The gates of Olympus opened to the sound of thunder.
Clouds coiled and folded upon themselves like living things as Megumi stepped through, his wings folding behind him. The marble halls, polished in divine light, seemed dim compared to the energy radiating from his body — half holy, half demonic, pulsing with the unstable heartbeat of the orb within him.
Every god and titan turned toward him as he entered the council chamber.
The old thrones gleamed in shades of gold and silver, each figure seated upon them holding both reverence and unease in their eyes.
For the first time in eons, Olympus was united.
And every one of them knew why.
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"He's coming."
That was the first thing Megumi said as he stepped into the center of the chamber. His voice echoed through the air, heavy with certainty.
Zeus rose first, his lightning-shaped scepter flickering faintly. "We've felt it too. The air… it's wrong. The wind itself trembles."
Cronos nodded from beside him, his expression grave. "The King of Erasure's energy is no longer bound to the Rift. He's found an anchor… somewhere on the mortal plane."
Megumi's eyes narrowed. "Earth."
He looked around at the gathered immortals — gods who once mocked mortals as insignificant, titans who once defied creation itself. Now, they looked to him for guidance.
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The Preparation
Athena stepped forward, parchment in hand, runes glowing faintly. "We've been gathering information from Hermes's scouts. Whatever portal he's using… it's not natural. It's feeding on existence itself — like a wound that refuses to close."
Hephaestus hammered his fist into the air, sparks of divine fire flaring. "If that thing reaches the core of Earth's reality thread, it'll unravel everything — gods, mortals, even the afterlife!"
"Then we stop him before he reaches it," Megumi said, his tone cold but resolute. "We'll need every power, every weapon, every ounce of strength you all possess."
Poseidon leaned on his trident. "You speak as if you plan to command us."
Megumi met his gaze evenly. "Not command. Lead. Because none of you know him like I do."
That silenced the room.
Even Ares — once so quick to sneer — lowered his eyes. The memory of their past defeat lingered in every mind. The Fallen King who defied them had returned not as an enemy, but as their only hope.
Cronos broke the silence. "You've seen his mind. Tell us — what drives him now?"
Megumi hesitated, then spoke softly, "He doesn't seek dominion or revenge. He seeks erasure. He wants silence — the end of all existence. He believes creation itself was the first mistake."
The room darkened. Even the eternal flames dimmed, as if the world itself recoiled from the truth.
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The Gods Unite
Zeus lifted his scepter and drove it into the marble, the impact sending arcs of lightning across the sky. "Then Olympus will stand as it never has before. Not as rulers — but as defenders."
"Titans, gods, and mortals together," Cronos said firmly. "Let this be the first and last time we fight as one."
One by one, the divine powers of creation rose to their feet.
Poseidon with his tides.
Hades with his chains of death.
Athena with her blazing wisdom.
Ares with his crimson flame of war.
Hermes, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Demeter — all of them, one by one, knelt in a circle around Megumi.
Even the Titans stood beside them — Hyperion's aura of light, Themis's scales of balance, Atlas's quiet strength.
Megumi took a deep breath. "Then let this be our stand."
Lightning crackled. The wind howled. Olympus — for the first time since the dawn of time — resonated with harmony.
But then—
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The Tremor
The marble floor beneath them shuddered violently.
A pulse of energy rippled through the air — cold, endless, consuming.
Hermes blinked in confusion. "What— what was that?"
Megumi's eyes widened. His aura flickered violently.
"It's not just a tremor… it's him."
The view beyond Olympus's gates shifted. Below, far across the realms, the mortal world began to darken. Cities flickered out like candles snuffed in a storm. The sky fractured — clouds twisting into spirals of red and black.
A portal tore open above Earth's horizon.
It wasn't fire or lightning or storm.
It was nothingness.
A perfect void, silent and absolute.
And through it, a figure stepped forth.
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The Arrival of the King of Erasure
At first, he looked human — tall, pale, and silent. But where his shadow fell, the ground ceased to exist.
The grass, the stone, even the air — gone.
Only blankness remained.
His voice carried without sound, reaching Olympus like a whisper across time.
"So… this is what remains of creation."
Megumi's heart froze.
The voice was layered — his own voice beneath it, like an echo from a darker self.
The King of Erasure raised his hand, and reality itself warped around his palm — bending, breaking, vanishing.
The humans below screamed as their world fractured, but no sound reached the heavens. The King's presence consumed all vibration, all meaning.
"I was once a concept," he said, looking to the heavens. "A shadow born of despair. But you gave me flesh… and now, I will return everything to stillness."
Zeus slammed his scepter into the clouds. "He's on Earth! We can't let him anchor there — or everything is lost!"
Cronos turned to Megumi. "You know his mind best. What's his next move?"
Megumi's expression darkened. "He'll seek a convergence point — where divine and mortal energy overlap. He'll use that to pull the entire plane into void."
Athena's eyes widened. "That would be—"
"The end of reality," Megumi finished.
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Resolve
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. The orb within him pulsed faster, its divine and demonic halves clashing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
Leonidas's words echoed in his mind.
Ava must understand. She must witness.
Megumi opened his eyes, now glowing bright gold. "Then we move. I'll confront him first — buy you all time to prepare the seal."
Zeus frowned. "You can't—"
"I can." Megumi cut him off sharply. "Because he'll come for me first."
Cronos stepped forward, placing a hand on Megumi's shoulder. "If it comes to it… don't hesitate. Do what you must."
Megumi nodded once. "I've already made peace with that."
He turned, spreading his wings — one white, one black — the aura of the Fallen King blazing brighter than Olympus itself.
"Tell Ava… I'm keeping my promise."
And with that, he leapt from Olympus.
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Below the Clouds
Earth trembled as Megumi descended, the air burning around him.
The King of Erasure stood atop a fractured cityscape — silent, motionless, his void spreading outward like ripples through water.
When Megumi landed, the world groaned.
Their eyes met — reflection and shadow, creation and nullity.
For a heartbeat, the universe itself seemed to hold still.
Then, with a flick of the King's hand, the ground shattered, reality splintering like glass.
And so began the final war between existence and erasure.