Jayr POV - Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Universe, Central World, Magic Continent, Great Jura Forest, Tempest - 2013 AMB
With a heavier heart weighted by what I just unraveled, but a much firmer resolve to overcome what is to come, I leave the the nameless mountain where I peered into the twisted fabric of Time and return to the now dormant city of Tempest where most of its resident are now sleeping or resting after they happily celebrated Rimuru's successful evolution into a True Demon Lord with a city-wide festival.
Soon, I find myself back at the City Hall, and inside the building, I see my friends, in addition to Rimuru and a few of his trusted subordinates, all very awake and all clearly waiting for me, all watching me as I enter, silent.
Without wasting any time in fruitless conversation, Nikita speaks first, her voice echoes in the mostly empty hall with direct clarity in her tone, "You've seen it."
I nod and tell everyone, "I've seen more than what I'd have wished. But it was absolutely necessary. The Champion of Power will breach the veil of this reality in forty-six days, around this world's orbit. Coordinates are already locked. And shortly after, all his forces will follow him. Unicron included."
This immediately makes a few of the people present curse out loud as it is clearly a lot less time than we estimated before; meanwhile, some others grow much more serious and tense, and unfortunately for everyone, I have yet to deliver the actual bad news.
After a brief pause to allow everyone to digest what I just told them, I then added with a grave and heavy tone in my voice, "More than anything else, what my little peek in the future revealed is that this invasion will be a lot more dangerous than what we all initially thought. Their number will be way beyond any of our worst predictions... Their numbers will be... Simply overwhelming! The likes capable of swarming entire universes and all those forces will be focused on us."
At this point, I don't give them any time to digest what I just said as I reveal the real bomb, "The reason for that is that the Champion of Power will not only bring his army of mechanical abominations, but also what they have subjucated in their latest conquest. The four Chaos Gods from the Warhammer 40k Universe and their corrupted armies."
Those few who already knew something about the horror of the Warhammer 40k Universe were already pale and sweating profusely in response to my revelation, while most of the other became tense because of their reaction until a curious Diablo asks, "Four Chaos Gods?"
In response to his question, I somberly start to explain, "The Chaos Gods, also called the Dark Gods or the Ruinous Powers, are powerful, self-aware entities comprised solely of psychic energy who inhabit and control a psychic dimension that underlies all physical reality of their home universe known as the Immaterium or the 'Warp.' The Chaos Gods are, in truth, not really divine beings, though their great power often means there is little difference for those mortals who revere them. These Warp entities are created and sustained by the emotions and collective desires of every sentient being of the material universe. When an emotion or belief in realspace grows strong or widespread enough across the galaxy, it becomes embodied as one of the sentient denizens of the Warp. The most powerful and most malevolent of these have become the Gods of Chaos. Although they are god-like beings, the Dark Gods are by their nature monomaniacal and completely single-minded since they are formed entirely of a single emotion or concept."
After that lengthy introduction, I continue, "The Chaos Gods are dependent upon the emotions of mortal creatures for their power and continued existence. As a result, the Chaos Gods strive to convert all mortals to their worship and service so that they may ultimately dominate the universe. However, if they were to win such a dark victory, it would likely destroy all of reality when the dimensional separation between realspace and the Immaterium broke down in its wake. The Chaos Gods and the forces of Chaos that serve them are the greatest enemies of most sentient forms of life in their universe."
As no one interrupts me to ask any questions, I move on and explain a bit more about them, "The Chaos Gods are able to devote a fraction of their psychic power in the Warp to create Daemons, psychic entities whose appearance and character reflect their patron god's own nature. These Daemons may be reabsorbed into the god at their whim."
Then, now fully in my teacher role, I start to tell them about the origin of the Chaos Gods of the Warhammer 40k Universe, "In the Warp, the psychic reflection of similar thoughts and emotions gather together like rivulets of water running down a cliff face. They form streams and eddies of anguish and desire, pools of hatred and torrents of pride. Since the dawn of time, these tides and waves of psychic energy have flowed unceasingly through the mirror realm of the Warp, and such is their power that they forged creatures made of the very stuff of dreams and nightmares."
Seeing that I've everyone's attention, I continued, "Eventually, these instinctual, formless entities gained a rudimentary consciousness of their own. The Chaos Gods were born from a vast psychic presence composed of the fantasies and horrors of mortals. These are the Ruinous Powers, and each one is a reflection of the mortal passions that formed them. First amongst them is Khorne, the Lord of Battle, possessed of towering and immortal fury. Tzeentch, the bizarre and ever-changing Architect of Fate, weaves powerful sorceries to bind the future to his will, whilst great Nurgle, the Lord of Decay, labours endlessly to spread infection and pestilence. The last of their number is Slaanesh, the Dark Prince of Chaos, indulgent of every pleasure and excess, no matter how immoral or perverse."
Everyone's face grows more tense the more they learn about the Chaos Gods, while my lesson on them goes on, "As the intelligent species of that universe prospered and grew, so too did their hopes and ambitions, their anger and wars, their love and hatred. This burgeoning flood of raw emotion fed the Chaos Gods and nurtured their power. Before long, the gods reached back to their makers with a curious and hungry sentience, planting seeds of corruption in the souls of those whose dreams they passed through. So were the first mortals bound to the will of the Ruinous Powers, and seeing the fruits of their labours, these gods began their eternal work to influence the physical realm and its myriad sentient races."
After saying that, I pause for a brief moment not only for dramatic flair, but also to make them digest the heafty but necessary info dump I've dropped on them before I quickly resume my narration, "Lured by promises of extraordinary power and immortality, some mortals serve the Chaos Gods willingly, fomenting misery, war and death amongst their people in order to sustain and elevate their dark masters. Yet the Chaos Gods are fickle, prone to reneging or altering a deal on a whim, and few of these worshippers are ever granted the rewards they seek. A Chaos God can only grow in power through the actions and thoughts of mortals. Those who worship a Chaos God and behave in a way that feeds it are rewarded with strange "gifts," extraordinary powers, and potentially, immortality as a Daemon Prince. As the Chaos Gods battle in the Warp, so their mortal followers wage war in the material universe. The victors of the battles earn more power for their unworldly master, though the twisted plans of the Chaos Gods are such that often victory is not necessary; merely the acts of sacrifice and battle themselves."
While saying that, I can't help but smile wryly, thinking back at the time in my previous life where I found all this intense and grimdark lore very interesting, but now that I know it is a real universe, I find it very horrifying and depressing.
Nonetheless, as that thought briefly emerge in my mind I continue my lesson, after all the more they know about what we are about to face, the better prepared they will be and hopefully this will guarantee their survival, "When devotees of Chaos die, their souls do not fade in the Warp and disappear like the spirits of others to some unknown and unknowable fate. Instead, their immortal energy is swallowed into the greatness of their gods, their souls sustained forever, bound to the eternal power of Chaos. As a Chaos God gathers such energy, it expands in power, and its influence and territory within the Warp's Realm of Chaos grow. As extensions of the gods, the appearances of these domains are formed upon the same emotions that created their masters: Khorne's realm is founded on anger and bloodletting; Tzeentch's lands are scintillating constructs of pure magic; Nurgle's territory is a haven of death and regeneration, and Slaanesh's dominion is a paradise of damning temptations. Though realm and god are as one, the Chaos Gods each have a form that embodies their personalities and dwells at the very heart of their territories. Wreathed in unearthly power, the Chaos Gods watch over their realms, seeking any disturbances in the pattern of the Warp that signal intrusion or opportunity."
Once again, I pause to offer them the chance to fully digest what I've just told them before, I sigh and move toward the final part of of my lesson, "Now that I've told you all a bit about the Chaos Gods in general, it's time to tell you a bit more about what we are going to face in a bit more detalied manner. I'll start with the oldest one."
After a tense moment, I tell them, "Khorne, the Blood God. God of War, Murder, Rage, and Battle. Khorne is the Blood God, an angry and murderous God of Chaos whose bellows of limitless rage echo throughout the corridors of time and space. His great brass throne sits upon a mountain of skulls in the midst of a plain of splintered bone and lakes of mortal blood formed from the remains of his followers slain in battle and those whom his minions have killed in his name. Khorne embodies mindless and absolute violence, destroying everyone and everything within reach, shedding the blood of friend and foe alike. The followers of Khorne are always ferocious warriors and never make use of psychic powers, for the Blood God abhors the trickery of magic and cowardly sorcerers, particularly the servants of Tzeentch. Men turn to Khorne for the power to conquer, to defeat their enemies in battle, to wreak bloody vengeance, and to attain unmatched martial prowess against all comers. The most fanatical and dedicated of his followers, those whose souls are trapped fully within his bloody embrace, know that he truly desires only constant and wild slaughter for its own sake. Khorne cares not from where the blood flows, only that it flows without cease for all eternity."
In response to that, Paul snorts and says, "Khrone and his cultists are without any doubt powerful heavy hitters, but to me, they are also one of the easiest to face. After all, I have no fear of any direct confrontation. I'll rip apart any enemy who stands in the way of my revenge."
Hearing that, Nikita quickly confronts him by saying, "And that's the perfect reason why you, and the ones like you, are the ones who should be most wary of this Chaos God. If you lose yourself too much in the heat of the battle, you may unconsciously fall under Khrone's influence, and before you know it, you could enter into a murderous rampage and attack your allies."
I nod to show my agreement to Nikita's words before I add, "On their own, the Chaos Gods are quite formidable enemies, but their greatest weapon isn't their sheer might, but their capacity to influence and corrupt those whose will and belief aren't firm enough. This makes Khrone especially dangerous in the middle of a battle where the influence of its domains is at its strongest."
After warning everyone about the dangers of Khrone, I move on to the second Chaos God, "The second Chaos God I want to talk about can be considered the most crafty and insidious. Tzeentch, The Changer of the Ways. God of Change, Sorcery, Fate, and Hope. Tzeentch is known by many titles across the galaxy, including the Changer of the Ways, the Master of Fortune, the Great Conspirator, and the Architect of Fate. He is the Great Sorcerer, the God of Sorcery and Change, and master of the mutable stream of destiny and time. Tzeentch is, without question, the most disturbing and least comprehensible of all the Chaos Gods. His skin crawls with constantly changing faces that leer at and mock all who look upon him. When Tzeentch deigns to speak to other beings, these faces repeat his words, often with subtle but important differences of intonation and meaning. Plotters and schemers find themselves drawn to Tzeentch, especially those who crave psychic or sorcerous power to achieve their goals. Politicians and leaders, magisters and Chaos Cultists, all find themselves drawn along the convoluted paths of fate, using Tzeentch to achieve their dreams and aspirations, though ultimately all are led to play their part in Tzeentch's own eternal schemes. No man can fully comprehend the full nature of the intricately-woven, multi-layered plots of Tzeentch, and attempting to do so can only lead to insanity. Yet in reality, Tzeentch has no grand plan, no ultimate goal to fulfill. For Tzeentch, the mere act of plotting and entwining the brief fates of mortals is purpose enough. There is no end to his scheming, for he desires no end to the creation of change. Tzeentch can never achieve any ultimate aim, for to do so would be the end of ambition and thus the end of the Lord of Destiny."
At the end of my summary, while most of the people present are speechless, Nellika casually comments, "Without any doubt, this Tzeentch is a really nasty piece of work, and we should surely be wary of any action he may take against us. However, I feel that in the heat of the battle, Tzeentch's forces may not be as effective as those of the previous Chaos God, Khorne. After all, this Tzeentch's domain seems to be more focused on toppling down government structures and putting one against the other than massacring everything in sight."
Shortly after Nellika said that, Aletha nods in agreement before she adds, "I think Nellika is right. However, I still believe that it will be necessary to warn our allies about Tzeentch and the influence that this Chaos God may have over their most ambitious subordinates..."
We all quickly agree on that set of actions before I move on to talk about the next Chaos God, the one I consider my personal anathema and that if I have the chance to completely eradicate from the entire Omniverse won't hesitate to take, "The next Chaos God I want to talk about is the one that I personally dislike the most, as it rappresents everything I stand against. Nurgle, The Plague Lord. God of Death, Disease, Despair, and Decay. Nurgle is the mighty Lord of Decay who presides over all physical corruption and morbidity. Disease and putrefaction, the inevitable entropic decline of all things, are the favours he bestows upon the universe. The God's immense body is bloated with corruption and exudes a sickly, diseased stench. His skin is greenish, leathery, and necrotic, its surface pockmarked with all of his various boils, running sores, and favorite infestations. From his exposed guts spill tiny Lesser Daemons, his Nurglings, who dine upon the filthy fluids that ooze from Grandfather Nurgle's many festering wounds. It is to free themselves from despair, the eternal mortal dread of disease, starvation, and death, that men turn to the Plague Lord. Despite his appearance, he is a warm, welcoming God who prides himself on the achievements of his followers, gifting them with his most hideous diseases even as he protects them from all pain and the cold sleep of death. The fear of death can be found in the hearts of all the sentient beings of the universe, and so there is no shortage of mortals willing to sacrifice their immortal souls in return for the corrupted preservation of their physical bodies for all time."
After telling them that, I look at everyone's face and firmly declare, "Needless to say, I personally loathe Nurgle mostly because plagues and diseases are something that I've fought against all my life, not only as a doctor but also as God of Healing. However, Nurgle is likely going to be our second most dangerous enemy if left unchecked and allowed to spread as many plagues and diseases as possible."
In response to that, Rimuru agrees and says, "I agree with Jayr-san. I think that we should make Nurgle our top priority target. We have to take out that Chaos God as soon as possible to prevent it from weakening our forces with its plagues and diseases."
Once again, we quickly reach a preliminary agreement on how to deal with a specific Chaos God before I move on and introduce the last Chaos God to my friends, "Lastly, I will talk about the youngest Chaos God. Slaanesh, The Dark Prince. God of Pleasure, Pain, Sensation, Excess, and Desire. Slaanesh is the youngest of the Chaos Gods and, alone of all the Ruinous Powers, the Prince of Chaos is divinely beautiful. He is as seductive as only an immortal can be, disarming in his innocence, utterly beguiling in his manner, and irresistibly tempting with his words. Slaanesh can assume male, female, or hermaphroditic form at will, and it is impossible for a mortal to look upon him without losing his soul and becoming a slave to the Prince of Pleasure's slightest whim. Mortals that seek charisma and fellowship turn to Slaanesh, for his gifts can make one popular and inspiring. Poets and artists are drawn into his gaze by the promise of inspiration and fame, while even the hardiest warriors might seek the adulation of the masses and the ironclad loyalty of their followers. Yet as one continues in the service of Slaanesh, such pleasures soon grow stale and his servants are driven on to search for ever greater sensations and ever more self-fulfillment until only the most decadent and debased of acts can stir their emotions or provide the pleasure they have come to crave."
After hearing everything I had to say about Slaanesh, most of the people present showed clear discomfort, horror, or even outright disgust at the tactics used by the Dark Prince, especially the women who had the strongest reaction.
Then, an irate Paul growls, "Dammit! We can't face all of that. Not alone." Which makes me say, "We won't. Not this time."
Shortly after saying that, I open my palm and cast a projection of the vision of the future across the city hall, a spectral illusion that I've pulled from the timestream.
The fall of the Central World and the rest of the Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken Universe, the fleets, the endless horde of enemies swarming all over the multiverse, and the titans corrupting and destroying everything with their mere presence.
They see their brutal deaths as they are overwhelmed by the enemy's numbers; they flinch, and even Paul takes a few steps back.
At this point, I stop the projection of the vision and say with a steady voice, "Everything we are, everything we've fought for until now... All of it will completely cease to exist unless we act now."
In an instant, the city hall falls into a tense silence in response to my word, that is, until Nikita asks, "What's your plan?"
Without any hesitation on my part, I answer, "I'll pull in every ally we've ever had. Every power, every artifact, we'll bring out everything at our disposal to even out the odds even a little bit. We prepare the Central World not just defensively. We turn it into a trap."
Hearing that makes an annoyed Paul growl, "You would use this world as bait?"
I nod and calmly reply, "It's the only way. We don't stop Unicron, the Chaos Gods, and their armies by meeting them in the void. We let them come. And once here, I'll engulf the whole Central World in my Battle Universe, directly cutting it off from the rest of this multiverse. This will not only make sure that this war won't affect the rest of this multiverse, but it will also stop Unicron and the Chaos Gods from sneakily affecting the rest of the multiverse and further empowering themselves while we are too caught up in fighting their forces."
At this point, Rimuru's eyes flicker as he asks, "What about this world and all the people living here?"
I look at him and say, "Regarding all those who won't take part in the battle, I would like to teleport all of them to another universe to keep them safe, and at the very last minute, to make sure that our enemies do not notice the trap until it springs on them. However, this is way too risky as the Chaos Gods may sneakily corrupt and influence some of them, allowing them a connection to this multiverse despite my effort to prevent it. Because of that, I can only take the option I loathe the most. They will all remain here. The most I can do for them is put them in a very deep sleep so that they won't experience the horror of this battle or suffer."
Seeing the grim look on everyone's face, I add, "Even in the worst case scenario where this world is completely destroyed and every single person living in it is dead or worse at the end of the battle. As long as we come out victorious, then I can make use of the Authority granted by the Seed of Culture to easily restore everything back to the state before the battle. Purge the corruption and revive those who died. It isn't the choice I wanted to take, but it is the best one possible given our current situation."
They absorb that, no one speaks, time seems to drip like blood from the ceiling, until finally, Rimuru nods and says, "Then we begin."
At this point, I raise my hand again and manifest a set of etheral discs, the Seeds of Culture of the Universes I've visited before. I don't waste any time and immediately send a signal to contact my allies across the Omniverse.
It calls through time and space itself, back to the ones who earned my genuine trust and friendship.
Men and Women who almost broke themselves to save those they cared for. Those who fought against impossible odds to do what they thought was right. The ones who have amassed a wealth of sacred knowledge, enjoying every little moment.
My fellow Men of Culture.
I feel them stir, across countless universes, they feel me, hear my message, my plea for help, and immediately respond and prepare for what is to come.
After that, I smile confidently while thinking, 'Good. Let the Champion of Power come. Let Unicron come. Let the Chaos Gods come. Let them bring their endless swarm. I have seen the end, and I didn't like it. Now I'll write a new one.'
Then I walk out of the city hall, and once outside, I look up, watch the stars, more specifically the point where the Champion of Power invasion will begin, while thinking about what the people of this universe will do when they realize what's coming, 'Some will fight. Most will pray. A few will run. But none of them know that forty-six days from now, everything they've ever loved will be a memory trapped in the stomach of a metal god... Unless we stop it. And we will. Because now I have what the Champion of Power does not. A head start. And I intend to make every second count.'