★299
THIRD POV
The situation in the half-destroyed Star Realm was grim. Acamar is taking longer than expected to return, and Zhou, the only fighter capable of intervening had pushed beyond all limits, surpassing all of the O-Class Omnis individually.
Aequilibria and Chronotheon were ineffective against an Anti-Being beyond Existence itself. So, the God of Judgement, Adhara, was completely useless.
Lusath, armed with a blade that surpassed Velkran × Serathirel and capable of anti-narrative feats, found himself utterly powerless before this unwritten force, something far beyond the reach of Narravine.
'Tch… who exactly is keeping this story alive?'
The thought gnawed at him.
It was clearly not the Goddess of Creation. His Rebellion Absolute alone allowed his will to overturn even her supremacy over her own Creation. So something beyond the Goddess is in play.
Lusath could defy fate, rewrite the Cosmic Record, and even reject Existence itself, making him a practitioner of Nihilglyphs. Yet, as Antares had once pointed out, practising Nihilglyphs was not the same as embodying Nihilglyphs.
At this moment, Alnath in his true form, Lusath, stood as the strongest among the Omnis, second only to the Supreme Star. His power was vast, terrifying, and overwhelming.
(Zhou > O-Class Omnis, Lusath is A-Class.)
And yet, before a being that existed beyond the very concept of power, all of it meant nothing.
With each inevitable collapse of self, Lusath does not weaken, nor does he rely on immortality, for he possesses none. Instead, every fall becomes his cultivation.
Each descent, each fracture of his being, sharpens him further, refining what he is through rupture alone. This is his path, Kheru's Fall.
"Damn me… I'll rise by falling deeper."
He speaks it without hesitation, rejecting Zhou's assistance entirely, standing on the principle that no one else will carry his ascent.
Belenos, however, now stands on a different edge of Existence. She is no mere "Presence" that Orivielle once birthed. She has begun to tap into the raw authority granted by the Star God, something far more absolute than what she once wielded.
Like Lusath's Autogenesis, she operates prior to all dualities and forces, existence and non-existence, life and death, light and dark, presence and absence alike.
Yet even that begins to pale in comparison.
For what manifests now is the Nether Aspect of Void, a force that does not simply oppose them, but dwarfs their very aspects of self by merely existing. It seeps through Algol like a truth that does not need permission to be real.
Finally, there's Zhou, the Star who carries the team. Guided by God's Will, he unleashed God's Mercy upon the weakest, shielding Adhara from harm. With that same Will, he stripped Algol of his God's Wrath, channelling it into himself, then entrusted Belenos with God's Judgement and Grace, knowing she would need it.
At this moment, Belenos functions more as a presence than an offensive force. These gifts amplify her power, bolstering her offence while allowing her to tap into God's Mercy and Patience for protection. Zhou's precise orchestration ensures that every move, every transfer of power, shapes the battlefield in their favour.
With his long-mastered Supreme Art, God's Patience, Zhou had evaded death itself. No fatal strike, no matter how improbable or beyond Existence could scathe him, let alone land a decisive blow.
Now, empowered by God's Wrath, he channelled every ounce of his True Body's apex strength, surging toward the motionless, crouched Algol.
Since the battle began, he had maintained that stance, unconsciously manipulating purple tentacles and weaponry to keep the Omnis occupied. That was mockery at its peak.
He could have ended them in an instant, but such haste would spoil the 'waiting', so he prolonged the fight deliberately, eyes closed, waiting on Acamar's eventual return.
Infused with Auxilia, Star Dust, and white light, Zhou effortlessly severed the tentacles, yet knowing the true target lay beyond reach, he poured his immeasurable strength into Auxilia. A colossal arc of white light blazed forth, a sweeping strike carved across the battlefield.
Zhou prayed silently for perfection, and as if some unseen force heard him, golden sparks ignited along the arc, lightning coalescing mid-flight. It obliterated tentacles and weapons alike, racing toward its mark.
Algol's smirk widened; a sweep of his palm unleashed purple flames, turning the arc to ash in a heartbeat, poised to annihilate the Omnis.
For the first time, they felt true fear, the looming inevitability of death. Zhou gripped Auxilia, its tip thrumming with transcendental power, while Lusath clutched Morning Fall with both hands, each ready to challenge fate itself.
A finger snap echoed in a place where sound held no meaning, yet its resonance rippled through void space. The flames collapsed into golden ashes, scattering briefly before vanishing completely, as though they had never been.
The squad recoiled, instinctively stepping back. Whatever they had just witnessed was beyond their reach, a feat none among them could even hope to possess.
"You've all grown stronger. I'm proud."
An authoritative voice cut through the void, one Belenos had thought lost to eternity. The same voice that once resounded through the Palace, commanding, undeniable.
Adhara, Lusath, and Zhou froze, their gazes drawn to its source. Then, a blinding torrent of gold ripped through the emptiness, a radiance that devoured the darkness itself… and He descended.
"Are you satisfied, Algol?"
He came not with effort, but with the weight of inevitability.
The form that had slept, sealed for aeons had returned. Summoned once more onto the surface of Existence.
The air itself trembled, reality bending to the presence of a being whose aura alone redefined what it meant to exist.
[[IMAGE]]
[[IMAGE]]
"Algol? Currently, I bear no name or title."
He replied.
Acamar didn't descend, he hovered positioning himself between the Omnis & Algol.
"Lord First."
"Acamar."
Adhara & Belenos spoke, relieved. The Supreme Star ignored them, Aurether swirling around his fingers, ready to engage.
"You've gotten stronger, Acamar. Don't waste it on a puppet."
A soft voice cut through the void, it's source unknown.
Just then, something tore through the space, White bleeding through the rift.
"What now?"
Lusath spoke through gritted teeth, having had enough of this already. The Star Realm is now a stage for more than one protagonist.
The rift stretched wider, White bleeding endlessly into the spaceless void. It was omnipresent, yet within its boundlessness, a path took form, bridging the Unknown and Existence. Then, a foot touched the void space, its first movement since the 5TH SEQUENCE.
Its presence exhaled a fragrance beyond scent. Clad in robes of White, it bore Light drawn from an Originless Source. Cosmic skin pulsing with worlds, constellations drifting beneath its surface, realms layered beyond comprehension.
Nihilglyphs itself bent in reverence, fractals of non-being bowing to its arrival.
The Omnis, paragons of might in every world they set foot on, staggered. One by one, their gazes broke, knees bending not from weakness, but from instinct. They felt it, something that transcended presence, a force that simply was. Only Acamar stood his ground.
Across Existence, echoes rippled through the Ontic Layers and Planes. The fundamental Fragments, Arcanocysts, Ontologions, Aeolynths and the rest, quivered like dust caught in its breath.
And above it all, its eyes opened, mirrors of serenity and storm. They did not shine; they simply were. And in their reflection, everything knew its place.
"Omnipresence doesn't suit me."
It said, attached to the localised way of movement.
Among those present, only two recognised it. Acamar's breath faltered. His eyes closed, not out of denial, but reverence. He couldn't bear to meet that gaze.
'It's already too late. There's no need to avert your gaze.'
It's words carried no sound, only understanding as they reached the Supreme Star.
His golden eyes flared to life as awareness unfolded, scanning, perceiving, absorbing every detail of the vessel before him. The one that dared to call upon Him.
Zhou remained utterly still. No words could form, no comprehension could surface. Even his consciousness fractured before the simplicity of that presence. Around them, silence itself became heavy, each moment dragging eternity through it, each breath rewriting the nature of awe.
'Without a doubt, he's the one. But this…'
His mind paused, unable to comprehend how and why.
"This is the first time all three Twin Stars are meeting up."
Antares said, a faint smile on his lips.
Pinned in place by the strongest beings in this Shell, Algol's smirk only widened.
"I suppose it's time. Allow me to introduce myself properly."
His voice remained calm as a cocoon of purple energy enclosed him, sealing everything within. The pressure of it distorted the surrounding space, cutting off even the sense of direction.
"Thanks to the Pseudo Void and this magnificent vessel, I can finally manifest a portion of myself."
The purple dispersed slowly, peeling away like shedding skin, revealing what sat within.
It was no longer Algol. What remained wore otherworldly white robes, its long pristine hair flowing without wind, untouched by imperfection. The presence it gave off was quiet, yet absolute in a way that made comparison meaningless.
"Howdy, Fragmented Wills."
The voice was simple, almost casual, and that simplicity made it worse.
Antares' brow tightened at once. The faint trace of a smile that had lingered on his face vanished completely.
'That's…'
'One of the so-called Outer Gods. The Void God, Kusho.'
White's report followed immediately, colder than before.
'But that's…'
"But you can't manifest."
Antares finished the thought the moment recognition settled in his gaze.
"The Primodius…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
The Void God cut him off casually, as though the name itself was an inconvenience rather than a revelation.
"Primodius made it so the Will of Tàixū cannot manifest on its own. I need a vessel. But that will never be a threat to him."
His lips curved into a calm, almost amused smile, as if the entire weight of that truth meant nothing to him at all.
'Tàixū... that's the Great Void, commonly known as Nether Void. That's bad."
Though omnipotent, Antares knew who's a threat and who's not. An Outer God isn't something we seen oftenly. We're talking about entities form...
'Entares isn't here. He was taking too long to manifest. This Shell and every neighbouring one will cease to exist the moment he moved. I cannot afford that risk. Thankfully, the Star Realm held it's ground.'
Antares moved first, acting without hesitation.
His transcendental white aura surged outward, swallowing the space around his opponent in a controlled flood of pressure and intent.
'I'll be waiting for you, Acamar.'
He transmitted the moment his aura fully enveloped Kusho.
In the next instant, everything dissolved into purple ashes and vanished without resistance. Yet as the aftermath settled, something felt wrong.
He turned but to his surprise, no presence remained. It was as if everyone had been removed from the equation entirely. The Omnis, Acamar, even Antares himself, all gone from that layer of reality.
Kusho frowned, this wasn't the Nether Void.
Meanwhile, in the Nameless Realm, Antares stood alone with an orb of darkness resting in his palm. Within it, Kusho had been successfully sealed, though only temporarily.
Then, a faint purple spark ignited inside the orb.
"This was to be expected."
Antares observed calmly, unmoved, as a flash of violet light tore through the containment from within.
"Cheap tricks won't work."
Kusho said, standing directly in front of me.
"I know. My intension was merely to bring you here."
He raised his right arm, drawing Eth-Lys.
To be continued...