★240
Just in time, the Lance has fully manifested. Without calling onto it, the lance transcended the gap between the two Ontic Layers, appearing right next to Alter. The weapon gleamed with divine craftsmanship: a golden shaft etched with radiant white runes, its blade aglow with a whitish-yellow brilliance.
Noir's Darkness deepened, turning a violent shade of Violet as it erupted into a storm of projectiles and writhing shadowed tendrils.
And to test the lance, he took hold of it. Each motion traced luminous particles through the air, like fading stars. One hand holding him down, the other wielding the strongest lance. He's more than ready to take her on.
His grip tightened around it, and the lance gave a faint glow before he lazily swung down, the shockwave cleaving through the tentacles that should've regenerated but couldn't.
Her face twitched, and she let go of her face, both her arms outstretched and a deep violent orb coalesced firing rapidly. Her beauty was lost due to the release of Darkness that overwhelmed her current state.
The Polaris Lance began to glow on its own, almost alive. Sensing its excitement, Alter allowed it to act through him. Raising it high, he brought it down in a single, decisive motion. A brilliant arc of light erupted, cleaving the dark orb clean in two before racing straight toward her.
She spread her fingers, summoning a vortex of swirling Darkness, but it was too late. The arc blazed past her in a flash, severing both her arms before dissipating into fading trails of light.
She clenched her teeth and let out a furious roar. As her scream tore through the Singularity, the surrounding Darkness surged toward her, condensing before her mouth. In an instant, it twisted into a void-like maw, ready to consume everything in its path. All this was happening, the Singularity taking in anything within its control, leaving the transcendent to themselves.
"Ok. Let's end this."
He answered her roar with calm defiance, driving the Lance into the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇. His thumb pressed against his middle finger, and four magic circles bloomed around him, each spinning in a different direction like pinwheels, unlocking a mysterious force.
Her attack, once vast enough to dwarf Worlds, began to shrink, drawn inward by an unseen pull. As the seal shattered, a colourless, pure, and absolute beacon of light emerged.
It should have fired on its own, yet Alter is giving his all, restraining it. Under the pressure of suppressing his Astral Body & the mysterious beacon, his garments disintegrated, his flesh following soon after, his infinite regeneration rendered useless under these two otherworldly forces.
Noir's attack, Lesser Ragnarok, was now the size of a ball, and she let it loose. It's called 'lesser' because she is the youngest of the Wraith kind, and her moves are far inferior to her superiors.
"A Light from beyond the Age of Gods,"
Alter began his ritual rites, praising the Goddess.
"a Light that abideth beyond the Uttermost Layer,
a Light bestowed unto us by the Ethereal Goddess; arise, O Purifier of all, that thou shalt not be overcome by any shadow nor fall to any Darkness.
Light Void."
He whispers its name. By snapping his middle finger, Light was sent loose.
...
..
.
Amid the white void created, Alter stood victorious within a boundless light expanse. That fragment ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ was now drenched in light, like a bucket of pure white paint spilt across an endless black floor, erasing all trace of darkness and void. That didn't stop the Singularity from talking in fragments of the light, though.
What remained of Noir was gradually drawn into the Singularity, her essence purified as it consumed her.
"Y.. you've...won."
She murmured
"And you've lost the moment you made my deity doubt by strength."
He stretched out his free arm, and Polaris Lance responded, resting on his palm.
"Any last words?"
He asked, planning to end everything.
She opened her mouth, struggling between words.
"A..a thousand years... a thousand years is all I need to end the Originverse."
She said more to herself than to Alter.
"No matter how strong you get, I'll be there to defeat you."
He replied, watching what's left of her converge into the Singularity, refusing to end her himself.
Victorious, Alter turned, in the Singularity.
"I've proved my worth, My Light."
He said, more to someone than himself.
'I know you would.'
A telepathic message from Belenos transcends connectivity & distance to reach her creation.
'You have once again proven your worth as the Paragon of Absolute & Paragon of Singularity. Titles no immortal, no Stars, nor Gods have ever borne together. For this unmatched feat… Alter of Pisces, by divine edict, by solar right, by the authority of my crown, I ascend you to the rank of The Intermediate God.'
Unlike the Paragons, which were randomly named by other Omnis, this was Alter's personal title given to him by his creator. He couldn't feel more...exalted to stand above all Stars.
At that moment, his pride skyrocketed, Ascendrons lifting Ecliptarchs to a whole new level. New emotions such as joy and awe bloomed in response.
Perhaps, due to being an artificial Star, emotions aren't truly restricted. But this wasn't the case. This was proof that Stars aren't truly emotionless but lack the freedom to experience them.
'Now close your eyes and let it loose. You've done more than enough.'
Her wishes are his command. He needn't think twice before acting.
"As you wish."
Alter pulled out his arm, letting it flow.
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THIRD POV
Somewhere in an unknown realm yet the same space as where Antares and Erekayla were heading, someone was standing in the emptiness, his eyes closed, yet he was looking up in a place where dimensions were inapplicable
"To think we'll be on the losing side even after unleashing the Wraith."
He said.
"It did a good job, though. Then we have Achernar who betrayed us. At the end of the day, we couldn't get the Devil Lord to our side, nor did we gain another ally."
The Void Emperor paused for a moment, his head tracking the usual presence within the Nihil Space.
'Don't let us down, Mors. You're victory will turn the tides.'
He relayed, hopes on Mors spiked.
'...'
"I'll deal with this nuisance and head straight to the Pond."
He said before departing.
Antares and Co. were mid-air when a jet black spear passed through the Space at incredible speed to strike them.
"Watch out."
Erekayla warned, but Antares had already taken action.
Silver Dust covered his fingertips, and he caught the spare, firing it back.
The Emperor appeared beside him, wielding a blade forged not from Energy, matter, or idea, but from the absence of form itself, striking with a force that caught him off guard.
Before it could land, a slender arm shoved Antares aside. Polaris Lance, the same weapon Alter had used to deflect the Wraith, materialised in its place, taking the strike, though it shattered instantly upon contact.
"That tickles."
A feminine voice said. Antares turned, his gaze fixed on the the new figure dress in clothes that's seems to be made of golden light itself. Behold,
"D...Diety of Sun?"
"The anomaly Antares and my Goddess of Creation."
She turned and bowed teasingly, ignoring the threat behind her.
"Allow me to make it up to you for protecting me during the Quantum Quake incident, my Goddess."
Belenos said.
"Be careful, Belenos."
The Goddess of Creation warned.
"Don't worry, I'm not who I was generations ago. Now go save whoever you're planning to save or whatever, Antares."
She waved dismissively, turning to face Kenos.
"Thanks, I'll make it up to you one day."
Antares got up and flew away, the orb following silently behind him.
To be continued...