“What is this?!” Miria rocked on her heels, which caused not-so-small tremors as she still was in her giant form. “Since when can you do that, Master?!”
Asterios chuckled amusedly as he stopped in front of her furry face. “You aren’t the only one who can achieve a full-body transformation now. I wonder if this makes me somewhat close to your kind.”
“I bet if we had draconic Beastkin, you would be a perfect example of one!” She giggled sweetly. “Is this something you inherited from Kaguya? But, I don’t think she was able to shift this way, being a Spiritual Fox and all that.”
“We have no idea what kind of a result a union between a Beastkin and a True Dragon could have brought forth. But, this is something we can ponder later. And I don’t think this was purely a me thing. I had some help.” He glanced at Abyss, who was currently floating next to the others on the ground. “So did you girls, from what I’ve seen.”
The big panthergirl scratched her cheek timidly. “Sorry. We would have come much earlier to help you out, Master, but I struggled a little without a proper weapon until she offered me a fun alternative.”
Raising one sharp and scaly brow at her, Asterios tilted his head. “What about the purplish sword from earlier?”
Miria’s muzzle twisted into a cute loop as realization hit her. Selene let out a soft, ladylike snicker from atop her shoulder, covering her graceful lips with a hand.
“I was about to bring that up when Abyss suggested giving us a hand,” the fox lady revealed.
Her feline sister-mate crossed her arms over her chest and looked aside bashfully. “I might need a moment to get used to the thought that I now have and can use that size-adaptable relic.”
Asterios shook his head. “It’s alright. All’s good that’s good. Let’s join the others down there.”
She began shrinking as black haze surrounded her, so he matched the pace until they both landed on the ground in their usual sizes.
Well, minus the slight upgrade Asterios had gotten in this new version of his partial transformation.
“Like I already didn’t feel small enough in front of you.” Tina pouted, placing her fists against her waist. “Now I can literally wrap my arms around your snout and swing from it like on a playground.”
That brought a few laughs from the ladies while Asterios puffed out a small cloud of black smoke from his long nose.
“We all know the first question Grea would ask in this situation.” Silvia showed a delicate smirk.
All the gazes dropped to Ast’s waist and he rolled his eyes. “I know everyone misses her as much as I do, but let’s keep things proper for a day longer. No, I’m not interested in checking. It already bothers me that I’m a head taller like this. How did this happen, by the way?”
“I simply gave you a little push,” Abyss answered as the group turned to her. “It’s something you would have achieved yourself given enough time, but since I promised to aid you more than before, you can consider it a small gift in the form of about one-tenth of my dark energy.”
Their eyes widened at the admission. No one was sure how much that exactly was, but considering how powerful and ancient their ally might be, this had to be quite significant.
“I’ve heard tales of this form, but allow me to bring them up after we solve the issues plaguing this dimension,” Althea said, reminding them of their dire situation.
“What’s with the eye, Master? Was it part of the defense systems? The guy who tricked Abyss noticing that we are running his plans?” Miria eagerly barraged him with questions.
“No idea. But, I have a feeling that it was on our side, so we can cross out the latter possibility.” Asterios shrugged. “As far as I can tell, there are no negative effects after it stared at us for a while. It could belong to a totally unrelated entity whose attention we might have grabbed through the events in this world. The barrier is weakening, in the end.”
“Agreed.” Umbra nodded. “I can feel the restrictions gradually getting lifted. This would have been the long-awaited moment of celebration if not for the impending doom. Fate really tends to be fickle sometimes.”
“Be it fate or destiny, they have nothing to say about our lives,” Althea replied. “It is our actions that shape the present and the future. Therefore, we should take action right now to ensure the best possible future for this realm. Can we access the control panel or has it been lost in the fight?”
“It’s still there,” Abyss confirmed. “I’ll head inside and try whatever I can to deactivate this destructive protocol. The damage is already done, but it’s not impossible to fix. A decade or a few and I shall be able to repair the realm to its previous state. Save for the lives already lost, but that’s a different topic.”
“You really are stopping holding back,” the Duke whispered in disbelief.
She turned to him, as emotionless as ever, yet everyone could tell it was different this time. “That much I owe you and the others, Little Shadow. And it’s long overdue.”
Politely skipping her head, Abyss floated away from them, heading to the gap in the Golem’s head.
“We’ll stand guard in the meanwhile,” Asterios ordered. “The weird eye might not be the last thing to surprise us, and we wouldn’t want the Golem to somehow get back up while she is in the middle of a sophisticated magical procedure. Is everyone alright after their fights?”
“All good, my Lord.” Selene smiled beautifully at him, reporting for Miria and herself.
“Our heads are still spinning a bit but we are good too.” Silvia tapped the side of her forehead and Tina chuckled with rosy cheeks.
He noticed that his gorgeous mentor seemed a tad tense, and Althea noticed that he had taken notice. She didn’t reject the warm hug that he brought to her, sensing the rejuvenating energy that was being shared with her.
After they parted, the Dragon lady sighed lightly. “Just suffering a small rebound from attempting something rash and without proper preparation. But, I’m not out of the fight yet. I shall try to keep my mind from wandering off onto the revelations I have gained from the bout.”
Asterios nodded, wanting nothing more than to share a loving kiss with his beloved teacher, but aware that it could be a tad awkward with the current shape of his facial features. Therefore, he employed the amorous gestures he had learned from Althea during their draconic practice and nuzzled her cheek with his snout, rubbing it affectionately. She let out a cordial chuckle and brushed her palms along his scales.
Miria cooed from the side. “I want to do that too! It looks so cute and snuggly!”
In a flash, he was surrounded by his excited mates as they all gathered to rub his snout and pet him like an overgrown dog or wolf. Playing with his draconic head was already extremely fun and enjoyable in his true size, but none of them had foreseen being able to do it with a miniature version.
To say that Asterios was amused at their antics would be a total understatement. But, he liked the attention and the smiles on their gorgeous faces so he didn’t mind bearing with being baby-talked to like a puppy once in a while. And the scratches did feel unexpectedly good. Especially under his chin. He couldn’t help letting out a low and rumbly purr when they got him there.
Though, that rumble was starting to get fairly strong. Strong enough to cause the ground beneath their feet to tremble too.
They all frowned and stopped. Ast’s draconic purrs ceased too. Yet, the rumbling didn’t.
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~Something is coming,~ Tia spoke out their thoughts.
Looking around revealed nothing, even with his enhanced sight.
“Umbra, can you check it out from above?” Asterios glanced at his loyal familiar.
“On it.” The shadowy butler took the form of a big raven and flapped his wings into the air.
A few seconds later, he reported in, sharing his vision with the rest of the group.
~It’s the Golems. They are running to us from all directions. The other fortresses must have dropped them too, not only the one we are at. But…~ Umbra hesitated a bit near the end.
“But what?” Tina asked.
~Their paths aren’t clear. Someone is trying to obstruct them. A lot of someones. And I think I recognize the worshippers we have met not that long ago amongst the attendees of this guerilla gathering,~ he explained.
Miria gasped cutely. “They convinced others to help us! That’s incredible!”
“And extremely dangerous,” Selene added. “Many will lose their lives going against these constructs. We can assume each fortress has at least four, including one of the big versions. It’s not easy to stop them.”
~They are aware. This is a task beyond them. I can spot a few Titans joining in, but the majority belongs to a common mob,~ Umbra continued. ~Yet, in the face of total annihilation which most if not everyone has realized is coming, risking one’s life for a chance at saving the day isn’t that much different from lying down and waiting for the inevitable. Plus, they seem to be chanting about their Savior all the time.~
“It’s a good thing we made so many friends during our journey,” Silvia said with a satisfied smile. “You keep showing your qualities as the Dragon Emperor.”
Asterios groaned. “They were cultists. We didn’t have to do much to convert them. It doesn’t work like this all the time.”
“That means you are extremely versatile and understanding of different cultures,” Althea offered with a proud smile, further driving the nail into the coffin.
Especially since they all agreed with her.
“Whatever. Let’s slow the Golems down too. There’s no way we can survive a nearly infinite assault of these things so we should pray Abyss figures things out quickly,” he said seriously.
“Take Althea with you and the rest of us will cover the other directions in the same pairs as earlier,” Tina proposed.
“And who will stay behind?” Asterios scrunched his nose.
~I’ll watch over this place. It will allow me to join the Creator as soon as possible if she calls for assistance,~ Umbra responded.
“Alright. Don’t forget the sword, Miria.” Asterios winked at the feline girl, definitely making her blush under that charming fur.
They spread out and rushed to meet their respective groups of opponents. It still took a few minutes to get to them since the distance between the floating structures was great, but the offensive and defensive forces soon met. It was as Umbra had mentioned, many of this world’s inhabitants were in the middle of their last struggle, somehow being aware that the destination of these constructs was related to their only chance of survival.
It must have been the work of those converted light worshippers.
Numerous battles took place, and no one on Ast’s team held back. They didn’t need to be careful around the Golems, already having one captured. What took place was a vicious confrontation where unimaginably powerful spells and techniques flew through the air. The locals were fairly shocked by the strength the ladies and Asterios showed against the extremely durable white stone puppets.
Many brave warriors fell during that final stand, but their joint efforts brought down multiple Golems. Unfortunately, packs of four or three kept showing up, arriving from the fortresses further away from the focal point of this operation to defend the realm. And according to the spherical map of the barrier surrounding the dimension, they wouldn’t run out too quickly. There were still plenty of enemy reinforcements on their way.
That, however, turned out to be the least of the worries everyone had during that moment.
Suddenly, immense quakes struck the realm. Everyone could hear the deafening cracks and shifting of stone. The loud noises echoed throughout the entire world like through a spacious cavern. At the same time, the golden web in the sky began dimming, flickering on and off. Even the beams drilling into the land thinned greatly.
Then, with an ear-splitting snap, the strongest tremor threw everyone off their feet or whatever lower limbs they sported. Asterios watched as the terrain next to him split into two, a neverending, jagged chasm opening at his side. It gradually widened, growing slowly right before him, the shaking never ceasing.
Another one appeared somewhere much farther, sending more rocks flying into the sky from the intensity of the abrupt breach.
Something was happening, and it definitely wasn’t good.
Asterios and the ladies flinched when they unexpectedly changed places in a matter of a blink, returning to the fallen Golem. There, they found Abyss floating above its inactive frame, the circuits no longer glowing with intense golden light. It was completely dead.
“I… have failed,” the goddess announced with a hesitant tone.
Silence fell upon the group, broken only by the rumbling and cracking of the terrain around them.
“It pains me to admit it, but I have been outsmarted again,” Abyss confessed. “There was no solution to this predicament. After trying all the routes I could think of, I realized that this was all planned. It was supposed to look like there might be a way out, only to crush the hopes of whoever was attempting to fix the situation when faced with the truth that it was all a lie. Every path leads to destruction. And any attempts at slowing it down have instead quickened its arrival.”
No one said anything as the reality of their position sank in.
“The crust and mantle are already broken, cracks are spreading to the surface of the planet. The core has lost its stability as the rays of light overload it with the remaining bits of their golden energy. It’s a matter of minutes before it implodes. The only good news is that the seal should fade first so some denizens might be able to flee during that short window,” she added.
Asterios glanced down as they were being suspended in the air by her bubble, stopped right next to the closest canyon. He could register wisps of dark energy flowing from its depth, leaking out of the world’s heart. When he strained his sight, he could even see the very core of the realm in the world’s depths. More breaches ran through the rock around it, including right behind it, making it clear that the artificial planet was being torn into pieces.
A few seconds passed before anyone spoke up.
“Is there… nothing we can do anymore?” Miria asked dejectedly.
Abyss snapped her fingers and the scenery shifted, causing them to wince again. And then again as they came face-to-face with a humongous dark purple surface launching explosions of fuming energy past its edge. It hummed and whooshed so loudly that they suspected their guide had partially silenced their surroundings to prevent them from going deaf.
They had never seen anything like this, but they instinctively knew what the thing in front of them was.
The realm’s core.
It could be compared to… They had no idea what to compare it to. Perhaps an impossibly large Fireball the size of a country or a continent, surrounded by unending layers of rock and stone, which were currently in the process of breaking down. Bits and pieces flew into the liquid spiritual energy, resulting in more explosions breaking the chaotic surface. Numerous golden pillars stabbed into it from all directions, at least as far as the party could see. The core was so vast it had its own horizons.
“As you must have guessed, we are in the presence of the core. The beating heart of this world that I have meticulously crafted in the far past and which has been keeping this realm stable since,” Abyss began. “Right now, it’s on the verge of collapsing. The thoughtless invasion of foreign energy has disrupted its unity. Its final moments are near. That said, there is a way to stabilize it again. However…”
“However?” Althea glanced at the somber woman.
“The chances of success are abysmally low,” the world’s creator replied.
“It’s still worth trying, no?” Tina wondered out loud.
“And it requires direct input from someone with matching affinity,” the dark-skinned lady added.
The implications of that were obvious. Someone would have to stay behind until the last second, forgoing their chance at escaping in time if things didn’t go according to plan.
“Unfortunately, I’m not confident in my ability to restore the core before it breaks. It’s much harder than creating it in the very beginning. Even with my darkness affinity being so high. The risk is too great,” Abyss said what they all assumed individually.
They stared at the giant unstable sphere before them with the looks of pity and sorrow. It hurt to know that they had exhausted their options and changed nothing in the end. A grand quest to free the realm turned into a rush towards its annihilation. Should they have even interfered with the Nethernight Realm in the first place? If not for their actions, the residents would be able to live on. Sure, still clueless and under spiritual restriction, but alive. And perhaps their creator would have figured something out a couple thousand years later.
Asterios took a peek at his lovers but didn’t say anything. He wasn’t planning to, and even if he had, their expressions would have stopped him anyway. Maybe in the past, it would have been different, but in the current day, he had too much to lose on such a gamble. His life wasn’t just his anymore. He had to swallow this bitter taste of defeat for the sake of his family and everyone under his care.
Yet, worse than that was the knowledge that he had failed not even Abyss, but his precious friend. Umbra floated a step ahead of them, silently gazing into the core since their arrival, uninterested in taking part in their conversation. This failure must have affected him greatly. And Asterios felt horrible because of this, not knowing what to say to comfort his dear companion.
The Lord of Darkness chose that moment to turn around, their gazes meeting.
“Master. Let’s break the contract.”