pain. Then after a few years, suddenly that friend comes to you with tears in his eyes and asks for forgiveness. In the end, it turns out that the friend was protecting you all along from his father, who was a kidnapper and slave seller. To protect you, the friend had to repel you and protect you from his father's eyes. Suddenly his father died, and he was finally able to tell you the truth. One forgives, but one does not forget. How easy is it to forget all that pain and anger? Where do all these feelings go? It's an energy like any other. Most of it ends up in the Abyss, but remembering makes it impossible to let it all go. Even these emotions eventually gather and grow stronger."
"Then monsters are created," Supernova said.
"Not always. But yes," Hellcage nodded.
Caila and Supernova were both lost in thought. This was very important and essential information to Caila. Understanding the world was one of her priorities in order to continue acting as a Goddess. Also, the Abyss was a place Caila would have to visit sooner or later, and the more she knew, the better.
"That is why the flame can protect me," Supernova whispered, and Hellcage squeezed her hand harder.
"The all-consuming flame can consume everything. From flesh, to thoughts, to dreams, to nightmares. And reshape them. It is a devastating weapon. Especially for the Abyss, where things exist mainly on the principle of energy," Hellcage sounded positive when he said that.
Supernova looked up at him, but then looked ahead of her. "We'll be there soon," she announced.
Hellcage grew serious and also looked ahead of him. "Yes," he replied.
They were nearing the light, the space around them brightening as more and more swirls of energy flowed past. A black rock was revealed on which a pure white veined climbing plant grew. Some of the black rocks floated in the air, slowly drifting past like wandering stones, and as they approached, a tall figure formed in front of them from the roaring energy. It stood motionless, and in a certain view, it looked a bit feminine even though there were no clear indications. It had broad, bulging shoulders, a large head that looked a bit like the head of a bull with horns and bared teeth, and a large hole in the middle of its chest from which flashes of energy radiated.
[https://cdn.leonardo.ai/users/e70a625f-a29f-469a-912e-d78c50e456f1/generations/8f942c41-0f49-4a00-9d90-7ff1f315dfaf/Anime_Pastel_Dream_Rear_view_a_tall_man_in_a_tailcoat_and_top_1.jpg]
The creature was not moving and seemed to be in some sort of sleep or trance. Both Hellcage and Supernova remained standing and watching.
"Here, my Liege. This was once the Goddess of Summer Rain to whom farmers prayed when the summer was too dry and they needed their fields watered. Now she's a dead soul feasting on the guilt of Righteous Murder."
"Righteous Murder... Is that how dead gods are kept alive around here?" Supernova asked.
"You can't call it keeping alive. But more like keeping them in existence. Knowing they'll be gone forever is terrifying even for the gods," Hellcage nodded towards the creature.
Supernova rolled up her sleeves and surrounded herself entirely in blue flames while her body rose into the air and floated towards the ex-goddess. Caila watched, but she could hear Supernova's thoughts. "I don't care about your fate. I don't care about your existence. Your time has passed, and mine is yet to come. You're just parasitizing and sucking on the scraps of life. Goodbye and thanks for the meal." Caila shuddered a little at the cold words as without hesitation, Supernova reached out and blasted a blue flame at the creature before her and it began to expand rapidly. The creature shuddered and after a moment, opened its eyes violently.
"GRRRAAAAHH!" It roared, and the space around them shook.
It had opened its mouth wide as if to swallow the tiny Supernova, but then it noticed the flames spreading across its body. It jerked and started to pat itself, but the Supernova burst into stronger fire, and it seemed to break free. It began to spread endlessly over the creature's body and engulfed it. Caila watched with interest and curiosity, wanting to know what Supernova was planning to do.
The creature screamed for a moment, but then fell silent as a tornado of blue flames swirled in front of them. Caila blinked and thought she saw green in the blue. Caila could make it out more and more clearly, and she also realized that she could only see it with one eye. The eye she had lost and replaced with blue flames.
Caila watched as the green color expanded and began to mix with the blue flames. It then suddenly opened up to reveal a formation inside the blue-green flames. In addition to the green and blue, there were a few golden highlights, and Caila quickly realized what she was looking at. "Is that... a DNA helix?" she asked mentally.
[https://cdn.leonardo.ai/users/e70a625f-a29f-469a-912e-d78c50e456f1/generations/58ecf77a-d42d-4176-92ef-06fb6b028391/Anime_Pastel_Dream_A_blue_vortex_of_fire_with_a_green_glowing_6.jpg]
Supernova began to move her hands, the blue flame moving to her will, and began to move various parts of the DNA helix, Caila trying to mentally memorize the movements. She understood that this must be the way she was transforming! Caila wouldn't have thought it was done like this!
"It makes sense. Supernova is from the advanced world. The DNA manipulation makes sense. But Supernova doesn't act like someone with scientific knowledge," Caila thought in her mind, trying to figure out what Supernova was doing.
She noticed that her fingers were trembling and fatigue was spreading through her body. Apparently it wasn't that easy to do this. Supernova then jerked her hand violently, and the DNA helix began to crumble; at that moment, she reached out her hand, and a green flame or energy began to seep into her palm. Caila felt a surge of power.
"Is that Prana?" Caila wondered what the green was, but nothing else made sense. Why was it so difficult to obtain? Or was this her special way of doing it? As soon as the green color disappeared from the flames, Caila felt refreshed and a little stronger than before. The rest of the blue flames disintegrated and disappeared. Nothing was left of the creature. Not even a speck of soot.
Supernova clenched her fist and turned to Hellcage, who was watching everything from the side with his hands behind his back. "Next," Supernova said. Hellcage nodded his head. "I think you're strong enough for bigger prey, my Liege," he said.
Supernova raised her head to him curiously. "Who do you have in mind?" Hellcage smiled and touched the brim of his hat. "Let's get a piece of the Abyss for ourselves, my Liege."
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Caila then watched as Supernova and Hellcage walked through the Abyss, and Supernova killed and devoured the dead, parasitic gods. She noticed that Supernova was not only gaining strength, but her body was growing and maturing. Time passed differently in the Abyss; Caila felt like years had passed, but it could have been her imagination.
Hellcage spoke cryptically about getting a piece of the Abyss for herself. Supernova, however, was patient and didn't question Hellcage in any way. In fact, she cared little; the most important thing to her right now was to gain power, so as long as she was devouring dead gods, she didn't really care. At least that way, Caila could learn more about the strange ability. What should she call it? Genetic engineering?
Caila then noticed that their surroundings had begun to change. The darkness and screaming energy dwindled; eventually, everything gave way, and they found themselves in a cave. The walls of the cave looked as if they were made of molten lava and occasionally mixed with rotting wood. They walked forward and saw a giant head at the end of the cave. It was the gigantic head of a creature that was long dead and appeared to be largely mummified, with a large number of decaying and broken horns sticking out of its head. The large, toothy maw was wide open and looked like the entrance to a dark cave.
[https://cdn.leonardo.ai/users/e70a625f-a29f-469a-912e-d78c50e456f1/generations/358b3d03-6c8b-44a8-9b8c-c27161bf8e4b/Anime_Pastel_Dream_The_ominous_and_foreboding_darkness_of_an_u_0.jpg]
"What is that?" asked Supernova Hellcage, and Caila was curious too. The creature's head alone was huge, and one of its teeth was almost as long as Hellcage himself.
"It's an Otterclaw." Supernova looked at Hellcage in a way that seemed to ask if this was something she should know? Hellcage gave a short laugh. "Otterclaw was the giant who became the god of all Giants."
"Giants? Really?" Supernova sounded more skeptical than surprised.
Hellcage tactfully didn't answer and continued. "Otterclaw was admired by his people, but he was arrogant and felt superior. He wanted to subjugate all other races and actively killed other gods. When he showed his hand all his people went where he ordered, and all his people were strong in using his blessings. It became a great world war. People and gods were dying left and right. Eventually, it caused some of the gods and their followers to band together and manage to lure Otterclaw into a trap and kill him. Otterclaw, however, sent too many souls into the Abyss, and so he burrowed there like a worm." He pointed to the giant's sticking head.
Supernova looked at it and nodded her head. "He looks pretty dead." She commented.
"Ha!" A short laugh escaped Hellcage, and he shook his head. "He's just hibernating. He's acting like one of those carnivorous plants that give off the smell of rotting flesh to attract its prey. As soon as you'd go inside its mouth, it would automatically chew you up."
"Hm? Does anyone actually voluntarily go into its mouth?" Supernova wondered, and it only took one look to know that it was dangerous.
"Not everyone keeps their sanity here, my Liege. And not all here are dead souls of the gods."
Supernova was silent for a moment. "How are you going to get a piece of the Abyss from him?" Neither Supernova nor Caila could see a way to get it.
"The dead gods can also get their territory in the Abyss. It's not like the Divine Domain, but similar in a way. As you can see the surroundings, the place has changed along with who settled here. Not many creatures here are as large and as easy to kill as Otterclaw. Once you kill him, you can take this place and link it to the End of the World." Supernova straightened up when she heard that and scrunched her chin. "Having access to the Abyss at any time. Definitely sounds like something I'd want in our home."
Hellcage nodded. "I think so too, my Liege."
Supernova turned to the giant's head and snapped her fingers, where blue flames began to dance on it. "How much will he fight back?" She asked.
"Considerably. But with his size and deep sleep, he'll be consumed before he can even get free. He is the perfect prey for you, my Liege." There was a hint of mischief in Hellcage's voice.
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Caila blinked as the memory changed, and the sudden harsh light hurt her eyes, which had grown too accustomed to the darkness of the Abyss. She looked around, and if she could speak on her own, she would probably be speechless right now.
The place was splashed with gold, marble, and purity. It was a vast golden city surrounded by space and slow-moving planets. This was not heaven, but a place perched even higher. In space itself.
Supernova walked slowly down the wide street towards the golden palace. Wearing her dark cloak, she attracted attention because most of the creatures here were dressed in white, gold, or outright psychedelic.
Caila understood from Supernova's thoughts that these were all Gods. Greater Gods like her. Caila was once again amazed. How much time had passed since she last remembered that suddenly Supernova was a Greater God?
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Supernova didn't stop anywhere or talk to anyone. She climbed the steps of the palace and went inside. However, the place, which looked like something that should be more of a parliament, was a place of great celebration.
The gods were everywhere, having fun. They came in all shapes, genders, and colors. Some of the creatures, even Supernova didn't recognize, but she wasn't surprised. After all, this was just another stop for the Greater Gods of the universe. Supernova couldn't even guess how many different planets there might be.
The moment she became a Greater Goddess, she needed to come before the Ultimate One. Caila looked up to where a golden catwalk stretched all the way up to the ceiling, where a clear round chair floated like glass, and where a being sat icily.
The creature had a delicate female face, but a male body. His hair was half red and purple, his skin a deep purple, his eyes red, and two pairs of thick horns protruded from his head. He wore a light red robe that looked like silk with a purple print on it, all of it placed casually as if he didn't really care if anything was visible or not.
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His head was propped up by his hand, and his red eyes looked down lifelessly and uninterestedly at the revelry of the gods. He was the God of the Cosmos. Eon. Supernova took a quiet breath and began to climb up the catwalk. Eon noticed it immediately and placed his gaze upon her, but his expression of disinterest did not change. Both Supernova and Caila felt his gaze, and goosebumps rose on her body, and her bones grew heavy. Just his simple gaze could make her feel suppressed.
Supernova had no initial impression of Eon, but as she approached, she felt oppression, and even the hidden flames on her body faded as if she were frightened. She gritted her teeth and continued up the stairs, but stopped in the middle of the staircase and found that she couldn't advance any higher. Her body refused to go any further, and her bones just trembled. She looked up at Eon, who returned her gaze. Caila felt like a tiny soul and wanted to flee. It's just a memory, yet she couldn't help but fear this powerful existence.
"Which god are you?" He asked, and Supernova felt as if he had spoken directly into her mind.
"The Goddess of the Unwanted and Forgotten."
"Goddess of the Unwanted and Forgotten. How bleak," Eon commented. "I swear you little gods multiply as fast as vine flies and die just as quickly. I have no reason to remember you. As a new god, however, you must know the rules. It is forbidden to create life except by natural means. It is forbidden to destroy planets and commit genocide without a valid reason." He waved his hand as he dismissed her.
Supernova didn't leave right away, though. She put her head down. "How can I get to other planets?" She asked.
"Oh?" Eon finally moved a little.
"You want your own planet?" Eon asked.
Supernova pressed her lips together, and she didn't like Eon. He was an arrogant piece of shit, but he was omnipotent, so he probably had a right to be. "No. But I'm from a different planet than the one I was born on," she replied. "I want to go back there."