Scarlet

Our domains continue clashing for what feels like hours, destroying every planet, star, and any other astral object nearby. Leading to the creation of multiple blackholes in the process as stars explode.

But I ignore those as well, simply devouring anything in my way, turning everything into Red Plague.

Into a part of me.

All while devouring void creature after void creature.

The hours gradually turn into entire days. Then the time passing grows so long that I begin to lose track of time entirely.

Which isn’t too difficult considering how we’re in space without any sort of stars or planets nearby at this point.

Over time, the people watching us from Tartarus and Earth grow tenser and tenser as they realize just how difficult this battle is. As it all sinks in that I won’t just win this with ease or quickly.

But the Voided Overlord and I continue to combat each other via our domains, neither of us paying any mind to them.

Until the very last void creature is devoured. Leaving the entire universe barren of void creatures other than the Voided Overlord.

My eyes narrow a little when the Voided Overlord’s domain – which had expanded to cover almost half of the entire universe alongside my own, leaving the half that is still occupied safe – begins to shrink. At a rapid pace.

After a brief hesitation, I shrink my own domain as well. Leaving a rather barren half of the universe behind as the two of us simply stare off at each other.

Seconds pass in utter silence before the Voided Overlord’s form shifts.

First it’s just a single fluctuation in its form. Then another.

Then the creature’s humanoid form begins to melt apart and expand, startling me for a single instant as it regains its previous form.

The form that I saw while looking through the rift it had made.

I raise a brow before spreading my arms out and turning into my own beast form. Expanding myself as well so that I match its own size.

The size of multiple planets.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

And after I stop growing, I slowly open my eyes to look at the Voided Overlord. Finding those blackish-purple eyes staring right at me from the massive creature that looks suspiciously like a dinosaur. Kind of like a T-rex. Except with a bunch of pitch black scales and tentacles growing outwards from its body, along with a few massive tentacles moving around itself.

I briefly glance at the screens on Earth and Tartarus, along with the people there. And more and more people are starting to watch the screens, which display the sight of an enormous black and crimson wolf with glowing red veins running through its body along with my three marks fighting against a massive black T-rex covered in scales and tentacles.

My attention returns to the Voided Overlord as it lets out a loud roar that echoes across the entire universe.

So I reciprocate in kind, letting out a loud howl of my own that can be heard everywhere.

Then the Voided Overlord rushes straight at me with its mouth wide open, moving incredibly fast for its size. But I move almost as fast to block it with my tail. Only for its mouth to tear straight through my tail, chomping a large portion of it off and making me howl in pain.

My pain doesn’t last for long, though, because my tail quickly grows back.

Shit, this thing is still so much stronger than me… but why? The void energy I sense doesn’t feel that much… stronger…

A possibility comes to mind, and I strike forwards, chomping at its side myself. Only for my fangs to barely even scratch its scales.

But despite the lack of damage, I feel a sense of satisfaction welling up inside of me.

Because the Voided Overlord’s scales aren’t healing.

The scratches are still there.

That explains it.

The Voided Overlord’s power is all in its brute force strength and magic. It has little to no power reserved for healing itself.

So it’s pretty much the opposite of myself, with me being focused largely on regeneration.

As I’m considering this, the Voided Overlord suddenly sends out a powerful wave of void energy at me, devouring part of the fur on my shoulder before I manage to avoid the rest of it. And I notice a very faint shimmering cover its entire body.

I quickly look at the damaged scales, only to let out a sigh when I find them still damaged. Not healed in the slightest.

Then my relief turns to a sensation of utter bewilderment almost in an instant at the sight of the large Voided Overlord beginning to grow some black and crimson fur.

Fur that looks exactly like my own.

Right. Its domain lets it devour anything and take their power as its own.

The crimson part of the fur soon turns black and purple, though. Probably because it’s the Voided Overlord’s colors or something.

Or maybe it’s just because of its void magic.

Either way, I narrow my eyes and cover my entire body with a very compressed layer of Red Plague. One that should be able to block a lot of its void magic.

Then the two of us begin trading blow after blow, sending waves of Red Plague and void energy throughout the area around us. An area covered in emptiness mixed with droplets of Red Plague.

And with every blow we trade, I feel pain flooding me from entire chunks of my body being ripped out, blown away, and utterly destroyed. All before regenerating in an instant.

Every single time.

But at the same time, I focus on whittling away at a single part of the Voided Overlord’s scales. Very slowly making cracks emerge on them, even as more and more changes emerge on the Voided Overlord’s body from it devouring parts of me.

And after what must be entire days of this back and forth, I finally shatter some of its scales.

Giving me an in to its body.

A wide grin stretches across my wolfish face as I let out another howl.

It’s time to get this battle truly started.