Once that conversation ended in Sakolomeh's mind, outside, the cries and chaos kept echoing. Melokosa seemed to emerge from a deep sleep, his eyes blinking slowly as he regained consciousness.
The Father God's Dream, which until then had been trembling under the wave of metaphysical terror, suddenly regained surprising stability. The pulsating shadow, which had escaped from Melokosa's body, retracted into him, restoring a fragile balance in reality. Around them, the Abominables, still disoriented, stared at the scene with incomprehension. But the calm was short-lived: they attacked again, blindly, seeking to exploit any weakness.
Melokosa, now free, had lost his sweater and bandages. Only black, living, moving marks ran across his body, testifying to the transformation he had just undergone.
Erasa stood up slowly, a mixture of amazement and confusion in her gaze:
— I… I don't understand anything anymore…
Salomeh, still trembling, whispered:
— His... Sakolomeh…?!
Bakuzan, true to himself, remained silent, watching the scene with a mix of caution and respect.
Melokosa crouched before the inert body of Hinata. The gaping wound on her abdomen seemed irreparable, yet his fingers brushed the injury. An enigmatic smile formed on his lips:
— I understand now… everything.
His hand slid over Hinata's chest, and as if the wound had never existed, it closed instantly. Hinata breathed again, unharmed. Melokosa gently lifted her, holding her like a feather, and turned toward Salomeh and Bakuzan.
He took a few steps toward Salomeh and handed her Hinata. She took the child in her arms, her heart racing wildly, and looked up at Melokosa, her gaze lost, filled with questions and silent gratitude.
Melokosa then placed a warm hand on Salomeh's head, a gesture both protective and fatherly:
— You've grown since then… Salomeh.
Salomeh widened her eyes. Melokosa… or rather Sakolomeh, had remembered her. He had finally regained his memory.
— Sakolomeh… is it really you? she murmured, both incredulous and relieved.
Sakolomeh tilted his head slightly and a sly smile appeared on his lips:
— Who else would I be, huh?
Salomeh opened wide eyes, overwhelmed by a mixture of joy, excitement, and confusion. She still couldn't believe it.
Sakolomeh's eyes turned to Hinata in her arms:
— I entrust Hinata to you. Take good care of her, please.
Salomeh tilted her head, worry returning:
— Where are you going?!
Sakolomeh then turned to Bakuzan, his smile defiant, and said:
— So, big brother… it's been a while, huh?
Bakuzan sighed, a mixture of relief and reproach in his gaze:
— Normally, I should slap you for scaring me like that, you idiot!
Sakolomeh let out a clear laugh:
— Haha… sorry, big brother. It's over now.
His gaze went behind him and met Erasa's, still lost, unable to understand what had just happened. He smiled lightly and added:
— Sorry for the ruckus, miss.
Then, without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.
— Where are you going? Bakuzan called.
Sakolomeh paused for a moment, and his body began to dissolve, like sparks of black flames carried by the wind:
— I have something to take care of… it won't take long.
— What?! Bakuzan exclaimed, but the answer was lost in the silence.
Nothing more. Sakolomeh had disappeared, leaving behind only the air charged with a strange residual black energy.
Salomeh turned her attention back to Hinata. The little girl slept deeply, her wound perfectly closed, as if nothing had ever happened. She breathed peacefully, and Salomeh knew she would wake up within one or two hours.
A mix of relief and apprehension gripped her. The world was still chaotic around, the Abominables still present, but for a moment there had been a fragile peace. And deep inside, she knew Sakolomeh would return… and when that moment came, he would be ready to face what had to be faced.
The world's tremors finally ceased. The air, still heavy with ash of shadow, vibrated gently like a living organism exhaling after a long agony.
It was then that Erasa felt a presence brush her mind: Mü Thanatos.
The voice resonated within her, calm and infinite:
"The evil has passed. There is nothing left to fear."
Erasa's eyes widened.
— Seriously? It's over?...
The voice continued, vast, as if every syllable crossed thousands of layers of reality:
"I am the Incarnation of the All… but strangely, I am also the All of all possible possibilities.
And yet…"
In her own domain, Mü Thanatos moved forward little by little. Around him, an ocean of golden clouds stretched without border, vibrating under the laws he personified. His silhouette, both human and cosmic, seemed to merge with the light.
— "I have never truly known what joy or satisfaction is.
To be the All means to feel all things at once… which cancels everything out.
Each sensation is crushed by all the others.
But now…"
A slight smile—almost impossible, almost sacrilegious—was born on his lips.
— "…I think I have felt relief.
Satisfaction.
For the first time."
From where she stood, Erasa let her poor heart tremble. She bent down to pick up the mask she had dropped at the peak of her despair.
She stood up, a half-smile on her face.
— So… what's the mission, Auntie?
The answer fell like a cosmic sentence:
"Raktabīja Rāvana is extremely unstable.
He will be unleashed soon.
And… at the awakening of Sakolomeh, he released countless Scales through an infinity of realities.
They have already all exploded."
Erasa froze, her gaze hardening.
She knew what that meant.
She knew what it demanded.
The voice continued:
"You must cleanse all affected realities.
Destroy every active Abominable.
Do not worry… gods will be sent as reinforcements."
Erasa nodded slowly.
— Understood. For now… we must start by cleansing this reality.
In his golden domain, Mü Thanatos stopped for a moment—perhaps a sign of trust. Perhaps a silent prayer for the living.
— "Go forth.
I am counting on you."
Erasa nodded. The communication with Mü Thanatos died out like a breath blown onto embers, and silence fell.
She took a deep breath, then walked toward Bakuzan. She placed a friendly—almost brotherly—hand on his shoulder.
— Hey, Black Grief.
Bakuzan turned his head. Erasa brought her mask closer to her face, lifting it almost by reflex. Her tone had lightened, but her eyes retained the fatigue of what she had seen.
— Sorry about the little quarrel earlier… she said.
Bakuzan simply shrugged.
— It's nothing. I overreacted myself a bit.
Erasa let out a sincere smile, brief but bright.
— Scales of Raktabīja Rāvana have appeared in an infinity of realities.
How about we do some cleaning?
Gods will come as reinforcements… but I'm not sure we'll need them.
She slowly lowered her mask over her face. Her black eyes, completely empty, fixed on Bakuzan.
— And besides… I bet I can kill more Abominables than you.
Bakuzan smiled immediately, a smile announcing a storm.
— What are you trying to say?
His aura suddenly erupted, brutal. The ground cracked and hundreds of creatures emerged:
humanoid skeletons, twisted bony beasts, draconic colossi—all bathed in Black Grief's violet mana.
Then, he snapped his fingers.
A gigantic shadow materialized behind him, as if condensed from the night itself.
Nihlorgue, the Dragon of the Void, took shape, lowering his head.
— Yes, master, he said in a resonant voice.
Erasa remained impassive.
— Wow.
At this level… reinforcements might really be useless.
But even with your army… it won't change the fact that I'm going to kill more Abominables than you.
Bakuzan closed his eyes, amused, and held his hand out in front of him as if signaling to back off.
— I'll even give you a head start.
Just to savor the moment when I crush your dream.
He then turned to Salomeh, who had been watching everything silently from the start, Hinata asleep in her arms.
— Go put this little one in safety. Watch her well.
Okay?
Salomeh nodded, then disappeared instantly.
Bakuzan fixed Erasa again.
— So? Shall we begin?
Without another word, they soared into the sky, leaving behind a trail of mana and light.
Up there, in the air torn by shadow and reality fissures, their alliance took shape—
an alliance of Ineffables,
a duo so dangerous that their legend would be told in countless worlds.
The hunt for the Abominables had just begun.