บท 1: Prologue
In the heart of a desolate landscape located in dimension between worlds, the starry cosmos hung above the sky, watching the battlefield shrouded partially with ethereal fogs and cracks upon the fragile dimension where two being fought with unimaginable intensity and also exhaustion.
The younger one don a white form-fitting and high-collared tunic which bore resemblance to a Chinese dress and Catholic priests cassock. But the other one, a mustached man with regal air hung around him, wore a white trench coat under a white uniform and trousers, and trench boots with black tattered cloak. The former wields a silver bow clad in shimmering light blue energy while the latter wields a saber made of similar light blue energy.
The two clashed with great intensity yet their power was evenly matched as the desolate battlefield underneath them trembled and shook at their clash. At least, for the general observers. In truth, the younger man looks graver with each passing moment while the regal one looks carefree and relaxed despite the surrounding itself filled with ruins and corpses piled up as high as mountains while rivers made of blood flow.
"Is this the best you got?" The regal one spoked with an unreadable expression and confidence that borderline arrogance on his face as wind blew against him, causing his cloak to billow.
The younger one paused with an alert look as his eyes darted warily looking at his opponent, never stopped aiming his bow at his opponent and focusing on the changes that occurred on his opponent's eyes. His mouth was tightly sealed, offering no reply for his opponent's question.
After a brief pause as the wind blew upon the battlefield, the younger one gave no answer which disappointed his opponent as a frown formed on his face.
"I see. If silence is your answer, then so be it." The regal man spread his arms as cosmic energy started to gather and converge around him as his eyes that were closed shut a moment ago snapped open to reveal his irises split into four. Each with different colors of golden, silvery, light blue and purplish. Each represents a path he could see through his eyes about the possibility, the future of his victory, his defeat, his survival and more, laid bare before his divine eyes. "Know that it was your mistake to challenge me from the beginning. Not only all your power and ability stemmed from me, but even without reclaiming them back, you could never win." He declared before gesturing for the younger one to come forward and give his best shot.
The younger man however, remains unflinching and unaffected by the goading. Instead, he seems to be expecting it, for his opponent to use his power, as if he was awaiting it as his grave expression suddenly curved into a smile.
The regal man seems to notice the odd behavior displayed by his opponent, differing from his expectations of despair which all his previous foolish opponents that dare to challenge him, showed when he used his strongest ability.
"So, what?" The younger man said, his wariness fades away and is replaced with bold and calculated courage. "You think I am foolish enough to go against you without any countermeasures for The Almighty, Yhwach?" His face turned into a confident smirk.
The regal one or Yhwach, frowned. Unable to comprehend where his rebellious subordinate got the confidence to defy him when he himself is confident and assured of his victory as his greatest ability could see the outcome where he is victorious and able to impose that future as he sees fit.
Naturally, the younger one isn't foolish to reveal his cards to Yhwach and instead capitalized on the doubt bubbling within Yhwach's mind to create an opening.
Just as Yhwach said, most of his abilities came from Yhwach himself. He is after all a Sterntitter, high ranked member of Yhwach's army, the Wandenreich. However, that is also not entirely the truth. He is more than just a Sterntitter. It was a secret he hid from everyone but himself. That he is a transmigrator and the privilege that came along with it was that he possessed no fate or destiny. A perfect counter to The Almighty.
The Almighty is able to see and alter the future. But for him who has no fate or destiny, devoid of past and present, The Almighty couldn't predict his action since he is essentially a walking singularity that exists only in the present and outside of the natural flow of time and fate. However, that isn't his only card against Yhwach. No, he also has his shrift, The Entropy. The shrift that embodied the inevitable progression from order to disorder of the universe. A shrift that performs the best within a large battlefield than a one on one combat which he used to defeat the rest of the Quincies, Sterntitter and even the Schutzstaffel like a slow and insidious poison that is inevitable.
Under Yhwach's scrutinizing stares, he reaches for a small silver capsule and uncaps it before placing it on his mouth and preparing himself for his final struggle as he is beyond worn right now and practically running on fumes.
"Is that your final card? Fine, I shall entertain your foolish struggle, Eryx." Yhwach did not know or care what Eryx did as his confidence in The Almighty remained unwavered.
Upon consuming what's inside the silver capsule, Eryx immediately cover his mouth and coughed violently while the blue veins around his body form by usage of Blut turn greenish black and throbbing violently, causing him to clutch his heart that was at the verge of exploding from consuming the substance inside the silver capsule.
Yhwach's eyes widen in both disbelief and amusement. Because what Eryx did was contaminate his Quincy essence with Hollow's energy that is poisonous to Quincy. What Eryx did was basically poisoning himself to prevent Yhwach from taking away his power, a last ditch move made only by the desperate, a cornered prey or so Yhwach thought.
What Eryx did wasn't a desperate last ditch effort. But a cold calculated risk on his part.
Once Eryx got a grip on himself, he deployed a very high level Quincy technique which he mastered, Ransotengai. A necessary technique to deploy in his current state as the Hollow energy corrupts his very body and soul which disrupts his motor functions.
"Final card?" Eryx lifted his head up defiantly and glared at Yhwach. "No. In fact this is just the start." Eryx said in a murmur as energy coalescence around him like a flux that forms into energy constructs in the form of grayish black halo above his head and a dazzling wings unfurled on his back that radiates raw energy of decay.
The instant Eryx resorted to his Vollstandig form, a field of decay and entropy formed around him and amplified to the extreme before he abandoned his silver bow and launched himself at Yhwach with two string of Reishi wrap around two pistol model Spirit Weapons scattered on the ground from the fallen soldats and pulled to his reach.
Bow is more suitable for long range attack but very unwieldy even for experts that mastered solely on bow to perform rapid attacks in close quarter combat which is why Eryx is in favor of the pistols that didn't need to draw bow string and only needed to press on a trigger to attack.
Thus begins his relentless and yet seemingly random barrages of Heiling Pfeil infused with his Shrift's ability and his Hollow energy tainted Reishi and
At first, Yhwach did not understand what Eryx was trying to achieve with his useless attacks. But with each attack Yhwach failed to block or parry, the less effective he was at predicting the future. The once reliable visions and fate become erratic and unreliable. As if the future possibilities itself were decaying and rotting away by Eryx's power. Preventing Yhwach from foreseeing and counteracting Eryx's moves. However, it was hardly a problem for Yhwach.
Yhwach already knew Eryx Shrift's ability. He witnessed it multiple times before and he knew a fatal weakness of Eryx's Shrift, that is it takes time to fully take effects like a slow acting but lethal poison that needs to accumulate over time. As long as he kills Eryx before Eryx's ability could fully cripple his Almighty, he wins without a shred of doubt.
That's why, Yhwach still looks calm and composed despite Eryx's Shrift's ability slowly affecting him. That's why, Yhwach remained calm even when the future he had meticulously chartered became lost under Eryx's Shrift's influence. He simply does not see Eryx as a serious threat.
Naturally, Eryx is also aware of the shortcomings of his own Shrift. The Entropy is a Shrift that induces decay and collapse, the concept where everything will eventually rot away and be destroyed by the passage of time. Be it a physical object, energy construct or even concepts. His Shrift's application is to accelerate the passage of time of the decay.
As Eryx continued his one sided assault, Yhwach became even less and less capable of blocking Eryx's relentless assault as Heilig Pfeil rained on his body like a hail storm. Using Blut Vene or any sort of protective shield to block the attack is a futile effort as the Heilig Pfeil infused with Eryx's Shrift's ability will rapidly deteriorate it's durability and simply a waste of energy and the most effective way is to simply dodge or parry the attacks but was simply to numerous.
Yhwach soon finds his body littered with black discoloration on his body, like black tiny worms trying to worm itself under his skin.
"This…" Yhwach wanted to pause for a moment but Eryx didn't let him or give him any breathing space as Heilig Pfeil rained continuously on Yhwach's failing defense.
When Yhwach lifted his head to look at Eryx, he found Eryx grinning victoriously. Naturally, that is because his gambit worked.
The dark thread of energies trying to invade Yhwach's body was Hollow energy, very potent and poisonous to Quincy. Naturally, not even Yhwach is spared from these inherent weaknesses. But on its own, it wasn't lethal. What made it lethal was Eryx's Shrift's ability. It empowers the Hollow energy, hastening and enhancing the poisonous property of the Hollow energy which invades Yhwach's body, making the Quincy King become sluggish and vulnerable.
Suddenly, Yhwach stopped as a powerful blast of Reishi erupts from his body, purging away the Hollow energy from his body but not without a lasting effect as deep red and blackish blood flows out from the edge of his lips.
"Haah… I admit that I underestimated you, it was brilliant of you to blind my visions of the future to prevent me from realizing I was poisoned." Yhwach stared at Eryx with a serious expression and even subtle flicker of acknowledgement for Eryx's brilliance in battle. "However… It seems I would still win this duel, Eryx Dammerung."
As soon as Yhwach finished his words, Eryx suddenly felt his body seized up. Potent Hollow energy surges up like venomous poison, fully tainting his Reiryoku and subsequently, his Reishi. He was on borrowed time the moment he consumed the Hollow energy in the silver capsule and now, not even Ransotengai could move his body that was broken beyond saving. He was finished…
"It was a waste, Eryx." Yhwach approaches Eryx that could no longer even lift a finger, much less be a threat to him that is still hardly even exhausted. "I am willing to pardon your transgression for slaughtering your fellow Quincy and attempting to kill me. Someone like you is worth an entire army of weak and mindless sheeps. I am willing to make you my right-hand man. However, your recklessness to consume a Vasto Lord's essence doomed your soul for annihilation." He stared down at Eryx with genuine pity in his eyes.
The real Eryx somehow possessed the body and and mind of the false Eryx, mustered all his strength to enact his final act of defiance and spat at Yhwach only for his spit to miss and his head collapsed back on the ground, heaving and grunting as the Hollow energy was wrecking his body inside out.
"In your dream Yhwach… I'd rather die than continue to serve you." Eryx wheezed and coughed out a mouthful of blood while hiding his expression on the ground. "Pardoning me? Since when was you that generous? I will never forget what you have done. It's you who killed my family and my loved ones. For what? For a stupid revenge! You never see us as your people! Just pawn for your stupid war and revenge!" Eryx forced his slowly disintegrating body to move and reach his hand to Yhwach's leg, firmly catching his left boot.
Yhwach's response to this was a frown and a darkened face of scowling. Eryx never reveals his motivation for his defiance as Eryx never shows any sign until the moment he sprung his plan. So, hearing this is the first time for Yhwach
"I see, I was mistaken. You are worse than those mindless pawns. Clinging to the ghosts of the past. Family and love, those are shackles for the weak. Power shapes the world, Eryx. With power, you can carve your destiny from stone. Yet, here you are wasting them on those useless sentiments. Gifted with power and talent but clinging to those pathetic shackles like a cattle." Yhwach creates a blade out of his Reishi and aims it at Eryx.
With a raspy and cracking voice, Eryx spoked. "Carving destiny out of stone?" Eryx paused for a moment before laughing. He knew the truth and the ultimate fate of Yhwach as an outsider of this world.
"Carving destiny out of stone? All I see is just someone drawing on sand and in time, those drawings will be washed away as you are no different than me, another pawn in the grand game of fate and destiny!" Eryx laughed maniacally to mock Yhwach while wheezing and coughing out more blood on the ground.
"Enough of this nonsense! You will die in my hand. Consider it an honor, Eryx Dammerung." Yhwach snarled with disdain and finality. He lifts his Spiritual blade like an executioner's sword, as the air shudders under the weight of the impending execution.
When the blade fell, two distinct sounds cut through the stillness of the atmosphere, one was that of flesh digging into flesh and another was the hollow sound of head falling to the ground.
Eryx's head fell to the ground, rolling a little before coming to a stop. Instead of fear or sadness on his still face, Eryx's face wears the expression of a satisfied and calm smile even in death.
Meanwhile Yhwach finds himself in disbelief as he staggers a few steps as Eryx's bloodied hand pulls off his heart which bleeds profusely with black tainted ichor. Black veins quickly spread around Yhwach's body and were enhanced by a burst of Eryx's Shrift's ability which he carefully hidden and unleashed upon his body along with the cracked silver capsule inside his body.
As his body also rapidly deteriorates and decays, Yhwach looks at Eryx's head on the ground wearing a peaceful expression.
"I admit, you are strong and I acknowledge your achievement. Be proud that you are strong and have done the impossible by slaying me."
Yhwach could feel Eryx's soul that is on a path of annihilation suddenly paused as if time was halted just for him as his soul was pulled elsewhere.
"I cannot die without an heir. As such, I shall begrudgingly accept you as my heir. You shall inherit my destiny, my fate, my name and my burden." Yhwach spoked solemnly as if to someone even if the battlefield was barren of life except his own that is rapidly deteriorating.
"I shall leave my successor in your capable hand, All Giving Witch. He shall inherit all of mine." Yhwach said before his form crumbled along his soul.
A gust of wind blows against Yhwach's crumbling form as if an answer from the person he talked to and blows his dust to scatter the now truly desolated dimension.
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AN: I know many would ask,
Hey author, you got two books on hiatus. Why did you write another one?
I have no other answer except to say inspiration is a very fickle one and I happen to get one after testing things out on Chat GPT
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