Chapter 34
In a chamber, four beings gathered around a table. A figure entered, and the others stared at him as he approached.
"Ah, such a lack of respect," the figure remarked. "Xylia, Anon, Acacius, and Xytos, is this how you greet me?"
"And who might you be?" Xylia inquired, her tone cold and slightly repulsed. "You stand in the presence of beings far superior to you, yet you address us as equals."
"Watch your tone, woman," the figure responded calmly.
"Are you threatening one of us?" another voice questioned.
"You seem quite full of yourself, intruder."
"Silence!" bellowed the eldest of the four.
He lifted his head to regard the intruder, then lowered it again with a sigh.
"Xylia, Anon, and Acacius, how foolish of you to address Lord Xenon in such a manner."
"Lord Xenon?" the three exclaimed in unison.
"There's no need for alarm. It appears Gath did not share much with you."
"Lord Xenon," Acacius said, "why are you inhabiting such a disgraceful body?"
"Well," he stepped into the light, "this 'disgraceful' body belongs to my son, Xereth, whom I have taken control of."
"'Son'?" Xylia echoed.
"Indeed, but do not be deceived by his appearance; he possesses more of his mother's power. As for his younger brother, I believe he should have completed his task of saving Aenzil by now."
"That will be impossible," Xytos laughed heartily. "My realm isn't—"
Xytos's eyes twitched as he choked on the rest of his words. A smile crept across Xereth's face.
"How is that even possible?" Xytos stammered. "If you would allow me, may I test him for myself?"
Test him for yourself; what is wrong? Did something happen to his realm, Anon pondered.
"That's precisely why I'm here. I have discovered the location of my black diamond. I need all of you to travel to Fantasy City. Announce my arrival, and remind them why I named you gods of destruction. While there, kill the Queen; if neither of her daughters possesses the white diamond, then she must be the one with it."
With that, he transformed into a mist of smoke and vanished.
"Keep in mind," Xytos warned. "According to the vision I received regarding my realm, the master's son should not be underestimated. And also unlike Gath, Aenzil appears to be more deeply connected to Chaos than ever before."
"Are you just trying to scare us because you think you'll lose?" Acacius joked.
"Interpret it however you wish, but if you're foolish enough to obstruct my path..."
Xytos locked eyes with Acacius, the atmosphere tense and silent.
Meanwhile, on the floating island of the 9th Daimon.
"What?" Lilith shouted. "Is that even possible?"
Sovereign Nemisis sighed, "I can provide numerous examples, like Jacksikage, who treats multiversal travel like a leisurely tour, hopping from one omniverse to another for entertainment."
"Like a cosmic vacation?" Lilith inquired.
"Exactly, but that's just the beginning." Sovereign continued. "There are two cultivators I know who do the same; one is a scientist, and the other... well, he's more of a 'whatever' type."
He glanced at Supreme Nemisis.
"Then there's this stubborn fool who simply enjoys what he does. No modesty whatsoever."
He then turned to Nemisis.
"And you, the smallest among us. You really have to discard that human form; it's unfair for you to possess it when you could utilize the Bandage Sage transformation. That gives you an unfair advantage."
"Whatever," Nemisis shrugged.
"Do you think you can take me on?"
"Bet." Nemisis grinned.
"Be careful, kid. Don't provoke him, but I still sense no bloodlust in your eyes, Sovereign, from the beginning until now. You seem remarkably composed," Supreme remarked.
Sovereign remained silent.
"Wait, how strong are you compared to them?" Lilith asked.
"My strength cannot be compared to theirs," Sovereign replied.
"Hey, Supreme," Nemisis called.
"What?"
"If I recall your sword correctly, when you swing it, do you exert that much energy? The space around it tears constantly; can you teach me?"
Supreme Nemisis chuckled.
"Teach you? There's nothing to teach. That's how the sword is meant to function; it doesn't belong here," Supreme said. "Let me show you something; watch closely."
Supreme Nemisis swung his sword, ripping through the space it traversed, creating a void that gradually closed.
"What you witnessed is space and time... reality making way for the sword to pass."
He let the sword hover around him, similar to how Nemisis's sword had been doing.
"When you grasp what you possess, don't limit yourself by your understanding. Aspire for more, even if reality suggests there's nothing left to learn. In essence, the potential of something is determined by you and no one else."
"I never expected you to possess such a level of wisdom," Sovereign teased.
"Perhaps it's because of you..." Supreme paused. "Sovereign, why don't you demonstrate something to the boy aside from mine?"
"No," Sovereign replied coldly.
"Don't be like that," Supreme urged.
"It's for the best," the 9th Daimon interjected.
"Don't encourage him," Lilith retorted.
"I will show you how pathetic everything truly is," Sovereign declared.
Sovereign Nemisis reached for his sword at his back, pulling less than an inch of the blade from its sheath. Reality began to fracture into a void, not just any void, but a void of nothingness.
He quickly returned the blade to its sheath before the void could reach the nearest omniverse, restoring reality to normal.
"Now you've witnessed it," he stated.
Who could he possibly fight with such power? Lilith pondered.
Nemisis and the 9th Daimon appeared pale.
"As I mentioned earlier, we are one but have chosen different paths in life," Sovereign began. "More importantly, what I did made all of this possible."
"What you did," Lilith whispered. "Wait, I understand now; you are the first game played with Fate."
[They call it a game, but it was no mere game; it was torture. No matter what I did, it never ended well. Now I find myself in their fifth game. Someone, please heed my warning and avoid him whenever you see him. My mother has consented to this monstrous act; how could a mother be so cruel to her child...
-Augustus, The Chronicles Of Fate For The Church Of Fate.]