★260
Before us stood a palace of unfathomable beauty, its design so exquisite it defied mortal comprehension. And yet, beneath its splendour lingered a dread so profound that any who beheld it would swear it belonged to a sinister god.
Up ahead was a lady in white floating in space. She appeared to be sleeping on something.
"Lady Erekayla, I need it now."
I brought it up again.
"I... you realise what you're doing, right?"
She stammered, unsure of what to do.
"Do you realise you will be taking what's making me who I am?"
"I know."
Earlier, I made a dangerous proposal thanks to White.
In order to get to my destination, I need the STEPS. The STEPS ahead require something impossible to control, yet I'm willing to give it a try.
"Just so you know, I can take it by force. But I won't. I need you to hand it over."
I replied without looking at her.
Towa stirred from her slumber, fidgeting softly as she turned over, her eyes still gently closed. I narrowed my eyes, comparing the current Towa and her past.
'She has gained more weight up front. Her hair grew longer as well as lost all light to become darker than black. She's beautiful. I love...'
"I'm waiting, Lady Erekayla."
My mechanical form took over, pushing everything else aside as it focused on what mattered most. On the outside, I was here to save her, but something else demanded priority, and I could not ignore it.
"...I..."
"I see."
I cut her off and walked past her, heading straight for my wife.
"Wait, Antares…"
"Who is it? Towa or Ereskigal?"
I asked without looking back. I ignored Erekayla completely as I waited for the answer.
"Both, but the latter has more dominance."
A cold, lovely voice responded.
'If only Towa had a bad side, that's how she'll sound. Lovely... If not having a bad side makes one perfect, she's the one."
"Alright. Here's how this will go, hand over my wife and inhabit some vessel or..."
"You'll destroy me?"
She asked, chuckling.
A small grunt was heard from behind, I can see what's happening without needing to turn around. In this moment, my eyes are merely vessels, empty containers for a vision that knows no bounds. My sight stretches infinitely, so long as I focus on the flow of Energy.
It turns out Erekayla was caged so as not to interfere.
"Just because you're the source of Destruction doesn't mean you cannot be destroyed."
I replied.
"Come prove it then, Two Law God, Antares."
She opened her eyes, glowing like embers, and stood there with her arms spread wide, as if inviting the impact head-on.
Monstrous creatures of unfathomable size and strength began to stir, crawling out from behind the towering pillars that encircled the space. Their movements were slow yet thunderous, each one radiating an ancient, oppressive power that dwarfs Creation. These are beings of Destruction itself.
[[IMAGE]]
[[IMAGE]]
"I am here for you. We don't need guests, do we?"
At my words, the towering beasts hesitated, then, as if bound by command, slunk back into the shadows, their presence fading into beyond sight. Umbryss at its peak.
"Fine by me."
She extended her arm, and a long scythe materialised in her grasp, its edge gleaming with a lethal aura, while two holy & demonic swords hovered beside her.
"You seem too composed for a mortal standing before a true absolute power."
"You'd expect a Two Law God to back down just because you call yourself an absolute power?"
I asked, not drawing anything from my arsenal.
"I'm surprised one of you mortals managed to call forth Velkran and Serathirel at the same time."
At her words, the holy and demonic swords hummed gently.
"I'm not here for stories."
Without so much as a motion, the scythe lashed out, descending from above to strike me with devastating force.
"Void Eater."
The entity flew out not to absorb the strike but to serve as a shield.
"White."
The moment the dagger manifested, I was already beside her.
She barely caught my presence before ducking, one of her blades tore through the air in a perfect arc. I brought White up to block, but the impact was absolute. The blade cleaved through, shattering White into dust under its sheer force.
'To destroy a solidified Energy construct.'
I ignored the setback and charged straight at her without drawing any weapon, my wings flaring only when needed to adjust my movement.
She swung at me in sharp, controlled strikes, but each one missed as I moved faster than her timing could follow.
I frequently tried to get too close to land a hit, but she's Towa. What if Towa's the one taking the damage, not her? That aside, I can't point my blade at her to begin with. These thoughts dragged my Mechanic/Perfect Form down, and all I've been doing is running and dodging.
We moved around the hall clashing, but she wasn't able to land a hit, nor was I. In the next moment, I found myself close to her again, but Void Eater flew without command to attack.
"How dare you!?"
Silver Dust ignited across my fingers as I reached out and seized its essence, stopping its movement completely. She used the opening immediately, landing a devastating strike that sent me crashing back.
'If you couldn't see what I was aiming for, then you'll never win.'
Void Eater stirred within me, then sealed itself away, refusing to respond any further.
"What's wrong? You can't land a hit? Or is it your precious wife holding you back? Not to mention she isn't alone in here."
Ereshkigal gently rested a hand over her belly.
The moment the words landed, everything in me stalled. Neosis faltered for a brief instant, as if it had lost its direction entirely. If I had a soul, it would have left my body right then.
"T...t..towa is pregnant?"
I asked, and this information got me dizzy as Neosis was failing to maintain its form.
This was too much. A baby. I had expected it one day, just not now. A hybrid of a Star and a human. A life was going to be born, and I was going to be a father.
Through the commotion, I felt it, a heartbeat, then another, steady and real. Before I even understood what was happening, my own heart began to beat unevenly, thrown off by something I could not control.
For a moment, everything else faded. I was happy.
"Yes, and it's a baby boy. He's quite cute, for your information. Perhaps I'll name him after his father… that is, after I finish you off today."
White restored my consciousness, pulling me back into clarity.
I steadied myself as everything returned into focus.
'Thank you. Void Eater… what were you chasing?'
I asked inwardly, letting my Perfect Form remain dormant. I could not allow that machine to act here, not when my wife and our unborn child were involved.
'Ereshkigal hasn't fully assimilated with her vessel. I wanted to exploit an opening, but you...'
'You should've at least said something before acting stupidly.'
'You should've at least learned a single blow. Sorry.'
Void Eater sighed. It's frustrating, I get that. Even though it's my creation, Ethyrites are inapplicable to it.
'Don't worry, it's my problem. Let's work together like always. We're going to separate Towa from Ereshkigal...'
'What?'
'.. Sorry, I meant the other way around. I'm sure it's possible. Right, White?'
'Nothing is impossible for me...'
It replied dryly, having taken a non-fatal blow. 'Me' huh, so Ether hasn't fully recognised me.
'With Nihilius protecting my body, and White analysing how to separate them, Void Eater you'll be in charge of offence.'
'And you're gonna sit down and watch?'
'I can see you've inherited Entares's bad manners. Of course not. I'll also be attacking as well as coming up with a way out.'
'Well, let's show this bitch what Destruction is, Enta's Destruction.'
(Destruction overlaps, Entares's Destruction and Ereshkigal's Destruction. Both have capital D but are completely different.)
'Word. Enemy or not, she is already the grandmother of my child.'
I got up and faced Ereshkigal.
"My queen, I know you're still in there forgive me I wasn't there to protect you. But I've gotten stronger now, I'll make sure you two get out of there alive and sound."
"What about me?"
Ereshkigal asked.
"Sorry, you're not part of the family tree."
I answered her calmly, and that seemed to irritate her further. She swung her scythe down in frustration, striking me and forcing me back.
Silver Dust coated my fingers as I caught the blade mid-swing. Cracks rippled across its edge, shrieking under the pressure of my grip. With a sharp pull, I drove my other fist straight into its centre, and the scythe snapped clean in two.
Void Eater pulsed, extending outward like a hungry shadow, devouring the broken half in my hand until nothing remained.
Then silence fractured. From every direction, blades burst into being, forming a deadly ring around me. Above, a new, far larger scythe descended, its edge howling as it fell to cleave me in two.
I needed something faster. Void Eater responded instantly, reshaping, giving me twin violet daggers that shimmered with unstable energy. I spun through the assault, deflecting the blades that closed in from all sides instantly.
In the same motion, Void Eater elongated, its form stretching into a long sword that met the descending scythe head on.
The collision ripped through the air, and a shockwave cratered the ground, but no damage was dealt. My fingers cracked under, and White awakened in response. With a single, decisive swing, I wrenched her weapon aside.
I dismissed both weapons, releasing a darkish silver aura bled from my body. It coalesced in my grasp, solidifying into a new blade. Void Eater stirred once more, slithering around the sword's edge, merging with it until the two became one.
I crouched low as she struck, releasing a storm of arcing blades. Each one tore through the air, but I slipped between them with ease, closing the distance.
Midair, I twisted, silver and void energy spiralling around me as her arcs sliced past on either side.
In that same motion, I countered, unleashing my own crescent arcs of silver and void. She moved destructively fast, her reflexes astonishing. Even at such close range, she evaded each strike, her form weaving through death by mere inches.
Not giving her space, I approached her and forced her to use her sword. We spoke through our blades and in general, she was a pretty good swordswoman or Goddess.
We travelled around the hall in instant exchange strikes. My darkish silver sword kept adapting to her sword play as it took the form of swords, spears and twin daggers as we clashed. All not with the intention to harm her but to buy time instead.
After forcing her into a corner, I received a report from White. Ereshkigal spaced out and raised her sword and the World of Doom crumbled in an instant, the world itself now powering her sword as she prepared to strike.
I was hovering, ready to counter as well.
"Arc...Doom."
'So the Doom itself was shaped into an arc. How scary.'
I waited for the arc to reach a certain distance, feet away from me before countering.
"Silver-Void Arc."
Instead of releasing an arc from the sword, I let the blade itself transform into the arc, fusing it with Enta's void before releasing it.
The two forces collided directly in front of me, and I could feel the destructive pressure of the impact slowly eroding my being.
Sensing my unease, the arc shifted, becoming more precise as it split and nullified her attack before driving forward towards her.
Just before it reached her, it exploded, shattering Clarivide and disrupting perception itself, leaving all senses momentarily unreliable.
Using this as my opportunity, I used Aether Move and with my hands stained in Silver Dust, phased cleanly through her chest. My fingers found it immediately, the fabric of Ereshkigal bound within Towa's essence. I clenched the fabric and tore it free with a single pull.
I split my consciousness in two, one half remaining to guard Towa with Erekayla, the other plunging into Ereshkigal's abyss.
To be continued...