Scott’s gaze lingered on the refined being, who stood with aloof arrogance, as though the very world was beneath them. For a moment, Scott felt his lips curling, stretching into a slow, sadistic smile the longer he stared—especially as their words continued to echo.

“You’ll bring me down to reality?” Scott repeated, amusement lacing his tone. He opened his mouth to continue, but paused, chuckling softly as he shook his head.

“I have seen countless beings like you,” the invader suddenly declared, their voice dripping with condescension. “They all consider themselves powerful, untouchable—almighty, even.” They lifted into the air, levitating above the cross, their presence imposing yet eerily composed.

“But when faced with the true almighty…” The being’s golden crucifix-shaped pupils gleamed as they spoke. “They realize their folly. Their so-called power, their meaningless ambitions—all of it crumbles to nothing.”

A thin smile formed on their lips, sinister and knowing.

“In their final moments, some squeal—frantic, desperate, begging for mercy. Others cower, trembling in terror, realizing the futility of escape.” They raised a hand, pointing directly at Scott. “Tell me—what face will you show me?”

Scott smirked. “I guess you’ll have to find out.”

The invader’s expression hardened. “I applaud your confidence,” they said, their smile vanishing. “But you, servant of the empty Throne of Madness, don’t comprehend what stands before you—”

“I’m tired of your yapping,” Scott interjected, waving a dismissive hand. “If you’re going to do something, then do it. Or did you come here to literally talk me to death?”

Silence fell between them.

The very air grew heavy, as if reality itself recoiled from the confrontation. The ground, damp and muddied, refused to stir—too afraid to make a sound. Even the winds stilled, unwilling to intrude upon the standoff.

Then, without warning—

An ear-splitting hum reverberated through the land, shaking the earth to its core. The very ground pulsated, waves of mud rising and falling in eerie synchronization with the vibrating cross. Towering rock formations crumbled like dust, while the heavens, turbulent and unnatural, spat forth a rain of blackened mush.

The invader’s voice rang out like a divine decree.

“Let the maws of gluttony appear within this foul world!”

The sky fractured. A spiderweb of cracks spread through the heavens, dark ichor pouring out in grotesque torrents. And then—it appeared.

An open maw, massive and all-consuming, its jagged teeth spiraling inward like an endless vortex. Odious, wailing screams echoed from its depths—shrieks of the eternally famished. The very ground trembled beneath its presence, as the mud waves mixed with the blackened sludge, consuming everything in their path.

Scott’s gaze lifted, his brows furrowing slightly. Is that…

Emerging from the abyssal jaws came a colossal stone throne, its ancient surface writhing with countless miniature mouths. Drool oozed from their jagged teeth, while others muttered incoherent, gluttonous whispers.

Scott narrowed his eyes, focusing on the eerie, smoldering flames that burned atop the throne’s surface.

The Throne of Gluttony… The sight stirred something in him—a flicker of recognition, but one he couldn’t recollect.

His gaze snapped back to the humanoid invader. The monstrous waves of sludge towered over him, surging forward with unrelenting hunger—yet each time they neared, the Annihilation Zone of the Chains of the Abyss reduced them to nothingness.

The invader’s lips curled into a venomous grin.

“Now—do you realize your folly?” they sneered, barely containing their laughter.

Scott remained silent, his attention shifting back to the throne that threatened to drown the world in gluttonous ruin.

So, this is what it’s like to fight someone with authority…

A single thought pulsed through his mind.

Can I also call forth the Throne of Madness?

The question lingered as he turned his gaze back to the invader.

The being had begun to consume the blackened sludge pouring from the sky’s fractures. Their form swelled, flesh stretching grotesquely as their body mutated. Their bones audibly groaned, sinew snapping and reforming as pustulent sores and festering scars spread across once-pristine skin.

Then—

Three monstrous horns erupted from their skull, two on either side, and a third piercing through the center. A third eye, marked by the same ominous sigil as before, flared open.

Their body bulged, grotesque and engorged, before—a maniacal scream tore from their throat, their mouth widening unnaturally as their teeth elongated into serrated daggers.

The massive throne trembled—its myriad mouths releasing mournful, discordant wails.

And then—they spewed forth a deluge of colorful mush, each drop brimming with gluttonous energy, directly into the transforming invader’s gaping maw.

The corrupted being’s form convulsed violently. A sickening rip echoed through the battlefield as their midsection tore open, birthing a new, monstrous mouth lined with razor-sharp fangs and a writhing, emerald forked tongue.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Now standing over forty feet tall, the abomination slammed into the ground, sending another massive wave crashing outward. It let out a deafening, guttural howl, the sound mimicked by the throne itself as its countless mouths screeched in unison.

Eyes—dozens, hundreds—snapped open across the bloated entity’s quivering flesh, each pupil brimming with insatiable hunger.

Mouths—new and old, large and small—ripped open across its distorted form, spewing viscous, putrid pus onto the battlefield.

Scott stood unmoved. His brows creased ever so slightly as he assessed the abomination before him.

The War Hammer of the Mad God rested in his right hand; its weight as familiar as the chaos surrounding him.

Above him, towering and unyielding, the serpentine Chains of the Abyss loomed—poised, watchful, ready to strike.

A wave of filth erupted from the abomination’s impact, surging toward Scott. Yet, the instant it reached the chain’s Annihilation Zone, it vanished without a trace.

The cross, once inert, emitted a deep, resonating hum. The earth trembled, then withered, devoured by the blackened murk infecting it. The abomination screamed—its countless mouths howling in unison. Then, its form began to swell, grotesquely expanding, reaching over eighty feet in mere seconds.

From the cracks where the murk spewed forth, hundreds of miniature abominations emerged, diving toward Scott in a suicidal frenzy.

Scott’s grip tightened around his war hammer as the Chains of the Abyss thrashed, writhing with an almost sentient fury. Without hesitation, the chains lunged at the inhuman swarm while Scott charged toward the monstrous titan.

A vast chasm yawned before him—a gaping wound in the land, a testament to the insatiable hunger of the descending filth. He did not slow. With a single jump, he leapt into the air, his form encased in swirling nihilistic spots. They consumed the blackened mass above and below, forming a shifting foothold that carried him across the abyss.

“You will never reach me!” the monstrosity roared, its voice shaking the heavens and earth. “You will be devoured!” its mouths bellowed in chorus.

From the chasm, colossal hands of murky filth emerged, each several times larger than the abomination itself. They clawed toward Scott, their grotesque fingers eager to crush him. Slithering tongues lashed from the countless mouths festering upon the massive hands. Yet, at that moment, nihilistic fists surged upward from the makeshift path, intercepting the advancing monstrosities.

The impact sent violent tremors rippling through the battlefield. Every time the gluttonous hands struck, they disintegrated upon contact, yet new ones formed, endlessly assembling as the rift continued to spill forth corruption.

Obscured within the chaos, Scott weaved between the colossal blows, dodging with razor-sharp precision as he pressed forward.

“This is only the beginning. Struggle all you like,” the abomination sneered.

Its form had swelled beyond reason, now towering over even the tallest rock formations that had once marked the land.

“It’s too late to recognize your folly,” it continued, the largest of its mouths curling into a twisted grin, drool spewing in all directions. “A mere devotee of an empty throne dares challenge a servant of unbridled hunger? How laughable.”

The abomination’s words slithered into Scott’s mind, and a looming shadow swallowed him whole. The hands had grown even larger, thicker, and now numbered in the thousands. The chasm, once endless and gaping, was slowly filling with the blackened muck, swallowing what remained of the battlefield.

An endless hunger… is this what gluttony truly is? Scott mused as he maneuvered through the onslaught. The nihilistic fists, once dominant, were being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

More than half the territory is gone… but it can’t consume the nihilistic zone, he observed, dodging another barrage of attacks. Despite the abomination’s monstrous size, he had lost sight of it entirely. The churning mass of fists had become a cataclysmic force, a maelstrom of destruction hellbent on eradicating him.

I guess it’s time to—

A sudden chill ran down his spine. His thoughts faltered, and his expression darkened as a foreboding premonition seized him. Then, the earth-shattering crack of splitting stone echoed through the void. His eyes darted downward—massive fissures spiderwebbed across the nihilistic road.

Laughter erupted from the abomination. “Nothing—absolutely nothing—will be spared from the feast!”

Scott’s eyes narrowed. The fists continued their relentless assault, pounding the fragmented road. Yet, something was different. Their knuckles bore a faint, insidious glow—the same nihilistic essence that made up his path. It was spreading.

It can do this too? Scott’s mind reeled. Does that mean it absorbs the properties of all it devours?

Another deafening crack rang out, and a vast section of the nihilistic road collapsed into nothingness.

The abomination’s laughter boomed again, raw and triumphant. “Squirm and tremble, pitiful wretch! It changes nothing! Today, your existence ends!”

Massive fists hammered the remnants of the road, shattering it into countless pieces that dissolved into the abyss. The hands, writhing and insatiable, slithered together, merging into an even greater monstrosity.

“Even now, you scurry like a rat,” the abomination jeered. “Pathetic. No wonder the Throne of Madness has fallen to dregs—”

A massive portal erupted into existence before the creature, and in an instant, Scott burst forth, war hammer in tow.

“You talk too much!” he roared, swinging with all his might.

The blow struck true, aimed straight for the monstrous head.

The abomination’s countless mouths shrieked, spewing a tidal wave of blackened filth, rushing to engulf Scott whole.

“Is that it?” the creature mocked. “Was that your last, feeble attempt at resistance? Show me more, worm!”

A wave of filth surged over the region where Scott and the portal had appeared, submerging the earth beneath its devouring tide. Yet, Scott’s form had vanished once again. The abomination’s swirling eyes darted in all directions, searching for any trace of him, but nothing revealed itself in the world steadily consumed by corruption.

“Is that it?” the abomination taunted. “Is this all the Throne of Madness amounts to?” It declared, yet there was still no sign of Scott.

“I’ve grown bored of this meaningless game. I will devour everything now!” the abomination roared, its countless mouths spewing viscous murk.

The fresh torrents of filth merged with the corruption spilling from the rifts in the sky, the sludge exuding from the throne, and the murk devouring the land. Instantly, massive globules of destruction began feasting on the last remnants of the territory as the abomination’s form continued to swell.

“I have also grown bored of our little game,” Scott whispered, yet it resonated across the chaotic expanse.

The abomination’s many eyes spun wildly, each searching for his location, yet they found nothing. The devastation wrought by the murk persisted, nearing its final stage.

“Even a coward dares to boast,” the abomination mocked. “Like your territory, you too will be devoured—be it now or later. So, treasure what little time you—”

“Do you consider this reality?” Scott interjected, his form materializing before the colossal creature.

“I care not for your sophistry, vermin!” the abomination spat, its mouths coiling, ready to unleash another onslaught of filth. “Reality or not, nothing escapes the jaws of gluttony! A feast has been prepared, and we shall see it to the—”

The abomination’s words trailed off. Its countless eyes shifted beyond Scott, locking onto the chaotic skies. Each narrowed simultaneously, fixating on a single, massive, all-seeing eye staring back at them.

“What sort of illusion is this?” the abomination’s massive mouth muttered, its tone wavering.

Then, the all-seeing eye blinked.

A simple, innocuous action—one every creature was familiar with—yet the abomination’s numerous mouths fell agape in shock.

In an instant, the endless rain of filth, the horde of miniature abominations, and the towering tides of corruption vanished, as if conjured from a fever dream. The monstrous limbs birthed from insatiable hunger dissolved into nothingness. Solid earth replaced the bottomless chasms, while fresh, earthen winds carried an aroma of renewal, banishing the stench of decay.

The abomination’s mouths remained open, its multitude of eyes blinking in unison, unable to accept the reality before them.

Amidst its stupefaction, Scott’s voice cut through the silence. “It’s too early to be surprised,” he mocked, a smirk playing on his lips. “From here on, the Throne of Madness will begin its descent!”