Chapter 197: Shukai Part 2.

(Raven's P.O.V)

We made out last night.

And it was good. Better than I expected.

Enough that just thinking about it made my heart race and my face flush red on the mirror.

He was so gentle yet hungry with need, rough in the way I wanted yet considerate and caring.

We were opposites. He was death and I was life. Maybe that's why our connection was so potent.

Was he put off by my forwardness? I mean, I initiated all of it. Did Davi even like me that way? I hope so.

I couldn't help but worry nonetheless.

He treated my Parallel self like a little sister. I can tell it grated her through our connection as a Pseudo Avatar of mine, the life entity.

But I was fine with that. He was mine, not hers.

Maybe I should talk to him. Figure out his true feelings. And if he's into me like I am...then, I'll ask him to be my boyfriend.

There is no way I'm letting anyone else take him away from me. And any woman who wants to be with him will have to get through me.

An image of Shiva took center stage in my mind. She wanted a child with Davi.

She could be the sole exception, as I understood her perspective. For her, it wasn't about love but rather strength, power, and legacy.

Davi and I had transcended our mortal mindset, and I didn't perceive her as a threat to our connection.

As long as Davi was okay with it...

(Davian's P.O.V)

"You seem to finally have an idea on what you should do, so I'll leave you to it then."

My'Father' (still not sold on that) observed.

The tea set between us disappeared into the wide sleeves of his robe as he nimbly leaped to his feet.

His hand traced a path downward, parting the fabric of space down the middle. In its wake, a vivid green portal materialized before him.

He rubbed the back of his neck, a sudden unease settling in.

"Well then, um... I suppose this is goodbye."

He stammered, a newfound awkwardness enveloping his words.

A blank faced stare was all that met him.

"Wow, not even gonna give your old man a hug? Where are your manners?"

He grumbled.

My brow twitched, hands stubbornly folded on my chest.

"Manners? Didn't exactly have anyone to instill those in me."

I raised a hand to stop his follow up response.

"And no, that is not a desperate cry for attention or some need for family."

I sighed, wanting to be done with whatever this talk was.

"Frankly speaking, we look the same age, dude. It would be awkward to think of you as my anything. Especially a Dad."

A frown creased his forehead as he adjusted his stance.

"You're prepared to discard your heritage without truly understanding what it means to be my child?"

I shrugged.

"Sorry but... Yeah."

I've had two Dads, one sold me off to pay for his addiction and the other was an asshole.

"I have been taking care of myself for a long time."

I explained.

"Not keen on changing that."

He nodded, his eyes betraying his disappointment and reluctant acceptance.

"Very well then. If you ever need me, just call out my Name, Aden Strong."

Aden Strong.

I'll remember that name.

He pushed into the portal and disaapeared from the tower and the Universe.

With his departure, a certain weight lifted from the realm. It was a pressure, an influence, that seemed to dissipate with the mere absence of his presence.

He was probably the most powerful entity bar the Great Darkness I had ever come across.

And I was fortunate enough to get some guidance from him.

Swallowing my ego and pride, I got to my feet and bowed at his previous position.

"Thank you."

I said, sincerity pouring out of me.

"You're welcome."

The air within the ABTS-Deck cheekily whispered back.

"Son."

A chuckle escaped me.

"That bast-"

The word froze on my lip.

A text box had suddenly and without warning popped up before my eyes.

[Incoming Transmission]

As the highest Authority, the tower naturally abided by my rule. Which is why the Text Box was not out of place.

Before accepting the transmission, I teleported out of the ABTS-Deck and onto the core of the tower of fate, curiousity guiding me.

"Tower, clarify the nature of the transmission," I commanded, my hand pressing firmly onto the surface of the golden sphere.

Another text box popped up.

[Allow The Mass Transferrence of a Star System into Ultima at coordinates xxxxxxx]

What?

What in the hell were Chase and the others up to? This had him written all over.

"I need more information."

I pressed on.

[Connect to the source of the transmission?]

That could work.

"Yeah. Do it."

The Golden Sphere beneath my palm pulsed as the Tower's Universal Core Intergration activated, melding my consciousness with Ultima.

I felt my mind stretch out across the entire Universe, then out of it, connecting with the transmission request, a neural tether that was giving the equivalent of a knock on the metaphysical door of my universe.

Following the neural tether, my consciousness connected to a mind-link uniting a collective of multiple minds.

And acting as the Linch pin of the whole thing was Dr. Manhattan.

(General P.O.V)

[Manhattan]

A voice sounded out through the minds of everyone in the Mindlink.

Everyone who was part of the collective winced as Davian unknowingly exerted his own passive pressure on them.

[Dial it back]

Batman bit out, rubbing the sides of his head while hovering before the Batcomputer in the bat cave.

[What?]

Davian called out once more. Then he seemed to retract his mental presence.

[Oh]

The Reaper acquiesced, diminishing his presence while simultaneously isolating everyone else, except Manhattan, into a muted state.

The two's mental imprint, Manhattan and Davian, went silent through the Mindlink.

"Was that...?"

Luthor begun from behind Batman.

The two of them had just finished priming the Relocator and were waiting on Dr. Manhattan to input the coordinates through the Watchtower.

"Yeah...that was him."

Batman answered in a complicated tone.

Stolen novel; please report.

The Reaper. His enemy. Bruce was not naive enough to think this alliance would solve the issues between him and Davian. But one thing at a time.

"The readings are steady."

Luthor informed the Dark Knight, fingers tapping across the laptop he had on his lap.

"The array is operating as planned; the only potential hiccup I anticipate is a minor turbulence as Gravity reasserts itself upon our relocation of the Solar System," Luthor added.

There was nothing they could do about that for now. The enemy arrived too early.

"The net of Will Energy should keep everything interconnected."

Batman stated confidently.

Luthor stared at him with a silent gaze.

"I hope you're right Bruce. One misstep and not just Gotham will be in trouble."

Batman knew that.

He narrowed his gaze at the console before him, showing a layout of the entire Solar System.

What they were doing was something that had never been done before. Leave alone Gotham and Earth, even Mars was in danger if they misstepped.

"The sun accounts for 90% of the Solar System."

Batman appended.

"Our primary focus should be stabilizing its mass during transference; the planets will naturally maintain their intended orbits due to its gravitational pull. The calculations will stand. The real challenge ahead... lies with them."

On one side of the Batcomputer's display was a satellite feed relaying real time footage of space.

And around the Solar System was a shimmering green bubble.

Outside the bubble were numerous glowing figures with wings.

Easily billions of Angels. A third of The Heavenly Host.

And all they were doing was watching the barrier.

(Davian's P.O.V)

I lowered my presence so as to not endanger everyone else in the Mindlink.

A mindlink that connected not just the League but a few interesting figures as well.

Ra's Al Ghul and Luthor.

It made me curious what Chase, Grail and Manhattan had been upto.

What were they thinking by interacting with not only the Justice League (who I didn't get along with) but Supervillains?

I wouldn't be so worried about that if I could sense Chase. But he was missing.

[Incoming Request For Transference]

The text box appeared once more, relentlessly hounding me for permission to allow the transfer of an entire Star System into Ultima.

Who even came up with that crazy idea?

"Manhattan."

I called to him again. Now that he and I were in an isolated mindlink, I could speak without fear of crushing his mental self.

"What's going on?"

Instead of answering, he sent an image through our link. Billions of Angels around the local terrestrial region.

And a green sphere around the Solar System.

Mmh, so the side of Good has arrived. No doubt to deal with me in some fashion.

And Earth would no doubt be caught in the aftermath, putting a lot of lives in jeopardy.

That makes sense why everyone is working together. The League and both supervillains. This was an existential threat waiting to happen.

Finally understanding the context, I allowed the relocation of the Solar System into Ultima.

"Let them in."

I ordered the tower, waving the text box away and using Cosmic Authority, teleported out.

Appearing in our room in an instant, Raven enveloped me in a hug the moment I materialized.

"Davi, I woke up, and you were gone... is everything alright?" she inquired with concern.

I embraced her tightly, savoring her warmth and care, but reluctantly had to step back due to the constraints of time.

"Let the others know that we'll have guests soon," I instructed.

"What about you? Where are you going?"

She questioned, letting go of me as I dorned Chesha Neko: life fibers.

Chesha Neko wove the durable threads around my body into my purple string armor.

My instincts told me something was up. Chase's absence from the Mindlink, and the Heavenly Host laying siege on Earth was indication enough.

"I'll be back."

I promised.

"I just need to deal with something first."

"Wait."

Raven called out, stepping closer and then gently kissing me.

"Now you can go."

She said with a shy smile.

Throwing her a grin, I left the Tower.

And promptly appeared in a vacuum, staring out into space.

Before me, several times larger than most stars, was the massive purple sun the Tower orbited around.

I was entirely connected to Ultima. Meaning everything that went on in the universe was known to me.

And right after permitting the transference, the Solar System emerged trillions of miles away from Ultima's center, where the purple sun radiated its enigmatic glow.

In a swift burst of speed, I vanished from my position, heading towards the concentrated gathering of souls that resonated in my senses.

Over 7 billion Earthlings and 2 billion martians.

(General P.O.V)

(Bat-cave)

The tray of tea and snacks Alfred was carrying down the stairs shook as the entire mansion was rocked by a tremor.

The butler merely stopped in place, his footing stable and steady. The tremor soon passed and he continued on his way.

"They must have succeeded."

Alfred mused to himself.

"And right in time for a tea break too."

(Watchtower)

"The transfer was successful."

Superman informed the room.

A few scattered cheers rose out of the gathered heroes. They had managed to save the planet.

As unconventional as the plan was, the result was the safety of over 7 billion people.

"Now what?"

A red skinned Martian in Royal robes questioned from the massive screen projected above the meeting hall's table.

"We've adhered to your daring strategy with inadequate information. Trust alone isn't enough. I insist on an explanation from you Earthlings. Why did you decide to Relocate our planet?"

This was S'turnn J'axx, the King of Mars.

"Your Majesty, I appreciate your patience. If you'd be so kind as to permit us entry to your planet, I believe we should discuss this matter in an official setting," Superman proposed.

There was a brief discussion on the Martian side that the Justice League was not privy to. Then,

"Very well, Superman. You have been a friend to our people for long."

The King accepted.

"You and your allies are welcome on Barsoom."

The feed was cut off, changing to display the pandemonium caused in the world of science as new constellations and stars appeared in the sky.

"We succeeded."

Hawkman said with a sigh.

"It was a wise strategy to evacuate. Now we can focus on the battle without worrying about protecting Innocents."

"I agree. We can launch an atta-"

"That will not be necessary."

Dr. Manhattan stated, cutting off Shazam's words.

The members of the League looked at each other.

"Why not?"

Wonder Woman asked.

"That was the entire point of the Alliance. To keep the earth safe. The relocation was only meant to be temporary. We still need to face the enemy and come out victorious."

"The alliance has served it's purpose."

Manhattan informed them, staring out into space.

"What happens from here...just watch."

Then he opened up the Mindlink to them, connecting with a clone of his. A clone that was watching Davian demolish the Heavenly Host.

(Davian's P.O.V)

I had to stop in my advance towards the Solar System.

And that's because of who flew out to meet with me.

A blue skinned nude man with power that could destroy a universe, fuck with timelines and play with reality as if it was playdoh.

"Manhattan."

I greeted, looking around, Reikaku stretched out through Ultima. I was looking for Chase.

"Where is he?"

I questioned, a bad feeling settling in the pit of my belly.

The thing with Manhattan was that he was above the notion of emotions. Moving him was an exercise in futility. He was calm and passive. Barely reactive yet curious.

Now all I saw in his eyes was a certain helpless frustration.

"Allow me to show you."

He offered, opening his memories to me.

It took a second to understand everything.

"That idiot."

I said in a trembling voice, heart sinking.

"He allowed himself to be captured?"

"That's not all."

Manhattan added, letting me see it all. Even his conversation with Gabriel.

"They have a third of the Heavenly Host, led by Uriel waiting for me. Metatron wants to invite me to my own execution, using Chase as the bait?"

The more I knew, the angrier I got.

Who the fuck do they think they are, huh?

Chase was like a brother to me. Our relationship was banked on a mutual desire to protect each other and those we held dear.

So who the fuck thinks they can lay hands on him? And using him as bait? Are they that dumb? Chase was not helpless. He wasn't a result of my power, he was my power.

Shit. Something else just occurred to me. I can't access Shukai without him.

Shikai was all about connecting with the Zanpakuto.

Bankai was dominating it.

Shukai was about fusing with it. This is the idea I fell upon. The next level of power was a combination of both my soul and my Zanpakuto Spirit.

A unification.

True ascendance. My way of it at least.

"Hey Manhattan."

I called out.

"I know he said not to get him when I'm this weak...but you must be tripping if you think I'll just sit back and let this insult slide."

My presence rippled out, causing Ultima to tremble with my fury. Across the entire Universe, stars burst into supernovae as my Reiatsu fell.

Through the Life force link between Raven and me, I felt her concern at my outburst.

Other awarenesses coming from Earth and Mars, most of them mystical, were cast out into the fabric of space, in a bid to understand why the Universe itself was shaking.

Before any of them could reach me, I was gone, popping out of Ultima and launching down towards the lower universe and the Army of Angels waiting to take me in.

"I'm coming."

(General P.O.V)

Chase was being led through the pearly gates.

As they emerged from the celestial entry and onto a radiant road flanked with all types of divine flowers, the golden bars of heaven's gate closed behind him.

And Heaven's glory was revealed to him.

Majestic angels, with wings spanning vast distances, flew around in the air above, welcoming his procession into the heavenly realm.

Their eyes gleamed with compassion as they guided him through the ethereal landscape.

Their voices rose up in an harmonious melody echoing out.

The air was imbued with a serene fragrance, a blend of blossoms not found on Earth.

One couldn't help but be captivated by the enchanting symphony that resonated through paradise.

And beyond the path they were on, floating on clouds adorned with golden hues, grand angelic homes stood tall, exuding an otherworldly beauty.

Meadows of divine springs stretched beneath layers of clouds, each droplet shimmering with purity and life.

The meadows were not confined to one area, thousands of golden clouds littered the air, each containing a piece of Heaven.

Countless orbs of souls, those who had been granted entry into paradise, radiated with unique essences, fleeting about in a cosmic ballet.

Their procession was by now garnering a lot of attention.

Then again, it was made up of four high ranking angels with six pairs of wings. A force that was only used in the direst of situations.

It made sense though, as they were guarding a very dangerous enemy. One who could threaten God's existence.

And leading the procession was the highest ranking Arch-angel, Gabriel.

Soon enough, they arrived before the celestial court, the palace of Heaven.

God's abode.

A hub of holy energy.

The angels that had initially welcomed them, stopped. Maintaining a respectful distance within a designated zone.

Before them, larger than any structure Chase had ever laid eyes on was the palace.

It pulsed with enough divine power that even Chase felt awed by it. A certain wonder that pervaded his core self.

The architecture of the heavenly citadel was beyond earthly comprehension, reaching heights that touched the very essence of the cosmos.

The gates of eternity in front of the entrance swung open, revealing a long stair case that went up and up and up into the skies, no end in sight.

A golden cloud descended to their position, stopping before them. Gabriel walked forward, stepping on the cloud. It held his weight.

"Get on."

One of his guards pushed Chase forward.

"The Lord waits for you."

Chase said nothing, merely complying. The cloud begun to ascend the long stairway.

"You realize this won't succeed. Luring Davi out using me as bait will only lead to chaos in this place," Chase declared, surveying the surroundings.

"It's a shame. It's genuinely beautiful here," he added.

"Silence."

One of the guards ordered, prodding his back with a holy lance.

"You can't ignore me forever Gabriel."

Chase said, staring at the Arch-angel to his front.

The cloud they were riding on was silent in it's approach.

"You know what kind of trouble brash decisions got you in the past?" Chase spoke up again,

"Lucifer fell with a third of the host. What you're doing is even worse. The Reaper will not spare Heaven."

Gabriel remained silent.

With a shrug, Chase turned his focus elsewhere. The beautiful environment provided a calming yet exuberant atmosphere.

He would have to urge his wielder to create as beautiful an Afterlife as this.

Too bad, it was all going to go up in smoke.

Chase stared down at the golden bands around his wrists. These holy cuffs were designed to stop him from escaping by flooding his form with Holy Light.

And then anchoring that light to Gabriel. Even if Chase were to somehow teleport away, Gabriel would merely follow him.

But escape was not in Chase's agenda.

They made a mistake coming for him, thinking that he was Davi's weakness. He was going to show them how wrong they were.

Halfway the ascent, Chase's body exploded apart as millions of Soul Lanterns escaped from the inner world.

None of the Guards could do anything as they were drowned under the effects of Spirit Energy.

The air above Heaven became polluted with glowing figures dressed in various armors and weapons.

The Reaper's army had arrived.

And they immediately started wrecking the place.

(Davian's P.O.V)

I appeared in an empty pocket of space- The Solar System's previous spatial location.

The chaotic swirl of space dust and energy as space realigned itself due to the missing star system was indication enough.

Add that to the Angelic Army lingering on the outskirts of the Kuiper Belt and I found myself in the right place. In the perfect spot.

A distance of 30 astronomical units between us.

Nick's passion for astronomy since childhood meant he understood that 1 astronomical unit represented the distance between the Earth and the Sun, approximately 93 million miles.

With his memories in my head, 30 astronomical units translated to a distance of 2.79 billion miles.

So why the astronomy lesson?

Easy. I wanted to calculate the distance my attack could cover.

They dared mess with mine.

And now they will pay the ultimate price. Chesha Neko found itself in my hand.

"Bankai."

*******

So much is happening. I hope it doesn't get confusing.