Chapter 192: Khaos... Begins to Brew
After those words, the Child of Consumption was allowed entry into the room.
HUMM!!!
The moment he crossed the threshold, the heavy doors sealed behind him with a low, resonant sound that seemed to swallow the sound of his own footsteps.
What waited beyond was not a chamber in any ordinary sense.
It felt as though he had stepped through a tear in reality itself and into a realm of absolute darkness, a place so complete in its absence of light that even him, a Dark Human, required a moment to adjust.
In the center of that endless black sat a single simple table, bare of any object or ornament, its surface so dark it nearly vanished into the surrounding void.
He was already aware that the Supreme God wouldn’t be there.
The God’s true form was tied up in the Orin Star System, engrossed in an extended meeting with the other leaders of the invading forces.
However, as he told the guards, he was only there to deliver a message, so he technically didn’t need the Supreme God to be present in person.
The Child of Consumption stopped a short distance from the empty table and let his hands rest loosely at his sides.
For a moment, he stood still, drawing in the heavy, almost suffocating silence of the place. Then, in a calm, measured tone that easily cut through the darkness, he began to speak.
"Supreme God of Endless Hunger, I, High Apostle and Child of Consumption, bring news both intriguing and urgent. The Orin Star System has proven to be far more fascinating than we had initially thought."
HUMMMMM!!!
As the words slipped from his lips, something began to emerge in the darkness above the table.
A black bird slowly took form, each feather appearing one by one, its body materializing from the surrounding void in a gentle swell of shadow.
The Child observed its creation in silence, never pausing in the delivery of his report.
"The World of Kalpa... Beyond its value as the key to ruling the entire system, there is a being present on this world capable of producing enough pure divinity to send disruptions across the void itself."
He took a moment to pause as a shaky smile appeared on his face.
"I am not yet certain who or what is hiding behind that golden barrier, but the urgency of forcing our way inside should be raised.
Waiting any longer... especially without knowing what’s truly inside, risks allowing this unknown factor to grow beyond convenient control."
He fell silent once the last word left his lips and waited, black eyes fixed on the bird as it finished forming.
The final details of its wings settled into place with a quiet rustle.
Then the creature spread its wings and launched itself into the darkness, vanishing toward whatever distant place the Supreme God’s attention currently occupied.
As it disappeared, a small, satisfied smile tugged at the Child’s lips.
Turning on his heel, he made his way back toward the doors, his mind already quietly working through the next steps.
’Well, I may as well get started on gathering the forces,’ he mused, fully aware that the Supreme God of Endless Hunger was a notoriously greedy sort.
If something in this world could be considered truly special, it would certainly catch that god’s attention.
He figured at the very least a recon squad would be dispatched—and he was determined to be the one to lead it.
----
High above the world of Loreua, where the clouds thickened into solid platforms of condensed divinity, and the air itself carried the weight of ages, the leaders of the invading powers sat upon floating thrones arranged in a wide circle.
At the center of their gathering hovered a vast projection of the Orin Star System, with the purple world of Kalpa and its cracked golden barrier glowing at the heart of the display like a wound that refused to close.
Valeis, Supreme Goddess of Hollow Thorns, rested one elbow against the arm of her throne, long dark fingers idly tracing the edge of a blackened thorn that grew from the seat itself.
Her deep black eyes remained half-lidded as she listened to the same arguments that had circled for millennia.
Across from her, the Supreme God of Endless Hunger sat in silence, the shadows that formed his body shifting restlessly around the edges of his form.
Beside him floated the Supreme God of Bloody Thirst, the vampire’s pale hands steepled, crimson gaze fixed on the projection with quiet hunger.
The Supreme Goddess of Unbroken Law held herself rigidly upright, golden wings folded tight against her back, the light around her strained and cold.
The Supreme God of One Book remained nearly motionless, human fingers occasionally adjusting the sleeve of his academic robes, his expression unreadable.
And at the edge of the circle, the Emperor of Loria watched them all with the calm of a man who had long since learned to smile while measuring throats.
The conversation had worn the same paths for thousands of years.
"I’ve said this countless times... We should force that barrier open... and the system should belong to those willing to take it,"
The Supreme God of Endless Hunger said, voice low and rough, the sound like stone grinding against bone.
"Waiting only allows others to discover this Star System... and makes the situation much more complex."
The Supreme Goddess of Unbroken Law’s jaw tightened.
"Your minds are far too clouded with corruption and disorder. Since the disappearance of the Celestial Sun and Dark Sun, this star system has been spiraling into chaos.
And every one of your methods would only hasten its collapse... leaving us with nothing."
The Supreme God of Bloody Thirst smirked, the curve of his lips revealing the tip of a fang.
"Oh, little Angel... don’t you know that collapse is just another chance? The weak are devoured, the strong endure. That’s the only order that’s ever mattered."
The Supreme Goddess of Hollow Thorns exhaled softly through her nose, her fingers still tracing the thorn.
The Assimilation pantheons exchanged a silent understanding; there was no need to argue further.
The system would be divided by their agreement, no matter who received it—they were all here to improve the odds.
The Emperor of Loria lifted a hand in a calm, soothing gesture, his tone steady and even.
"We have discussed this matter extensively. The barrier surrounding Kalpa is but a minor consideration."
In matters concerning the might of the Pantheons, bypassing a barrier erected by a world was, in truth, among the least of challenges, for in the realm of power, there existed no absolutes—only power itself.
It was well understood by all present that Supreme Divinity stood as the pinnacle of authority attainable.
Since the Great Severance War, when the world of Kalpa sealed itself behind a barrier, the invading forces had regarded the duration until its opening as merely a measure of their patience and resolve.
"What we must truly determine," the Emperor continued, "is which among you, the Pantheons, shall lay claim to this world and, by extension, the entirety of the Star System."