Dinner Aboard the Ark of the Hyperverse
The great Ark sailed through the void of stars, its hull vast enough to host entire cities, its decks filled with survivors from doomed hyperverses. All had been saved from destruction by Adamus, Kiyohime, Hunter, and their allies.
Inside the Ark, tables stretched for miles. Across them, candles flickered gently and the scent of roasted meats, fruit, and spices filled the air. Laughter echoed, stories were shared, cups clinked together.
At one table sat a mix of ancient legends and hyperversal heroes: Adamus beside Kiyohime, Hunter beside Ham, Noah with his wife, Moses with Aaron and their sister, and the Queen of the Goshenites with her two children on her lap.
Moses had just finished recounting a tale of his time in the wilderness, and laughter roared around the table.
Then, he turned to Adamus with a smile.
"We've told you so much about ourselves," Moses said warmly. "Come on now. Share something. Tell us about your world. Soon you'll be home and we may never see you again."
Adamus looked a little shy, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I mean… there's not much to say," he began.
But others chimed in from surrounding tables.
"We want to hear it!"
"Why are you so strong?"
"You saved us!"
"If it weren't for him," someone whispered, "Pharaoh would've enslaved us forever."
"He saved our whole world," said another. "We would've died with it."
Adamus smiled gently.
"Okay… I'll tell you. Me and my friends are from a massive planet called Omniterra. It's… the largest thing that's ever existed. Entire hyperverses float around it like satellites. That's where we're from and where we're trying to return to."
He took a slow breath.
"I live in a country called The Grid, located in the Air Realm. My mother is in a coma there. I have to return… before she wakes up. I only have about a year."
Noah looked stunned.
"A year to get home? We've only been flying this Ark for two months across all these multiverses to gather survivors."
Adamus nodded.
"Exactly. Time's moving fast. But we're almost there."
Aaron blinked in awe.
"So… our entire hyperverse is just a speck on your planet"
Kiyohime touched Adamus's shoulder, turning to him gently.
"If we're outside normal time and space, there's a good chance once we leave this hyperverse it'll only have been a few seconds… or days, in Omniterra."
Moses leaned forward again.
"Finish your story. I want to know where your strength comes from. Do you pray to a god? Or… are you a god?"
Adamus chuckled softly and raised his hands.
"No. I'm no god. I'm just trying to be… a superhero. That's my dream: to save people."
He looked down, then up again.
"As for why I'm strong… I think it's mostly my bloodline. My family has power that lets us warp reality, time, space… even the narrative itself."
Moses blinked, then smiled.
"Incredible. But what's a superhero? I've never heard those words used together."
"A superhero is someone who saves people," Adamus explained simply.
"Do you have a superhero name?" Moses asked.
Adamus laughed.
"Yes Vajra."
Moses chuckled heartily.
"So your superhero name is your real name?"
"No," Adamus corrected. "When I first met you, I told you to call me Vajra… but my real name is Adamus."
"Well," Moses grinned, "I like your superhero name better."
He turned to Kiyohime.
"And what about you? When you return to your reality what's your goal? Your power… it's growing fast. I wouldn't be surprised if you were a goddess."
Kiyohime shook her head with a quiet smile.
"Far from it. I'm a demon. A yokai."
Whispers rippled across the nearby tables.
"She's a demon?"
"But she's so kind… she saved my life."
"Me too. I guess you can't always judge by appearance."
Moses nodded thoughtfully.
"I'd forgotten about that. Strange I can usually sense demonic energy from miles away. Back at the battle, I caught a hint of it from you. Just a flicker. But right now… there's nothing."
Kiyohime gave a faint smile.
"I'm very good at hiding it. My energy's strong strong enough to collapse minds if I let it loose. It's like Adamus's Dimension Ascension in that way." She paused, her voice quieter. "But if I push it too far… I lose control. And when that happens, I become something I hate."
She looked at Moses.
"My goal… is to avenge my mother. And take back leadership of my clan the Samurais."
Moses, "With your will and power, I believe you'll succeed."
Then he turned to Hunter.
"What about you? What's your goal?"
Ham leaned closer.
"Yeah. What is it?"
Hunter's voice dropped low.
"Let's just say… I used to be a superhero. Until my daughter… was taken. A man Boris he caused it. When I tried to stop him, he locked me away. I spent years in that prison… that's where I met these two."
He looked at Adamus and Kiyohime.
"My goal now is the same as before: take down Boris. Cut off his head."
Moses raised his cup high.
"Then may you all fulfill your goals. To the heroes the ones who saved the hyperverse!"
All around them, cheers erupted.
"To the heroes!"
Adamus raised his cup and smiled, though a thought lingered in his mind.
Hunter knows Boris? I'll need to talk to him about that later…
Suddenly, music began to play. Bands from across the hyperverse filled the boat with melodies of every style imaginable. A grand celebration unfolded. People danced, laughed, and reunited with lost loved ones.
Ham danced with Hunter. Noah with his wife. Moses with his sister. Aaron sat peacefully, watching it all.
Kiyohime sat beside the Queen of the Goshenites, the woman's children curled up in her lap.
"Thank you again," the Queen said softly. "For saving us."
Kiyohime lowered her head.
"It was nothing. You deserved better. I couldn't stand by and watch Pharaoh try to murder his own family."
The Queen trembled.
"I'm still afraid."
"Why?" Kiyohime asked gently. "It's over. We're almost at the center of the hyperverse the world of milk and honey."
"Yes," the Queen whispered. "But what if Yahweh… never forgives us? My people the Goshenites we enslaved His chosen. We wronged the Israelites."
Kiyohime's voice was kind, but firm.
"If He's as loving as Moses and Noah say, then He already forgives you. You were born into a system that did this. You tried your best. You even snuck out at night to feed the slaves."
Just then, Adamus appeared behind Kiyohime, smiling.
"We never finished our dance."
The Queen smiled knowingly.
"It's okay you can go."
Kiyohime took his hand, eyes gleaming.
"If you really want to get embarrassed again…"
Scene: The Dance of Kazahana
The Ark of the Hyperverse glided silently through the stars vast and endless, a living testament to the lives it carried and the worlds it had saved.
Along one open deck just a sliver of the infinite, god-sized vessel music filled the air. The boat, though chasing through the stars on a divine mission, held a living, breathing celebration across its many levels. Dozens of bands played in different sections, each capturing a different era in human history. Jazz echoed in one chamber, tribal drums in another, and orchestral hymns floated above the sails like incense.
Here, in the section where Adamus and Kiyohime stood, the sound was intimate and soulful. A 1950s doo-wop group crooned under string lights, their harmonies kissed by eternal soul. The band wore vintage suits, suspenders, and shiny shoes. Their pompadours gleamed like polished obsidian. They swayed gently in rhythm, fingers snapping in sync.
A voice as smooth as moonlight sang out:
"Oh, my love… let us be reincarnated… together.
Even if the stars burn out, I'll find you, wherever.
I want… I want… a love that death can't sever.
Our love… our love… is destined forever…"
Adamus extended his hand. Kiyohime took it.
They stepped onto the smooth, starlit floor as the band played. The music faded into the background, replaced by the soft shuffle of steps and shared breath.
Adamus led gently left, right, then a graceful backward sweep. He spun her under his arm, applied light pressure, guiding her perfectly with each movement.
"Impressive," Kiyohime whispered. "You've gotten better. Last time you were clumsy."
Adamus smirked.
"I've been practicing. This dance Kazahana I've mastered it."
"Yes," she said, blushing. "I can tell."
He smiled but thought inwardly:
Thank the heavens for Parallel Simulation. I've practiced Kazahana an infinite number of times. I'm still practicing it… across timelines.
As they continued dancing beneath the stars, Adamus leaned in slightly.
"When we return to the Air Realm… when I've saved my mother… I want to help you with your task. Avenge your mother. Take down the prince who did it."
Kiyohime looked away.
"No, it's fine. He's strong. But I'm stronger. I'll do it alone."
Adamus's tone softened.
"I know you're strong you're the strongest I've ever seen. But even the strong need help sometimes. I'm still a superhero. So if you ever need me… just call."
She smiled at that, punching his arm playfully.
"Nice to know the future number one hero has my back. Just be there when I call your name."
They continued to dance, the world melting around them.
Scene, The Revelation of Moses
Elsewhere on the deck, Moses danced gently with Miriam .
"I have a secret," he whispered.
"What is it, little brother?"
Moses lowered his voice.
"During the battle with Pharaoh… I awakened something. The Holy Spirit spoke to me. He gave me power something buried inside me since the day I was born."
"What kind of power?" she asked.
"He told me… I am faith itself. At least half of it. That I am the reincarnation of the very concept of faith split in two. There is another. The Holy Spirit told me this, and He awakened the power in me. It was always there. He just had to awaken it for me."
His sister stared, stunned.
"What does that mean? What do you have to do?"
"After we deliver everyone safely to the World of Milk and Honey," Moses said quietly, his gaze distant, "I must ascend to Heaven."
Miriam looked at him, eyes narrowing with concern. He continued:
"I have to return the very concept of faith to Yahweh Himself. That was His command. He told me… when the energy of the End Times consumes our entire Hyperverse when all is unmade only a few realms will remain untouched: the World of Milk and Honey, Paradise, and Heaven and Hell themselves."
He paused, the weight of prophecy heavy in his voice.
"To rebuild everything… faith must return to its origin. Back to Heaven. Back to Yahweh. Without it, nothing can begin again. Only when faith is returned to its rightful throne can the broken Hyperverse be born anew."
She gripped his hand tightly.
"So… you're sacrificing yourself?"
Moses nodded solemnly.
"Not just me. The concept was split it reincarnated into two people. I've seen the other one in a dream. We both must appear before Yahweh. Only then can the cycle begin again."
"Who is the other?" she asked.
"His name is"
But before he could speak it
The entire boat shook. A deep, cosmic rumble thundered across its structure.
Panic rose. Children screamed. Plates clattered to the floor. From the topmost stairwells descending the boat's thousands of levels, warriors came rushing down.
"We're under attack! They've found us!"
Adamus, Kiyohime, Hunter, Noah, Moses, Aaron, and dozens of warriors bolted up the staircases. The Ark groaned as its top deck opened to space stars swirling above them like a kaleidoscope of fire and color.
And then they saw it.
A ship. Bigger than theirs. Blacker than shadow. Covered in spikes, runes, and cannons pulsing with infernal energy.
Hunter's eyes narrowed.
"That ship… it's bigger than ours. That thing's massive."
Adamus raised a hand and released his golden energy shield, a radiant barrier that shimmered across the Ark's surface. The incoming energy blast struck it head-on, crashing like a wave against divinity. The shield held, but the Ark still trembled from the force, its wooden frame groaning under the vibration.
From the enemy ship, cannons fired again demon-energy blasts, screaming purple and crimson streaks ripping through space. Dark creatures floated outside the hull, demonic soldiers with glowing eyes and weapons crackling with malevolence.
Adamus growled.
"I don't know how long I can hold this shield up. They're attacking recklessly," he said, gritting his teeth. "We need to go on the offense. But…"
He narrowed his glowing eyes, focusing.
"With my vision, I can sense something. Most of their soldiers aren't that strong. In my opinion, weak. But there are four… four powerful warriors on that ship. Stronger than the Seven Deadly Sins. Stronger than the Pharaoh."
Moses's face went pale.
"Lucifer has sent his champions."
He turned and shouted, voice ringing with urgency.
"Everyone, get inside! Hide below deck! Anyone who can fight, stay up here!"
As civilians rushed below, warriors, mages, angels, and supernatural beings assembled on deck, forming ranks. The Ark trembled under the pressure of the incoming threat, yet they stood firm.
Moses's brother and sister rushed to him.
Aaron said, "I'm ready to help."
Moses shook his head. "No. You're still injured. All those years the Pharaoh kept you as a slave, your body hasn't fully recovered. Stay here, brother. I've got this. Remember what you told me? That I'm the chosen one."
His sister embraced him tightly. "Come back safely. I remember what you told me. You're the key to saving everything."
Moses looked toward Noah and called out.
"Noah, take the helm. Get us out of range of their fire."
Noah rushed to position, his eyes glowing with purpose as he called on the power of faith. The Ark responded, shifting direction with divine precision, dodging blasts as it jetted through space. The fleet of sacred boats moved at Irrelevant speeds, tearing through universes effortlessly.
Kiyohime's Toki no Me ,the Eyes of Time flared to life, glowing with an otherworldly purple. Her Toru Mahō ignited, toroidal energy field surged into view around her, spiraling like a vortex of arcane fury. She unsheathed her blade in its base form, then transformed it into its final form: Shi no Tanjō, the Birth of Death.
Hunter stood tall, white and blue energy surrounding him like living water. From his palms, rivers burst forth, swirling and condensing into a massive water dragon that roared with divine might.
Moses was surrounded by a radiant aura of white energy the energy of faith. His sword, forged in holy flames, gleamed in his grip as he stepped forward, unwavering.
At the heart of the Ark stood Adamus, golden flames rising around his entire body. His golden eyes blazed with power as his shield expanded, protecting everyone aboard.
And across the void, on the enemy ship, the demonic soldiers began to gather.
The next phase of the hyperversal war was about to begin.
At the towering stern of the massive warship known as The Art of the Damned, high above the clashing cacophony of battle, Lilith, the Queen of Hell, stood poised like a dark goddess of vengeance. Her silhouette was a perfect balance of regal beauty and lethal menace. Long midnight-black hair billowed in the void's cosmic wind, and her eyes burned with cold fire, framed by horns curling from her temples like the crown of a demon queen. Her armor gleamed with infernal runes, a mixture of obsidian and blood-red metal that seemed to drink in the surrounding starlight. She watched the distant Noah's Ark, the legendary vessel glowing with golden shields, weaving through the swirling debris of the hyperverse.
Her voice, sharp and commanding, cut through the din of demonic war cries. "Attack, my soldiers! Tear down that shield that brat Vajra has conjured. I want that Ark in ruins."
Beside her, standing imposingly with dark wings folded like a cloak, was Asmodeus the cunning lieutenant and master tactician. His sharp gaze swept the battlefield. "Let's send the pawns first," he said with a sly grin. "I want to see how they fight before we finish the job."
From the shadows of the ship's gunmetal hull came a guttural roar. The sound tore through the void, and reality cracked around him like shattered glass. Behemoth, a hulking brute tall as a war machine, stepped forward. His skin was like cracked volcanic rock, pulsating with molten veins. Smoke curled from his nostrils as his massive fists seemed to tear the fabric of existence with every movement.
"There's so many people on that Ark... apparently everybody across the Hyperverse," he rumbled. "That's a lot of souls to devour. A perfect feast."
He smiled, wide and wicked, as the cracks around him deepened.
Perched atop his colossal, winged steed, Belial cut a figure of dread and dominion. His ashen gray skin was cracked like cooled magma, faint veins of emberlight glowing beneath the surface. Two great horns spiraled from his brow, framing a face both beautiful and horrifying. One eye burned with crimson flame, the other hidden beneath a veil of dark red hair, glowing faintly with bloodshot malice.
His armor, forged from shadow and flame, shimmered with streaks of blood red and bruised violet, alive with violence. Misfortune seemed to trail behind him like smoke, corrupting the air itself.
He snarled, voice dripping with contempt. "You can have your fun, but the Queen wants this done quickly. And that kid Vajra he's mine. No one else touches him."
Lilith's gaze narrowed as she replied coldly, "Belial, you forget your place. Lucifer is not just any lord he is the God of this Hyperverse, the King of Kings of Hell. He will not relinquish his crown for your ego."
Belial whispered to himself, voice low like cracking embers beneath his breath.
"Lucifer told us to bring the boy alive… so he could absorb his energy himself. But I'll take it. For me."
His crimson eye narrowed, a flicker of obsession glowing within.
"I've never seen Lucifer afraid of anyone before. Not once. But he's afraid of this one. That means the boy's power is real… dangerous. If I'm the one to absorb him then I become what Lucifer fears."
His gaze drifted toward the horizon, far beyond the battlefield.
"And when that happens… I won't have to bow to Lucifer. Or to Lilith."
A cruel grin curled on his lips, and he fell silent again.
No one could hear him.
Raising her sword its blade shimmering with hellfireLilith pointed it toward the shimmering golden glow of Noah's Ark. "Attack. Do not disappoint your Queen."
From the shadows, the legions of Hell's army began to assemble across the bow of the ship, a nightmare made flesh ready to rain hell upon their prey.
The first wave of demons charged forward Hal Walkers, foot soldiers of the infernal realm. They were swift and deadly in their numbers, humanoid but grotesquely twisted. Standing six to seven feet tall, their skin ranged from deep crimson to obsidian black, mottled with patches of scales or molten cracks that glowed faintly like embers. Some bore four or six arms, each wielding jagged swords and crude shields emblazoned with sinister sigils. Their faces were a terrifying gallery of mutations, some with multiple glowing eyes scattered wildly across their cheeks, others with pupil-less orbs or vertical slits like serpents. Despite their rough appearance, their movements were precise, brutal, and unrelenting.
Behind them strode the Hellwings, the mid-tier elite demons. Taller and more muscular than the Hal Walkers, foot soldiers, they ranged from seven to nine feet in height, clad in dark, spiked plate armor etched with glowing runes of destruction and protection. Bat-like wings folded menacingly on their backs, varying in shade from pitch black to blood red, some torn and battle-worn but still capable of swift flight. Their weapons were finely forged swords, double-edged battle axes, and greatswords, often set aflame with hellfire. Large rune-carved shields hung from their arms, gleaming ominously under the eerie starlight.
The earth shook beneath the approach of the Juggernauts massive brutes towering between eight and twelve feet tall. Their bulging muscles and thick, chitinous armor plating looked fused to their very flesh, as if born of molten stone and hatred. Their skin resembled blackened iron or cooled lava rock, with cracks that pulsed dimly beneath the surface. Horns curved like tusks from their foreheads, and their eyes glowed an ominous, pulsing purple, filled with savage malice. Violet flames wreathed their massive frames, licking along their shoulders and arms like cursed fire that never burned them. From their snarling maws, black smoke poured with each breath sickly and rabid, as if madness itself fumed from their lungs. In their hands, they wielded enormous weapons: hammers, spiked clubs, and jagged chains heavy enough to pulverize steel and shatter bone. Their roars boomed like crashing mountains, rattling the deck beneath them and flooding the hearts of all who faced them with dread.
From the shadowy rear lines emerged the Infernal High Priests ominous figures cloaked in long, tattered robes inscribed with glowing runes that pulsed like embers in the dark. Their skin, a ghostly pale or ashen hue, was etched with ancient tattoos that shimmered with malevolent power. Moving with eerie grace, they extended their hands, and circular glyphs of crimson and violet energy spiraled into existence before them mystic rings that rotated and hummed with arcane force.
As they chanted in deep, guttural tongues, monstrous beings began to crawl and slither from these rings horned beasts, winged horrors, and demonic aberrations answering the call. From within the circles, blasts of volatile magic surged forth, scorching the ground and piercing through enemy lines. Though they wore no armor, shimmering barriers flared into place when struck, deflecting attacks with unseen force. Some wielded long staves topped with burning skulls or blades fused with obsidian and soulflame, amplifying their spells as they rained destruction and madness upon the battlefield.
Among the ranks were Fallen Angels and half-breeds, warriors caught between worlds. Their wings were a study in contrasts some bore stark white feathers tipped with black, others entirely black and shadowed. Twisted horns curled from their heads, while faint halos flickered above them like dying stars. Their features were both beautiful and terrifying, with glowing eyes and sharp cheekbones. Their armor was an eerie fusion of holy symbols and demonic spikes, and they wielded swords or spears forged in both celestial and infernal fire.
Lurking at the edges were the Abyssal Beasts, monstrous creatures summoned from Hell's deepest pits. They were enormous and grotesque, covered in scales and claws, with fangs dripping venom and eyes like glowing coals. Ranging from large wolf-like demons to multi-headed hydras and towering serpentine horrors, their snarls froze blood in veins. These beasts were ridden by demons or unleashed to break enemy lines with raw, primal fury.
The deck of The Art of the Damned crackled with dark anticipation. Lilith's forces were ready to strike, their unholy might focused on the glowing sanctuary of Noah's Ark as it sailed through the void. Across the cosmic battlefield, the golden shield held strong Vajra's last hope against the coming storm.
The hunt for power, vengeance, and survival was far from over.
Can be skipped
Narrator:
"All spirits, demons, angels, supernatural beings even those born from pure concept are higher-dimensional entities, forged from essence beyond mortal reach.
Their bones are spirit.
Their blood flows with divine law, infernal power, or abstract truth.
Their forms exist across layers of reality.
You cannot touch them unless they allow it.
You cannot harm them unless you wield the power to affect spirit itself.
No earthly weapon can kill them.
Only higher beings or those who command spiritual or conceptual force can truly confront them.
Anything less… is as empty as striking smoke with a blade."
End of narration.
The deck of The Art of the Damned crackled with dark anticipation. Lilith's demonic forces stood poised, their eyes locked on the radiant sanctuary ahead Noah's Ark, its golden shield gleaming against the endless black of space. The Ark tore through the multiverse, flying faster than light, faster than thought, soaring across dimensions toward the fabled center of the Hyperverse.
But doom was closing in.
From the infernal ship, a volley of energy blasts, arcane spells, and demonic screams lashed out. Warlocks and abyssal priests hurled curses that burned through time itself. The first wave slammed into the Ark's golden barrier Adamus divine shield but it held. More blasts followed, unrelenting. Until at last, with a deafening shatter, the shield broke like glass across the void.
Adamus panicked, eyes wide with horror as he reached out to conjure another defense, but it was too late.
Explosions tore through the Ark's hull. Spells and beams of chaos magic cracked its frame. The holy ship groaned and slowed as fractures crawled along its surface. Then one blast struck true Noah, at the helm, was hit. He flew back, unconscious, his body limp.
The ship stuttered to a stop.
"No! Not Noah!" Moses shouted from the deck, his voice echoing in the silence between stars.
Hunter cursed. "Who else is gonna fly this thing?"
Above them, The Art of the Damned loomed like a nightmare eclipsing the stars. Its hull opened wide. And from it, descended Hell's army.
Demons flew, ran, teleported all rushing toward the crippled Ark.
Moses raised his gleaming holy sword and roared, "We must protect the Ark and everyone on it! This is our last chance our only chance to reach the center of the Hyperverse! This is the fight for everything!"
With that, the final battle began.
Adamus, Kiyohime, Moses, Hunter, and Hundreds of thousands of warriors they had gathered from across creation charged into the fray. The void itself lit up with battle. Planets cracked, suns were shattered, galaxies burned like torches as armies clashed across space.
Knights locked blades with horned abominations. Sorcerers summoned shields of light and storms of fire. Cannons fired spells and sacred bolts between the ships.
Hunter flew like a streak of blue and white fire, his wings glowing with the energy of faith. His dragon pure water and divine force coiled beside him, freezing demons mid-flight, tearing others apart with tidal claws. With a flick of his wrist, Hunter pulled the blood from a demon's flesh, killing it instantly.
He paused, surveying the battlefield. Despite the odds, they were holding their own.
This isn't so bad, he thought. We might actually win this. We've built our own army.
But then… he felt it.
A wave of energy vile, ancient, heavy like sin itself washed over him. His stomach dropped.
This isn't what Adamus warned us about… This is worse. Stronger than the Seven Sins?
He turned and saw it.
Asmodeus.
The demon prince soared toward the Ark, moving like a crimson comet. Blasts of hellfire erupted from his hands, obliterating the Ark's defenders in an instant. He landed on the deck with a smirk, crimson robes billowing like smoke.
"I always like dessert before the main course," he said, voice smooth, malevolent. "Let me take a few souls… before I get to Moses… or that golden brat."
A soldier rushed him. Asmodeus didn't even flinch.
From beneath the blood-soaked cloth on his shoulder, a hidden face stirred a red, skeletal head emerged. Its hollow mouth yawned wide, sucking in the soldier's soul and the nearby dying in one terrible breath. Their bodies collapsed, lifeless. The cloth folded back down, hiding the cursed face once more.
Asmodeus walked calmly toward the Ark's inner door. "Let's see how many souls I can devour…"
Above, Hunter saw everything. His eyes blazed.
"Adamus! Kiyohime! Cover me!" Hunter shouted.
"I'm going in!"
His wings exploded open with a burst of divine force. With a single, mighty flap, he shot forward like a meteor of faith crashing through the heavens.
He dove through the shattered entrance of Noah's Ark, blazing past ruined walls and smoke-filled corridors. Inside the Infinite Ark where entire cities, forests, and realms once thrived chaos now reigned. Fire raged. Worlds trembled. Explosions shook the divine vessel to its bones.
Screams echoed.
Hunter flew toward them toward the heart of the Ark.
There, through the haze of fire and panic, he saw him.
Asmodeus.
Grinning. Laughing.
Holding Ham in his clawed hands like a toy. One of his skeletal faces protruded from his side its mouth wide open, siphoning her soul in crimson streams of spirit.
"GET OFF OF HER!" Hunter roared.
Holy energy exploded around him. His wings folded over his body, glowing like a shield of divine will then snapped open as he launched himself forward like a holy bullet.
CRACK!
He struck Asmodeus dead in the arm, tearing it apart, severing Ham from his grasp. She tumbled to the floor, coughing, the soul-drain halted.
Asmodeus stumbled back. He stared at his wounded arm his face twisted in shock.
"Impossible... You touched me? You... struck a spiritual form? That means he can reach the soul."
Hunter turned to Ham, checking she was alive. Then slowly rose.
A blade of flowing water formed in his hand shimmering with pure elemental faith.
"You won't touch another soul."
He charged.
Asmodeus didn't move. Instead, a red skeleton-head burst from his shoulder. Its glowing eyes locked onto Hunter before rushing forward then exploding on impact.
BOOM!
Hunter crashed backward, skidding along the corridor until he finally stopped, panting but alive.
He looked up.
Ham was still there shaken, but breathing. He surged forward again, scooping her into his arms and flying her to safety.
Asmodeus watched him.
His shredded arm began to reform, bones cracking back into place, sinew knitting itself together.
The demon lord grinned as he looked around the frightened civilians, the burning cities within the Ark.
"Ah... this will be fun. Dessert before the main course."
Hunter gently laid Ham down and stepped in front of her.
"Stay here," he said.
"I'll handle him."
"No wait!" Ham cried.
"He's too strong! Just wait for Moses and the others!"
Hunter didn't look back.
"Trust me. I've been training. I've learned a few new tricks."
He faced Asmodeus.
Behind him, men and women across Noah's Ark began to rise. Civilians steadied their nerves, priests lifted their voices in prayer, scattered warriors tightened their grips on sword and shield. From the decks above, fighters who had already been battling outside dropped through the smoke to reinforce the line.
Warriors from every corner of the Hyperverse touched down, armor gleaming in the firelight. High Priests loyal to Yahweh raised staffs crackling with holy power. Lion Israelites let out a unified roar as they formed a shield wall. Goshenite soldiers marched in disciplined rows, joined by troops from the many nations the Ark had saved. Wizards traced burning sigils, machine experts primed arc-rifles and hovering drones, riflemen locked magazines into place, and battle-trained animals growled at their handlers' feet.
The rescued of every kind now stood shoulder to shoulder behind Hunter, a living bulwark of faith and defiance.
Asmodeus answered their growing defiance with a slow, guttural chuckle that echoed like a death knell.
"Look at you..." he sneered, voice thick with malice, "snacks pretending to be soldiers. How precious."
He rolled his neck CRACK, CRACK the sound of ancient bones shifting like tectonic plates.
"If you bring an army..." he whispered, a wicked grin crawling across his face, "...then so will I."
The flesh on his shoulders began to shift and peel not torn, but unraveling deliberately, like veils lifting from a forbidden altar. Hovering just above the exposed bone were trembling red skeletons, twitching and shuddering as if straining to contain something far worse.
Then they began to bleed rivers of black-red ichor pouring down onto Asmodeus's once-white robes, staining them like a sacrificial shroud.
With sudden violence, the skeletons burst forward, screaming silently as they grew mid-flight stretching until they were the size of full-grown warriors. Each wielded a weapon forged in agony, flame clinging to their bones like living skin. They hurled themselves into the fray, latching onto fleeing civilians and warriors alike, siphoning their souls with a single touch.
And still they came.
From each shoulder, another skeleton clawed its way out, then another an endless procession of soul-eating horrors, each one exploding forth, trailing fire and screams.
The battlefield began to drown in red.
Suddenly, from the shadows, more Hell forces slipped into the Ark reinforcements that had breached from outside. Abyssal Beasts thundered in with bone-crushing steps, their monstrous forms twisting the very air. Fallen Angels and half-breeds soared through the broken ceilings, wings blackened and twisted by corruption. The Infernal High Priests hovered forward, chanting dark spells as rings of cursed energy circled their hands. Behind them marched the Juggernauts hulking towers of muscle and armor followed by Hal Walkers with molten blades and eyes like dying stars. Swarms of lesser foot soldiers, their bodies cloaked in ash and flame, spilled in like a tide of nightmares, rallying behind Asmodeus with unholy purpose. They had come for blood and they were ready for war.
Then
The charge.
Both sides screamed.
Chaos erupted inside Noah's Ark.
Holy warriors clashed with hellfire skeletons. Blades met bone. Wings tore through flame. Prayers collided with curses.
And in the heart of it all Hunter stood tall.
Hunter stood firm, eyes locked on Asmodeus.
The chaos around him faded for a moment, the world narrowing to a single goal.
"I need to get to him. I have to land that shot… the one Moses trained me for. If I can just break through"
But the Ark rumbled violently beneath his feet, cutting the thought short.
A monstrous roar tore through the burning corridors.
From the shattered maw of a ruined passageway, a demonic lion stalked forward its eyes twin furnaces of bloodlight, its mane flickering like black fire. Each step cracked the floor beneath it.
And then came the others.
Seven Abyssal Beasts towering monstrosities born from the void outside creation lumbered into view behind it. Their fangs dripped with venom, their flesh a patchwork of decayed armor and living muscle. Limbs twisted unnaturally. Jaws split in directions no creature should ever have.
They filled the corridor like a walking plague, radiating malice.
Hunter's hands balled into fists, the sacred energy of faith and water already beginning to swirl around him.
"Time to clear a path."
Hunter cracked his knuckles, then raised his hands shaping them like twin pistols.
"Let's dance."
He fired.
Streams of water bullets erupted from his fingertips then crystallized mid-air, becoming jagged shards of holy ice. Each bullet shimmered with sacred energy infused with faith, piercing not just flesh but spirit. A lion lunged Hunter's shot ripped through its jaw. One of the Abyssal Beasts howled as ice exploded in its chest, purging dark essence from its veins.
Still, they charged. Chaos around him surged.
Thought for a couple of seconds
He sprinted and soared through the corridor, water-faith bullets shattering demon flesh. One after another the beasts fell but before Hunter could finish them, a fresh menace appeared.
The Infernal High Priests floated into view, robes twisting like living smoke. Cursed runes blazed on their fingers. Concentric rings of gold and crimson spun before their palms, spitting out chains that snapped around Hunter's chest and limbs.
The links tightened.
Closer.
Bones cracked.
Blood trickled from his nose.
"Aghh!" He dropped to one knee. The fallen monsters twitched, flesh knitting back together. Others still living loped forward, fangs ready to end him.
A sudden blaze of light split the gloom.
Warriors from every corner of the Hyperverse stormed, armor catching the firelight.
Incantations thundered. Circles of brilliant light collided with the demonic rings, shattering them. The chains around Hunter snapped like dry twigs. He collapsed, chest heaving.
A Yahweh priest offered a gauntleted hand. "Go."
Hunter clasped it, pulled himself upright, and faced the advancing horrors once more.
Hunter stood, wiped the blood from his face, and nodded.
"Thank you."
He turned and charged again.
Asmodeus was too busy to notice laughing maniacally as his flaming red skeletons feasted on souls, their mouths open in silent screams, pulling the life from terrified civilians. His power surged with every soul taken.
But in that moment
Hunter appeared behind him.
SHHHNK!
A blade of water, wrapped in glowing threads of faith, burst through Asmodeus's back. The demon froze.
His head twisted 180 degrees to face Hunter, red eyes blazing.
Then
FWOOM!
He opened his mouth, unleashing a blast of pure infernal energy, red as hellfire. It hit Hunter point-blank a direct hit to the face.
BOOM!
The force was apocalyptic. Hunter's body flew backward, smashing through the walls of the Ark, blowing open a massive hole in the ship's side.
He spiraled out into space.
Inside, Asmodeus stood in the wreckage, watching his foe vanish.
"You're more of a nuisance than I thought," he sneered.
With a flap, he shot forward out through the breach pursuing Hunter.
Out in the void, Hunter saw civilians being pulled into the vacuum, screaming. But then
He smiled.
His soldiers and allies were already moving, catching people midair, pulling them back in, patching the hole with barriers and shields.
"Good," Hunter whispered, watching his allies reclaim the Ark.
"They've got this."
He turned toward the void toward the demon.
"Then I'll handle you."
Asmodeus hovered in the cosmic dark, his crimson aura burning like liquid fire.
"Handle me?" the demon lord scoffed, eyes gleaming.
"You don't stand a chance."
Hunter's eyes ignited with a fierce blue-white flame. He raised his hand water spiraled around it, hardening into a glimmering blade. He infused it with his white energy of faith, the blade now pulsing like a living artifact of heaven and ocean.
With a roar, Hunter charged.
Asmodeus grinned and dodged every strike, countering with brutal precision each missed swing met with a sharp punch, a bone-crushing elbow, or a blow to the ribs.
Still, Hunter pressed forward.
Then a slash connected.
SHHK!
Hunter's blade tore through Asmodeus's arm, severing it cleanly.
The demon only laughed.
"Nice."
The limb twitched on the void floor, and grew back instantly, flesh knitting together like writhing serpents.
Suddenly BOOM!
One of the red skeletons on Asmodeus's back fired an infernal blast, striking Hunter square in the chest and launching him through space like a comet.
Hunter slammed into the surface of a barren planet, leaving a crater as he crashed and rolled. He groaned, then rose to one knee, gasping. Overhead, he saw it Asmodeus hovering in the sky, staring down.
And behind him
Hundreds of flaming skeletons.
Hovering in space, ablaze with hellfire.
With a word, Asmodeus pointed.
"Tear him apart."
They charged.
Hunter gritted his teeth and thrust his sword into the ground, summoning a dome-shaped water shield that hardened with each heartbeat. His will forged its shape his faith coated it in divine white light.
BOOM.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The flaming skeletons slammed into Hunter shield one by one, exploding on contact. The entire planet quaked under the relentless barrage. The floating skeleton heads continued to detonate, crashing against his shield again and again until the planet below finally erupted in a chain of devastating explosions.
Yet even as the world shattered beneath them, his four shields stood strong.
Floating in space, he remained untouched while the burning skulls kept coming, kept exploding against an unbreakable will.
Inside, Hunter gasped.
His shield cracked.
Sweat ran down his face.
He whispered to himself, panicked:
"I can't hold it much longer…" Hunter gritted his teeth, sweat lining his brow as waves of force slammed into the barrier around him. "If even one of them breaks through… they'll take my soul."
His eyes widened.
"Wait… the card."
Desperately, he reached into his coat and pulled it out a small, shimmering relic, etched with divine geometry. One of Adamus's Higher Dimensional cards. It shimmered with unreadable light, pulsing like a heartbeat outside of time.
He whispered, remembering, "He told me… if I pour my energy into it, I can summon the card or activate it, depending on what it is…"
The card glowed softly. Its name burned into the space around it:
HYDRAEL
The illustration on it showed a sword its hilt pure gold, carved with flowing rivers and sacred script. Its blade was liquid light, a torrent of energy-water held in perfect form.
Etched beneath it in glowing script:
"Increases the control of water and the natural energy of the user."
Without hesitation, Hunter pressed both palms against the card.
A surge of warmth rushed through him as he channeled his power. The card lit up, golden and blue. Then
FLASH.
The sword materialized in the air before him, hovering alive.
He took it into his hands. The moment his fingers wrapped around the golden hilt, it pulsed with a familiar resonance. It knew him. It had waited for him.
He smiled faintly, despite the danger.
"It was a good idea that Moses and Adamus worked together to make this…"
A weapon not just of battle, but of identity.
Forged for him.
And in that blade flowed more than water.
It carried his faith, his will, his unity, his story.
And now, it was time to fight.
Outside, Asmodeus watched.
The skeletons kept exploding
until suddenly, a light burst through the Hunter shield..
It began to shine brighter than any star.
Then came the voice
"COSMIC DRAGON!!"
A colossal blue dragon burst forth formed of water and righteous energy, faith itself woven into its essence.
It exploded from Hunter's shield, the eruption sending a shockwave that rippled through the universe. A hymn surged with it, vibrating through stars and space as the dragon roared skyward, charging like judgment.
Behind it, red skeletons lunged to intercept but they were too slow. The dragon and its hymn were already gone, streaks of divine light carving across space. The skeletons exploded in their wake, but the dragon never stopped.
Ahead, Asmodeus saw only blinding light and the beast rushing toward him.
"They're too fast... I need to block!"
But it was too late.
The dragon struck, piercing his chest like a holy lance, tearing through his infernal core. The energy of faith seared through him, unraveling the corruption in his bones.
And then Hunter emerged, riding the divine wake, sword drawn and glowing with the same sacred power.
With one clean, unwavering arc
He sliced Asmodeus in half.
The demon's body split down the middle, both halves floating in space, leaking shadow like blood.
Hunter hovered above, breathing hard.
"Looks like it's over."
But Asmodeus's voice rasped, even in two pieces
"It's not... over."
He strained. "Why... can't I heal...?"
Hunter raised the glowing sword.
"This blade steals your ability to recover. It cuts into your soul into your very being. You're stuck like this… for a while."
Asmodeus snarled
"Then I'll evolve."
His two halves began to bubble, skin boiling and twisting.
Tiny skeletal fragments formed around him multiplying splitting merging.
Until suddenly
Dozens, then hundreds of floating skeletons spiraled out from the ruined husk of Asmodeus.
A swarm.
They surrounded Hunter from all sides, eyes burning red with renewed fury.
Hunter looked around, spinning in the void.
He raised his blade
And muttered to himself:
"Maybe… I should've waited for the crew."
0-
Hunter gripped his sword tight.
"Fine," he growled, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Let's do this already."
Asmodeus detonated before him, becoming a drifting maelstrom of power: hundreds of thousands of flaming, floating skeleton heads twisted and screamed through the void, a storm of death given shape. In this ascended state the demon exists as a quasi-abstract spirit, dimensionally phased beyond ordinary matter; only fighters who command soul-tier or reality-rending techniques can lay a hand on him. Each blazing skull is a shard of his spectral core, and together they surge forward like a tidal wave of fire and bone.
Hunter met them head-on. He slashed and sliced, every movement fast and sharp. Skeletons shattered around him, burst into vapor with every swing.
But they never stopped.
They came faster. Dozens. Hundreds. Thousands. Hunter dodged left, then right. Some grazed him burning through cloth, scorching skin, nearly touching his soul.
One flaming skull rushed through his chest
Hunter gasped.
His soul began to leave his body, tugged away in light.
"No!"
He snatched it midair, yanked it back into his chest. But more came. More skeletons swarmed him, working in unison to pull him apart at the very core. His vision blurred. His limbs trembled. His will flickered.
Asmodeus's voice echoed from every direction
"Your soul is mine."
Then
Music.
Soft at first. Then louder. Heavenly. Ancient.
The skeletons paused mid-assault. Their flaming skulls trembled. They looked upward, shaking their heads violently as if in pain.
BOOM!
Energy not light, but sound ripped through the horde.
Musical notes, glowing and shaped like fire-forged runes, rained down from the sky in space, each one slamming into the skeletons and exploding, blowing them apart and freeing Hunter.
He gasped for air, soul intact.
He looked around.
"Who... did that?"
And then he saw them.
An army of angels.
They descended through the cosmos like comets. Warriors clad in gold, silver, bronze, and black armor. Wings of every hue white, obsidian, golden flame, cerulean, and rose. Their skin came in all tones, all radiant, all divine.
One angel landed before him.
She was magnificent.
White-silver hair, cascading like silk.
White eyes, piercing and fierce.
Her wings, light blue and white, spread like curtains of heaven.
Silver armor, draped in flowing cloth that danced in the zero-gravity of space.
Her weapon? A hybrid a sword fused with a guitar.
She strummed it once. The sound made the stars tremble.
"My name is Shirael," she said.
"I am an Archangel of Yahweh. We were banished by Lucifer to the center of the Hyperverse. But we heard the call. We saw the Ark. We've been waiting for this."
She looked Hunter up and down.
"You seem tired. Step back. We've got this now."
Hunter stumbled backward as Shirael turned to face the endless storm of Asmodeus.
"Archangels!" she cried out, raising her blade.
"Attack!"
The army roared in unison.
In a blinding charge of wings and will, the archangels surged forward slicing through the black storm of flaming skeletons. Blades of light clashed against bone. Waves of holy energy exploded across space. Each warrior unleashed their own divine ability, tearing through the swarm, pushing deeper into the spiritual hurricane that was Asmodeus.
The battle raged flashes of radiant gold and crimson fire filled the void. The skeleton heads, each one a cursed shard of Asmodeus's soul, screeched and multiplied. The storm twisted around them, lashing out with death from every angle.
But Shirael kept moving.
With wings blazing and eyes locked on the center of the chaos, she pierced through the storm faster than sound, faster than infinite. She halted in the heart of it all, her sword-guitar glowing with uncontained power.
She raised it high.
Strummed once.
The sound wasn't just heard it rippled through the fabric of existence.
"This is holy music," she whispered.
"Let it erupt."
A dimensional soundwave exploded outward, shredding through space, spirit, and anything cursed enough to exist within it. The skeletons those twisted fragments of Asmodeus's spectral core shuddered, cracked, and began to dissolve.
Not just physically.
Spiritually.
Their essence disintegrated, dimensional atoms unraveling in the presence of pure divine frequency. Their screams vanished beneath the overwhelming harmony.
Asmodeus's presence collapsed his incorporeal form unable to withstand the purity of the sound.
And when the last note faded…
Only silence remained.
Shirael floated back down beside Hunter.
"Is Noah on the Ark? Moses?" she asked.
Hunter nodded, still catching his breath.
"Yeah… they're there. Come with me. Hopefully, it's not too late. We've had to deal with a lot already."
Shirael smiled.
"It's not too late. I doubt they've fallen. If I'm right, more of our kind are already over there."
She turned to her warriors.
"Let's move. We bring light to the prophecy."
While Hunter battled Asmodeus and the Archangels answered the call,
Moses, Adamus, and Kiyohime were locked in a battle of their own
A battle just as vital… and far from over.
While Hunter clashed with Asmodeus and the Archangels carved through the storm,
Moses, Adamus, and Kiyohime were locked in a battle of their own
a battle no less vital… and far from over.