Chapter 190: The Child of Consumption Attacks?
[You have ranked up - Cosmic Union, Tier 22]
[+25,000 Divinity]
HUMMMMM!!!!
Out of nowhere, a sudden surge blossomed within Akasha’s body.
In that instant, his True Self, the one that had tirelessly swept across countless battlefields, broke through to the tenth and newest tier.
A raw, unhinged wave of divinity rushed upward, coursing through every fiber of his being all at once.
The purple infinity mark beneath his left eye gave a single pulse, while his radiant brown skin subtly tightened as the newfound power settled gracefully into place.
Akasha had always kept a close eye on his True Self’s growth through Dream Land, so the surge in power came as no surprise.
In truth, his thoughts had been drifting toward something else ever since he attained Cosmic Union—how to quicken the pace of his cultivation.
Yet, right now, his attention wasn’t on his strength at all. He felt the subtle change, acknowledged it in an instant, and let it slip away just as quickly.
His eyes drifted toward Luna.
"Yeah..." he murmured, the word slipping out quietly, tinged with hesitation.
She might have been teasing him, but he couldn’t deny she had a point.
Whatever purpose those beings had for assembling beyond Kalpa was irrelevant. They didn’t belong to this world, and he knew there was no chance of them coming in peace.
Especially not when they carried a power capable of erasing entire worlds from existence.
A short distance away, Calista’s eyes narrowed.
’This guy... he’s just too weird,’ she thought, baffled by how little about Akasha made sense.
At first, she’d seen him like any other Pantheon leader—power-hungry and willing to do anything for knowledge.
But over the weeks spent alongside him and the rest, she’d watched him simply lounging around, doing nothing at all.
No schemes, no chasing ranks—just enjoying the tranquility of his mountain and the company of his women.
She figured he lacked ambition entirely, and in some eyes, having the kind of power most could only dream of but choosing to do nothing with it was worse than being a typical Pantheon leader.
Yet, in mere hours, she’d seen him obliterate an entire world without a second thought—and then suddenly rank up.
’Maybe... it wouldn’t be so bad to stick around,’ Calista mused, eyeing the trio’s backs.1
She wasn’t easily won over, but she wasn’t stupid either.
She recognized the advantages Akasha offered, especially since he was the one who had extended her an invitation.
She wouldn’t have to do anything extraordinary to claim a place—it was entirely up to her.
As she was lost in thought, the pure white silhouette of Kalpa’s consciousness tilted its featureless head in the same moment.
Much like her, it had clearly sensed the growth in Akasha’s power and the surge of divinity. But... it kept its thoughts to itself.
Yume tilted her head, blue-streaked hair shifting across one shoulder. Her voice stayed cool, almost thoughtful.
"Master, why won’t you simply... ignore them?" She asked. "The Divine Domain... does cover the entire world now. It should be quite impossible for them to breach."
Luna stepped closer as her pink-and-purple hair brushed his arm as she reached up and wiped the drying trail of purple blood from the corner of his mouth with the side of her thumb.
The touch was light, familiar, almost casual.
"Fufufu~ Yume, that’s true enough," she murmured, a small smile still playing at her lips.
"But nothing has ever stayed simple for him, has it?"
Her heart-shaped eyes flicked up to Akasha’s.
Akasha let out a faint sigh as his gaze drifted back to the Orb.
"You’re not wrong..." he admitted. "As much as I’d love just to ignore those bastards, that might not be the smartest move this time."
His barrier could hold against the individual strength of these beings, but what if they decided to strike together?
And worse, what if they had some hidden trick that could bypass barriers entirely?
’Still... I’m certain the Divine Domain wouldn’t crumble under a joint assault,’ he thought, confident that the Barrier lacked such a flaw.
As long as no one’s power exceeded the Domain’s protection, he would be safe.
But that wasn’t the only reason he was unwilling to wait.
It had been years since his encounter with Nara, yet it lingered in his mind as if it had happened yesterday.
He remembered clearly how her battle power had come dangerously close to damaging his domain.
With so many Cosmic Unions gathered, he wasn’t about to sit back and find out who else might have the strength to do the same.
"I’m going to kill them all."
[-250,000,000 DP = Monarch Ranked]
He muttered as he spent Divinity.
------
Far beyond Kalpa’s atmosphere, the void was cold and still.
The world itself hung in the black like a bruise of deep purple, its surface veiled by a vast golden barrier that shimmered with quiet, absolute authority.
This was the world barrier cast by Kalpa, and with so little time left before it would finally give way, its surface was already beginning to fail.
Cracks spread like spiderwebs across its expanse—delicate, glowing fissures that spilled pale light into the endless darkness surrounding it.
As previously counted by Akasha, the one hundred thousand Cosmic Union warriors stood in perfect formation against the emptiness.
Shadow Demons and Dark Humans stood together in perfect order, their ranks aligned with precision, weapons held low but ready for action.
No one uttered a word, no one moved a muscle; they lingered in tense anticipation, waiting for the signal that had yet to arrive...
Inside the massive starship that loomed behind them, the corridors were quiet and warmly lit.
A woman walked the length of one hallway with unhurried grace.
Pale skin, long black hair falling straight down her back, black eyes calm and focused.
In her hands she carried a low silver plate arranged with delicate sweet pastries—sugar-dusted, glazed, still faintly warm.
The soft scent of butter and caramel trailed behind her as she moved.
She reached a wide door and stepped through without knocking.
The main deck ahead bore no resemblance to a war room, instead offering a welcoming space filled with plush chairs, low-slung tables, and the gentle glow of warm lighting.
A single luminous orb floated at the center of the space, pulsing gently—the only true control system the ship needed.
The far wall was pure transparent alloy, giving a clear view of Kalpa’s golden barrier and the silent army waiting outside.
Near the window sat a small figure.
A young Shadow Demon boy sat with his legs crossed, his posture easy and unhurried.
His dark skin contrasted with the short black horns curling from his head, and his eyes gleamed with the golden light cast by the far-off barrier.
As the woman entered, he turned his head toward her and offered a smile.
"High Apostle," she greeted, her voice smooth and deferential. "I’ve prepared your snacks for the show."
The boy accepted the plate with both hands.
His smile lingered, yet the words that followed held none of a child’s carefree tone.
Instead, his voice was steady, deliberate, and carried the weight of something far older.
"Thank you, Vesatine. Set them here."
She placed the plate on the low table beside him and remained standing, hands folded. The distinction in authority was clear, yet the air between them held the easy familiarity of long association.
The boy... the Child of Consumption—picked up a small, glazed pastry and turned it once between his fingers before taking a bite.
Vesatine watched him the way someone watches a storm they have learned to live beside. She took a moment letting him savor the bite before speaking.
"High Apostle.... The formation is ready," she said. "They’re waiting on your word."
He chewed slowly, his eyes never leaving the distant world of Kalpa.
After swallowing, he reached for another pastry, pausing just long enough to speak.
"You know... a few years back," he began with deliberate slowness, "one of my vessels was lost here in this world."
His thumb pressed lightly into the pastry’s tender crust.
"Back then, I’d already decided this world would be mine... just because of the barrier it triggered. I only thought it was unique, something I meant to claim before the Accord finished their talks with the others in this system."
He finally took another bite, chewed once, and swallowed.
"I guess in the grand scheme of things... nothing much has changed..."
HUMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!
She still can’t see Luna properly