odessanovel Chapter 1409: Complexities
Chapter 1409: Complexities
Chapter 1409: Complexities
Skullius sighed.
He should have expected it, in all honesty.
He was so stumped that he simply released one exasperated breath.
Well, to be fair, the fact that TITEMIUS was antagonistic to VOW and Serenity was no secret, but to hear that Serenity had actually been running from Void and TITEMIUS at that point was definitely a surprise.
Void was an entity that encompassed the entire reality. To think she would require aid where intelligence, no, rather, cunning and wit was required, was rather strange.
Skullius massaged his temple.
So TITEMIUS was smart?
So smart that, according to VOW, he had been imprisoned in some corner of reality by the other Primeval Deities.
'What is up with this guy?' Skullius thought.
To Serenity though, he said "TITEMIUS, huh? You allowed me to sign a contract with him while bearing all this? Wait. Doesn't that mean you already trust me enough to know I won't work against you?"
"In a way. But as I said, more assurance isn't a bad thing. The wider reality is nothing like Aigas. Everything is constantly changing very rapidly," said Serenity.
Skullius nodded.
"What's the deal with TITEMIUS then? Why is he helping Void in attacking you? I don't understand. Heck, why is Void after you anyway? Maybe I can understand why Void would be after you now, since I learned something that I shouldn't have, but what about back then? Why would she be interesting in destroying you when you hadn't even breached the restriction against having your own bearer yet? I know there are some things you won't share, but can you at least fit these pieces to the puzzle for me?"
Serenity's answer came at once.
"Just because she is my sister doesn't mean she only bears good intent towards me," she said. "Our story about triumphing over extinction was a sound, pretty tale before, but it quickly darkened, Skullius. I can't share those intimate details."
Skullius seethed.
"Fine, fine. Then tell me about why and how you made me to be a weapon against Void. Were you waiting for me to awaken something that would counter Void's powers all this time? What is the Greater Cosmic Law that Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz is aiming for?"
At this point, the Hybrid Warmoth didn't care if he overwhelmed Serenity with questions. He was sick of the secrets.
Sila watched on, curious. He had been silent all along, but not because he had nothing to say. Being a part of the Hybrid Luman and then a part of Hybrid Warmoth had helped him appreciate the entity known as Skullius a lot.
He had witnessed it when Skullius was driven to the breaking point by Elita and Kintar. His fury represented an evolution, and the same was happening now. With his frustration at Serenity, Sila waited to see how else Skullius would grow - what conclusions he would come
to.
"As you know, Null Life and Voided Death are extremely different. Even the Essences embody opposite traits. Null Life Essence is serene, silent, calm, but Voided Death Essence is violent, unruly and lively. Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for me to relate to Voided Death and for Void to relate to what Null Life Essence. Even the ways we implemented our strengths and set restrictions for ourselves is terribly different, Skullius," she said.
"Void expanded her body into the wider reality and I shrunk mine and my potential to the point where technically, it doesn't exist. Don't let my previous comments make you think that Void is stupid. In terms of bookish brilliance, she was the smartest of us all. I think that was why she opted to smother the whole of reality when she ascended. She wanted to know it all. To be it all. I couldn't relate. I tried to study how she developed Voided Death a while ago, but found that it was difficult. I was eager, and that forced an enmity to spark between me and Void. What is happening now is a product of that mistake I made. In the end, with Void after me, I had to devise a means to counter her, as you said."
Skullius cursed.
Just how many layers were there to this story?
When he imagined what, or rather, who he thought Serenity to be when he first met her, he could only mock his past self.
She was not that at all.
She was someone who wanted to flee from this reality.
It was like a massive piece of cloth as big as a world, partly obscured by the giants of light and
colourful stardusts.
Skullius could see where it began, far above, but not where it ended below. There were things written across it, but he couldn't see, and he presumed that it was too far to appraise with his
guidance field.
"What's that?" he asked Serenity as they flew over beside another one of the great padogas. It spotted metal locks to its multiple doors.
"Oh, said Serenity, "That's the Universal Purge Banner. I'm sure you're acquainted with it."
...!!!
Skullius was bewildered.
The Universal Purge Banner.
'It's an actual, physical thing?!' he exclaimed inwardly.
He hadn't thought it was a literal banner floating through the Null Verse. Apparently - according to what he had read from the guidance field - the Universal Purge Banner was a list of the most dangerous creatures in the Null Verse.
"This is one of the reasons why the Spellwelt Cluster is especially dangerous. Every so often, one of the creatures listed on the Banner will come and try to erase its name from it. The
creatures that live in those padogas are responsible for the Banner. They update it when
needed and manage dealings with the bounty hunters who come to collect rewards for
knocking off a name from the Banner."
Skullius turned pale.
"Hey, hey, wait. It's not just names found on that Banner. Aren't there entire races listed there
as well?" he asked.
He remembered some of the races of creatures he had received as evolutionary options last time, such as the Adamantite Beetle.
"Yes," said Serenity. "There are hunters who eliminate whole races here. It's common."
Skullius felt a chill crawl up his spine.
That was crazy! ....But then it hit him.
He turned to Serenity.
"The individual we are here to see..." he began.
"He was a hunter who retired to become a manager of the Banner," Serenity answered. "He
has quite the reputation. I'm not sure if he is still alive though."
[Author's Note]
We will hitting another mini-arc with the Unlimited Stars. This one is shorter than Yuyui's
arc, trust.