ã€ŠDark Creator - The God of Nothingã€‹


 Chapter 1 - Turns out, Im god

    <hr>

    The first thing I noticed was that I couldn¡¯t open my eyes.

    Hello?

    . . .

    Nothing.

    Alright.

    Arms? Nope. Legs? No. Eyes again? Nein.

    Not great.

    Okay. How did I get here?

    I¡¯m a writer, fresh out of university, who¡¯s working on my first story.

    So what am I doing here? Wherever here is.

    Let¡¯s see. . .

    Oh.

    I was on a bus, and we went over a cliff. . . yeah.

    . . .

    I don¡¯t feel anything.

    Not even sad.

    I wonder if I should be worried about that.

    Okay, so I could be dead, or in a coma, or something.

    Or. . .

    It''s not like I¡¯ve never heard of isekai, but usually there¡¯s a god or goddess which greets you, and gives you some stupid overpowered gift, typically with a healthy dose of ¡®I own you.¡¯

    Alright.

    Let''s try this again.

    Hello?

    . . .

    Nope.

    Okay. . . Now what?

    Lucifer? Jesus? Garfield?

    Anyone?

    No?

    . . .

    Maybe I¡¯m the god?

    I think I saw a story like that once.

    Let¡¯s find out.

    <hr>

    Like I said. I¡¯m a writer. I can make things.

    In theory.

    I want to make a world. A story that I can make real.

    So let''s start with some light.

    I flex my will, with the intention of making some light.

    . . .

    Is that-

    Yes! I made light!

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    . . .

    Wait.

    That''s a woman.

    That''s an attractive woman.

    . . .

    An attractive glowing woman.

    One who looks like a traditional isekai goddess.

    . . .

    Fuck.

    <hr>

    She opened her eyes, and was greeted with an endless expanse of nothingness. A vast, black void surrounded her, swallowing every inch of her vision.

    How did she come to this place? Who was she?

    And she was already bored.

    But how should she entertain herself?

    Oh.

    Now there¡¯s an idea.

    She¡¯s started with a blank canvas, the dark void which surrounds her.

    She reflexively glows slightly brighter, to push the darkness slightly farther away.

    She will make other living beings, and a world for them to live in.

    A voice in the back of her head asked what brought such ideas to her, but that wasn¡¯t important. She had a purpose! She would now be known as. . . Akira. Creator of the universe!

    <hr>

    Alright. I made a goddess, who is now seemingly making the universe, very quickly at that.

    Which really begs the question: what am I?

    I existed before she did, and she¡¯s only now making stuff.

    So I¡¯m. . . nothing?

    Or at least, I¡¯m not stuff.

    Okay.

    Again, not feeling any sort of distress, which I really think I should be about now.

    . . .

    Can I also make stuff?

    I mean I made her, right?

    That sounded weird.

    Quickly, I flex my will again, this time making something very specific.

    A rock.

    Well alright, maybe not that specific, but I envisioned it as well as I could.

    . . .

    Now there¡¯s a rock there.

    And it does match what I was thinking of.

    . . .

    Ok, get rid of it before she sees it.

    . . .

    And the rock is gone now.

    . . .

    Alright. So I¡¯m a god. I¡¯m not the one making the universe, that¡¯s her, and eventually, by the looks of things, there is going to be life in it.

    If it¡¯s anything like earth, they¡¯re gonna worship her.

    But this is still my story. Okay, big quotations around ¡®my¡¯, but you get the point. And what¡¯s a good story without a villain? I mean aesthetically we¡¯re on track. She¡¯s bright, glowy, beautiful, and is making the universe. I. . . don¡¯t have a body, but I am basically the darkness, so we''re on track.

    But if I¡¯m going to be the big bad, I¡¯ve gotta have a cool name too.

    . . .

    I¡¯ll think of one later.

    For now, I¡¯ll just sleep for a bit until she starts making creatures.

    . . .

    Wait, is she my daughter?

    <hr>

    Akira was already finished with the basics of her creation. The universe was ready for individual planets, and then she would make life! She just couldn¡¯t wait.

    . . .

    She shivered slightly, feeling cold for a moment, and her memory flashed briefly to the all-encompassing darkness that surrounded her when she came to be. Casting a glance around her, she could only see her creations. Disregarding the momentary interruption, she began planning.

    She was feeling a bit lonely. . .

    Maybe she should make some godly peers? Ones who could help her create the universe?

    That sounded like a good idea.

    She started with ideas: she wanted vast swaths of liquid, filling in the cracks in her creations. She wanted life, plants and animals covering her creations. She wanted life like her.

    Her power reacted with her desire, and things were made. Similar to her in shape, but slightly smaller. It didn¡¯t match her exactly, Some were more similar to her, while others instead looked more. . . Masculine.

    Where did that idea come from? She was the only other living being?

    . . .

    Probably just an unconscious idea.

    They were not awake yet, so she could mold them to better serve their purposes.

    She took the largest of the male gods, and began to mold him.

    He would be Kaito, god of the oceans. He would control the seas of liquid that would soon exist throughout the universe. He would be the king of the gods, patient but hot-tempered.

    She took the largest of the female gods, only slightly shorter than Kaito, and began molding her.

    She would be Mei, goddess of life. She would bring life of all kinds to the universe that Akira would make. She would be the queen of the gods, kind but impulsive.

    She would keep them asleep for now, and would wake them when the universe was ready.

    <hr>

 Chapter 2 - Sleeping with a huge asterisk

    <hr>

    After creating Kaito and Mei, Akira was shaping the planets that would make up the living space in the universe. The stars that she had already made prior to making the gods seemed like a good place to have the planets around, so she had chosen to create the gods near a particularly large star. At the moment, they were just floating, but once she was done with the planets she would put them on one.

    The planet she was currently making was going to be two layered, with a layer on the outside, which would get direct light from the sun, and an inner layer that would get light from holes in the first layer and glowing crystals that would grow.

    She had already chosen a star for this planet to orbit, being a moderately-sized star not too far from the star the gods were going to be inhabiting.

    She was very happy.

    <hr>

    I can''t sleep. Or at least, sleeping is very different from it was when I was human. For starters, I can still feel whatever Akira is doing.

    How do I know her name? Well, it''s sort of an unconscious knowledge. When I think of her, I know her name.

    She still hasn¡¯t shown any knowledge of my existence, which is good. I don¡¯t want anyone to know I¡¯m here yet.

    If I¡¯m going to be a villain, I¡¯d rather be the unseen puppet master than a dramatic in-your-face dark lord.

    Back to my schemes.

    I¡¯m no Isekai mega-fan, but I know the basics.

    Teen dies, god/goddess kidnaps their soul, gives them an offer they can¡¯t refuse, sends them to another world which is under assault by your bog-standard demon king.

    Akira doesn¡¯t seem like the type to make a demon king, so I guess that''s up to me.

    Will she notice? You bet. But as long as I stay in the shadows, occasionally dropping hints to my existence, the story will go on.

    And the other gods that she made?

    Well, if Akira was a campfire, they would be matches.

    I¡¯m not sure if she made them weaker than her on purpose, or if she just can¡¯t make things close to her in strength, but the power gap between them is quite big.

    Now I know what you¡¯re asking: what about me? Where do I stand on the power podium?

    Well to be honest, I¡¯m not sure.

    I haven¡¯t really tried anything beyond making Akira and that rock.

    I could of course, but then I¡¯d be risking revealing myself too early.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Oh well. At least "sleeping" lets me relax a bit.

    <hr>

    Akira was finished with the home of the gods. It was a small planet, all things considered, and it didn¡¯t particularly look like a planet either, but it would serve the same function, so it didn¡¯t really matter.

    It was a ring, with a large mountain in the middle where the gods would live. The ring itself was a mix of different metals and gemstones, mainly gold and quartz.

    The mountain itself was largely undefined, its only unique factor apart from its size being that it mirrored itself on the bottom.

    She moved the gods that she had made onto the mountain, making sure that they were comfortable despite their unconscious state. Once she was done, she went back to the other planets that she had made.

    She had finished making most other planets, and although most were not suitable for life, those that were she would assign gods to protect.

    Mentally, she picked specific gods for each planet, as well as some extras for planets that might become suitable later.

    Sora for Gistea; a small planet around a large star, Nao for Ilmion; an enormous planet which orbited a tiny star, Gaia for Earth; an average planet around an average star, Yasu for Liiliv; a flat, wide open planet for a decently large star, Chihiro for Asyke; the two-layered planet. So many more gods and goddesses for so many more planets.

    She made sure that the gods on the ring-planet¨C which she had named Kyou¨C knew about the other gods in their unconscious, and that the planetary gods knew about the gods of Kyou.

    Now that the gods and the planets were done, it was time to start on life.

    <hr>

    Oh she¡¯s done!

    . . .

    That planet looks a lot like earth.

    Well, prehistoric earth.

    . . .

    What is she doing?

    . . .

    Oh I see.

    Right now she¡¯s designing the life that¡¯s going to evolve.

    That''s actually very interesting. Not making life directly like she did with the gods, but rather making a design, which then will be built gradually over millions of years.

    Looks like now is my time to shine.

    Or whatever the opposite of shine is. Darken?

    Point is, I¡¯m going to be sneaking in my own designs to the designs that will evolve.

    But I¡¯m not going to touch humans or earth, because, well, I kinda want to see if human me shows up or not.

    <hr>

    Let''s start, like she has, with the most common humanoid in fantasy. After, you know, humans.

    Elves.

    Elves themselves do have their dark version already, with the aptly named dark elves, sometimes called drow, and I will pull some strings to get them into the game too, but I¡¯m talking opposites.

    Elves are known for their magic affinity, their long lives, and their beauty.

    Orcs, on the other hand, are known for their physical strength, and how relatively ugly they are.

    Perfect opposites, interestingly.

    My orcs will be as popularly depicted, as large, green humanoids with tusks, slightly pointed ears, and bulging muscles.

    Perfect.

    Next up are dwarves.

    Short, bearded humanoids with great technological skill, a love for mining, and a hatred of elves.

    I¡¯m not going to add that hatred, But I have a feeling that It¡¯ll pop up anyway.

    To be honest, I¡¯m not sure what I could make to oppose the dwarves.

    Dragons are the most prominent, but they are more so majestic beasts, not the opposing race that I would need.

    I could make something new I guess.

    Time to stretch my writing muscles!

    . . .

    Metaphorically.

    <hr>

 Chapter 3 - First contact.

    <hr>

    Alright.

    Dwarves are short, at least compared to humans, so their opposite will either be very tall, or based on something small and made bigger.

    Or¡­ I could do both.

    What are commonly small, dwell in the dark, and are fairly intelligent?

    Rats of course!

    So I¡¯ll make skaven!

    What are skaven?

    Well put simply, they¡¯re bipedal rats.

    Sure, they¡¯re traditionally not particularly huge, but I¡¯m the one making them, so they are gonna be TALL. At least three meters.

    Of course, I¡¯m also going to make other races.

    Shades, living shadows which will whisper in the ears of all people, enticing them to my side.

    Undead, reanimated corpses which will gain more intelligence the larger a horde that they are a part of.

    I¡¯ll also make dungeon cores, because what¡¯s a fantasy world without dungeons?

    Eventually, I¡¯ll make demons, both the quickly breeding cannon fodder kind for invasions, and the powerful and intelligent dealmaking kind for a little fun in between.

    Demon kings will be directly created by me, not evolved, made specifically for the occasion.

    . . .

    Wait.

    Akira implanted thoughts into the heads of the gods right? She gave them knowledge of each other.

    Can I implant ideas in her own head?

    . . .

    Only one way to find out, I guess.

    <hr>

    Akira was almost finished when she got an amazing idea.

    Why not make another god to help her?

    She had already decided that she would rather observe from a distance when it came to universal affairs, so she was likely to be lonely, so why not make another god to keep her company?

    Quickly, She began designing them. Not quite female or male, bridging the gap between. They would be. . . Nakai.

    She would wake them when she woke the other gods. For now, they would remain asleep.

    Now back to work. Not much longer before she would start things.

    <hr>

    Okay, that worked.

    Good I guess? Now I can implant the idea of isekaing some heroes when the time comes.

    Alright. Is that all?

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Gods, planets, races, monsters, carefully laid preparations for the coming plot.

    I think that''s it.

    . . .

    Oh right.

    I need an avatar.

    Not a body, more like a puppet. Something that I can control without confining myself to. It needs to be convincing enough that Akira doesn¡¯t know that it''s only a puppet, and strong enough that she can¡¯t just destroy it.

    Maybe I should make it that she can¡¯t touch anything that I make?

    I¡¯m sure by now that I¡¯m stronger than her, so it''s not like I can¡¯t.

    I¡¯ll add that to the designs that I¡¯ve snuck in too.

    I¡¯ll also need a name eventually. . .

    . . .

    Still nothing.

    I¡¯ve got time.

    But it looks like she¡¯s finishing up.

    Time to make my avatar and make myself known.

    Odd for a puppet master to take center stage? Sure. But this is for the drama. And I''m all for the drama.

    <hr>

    After making Nakai, Akira was finishing up the universe before she woke everything up.

    She had carefully designed dozens of races, from the unassuming humans, to the magnificent elves. From the hardy dwarves, to the friendly beastkin. From the servants of the gods she called angels, to the regal sea serpents. She had perfected all things, and it was ready to begin.

    She took a deep breath.

    These would be her last moments alone.

    . . .

    She woke them up.

    . . .

    And immediately she felt that something was wrong.

    She felt like a great wound had opened in the universe, and reflexively, she searched for the location.

    It wasn¡¯t that far from her, only a couple of solar systems away on the planet Asyke, the two-layered planet that she had made. She could hear the cries of Chihiro, the god that was given reign over it, as whatever the cause of the wound began making its presence known.

    She could not let this. . . thing continue.

    Beside her, Nakai shivered as they woke, apparently having felt it as well. Quickly, she teleported to the planet''s surface, Nakai at her side, ready to face whatever this was.

    And it was horrifying.

    An enormous humanoid monster made of stone, shapeless in detail. Though it lacked a face, she could feel its malice as she laid her eyes on it. It was. . . wrong. A spit in the face of all of her creations. She could not feel even the slightest connection to it.

    Instinctually, she tried to erase it.

    But nothing happened.

    The ground around it vanished, and the air surrounding it disappeared. But the thing still stood, now floating, as if it did not weather the power of the supreme creator.

    She tried again.

    Again, the air around it was annihilated, but the thing did not react.

    She had absolute power over all of her creations, so this couldn¡¯t be one of them. Why did it wait until she had awoken all other things to attack? Was it also asleep at the time?

    She was aware that by now her conflict with it had garnered the attention of the gods, but she didn¡¯t care.

    The thing pointed at her with a stony hand, and she could feel its desire to destroy her as she had tried to destroy it. But nothing happened. Unperturbed and seemingly unsurprised, it moved the hand to its side, pointing instead at the empty space beside it.

    She could feel the power of the thing tear reality asunder to create something horrible. Where it had pointed, a mound of red flesh appeared, eyes, mouths, and tendrils scattered across it without reason or purpose.

    Again, she tried to use her power to annihilate the monstrous thing that it had created, and again nothing.

    ¡°My lady,¡± Nakai spoke for the first time since their awakening. ¡°If you cannot destroy it, why not confine it?¡±

    Now there was an Idea. She had a complete lack of control over it or its creations, and it had shown a lack of control over her own. She could bind it in chains of her making, trapping it forever.

    She quickly summoned enormous chains, made of all sorts of metal, and threw them at the thing.

    Almost immediately, it was wrapped from the shapeless lump that served as a head, to the mounds that served as its feet.

    She tore a hole in reality, quickly throwing it and its creation using her control over her chains to where they could never harm again.

    Outside of the universe itself.

    As soon as the deed was done, she felt Chihiro sigh in relief, and she teleported herself and Nakai away from the planet and the watching gods.

    She would need to think this over.

    <hr>

 Chapter 4 - Aftermath.

    <hr>

    Kaito couldn¡¯t breathe.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t need to breathe, but the point stands.

    Whatever the monster was that appeared when they woke, it was outright painful.

    He was the god of the oceans, and the monster had appeared on land, far from any water, but it had felt like a sword through his gut when it appeared on Chihiro¡¯s planet.

    It defied reality. It defied his power, and the power of the grand creator. It was completely alien, and the thing that it created was just as alien.

    Thankfully it was gone now, and the pain that he felt had left, but the pangs remained.

    After the creator defeated it and left, Kaito and the rest of the gods of Kyou had arrived on Asyke, and began to try to heal the landscape. Although the thing apparently couldn¡¯t affect the great one¡¯s creations, the impact it had on the universe itself still left an aura of pain and malice.

    Having such a being appear on his planet¡¯s surface had hurt Chihiro greatly, and he was being tended to by Mitsuki, the god of the planet¡¯s moon, despite her also being affected by it¡¯s arrival.

    It appeared that the gods of Kyou would have to keep an eye on this planet for a while. Chihiro and Mitsuki would need it.

    <hr>

    Nakai knew their purpose. To help the creator¨C Akira¨C with anything that might transpire, and to keep her company.

    But this was not something that could have been foreseen. A being that defied the creator with casual abandon, and left such a mark on reality that it could still be felt from here, many systems away.

    How could they help Akira with this? They were not as strong or as knowledgeable as her, and they lacked the skill that she had.

    But they were made with the purpose of helping her, and help was what she needed now.

    So they comforted her, tending to her until Akira once more glowed brightly.

    ¡°Nakai.¡±

    Akira¡¯s voice was melodious, and though they had never heard it before then, it sounded just like they had imagined.

    ¡°Yes my lady?¡±

    ¡°Was there anything else I could have done?¡±

    Nakai paused.

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    The thing had shown to lack the power to affect the universe directly, possibly because Akira had made the universe. Equally, Akira couldn¡¯t seem to affect it, nor its creations, disgusting as they were.

    To bind it in chains of her own making and dispose of it in a place that it could not hurt others was the best plan, for leaving it inside the universe would have hurt all things even more than its arrival already had.

    ¡°I do not believe so, my lady.¡±

    Akira fell silent once more, and Nakai continued tending to her.

    Such things were not Nakai¡¯s business, but they hoped that the thing would not return. It clearly had a negative effect on her creator.

    <hr>

    That went well.

    Set up my avatar as a threat, while showing a marginal weakness that also served as the reason that Akira couldn¡¯t immediately annihilate it.

    I wasn¡¯t expecting my avatar being thrown out of the universe, but this is actually very good.

    Currently my avatar and the demon king are floating a fair distance from the edge of the universe.

    Let''s get to creating shall we?

    I¡¯ll start with a medium star, and then make a couple of planets.

    Alright, put one in the habitable zone. . . there. Give it. . . two moons, and. . . there we go.

    Let us begin with the ¡®higher¡¯ demons. The kind that will make deals.

    I split the first demon king in two, and mold both halves.

    One, the right half, will be the Archdevil Lucifer. He will be conventionally handsome, with red skin, black hair, a goatee, solid red eyes, and a pair of bull¡¯s horns.

    The other, the left half, will be the Archdevil Lilith. Unlike Lucifer, she will be mostly black smoke, with the details of her body highlighted with orange fire. Her eyes will blaze a molten orange, and her horns will be more akin to the horns of an Impala.

    They will be the rulers of the demons, higher than even the demon kings. I¡¯ll even give them the ability to commune with me through my avatar. I don¡¯t subscribe to the idea of the left brain versus the right brain, but I did design them with that in mind. Lucifer will be very creative and emotional, using sentiment to win battles. Lillith on the other hand, will be logical and nigh emotionless. Think Starscream and Shockwave, if they actually worked together instead of constantly betraying each other. Together, they will be unstoppable.

    I¡¯ll make a nice castle for them. . . There. It''s big, grandiose, gothic and intimidating. I¡¯ll just place Lucifer and Lilith on some thrones. . . Nice. They''ll stay asleep until I finish.

    Oh right, my avatar.

    I think I¡¯ll put it in one of the larger rooms. Suspended by a dozen chains and hanging in a huge room like this, it looks pretty evil. Right now the avatar is about 30 meters tall, although I can change it at any moment.

    Now for the non-demon royalty.

    I¡¯ll make them appear mostly humanoid, with a few noticeable exceptions. Obviously, their skin will be different, with some having red skin, some with pale white, and others with black or grey. Some will have horns or antlers, some will have wings or tails, some will have claws or hooves, some will have fur or hair, some will have scales. Some will look almost exactly like humans, and others will look like monsters out of a child¡¯s nightmare.

    What about the cannon fodder?

    Lesser demons will be more akin to animals than anything else. They will be more uniform then the ¡®higher¡¯ demons, but will still vary in specialization and use.

    Alright. I¡¯ll implant the knowledge of my existence in them and. . .

    Wake.

    And that''s it. The prologue is finished, and now it''s time for the story to begin.

    It¡¯ll be a while until humans and the other races show up, so I guess I can try to sleep again.

    I¡¯ll still focus enough to respond to Lucifer and Lillith, but I¡¯ll mostly be resting.

    I think I¡¯ll start my first invasion around the time of the ancient Egyptians.

    <hr>

 Chapter 5 - Get funky

    <hr>

    In the millions of years following the awakening, Akira, Nakai, and the gods of Kyou kept a closer eye on Asyke.

    It wasn¡¯t until the designed races began to emerge that they noticed.

    The races that Akira had designed existed, yes, but so did other races, which while not impossible¨C Akira used evolution for a reason¨C so many different races was unlikely. Not to mention that they felt almost identical to the stone giant from so long ago, albeit very diluted.

    The thing, whatever it was, had altered life when it arrived, creating these. . . heretical races.

    Orcs were brutish, goblins were cruel, skaven were malicious, and golems were far too close to the monster for any god¡¯s taste.

    But none could touch them. The giant''s creations resisted the power of the great creator. The other races, the ones made by the creator could, but they lacked the power to hurt them meaningfully.

    To solve this, Akira gave her creations the power of magics, and taught them how to use them. The dark races had such magic too of course, but they lacked the knowledge to use them effectively.

    <hr>

    Something new had arrived, bearing the signature of the beast. Although some looked human, even the untrained eye could tell the difference. These were its creations. They made deals, granting power in exchange for various things. Once, one gave a farmer the power of a king in exchange for his family. The farmer became a noble, and his family disappeared.

    Agents of the Church of the Grand Creator sent priests, paladins and clerics all over the planet to wipe out any of these creatures that they found.

    A few succeeded in their mission.

    Most resorted to genocide and slavery of the non-creator races.

    <hr>

    ¡°Power with a price.¡± the demon reminded.

    ¡°It is worth it to wipe them out.¡± The human king responded.

    The demon just smiled.

    The king¡¯s family disappeared in their sleep that night.

    <hr>

    Krika was a higher demon. Not quite a member of the demon royalty, but fairly close. He answered plenty of summons, typically more desperate ones. All the better to spread the Dark One¡¯s influence.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Usually he would be summoned in the room of a castle by a noble, or in the fields by a peasant. Occasionally even in an alley by a criminal. Krika would always give them what they wanted. Power. Money. Women. Men. Krika loved taking it all away when they needed it the most, then feeding their soul to the lesser demon hordes.

    But this one. . .

    ¡°Please demon! Take me away!¡±

    An elf, dark in skin and pale in hair, begging to a demon of all things?

    Krika growled, his mandibles chewing the air as his red eyes darkened. Using his bladelike front leg, he carefully lifted her chin, making sure to accentuate the sharp edge for a silent threat.

    ¡°Why would an elf such as yourself want to be taken from your land?¡±

    It was only after he saw the lashes on her skin that he realized. The races made by the Bright One were quite unaccepting of anything that they think could be even tangentially related to the Dark One, so an elf with dark skin being ostracized and tortured wasn¡¯t that far out of possibility.

    Without another word, Krika embraced the elf, and they were gone. And though her pursuers hunted for days, they were not found.

    Many more dark elves disappeared from their cells the following nights.

    <hr>

    The skaven were among the most hated of the Dark Ones creations. Orcs made good servants due to their enormous strength and low intellect. Goblins made good slaves because of their fast breeding and supposedly less than impressive intelligence. But the skaven? They weren¡¯t just decently smart, they were fast. Even a high ranking rogue couldn¡¯t match an adolescent skaven¡¯s speed. Most skaven that were captured were killed, and the ones that weren¡¯t escaped not long after.

    For years now the skaven clans had been planning. The dwarf kingdom was their target for now, due to the dark tunnels being perfect for skaven to hunt in. Of course their large stature might make it difficult, but dwarf tasted good, and skaven loved the dark.

    After the slaughtering of the Dwarf town, the skaven were poking through the libraries while snacking. When they saw the forging techniques of the dwarves and magic studies that they were looking into? it might have only been enchanting, but it ended with the skaven being the ones enchanted.

    Skaven were fast. Over a dozen elf libraries were raided by the morning.

    <hr>

    Goblins were often seen as the weak link of the dark races. Not strong or fast or seen as particularly smart, but that was alright, for their gifts were well hidden. Goblins were sneaky, patient, and intelligent. They worked well in groups, and could last months without sustenance.

    Goblins were the masters of the long con. They came across as weak, dumb, with their only strength being their numbers. But goblins were excellent liars. They stole pickaxes and shovels, storing them for the oncoming revolution. They smuggled maps and information to their dark kin. They sabotaged weapons and armor, made plans in the dark, and were always listening.

    Nobody ever looked at a goblin, but they likely should have.

    <hr>

    Orcs were the strongest of the Dark One¡¯s races. They were large, tough, and physically unmatched. They weren''t that smart, but they didn¡¯t need it. Their fellows did the thinking, and the orcs did the fighting. As it happened, evidently their huge strength, large physique, and their low intelligence made them the favored servants of the bright races nobles, as capturing them alive was difficult¨C most orcs tended to fight until they died, and then some more¨C so they made a good symbol of status when compared to the goblins.

    Orcs were not that smart, but a single orc could match a squad of high ranking knights. Captive orcs were often smarter than their free counterparts, as they would rather live to fight another day than die without reason. When orcs were used as servants, they often had to be kept in heavy chains, else risk the violent deaths of every living thing nearby.

    Orcs were the bane of mages, as they not only resisted holy magic, but were outright immune to magic from all non-holy sources.

    Orcs did not need brains. Their brawn was enough. But when a smart orc was around. . .

    There was a reason that captive orcs were kept far away from each other.

    <hr>

    . . .

    That didn''t take too long.

    Not going to lie, I''m excited for this.

    <hr>

 Chapter 6 - Babe! its 3150 BC, time for your demonic invasion!

    <hr>

    Stories often follow a series of events, starting with the exposition, and ending with the resolution.

    We¡¯ve just finished with the exposition, so now it''s time for the next step.

    The inciting incident, AKA, what gets the heroes involved in the wider story. In this case, it¡¯ll be the first demonic invasion.

    I¡¯ve already given the higher demons the temporary ability to create gateways to Asyke, so that they could let lesser demons out to wreak havoc. Lucifer and Lilith have been informed, and have already begun drawing up invasion plans. They know that even if this one fails, more invasions will occur in the future.

    Lesser demons are currently splitting into groups of 3-5, and spreading quickly throughout the central continent.

    I¡¯ll also be using the undead, which haven¡¯t been awake until now. I suppose they serve better as an additional threat during and after invasions anyway.

    I¡¯ll make sure that my non-demonic races aren¡¯t involved, I don¡¯t want them to be hated any more than they already are.

    Let¡¯s get this show on the road.

    <hr>

    Gotou was a hardworking man. He would tend to the graveyards of the kingdom, polishing the gravestones, pruning the trees, watering the flowers, and shooing away animals looking to dig in the yard. It was tireless and thankless work, but it was his.

    This day was no different. Wake up, put on his robes, grab a fruit from the basket, kiss his spouse goodbye, and walk to the yard to begin working.

    When he got there though, he noticed that the graves had all been dug up. An animal must have gotten to them while he was sleeping.

    But all of the graves were empty. No animal would dig ALL of them up, only the fresher ones.

    He recalled stories of the undead, tall tales of bodies still moving after death. It was well known that orcs would fight even after dying, and that skaven bodies would slip away unnoticed if left unattended, but when it came to the blessed races, such things were quite impossible.

    It had to have been grave robbers. He would have to report this to the church.

    <hr>

    Adachi was a devout follower of the Great Creator. She prayed every day, served the church well, and never strayed from the light.

    When she was sent on a mission by the church to hunt demons, she thought it would be hard to find them.

    She did not expect a group of them to jump her party in the woods.

    ¡°On your left!¡±

    Aoki was swinging his sword wildly, clearly not used to actually using it in combat, when he was toppled by one of the demons striking his left flank with a bladed limb.

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    Adachi quickly fired a holy blast at the second demon, which threw it backwards before it could react, but she was still too slow to prevent Aoki¡¯s neck from being severed by the first demon.

    Then the second demon lunged at her, and the first threw itself at Sou¨C the party¡¯s paladin¨C and before she even knew what was happening, the third demon had slain the archer.

    Four holy blasts and a minor healing spell later, Adachi and Sou stood victorious over the three demons, covered in cuts and bruises. One of Sou¡¯s arms had been removed from the elbow by the first demon¡¯s bladed limbs, shortly before it was crushed beneath the paladin¡¯s warhammer.

    Then another group of demons ambushed them.

    Adachi, in a last ditch effort, used all of her remaining power to destroy the fourth and fifth demons, before passing out, leaving the Sou to fight the sixth and seventh.

    She woke up in the paladin¡¯s arms as he carried her to the nearest church to be healed.

    She almost didn¡¯t notice that she was missing her arms.

    <hr>

    Over the following weeks, reports of groups of demons kept coming in.

    Such numbers would have been thought impossible if the royal scouts hadn¡¯t seen a mob of demons ransack a village to the south of the capital.

    As it was, King Kujo was at a loss for what to do.

    He wasn¡¯t as strong as an adventurer¨C mainly having devoted his life to ruling instead of fighting¨C but he had prided himself on his intelligence. So why couldn¡¯t he think of anything to do against this new threat?

    Low ranking adventurers had come back without party members, missing limbs and weapons, having been unprepared against the demons. Even high ranking ones, rare as they were, had been returning to the capital exhausted and less a few body parts.

    The strongest known party in the land had gone against a force of what must have been hundreds of demons, and when they came back, they were halved in number.

    King Kujo didn¡¯t know what to do.

    He could only hope the church did.

    <hr>

    Communing with a god was not an everyday occurrence.

    The methods of doing so were well kept, and even when used, they required a god to respond, which they rarely did.

    The last time a communication with the gods was tried, it was because a huge golem was approaching the capital city. No god responded, and eventually the church recommended that a group of adventurers destroy it before it could get close enough to pose a threat. While it had worked, the fight destroyed large portions of the forest, and the golem¡¯s body blocked an important trading path.

    Since then, nothing had been important enough to warrant bothering the gods.

    But this threat was not something that could be handled by mortals.

    The gods were needed.

    As they began the ritual, they could only pray that the gods would respond.

    <hr>

    Gods were powerful, knowledgeable beings created by the Great One directly. They did not ¡®freak out¡¯ like Kaito¡¯s daughter Hifumi suggested. And even if they could, they wouldn¡¯t be.

    The gods had changed in their appearance over time, mainly due to the shifting ideas of what they looked like by mortals, and new gods had been born¨C once again, because of moral beliefs¨C but throughout the millennia, they had stayed the same in one way. Gods had grown distant from mortals, despite how much they influenced each other. After all, gods were immortal, and mortals lived up to their designation.

    But the gods also felt fear.

    Fear that the thing would return. That it hadn¡¯t been sealed forever, and was biding its time and gathering its power to strike back.

    Kaito had even confessed as much to Akira when she and Nakai visited.

    They had warned their followers of the beast, and told them of the races it made, and they smiled as the Dark Ones creations were slaughtered by the hundreds.

    But now their nightmares were coming true.

    The new creatures that spread through the continent like a disease bore its mark, and the gods were helpless against them. Their power was ignored completely, their agents just a little less helpless than the gods, and they felt its presence push on the edges of the universe.

    They could only trust that their creator had an answer.

    <hr>

 Chapter 7 - Keeping up with the Kardashdemons

    <hr>

    Among the higher demons, Azahi was one who was well known. He, along with only 72 others, were personally chosen by the Archdevils to lead the Demon armies.

    His legion, which consisted mostly of more beastly demons, had already ravaged many towns, and had slaughtered dozens of adventurers. He was proud of his underlings, even if they were incapable of higher thought.

    ¡°See how more efficient this is? We are already on our way to assured victory!¡± He boasted to his fellow chosen.

    ¡°I still think that your refusal to capture possible sources of information is a poor decision.¡± Krika chastised from his left.

    Krika, who had received command of a veritable horde of lesser demons, had been adamant in his decision to take plenty of captives, both for information and for fun. Although his victories were slow, he had extracted priceless knowledge from the heads of dozens of captures. Combined with him having been the one to convert dark elves to their side, he was practically a living legend among the Dark One¡¯s ranks. His most recent victory¨C taking complete control of a small town and capturing two adventurers who had escaped another general¡¯s minions¨C was just another victory on his increasingly large roster.

    ¡°Finding ones who could possibly be useful is so difficult! Why not simply kill whoever we can get out hands on, and torture any who remain for whatever we need?¡± Azahi was not truly upset, he knew that aimless slaughter wasn¡¯t exactly the most efficient form of warfare, but it was so fun!

    Krika just sighed, something that had become common during such meetings, as the generals who could come close to him in intelligence were few and far between.

    Azahi was having a great time.

    <hr>

    Sou were not having a great time.

    After arriving at the church, the town they had arrived in almost immediately came under attack by hordes of insectoid demons.

    Adachi was in no condition to fight, and was practically falling asleep anyway¨C not to mention her lacking arms, which were beneficial, although not required, for spellcasting.

    So Sou, currently one-armed, forced himself into the front lines, fighting what seemed to be an endless wave of demons. Some were large, some were small, some could fly, and some burst from the ground like nothing he had ever seen before.

    When one tore his sword from his hand, he had to resort to punching. Then he felt a stinger enter his back, and he quickly started to tire.

    No! He had to fight! For the town! For Adachi!

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    But no matter how many blows he threw, the horde did not cease, and eventually, his vision was consumed with the ugly shades of the demons.

    And when he fell, he did not get back up.

    <hr>

    Lucifer was doing fantastic.

    He¡¯ll be the first to admit that after his creation, he was a bit confused, although thankfully his wife¨C who scared just about everyone but him¨C helped him realize his mission.

    What was this mission? Why the complete takeover of the universe of course! How did you not get that silly? It''s not like it''d be hard, his demons breed and adapt so fast that they could overrun anything he sets them upon! Sure they weren''t all that strong¨C or smart for that matter¨C but there were a lot of them!

    Plus, his generals (picked mostly by Lilith) had been taking great victories recently. High and low ranking adventurers had been killed¨C or in the case of Krika captured¨C giving them more information, gear, land, and inspiration for future demons. Frankly he couldn¡¯t wait to design them.

    Even if this invasion failed, it''s not like they couldn¡¯t try again, and the best way to improve is to lose! For every invasion that is fought off, the demon legions get stronger, and the plans better.

    He had even figured out how to grant immortality¨C which he obviously used to make the captured adventurers immortal so he could torture them forever¨C but also to get some of the mortal races that the Dark One made to be his immortal demon generals, and it was going great!

    Esiyae¨C the first of the dark elves¨C had taken great joy in commanding her assigned legion of lesser demons to lay siege to the elven lands, almost as much as Aktom the orc had taken in destroying the town of adventurers that had he had been enslaved to prior to his escape and transformation into a demon general. Trin the goblin and Yur the skaven were enjoying laying out plans to take large swaths of the dwarven mountains, and even the Golem general, Ghun, was helping plan the siege of the human capital.

    Most of the generals were pure demons of course, such as Meno, who was having great success in the north; and Spiriah, who was still sulking after his attempt to kill a band of high ranking adventurers had only resulted in one of them dying.

    But still, if he didn¡¯t have the ability to commune with the Dark One¨C who was known by different names depending on which of the dark races you asked¨C he was sure he wouldn¡¯t be as confident.

    He wasn¡¯t aware of his creator¡¯s full plan of course¨C only parts of it¨C but the fact that a loss wouldn¡¯t matter did take quite a weight off his shoulders, as well as the shoulders of the generals.

    Lucifer almost considered going to the Dark One¡¯s chamber now, with its walls and roof that were too far away to see, and its minimal lighting, which shrouded the Dark One in, well, darkness. He couldn¡¯t see the Dark One¨C even the eyes of the races that it had made couldn¡¯t pierce that darkness¨C but he could see the glint of the light off of some of the chains that bound its form.

    What the Dark One looked like¨C much like its name¨C depended greatly on which race you asked. The orcs believed it to be a great warrior clad in armor of stone, one that could fight even the stars. The goblins believed it to be the best of spies, who snuck its way into the universe from beyond, and forced its will upon reality. The skaven believed it to be the master of crafting, a being of fire and smoke who forged the dark races from shadow. The dark elves believed it to be a god unlike the others, who defied the order of the universe and was punished for it. The greater demons believed it nothing less than a living shadow, a shroud of darkness that covered the universe itself.

    Whatever the Dark One was, it wrapped all who devoted themselves to it in a blanket of shadow, accepting all refugees, and shielding them from the blistering light of the Bright One.

    They might not win this time, but they would win one day, for the one who had given them so much.

    <hr>

 Chapter 8 - Lets meet our first contestant:

    <hr>

    Saho was not the strongest of his family. That honor was given to his brother, nor was he the smartest, a title that was quietly and unofficially given to his sister.

    That wasn¡¯t to say that Saho was useless, he was more skilled with tools then his siblings.

    By this time of the day, he was by the Nile river, gathering water. He had done it thousands of times before, and was not expecting anything to change this time.

    Of course, much like the stories that his mother would tell him, that was his first mistake.

    He didn¡¯t notice the crocodile that was waiting in the reeds, although that''s not to say it wasn¡¯t well hidden.

    Even if he had seen it, it wouldn¡¯t matter. It lunged far too fast for him to react.

    The only solace that his family had was that it likely happened so fast that he didn¡¯t feel it.

    <hr>

    Desperate was not something that could often be prescribed to Akira, although Nakai didn¡¯t think that anything else would fit here.

    The sudden appearance of beasts that bore the mark of the. . . thing from so long ago had sent Akira into a panic. They had thought it defeated permanently, with the darker races that had appeared being merely a lasting effect from its appearance on Asyke.

    Akira had been trying to think of a solution for days now, although nearly everything fell short. The Gods were just as helpless as she was, and the inhabitants of Asyke, who were practically at war with each other prior, were crumbling before this new threat.

    Nakai¡¯s job was to help their creator, so they started looking around the universe for anything that might help.

    Which is where they stumbled across Earth. Like Asyke, it had humans, although these humans were much more suited for the magic that Akira had given to the inhabitants of Chihiro¡¯s planet.

    Gaia was particularly sympathetic to Chihiro because of their sharing of the human race, so she was happy to help. Nakai picked a human soul, and brought it over to Akira so that they could present their idea.

    A hero, enhanced directly by the creator.

    They were desperate, and this wasn¡¯t a bad idea. Nakai hoped that Akira would agree.

    <hr>

    Saho wasn¡¯t expecting this.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.He knew that he was dead, and although he was no pharaoh, he was being judged.

    Then a bright light appeared behind him, and pulled him away from Osiris before either could react.

    It felt as though he was flying. He could hear whispers, although he couldn¡¯t quite make out what they were saying.

    Saho.

    He heard a voice, feminine and ethereal.

    You have been chosen.

    It filled his ears, and the words etched themselves into his mind.

    Be a hero.

    And he felt the ground beneath his feet once more.

    <hr>

    Dux continued scanning the bookshelves. Ever since the demons began their assault on the bright races, the skaven had started scavenging the ruined towns left in their wake. They knew that the Dark One¨C named Ome by the skaven¨C had created the demons as well, although they were not driven to join them in their crusade.

    Dux, like many other skaven, had started looting this particular elf village only about two days ago, during which time they found the stash of magical knowledge that the elves liked to keep to themselves.

    At the moment, they were dissecting it with fervor, combining the knowledge of this village with the knowledge from others.

    Then he felt a prickling in his fur. Something had changed, and it wasn¡¯t the adventurers who thought they were being sneaky outside. Something¨C or someone¨C had just arrived. And they were not on the side of the demons.

    Dux took a moment to recollect himself, as did the other skaven.

    By the time the not-so-hidden adventurers kicked in the library door¨C quite rude, it wasn¡¯t even locked¨C The skaven were ready to fight.

    Dux quickly flung a dagger in the direction of the adventurers, and sprung backwards toward the table that he and the other skaven were using as a reading surface. The dagger was of course dodged¨C Dux wasn''t expecting it to hit, given that these didn¡¯t seem to be fresh adventurers¨C but it caused enough of a distraction for his friend Ves to throw a glass bottle filled with an opaque yellow liquid at them.

    The party¡¯s knight managed to knock it away with her sword, but the second and third daggers thrown by Dux found their way into her side before her movement was finished. As the dwarven paladin raised their battleaxe, the skaven retreated, preparing their next attacks. Rur¨C who had been in the back of the library until this point¨C leapt over one of the bookshelves, scythe in hand, while Ves grabbed another potion and Dux readied a spell that he had read about in one of the books.

    The adventuring party charged, met fiercely by the feral howls of the skaven as the fight commenced.

    Skaven were not demons. But they could fight like them.

    <hr>

    It was a known fact that the Dark One¨C Known to the demons as Kranua, a name with the literal meaning being hidden-in-shadow¨C had goals that were beyond most of their understanding. Even the Archdevils, Lucifer and Lillith, were not privy to the full extent.

    Krika was.

    He might not have been told it, but he was smart enough to figure it out. Why else would the generals be informed that a failed invasion didn¡¯t matter?

    Kranua didn¡¯t need or even want the Bright One and her creations destroyed.

    It wanted entertainment.

    Some might have been horrified. Some might deny it. Some might even try to fight against it.

    Not Krika.

    He understood. He knew. He embraced it. If Kranua wanted a show, he was glad to put one on.

    He did not take hostages just because it was more strategic. He took them for a later showing. He did not plan carefully just because he enjoyed outthinking his opponents. He did it to be certain that he could plan dramatic moments on the battlefield.

    His mother always told him he was an excellent actor.

    <hr>

 Chapter 9 - Sahos bizarre adventure

    <hr>

    The priests of the human Capital¡¯s church were not expecting a man to appear in a column of light.

    But they knew just by looking at him that he was sent by the gods. A solution to the problem that was covering the land, spreading like a plague. And so, they immediately started familiarizing him with weapons, the world, and started looking for potential party members.

    Even the strongest adventurer was nothing without allies.

    <hr>

    Adachi was still unconscious. If Sou wasn¡¯t able to see her slow breathing and the few times she had stirred slightly, he might¡¯ve thought she was dead.

    Even since they were captured during the attack on the village they had been kept chained in a dark cell. Occasionally, a demon would come in to get information out of him, or simply to torture them for seemingly no reason. He tried to stay quiet the first few times, but that just seemed to make the torturers worse.

    Not all of the demons were torturers, oddly enough.

    There was an inhumanly tall red-and-white insectoid one with huge blade-like limbs that ended in small claws, and a long head shaped vaguely like a mantises¨C albeit with a huge barbed spine attached to the back of the head. Evidently, that one was responsible for their capture. Sou almost wished that it would torture them, the way that it hovered slightly above the ground despite its folded wings, never saying a word¨C just watching with its solid red eyes¨C was unnerving.

    There was one that looked not unlike the female fox-Beastkin that Sou had met before, though it had black and grey fur, and solid green eyes that glowed softly. That one was fairly friendly (something that Sou never thought he would assign to a demon of all things), and made sure that Adachi was properly treated for her injuries. They were more helpful than the healers back in the Capital¡¯s church, which was strange and not something that he was certain how to feel about.

    He had heard a few conversations between them¨C or at least he thought they were between them, as the white and red one didn¡¯t seem to talk a lot¨C apparently they were making sure that other demons didn¡¯t kill them accidentally.

    At least they weren¡¯t the red-skinned humanoid demon that wore the clothes of a king. He wasn¡¯t sure what that one did to him and Adachi, but he was feeling much different.

    <hr>

    ¡°He seems to be warming up to us.¡±

    Krika hummed in agreement as he hovered alongside Balta, one of the few demon generals that came close to him in intelligence and motivation.

    Balta was about equal in intelligence to Krika, but she did not possess the knowledge of their true purpose like he did. She did however have a love for dramatics, and wasn¡¯t averse to using her carefully planned battlefields as a stage.

    Their shared dramatic flair had set them as fast friends after the generals were picked, and they often shared plans and worked together on attacks.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Krika had not told her the truth of their existence¨C he was uncertain how she would react, and wanted to see if she would realize it herself¨C but he had told her of his plans surrounding this new threat that had appeared.

    To put it simply, the new variable was not something that could¡¯ve been planned for, so they would have to overhaul most of their plans to include a contingency.

    Plus, checking on the prisoners was always a fun activity.

    <hr>

    Saho was not sure what to make of this new world.

    It was much. . . greener than the one he was familiar with. It had people that he had never seen before, from the tall, sharp-eared people called elves, to the short, bearded ones named dwarves. The many different forms of the beastkin, from animals he was familiar with to ones he could scarcely believe, dazzled him.

    But there were also the dark races.

    The enormous, muscled bodies of the orcs, which seemingly were always escorted by 4 or 5 armored guards and bound in chains thicker than his arms were frightening. Their small eyes burned his skin with rays of hatred, and their slow, methodical flexing of their hands whenever they saw him encouraged him to stay away.

    He had taken to the lessons in swordplay and magic use quickly, although the reports of demonic attacks that he overheard sent shivers down his spine. He had been evaluated as being stronger than even the most powerful adventurers, and more than a match for any demon, but that didn¡¯t stop him from feeling weak when he heard how vicious they were.

    Hopefully the evaluation was right. After three months training, he would be going on his first assignment.

    <hr>

    Well, the first hero finally finished training.

    They are certainly stronger than what I was anticipating. I thought that a simple house-sized demon king would be a perfect match, but it looks like I¡¯ll have to spruce it up a bit. Maybe a little bigger, decidedly stronger, and. . . perfect. A tough fight, but not one that they can lose.

    It won¡¯t be very specialized, just a bigger, stronger, faster demon.

    The invasion is going well, about half of the central continent is occupied, with the human capital and the outskirts of the elven and dwarven lands being currently under siege.

    . . .

    Ooh, the hero is going against a mob of undead!

    They haven¡¯t gotten much action so far.

    . . .

    I could be referring to either of them.

    <hr>

    Fuyuko wasn¡¯t sure what to think of the Hero.

    He had arrived, summoned by the gods themselves. He didn¡¯t know much about fighting, but he was undeniably talented and learned very quickly. Still, she didn¡¯t know much about him. The only thing she knew was his name.

    The undead hadn¡¯t been a significant threat so far, mostly being just a slowly growing horde of skeletons milling about without a direction. They would attack any adventurers, but they were defeated easily.

    Perfect for the Hero¡¯s first mission.

    Sure enough, the horde rushed them as soon as they were spotted. Dozens of skeletons, still-rotting corpses, and fresh bodies ran, lept, crawled, and stumbled towards them.

    Saho, for his part, didn¡¯t freeze up¨C a commonality among newer adventurers¨C but he did seem unnerved. He took a deep breath. . . closed his eyes. . . pointed his sword at the horde. . .

    Light shot from its blade, turning the monsters that were ready to add to their number to ash.

    Fuyuko grinned. No way they would lose with him on their side.

    <hr>

    Akira smiled.

    Ever since she approved the sending of a hero from Earth, her worries had been loosening. He was powerful, far more so than any demon that had appeared.

    But when he used that spell for the first time. . .

    He would bring peace and prosperity to Asyke. She knew he would.

 Chapter 10 - Here comes the boy

    <hr>

    Saho was easily the single strongest adventurer that Fuyuko had ever seen.

    He made the demonic forces, which had been decimating the kingdoms of the central continent until he took to the battlefield, fall apart like leaves in a tornado. Interestingly despite the threat he posed, the demons did not seem to regard him as any higher than a regular adventurer. Fuyuko and the rest of his party found this odd, but it was good fortune, so why complain?

    With him on the field, they were finally pushing the demons back, as the elves and dwarves found themselves reenergized.

    That wasn¡¯t to say that there weren¡¯t losses. The beastkin capital had finally fallen after 16 months under siege from demons, rendering many of the beastkin outside of the kingdom without families. A smaller human kingdom had been torn apart from the inside, as the mounting pressure from the demons gave rise to paranoia and traitorous thoughts. A dwarven kingdom crumbled not too long ago during an assault by undead, when their fallen allies rose again to fight on behalf of their enemy. Dozens of kilometers of elven forest had burnt down, and only Saho and his party¡¯s intervention had stopped the swarm of flaming demons from destroying a nearby elven town.

    Hopefully this would be over soon. Fuyuko couldn¡¯t wait to return to her home.

    <hr>

    Adachi hadn¡¯t opened her eyes yet, but she could hear somebody nearby.

    Carefully, she peeked through her eyelids, hoping that whoever it was wouldn¡¯t notice. She was lying on a bed in a well furnished stone room, with a high ceiling and a single window that let her glimpse a landscape of dark buildings. The person nearby was Sou, who was dozing in a nearby chair, without his armor or weapons.

    ¡°Sou!¡± she whispered, trying to get his attention. It evidently worked, as he roused slightly. ¡°¡®Achi?¡± He blinked sleep from his eyes. It took him a moment to focus on her. ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± He suddenly shot to his feet, nearly knocking a book off of the side table that it had been resting on.

    He rushed to her side, at a remarkable speed.

    ¡°Where are we?¡±

    Her question was not answered by him, rather by a grey-furred beastkin woman that stepped through the door. Behind her, a huge white and red monster loomed, its enormous bladed forelegs flanking either side of the door. It¡¯s empty red eyes bored into her soul, freezing her in fear. That thing, whatever it was, was a predator¨C and they were its prey.

    ¡°You are currently in the city of Axalara, where you will likely remain for a very long time.¡± The beastkin spoke with words laced with honey, although Adachi could tell the inflection behind them. They were prisoners.

    ¡°It is good to see you awake however,¡± the thing that was rapidly becoming clearer was not a beastkin continued. ¡°Your friend here was getting worried.¡±

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    The monster blocking the doorway clicked it¡¯s mandibles together in an odd way that reminded Adachi of a chuckle.

    ¡°Oh and don¡¯t worry about your arms.¡± The grey furred monster that looked like a beastkin grinned. ¡°We¡¯ll fix you right up.¡±

    <hr>

    I¡¯ve been thinking.

    I can¡¯t keep this game up forever, as much as I¡¯d like to.

    Eventually, Akira will refuse to play along, and I¡¯ll have a choice to make.

    On the one hand, I could try to destroy everything and start again. It could be possible, although Akira will certainly fight back.

    On the other hand, I could set up a backup game. One that she won¡¯t even notice.

    Akira is entirely focused on the milky way right now, which is where Earth and Asyke is, so I might be able to sneak some of my evil machinations into another galaxy or two.

    Obviously you know which one I¡¯m picking.

    But what if she notices, you might be asking.

    Well, I¡¯ll be making these changes very quickly, and I¡¯ll set up a distraction beforehand.

    I¡¯ll be doing this pretty soon.

    . . .

    . . .

    . . .

    Yeah it¡¯s been long enough.

    <hr>

    Akira was watching Saho intently when it happened.

    A loud crack sounded across Asyke as a monster descended. She could feel the beast slam against the edges of the universe, as the creature that it had made landed.

    It was unlike anything else, with the lower half of a dragon and a humanoid torso bulging from where the dragon¡¯s neck should¡¯ve been. Its head was an amalgamation of different animals, with the rough shape of a wolf with the tusks of a boar and the horns of a bull. It was roughly the size of two houses stacked on top of each other, and its massive hands were the size of a man.

    It had landed in the middle of a field, not far from a town of elves who were readying for an approaching horde of demons.

    She shivered as she felt the monster¡¯s creator smile.

    She could only pray that Saho would be able to defeat it.

    <hr>

    I¡¯ve always been partial to some good old HFY.

    What is HFY?

    Humanity: Fuck Yeah!

    Basically, humans are awesome, and kick ass everywhere they go.

    Now of course regular humans in this universe are basically on par with the other races, which is nice. I hate when a race is outclassed by everything else.

    Anyway, so far everything I¡¯ve made has had a ¡®taint¡¯ that marks it as mine. But I think I can make something without that.

    So, I¡¯m gonna commandeer another galaxy, and mix things up a little.

    First off, it¡¯s gonna be basically the same as the milky way. But it''s gonna be chock full of life. Intelligent races galore over here!

    I¡¯ll make sure that the galaxy follows the exact same order of events as the real milky way, so humans will turn out the same (mostly), but with a little twist. It¡¯s gonna be much faster for a while. Currently, the real milky way is at 3151 BCE. Same with this other one, but I¡¯m just now adding life. So I¡¯m gonna be making time much faster, so humans become a spacefaring race around the time that napoleon is running around on real-earth.

    This is getting pretty confusing, so I¡¯m gonna refer to the new earth as Terra, and the new humans as terrans.

    See where I¡¯m going with this?

    You might.

    I¡¯ll be scattering some fun clues to my existence through this galaxy too. A derelict spaceship here, a huge black monolith there, you name it.

    I¡¯ll turn off the time dilation once World War 2 happens on earth.

    <hr>

 Chapter 11 - Have party, will travel

    <hr>

    It takes one week for Saho to hear about the huge demon that landed in the elven lands and immediately flattened a town.

    One week has 168 hours, or 604800 seconds. In that time, a little less than 15.5 thousand years has passed in the terran galaxy. Not all that much when it comes to the galactic scale, and certainly not much when it comes to an immortal.

    Avai was originally a shade, an almost mindless shadow that would whisper dark words to bright creatures. Now he had now been designated by the Dark One to watch over the terran galaxy, and given the sentience and abilities to do so. He could teleport, levitate, pass through objects, and would live forever. But the Dark One wanted this galaxy untouched, so brought upon him a terrible curse as well. Avai had all the power one could ask for, but none of the capability to use it.

    He could not be seen, heard, detected, and could not influence the galaxy in any way. An external observer for now until forever. But just as cruel as the curse was, it was also kind. Avai could watch and record, observing even the smallest of events without anybody interrupting him. Avai was never bored, although he was lonely.

    It¡¯d be nice once sapient life arrived.

    <hr>

    When Saho and his party heard the news, they immediately began their journey back to the elven forest to face the new threat. Scouts had been watching the enormous demon, keeping a safe distance while it destroyed everything in its path towards the elven capital.

    It wasn¡¯t that far away, only a couple days travel, and already they could see the rising smoke in the distance. The ruined landscape left in its wake was sobering, from the blackened grass to the lingering ash that surrounded them. The charred bodies of those who tried to fight or run from it had already risen again, and had started moving ahead of the demon, softening defenses and distracting the brave few who didn¡¯t flee.

    Saho was ready to burn this thing like it had burned its victims. They were closing in, and there was nowhere to run.

    <hr>

    Balta¡¯s specialty was manipulation. She could make her enemies do whatever she wanted both on the battlefield and off it. From making them move into an ambush or back into a trap, to making them attack where she wanted and dragging themselves through fire for a false victory.

    She made the invasion her own game, like Kranua did.

    Balta had figured out that the war between the Dark One and the Bright One was all Kranua¡¯s game only a few days ago, and after about a day and a half of staving off a mental breakdown she had accepted it with open arms. Krika had given her a look that told her all she needed to know about his own knowledge, to which she almost smacked him for not telling her earlier. She did understand why he didn¡¯t, but it¡¯s the principle of the thing.

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    Her favorite prisoners had been worried about her apparently¨C which was sweet, especially considering what her and Krika¡¯s plans for them were¨C though Krika had. . . dissuaded. . . any effort on their part to leave their cell to look for her.

    The excuse she gave when she returned was that she had been overseeing an attack, which they seemed to have mixed feelings about.

    Treating prisoners nicely made them so easy to manipulate. She should have done this the first time!

    Oh well. At least watching that dwarf try to scream without lungs was pretty funny.

    <hr>

    The enormous demon¨C dubbed the demon king by the scouts¨C had arrived at the outer wall of the Elven capital.

    Behind it, only about half a day¡¯s walk, was the summoned hero and his party. The elven army would have to fight it and the horde of charred corpses that surrounded it alone for at least that long.

    The general was not optimistic. The army had never fought anything on such a scale. As soon as the battle started, a good portion of the foot soldiers were transformed into piles of ash and melted metal by the demon, and the first barrage of arrows was intercepted by one of the things massive arms. The spellcasters had slightly better luck, having hit it with three consecutive lightning bolts, cracking one of its horns, but otherwise things were not looking good. The remaining foot soldiers were struggling against the undead army, and the cavalry was being torn apart by the demon king.

    Some of the citizens had already evacuated, but almost half were left.

    The general would not let them die. He vowed on his life.

    <hr>

    Adachi flexed her new fingers. The not-beastkin had provided a replacement limb made of a beautifully-carved wood, that moved roughly as a limb should, but she was still acclimating to finer movements. Sou had gotten a replacement as well, an excellently crafted metal arm that matched the armor that he had worn.

    The demons were evidently not worried about them using the new limbs against them, and she could see why. The white and red demon would regularly move through walls like they weren¡¯t there, the not-beastkin would sometimes melt into shadows, and the rare visit from others showed that demon''s abilities exceeded what they were told about in the stories.

    Adachi could gather that these demons were more than capable of transforming both her and Sou into fine red mist at a moment''s notice, so the idea of fighting them wasn¡¯t very attractive. But just because fighting the demons was suicide, didn¡¯t mean escaping would be too. She had been practicing some minor magic, and although her new limbs made it more difficult, even such a small reassurance was something that she clung to in this environment. It would be a while before she could manage her first stealth spell, much less one that could get both her and Sou out of the castle.

    Maybe she could try convincing the demons to let her and Sou help out around the castle? They didn¡¯t know their way around, so getting to know where they were would be very helpful.

    She would ask tomorrow.

    <hr>

    The smell of smoke burned in Fuyuko¡¯s nose as she and the rest of the Hero¡¯s party trekked towards the capital. She had it worse than the others, mainly due to being a beastkin, so her sense of smell was much better.

    The party healer, a dwarf named Rio, had been absentmindedly fiddling with his staff, trying to distract himself from the oncoming fight. The other party members weren¡¯t faring much better.

    Then they rose over the crest of the hill, and spied the city in the distance.

    Even after days of travel through the scorched landscape, they couldn¡¯t help but shiver at the sight of a city burning.

    <hr>

 Chapter 12 - Wrath of gods.

    <hr>

    The closer that Saho got to the remains to the outer wall of the city, the worse the heat got.

    The demon king¡¯s flames had been burning the city for hours now, the charred corpses of the defenders crumbling to ashes as the demon smashed everything inside the walls. The melted armor of the city guards mixed with the remains of citizens who had joined in the fight and the bones of the undead that had been felled in battle. Fuyuko almost threw up when she smelled it. Among the bodies, they could spot the armor that belonged to an elven general, now barely recognizable.

    Not too far away, The sounds of the demon king crushing whatever was left of the city echoed down burned roads.

    Saho gripped his sword tighter. He would end this. By the time he was done, the demon king would be just as broken as the bodies that it left in its wake.

    <hr>

    Smash. Crush. Break.

    It kept attacking, though there was no more enemy to fight. Its opponent had long since been destroyed, their remains having been shattered beneath its claws.

    Smash. Crush. Break.

    Then it smelled something new. Another enemy to fight. Another foe to smash, crush, and break beneath them.

    Smash. Crush. Break.

    It let out a roar as it charged towards the new opponents, arms forwards and ready to snap them like twigs.

    Smash them. Crush them. Break them. Show them no mercy, for you will receive none.

    <hr>

    Rio rolled to the left, barely dodging a swipe from the demon¡¯s huge hands.

    As soon as they approached the demon king, it had turned¨C faster than anything so big should¨C and charged them, reaching for them with its enormous talons. Most of them had been able to dodge, although the paladin couldn¡¯t move fast enough and was turned into a puddle before he could blink.

    The orange light from the fires cast a terrible silhouette of the demon, and its piercing yellow eyes glowed dangerously. Dripping gore left over from the paladin painted its hands, and not-yet-dried blood that Rio suspected came from the defenders covered its fur.

    Saho stood against it, his normally decently tall frame appearing like a child¡¯s when compared to the size of the monster. His sword glowed with holy light, and his scarred armor reflected it like it was made of gold.

    The image was branded into his mind, and he had no doubt that if he survived he would see this whenever he closed his eyes to sleep.

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    <hr>

    Saho had dodged what felt like dozens of attacks before his first swing even landed.

    He might have been more agile, but a single hit from the demon would send him flying and require healing. Fuyuko had tried to distract it so he could get a hit in, only to get thrown through a stone wall. In the confusion of the battle, nobody had gotten a chance to check on her yet.

    In a flurry of slashes one of the demon¡¯s hands was taken off at the wrist, followed by two arrows sprouting from its upper arm sent by the party ranger. Unperturbed, its other arm struck Saho with the force of a battering ram, slamming him backwards towards the flaming ruins of a library.

    Before he could get back up, the ranger was dead, smashed like a bug beneath its other hand, and the demon king was practically on top of Saho, ready to turn him to paste.

    He tensed, ready to try to roll away, but he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to make it.

    Before it could move to crush him, One of Fuyuko¡¯s daggers appeared in the demon king''s eye. In a roar of fury, it recoiled, giving Saho a moment to strike.

    Saho used the gift of his patron, channeling holy power through the blade of his sword. A beam of golden light shot from the tip, throwing the beast backwards, slicing its broken chest like a thousand knives. Black blood poured from its wounds, and its fur was alight with fire.

    It rose, and with a bellow of pain and rage it charged- faster and more powerful than a landslide- with its jaw unhinged and its tusks pointed forwards.

    Saho swung his sword, blessed with the power of the Great Creator.

    To Fuyuko, with her injured body propped against a smashed bookshelf, it looked like the sun itself had appeared in front of her.

    To Saho, it felt like a great fire was burning below his crushed armor and inside his body.

    To the demon king, it was like it could feel its body break, crumbling to nothing as the light took it to pieces.

    <hr>

    Akira could feel the presence of the enormous demon was purged from the universe. With its defeat, she could even feel as the many hordes of demons froze in their invasion and began to retreat back to whence they came.

    The dark atmosphere that had been spread over Asyke had finally lifted, and even the looming pressure from outside the universe had stopped. The damage caused both to the planet and to the god which watched over it would take generations to relieve, but now they would at least have a chance to do so.

    She smiled. The universe seemed slightly brighter.

    <hr>

    Hifumi was the daughter of Kaito and Mei, and the princess of the god-city of Kyou. She didn¡¯t stand out as much as her sister, the crown princess, but that was alright. She didn¡¯t want to.

    Hifumi loved to learn. It was her favorite thing to do. She had spent hundreds of years as various races all across the universe, learning about cultures and beliefs, technology and knowledge.

    Out of all of the races that she learned from, the ones that stuck out the most to her were the so-called dark races. Everything, from their varying appearances, to their fascinating cultures, to the stark difference between their beliefs and the beliefs of other races.

    It was during her time learning as a young orc girl that the village she was learning in was attacked, and her captured by Elves. Unfortunately, as a result of her desire to learn, she had locked her godly powers from use while in the form of an orc, at least for the foreseeable future. Should her orc body die, however, she would regain her power immediately.

    She watched as the orcs who taught her fight the elves, giving their lives to protect their families. She saw them rise again from where they had been cut down to buy a little more time for their children to escape.

    Rage boiled within her mortal heart. When she was captured along with the other children, she did not fight. She watched, wrath building inside her for every torture the elves put her and the others through. She would strike back one day. But for now she would learn.

    It was her favorite thing to do.

    She was a god. But now she was also an orc.

    <hr>

 Chapter 13 - Here comes the sun

    <hr>

    Saho limped over to where Rio had fallen.

    The healer looked like he had just died and come back to life. His skin was coated with a thin layer of ash, and his impressive beard had been scorched thoroughly, with a small flame still burning at its tip. His staff had been utterly destroyed, not even a splinter of it remaining.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Rio gaped at Saho. Saho waited for an answer.

    ¡°What was. . .¡± Rio trailed off.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re alright.¡± Saho responded, helping him to his feet.

    ¡°That¡¯s not an answer.¡±

    Saho continued walking over to where he had seen Fuyuko be thrown. Rio trailed behind him, trembling slightly.

    Fuyuko had fallen unconscious, still propped up against a broken bookshelf, blood staining her fur. The only reason Saho could tell she was still alive was the slow rising and falling of her chest. While Rio healed her¨C still shaking¨C Saho walked over to where his opponent had fallen. On the ground, burned into the stones, the demon King¡¯s silhouette lay, all other remnants of it gone.

    The rising sun cast the battleground in golden light, and Saho could feel the presence of his patron.

    <hr>

    Adachi could tell that their captors were unhappy.

    Just in the last few days, several demons had clearly wanted to destroy her and Sou while they were helping around the castle, although all of them had been scared off by either the not-beastkin or the red-and-white demon. If she didn¡¯t know better, she would think that her and Sou were their pets.

    She had overheard that the invasion had been repelled¨C which sent a twinge of joy through her¨C and that a large portion of the demon army had been slain, which unfortunately meant that lots of powerful demons had returned to the castle from where they had been directing their hordes.

    The not-beastkin and the red-and-white demon, interestingly, were not seemingly too upset about their loss, which confused her.

    At least they were keeping the other demons from attacking her and Sou.

    <hr>

    It just occurred to me that my initial appearance was kind of. . . rushed.

    The avatar was fine, but giving up my existence was pretty hasty. I can¡¯t take it back now though, so I gotta work with it.

    . . . Golems look sort of like my initial avatar. . .

    Screw it. Let''s make some dark gods. My first avatar will become a godlike golem, and the chains binding it will be transferred to my new avatar. I¡¯ll shift the appearance of the stone a little and. . . perfect. Similar, but not identical. This will be. . . Khel.

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    For the skaven god, I want a rat king.

    A rat king, for the uninformed, is when a number of rats get their tails tied into a knot by extraneous circumstances. In this case, it will be a skaven dressed as a king, with 7 heads in a ring each with a small golden crown, and with 7 tails in a knot. This will be. . . Lok.

    I¡¯ll make the other gods later.

    Now on to a more pressing issue: the afterlife.

    When it comes to the afterlife, things can get pretty complex. I mean, depending on the religion or story, there can be a ¡°heaven¡± and a ¡°hell¡±, or just one of them, or reincarnation, or both, or neither, or anything else!

    Akira DID set up a basic reincarnation system, which will be really easy to manipulate towards my own goals, but it¡¯s still missing something. None of Akira¡¯s creations will reincarnate as one of mine, and none of mine will reincarnate as one of hers. Actually, none of mine will reincarnate at all. Right now all my dead creations'' souls are just sort of floating in the void.

    I guess I should do something about that.

    Akira¡¯s reincarnation is really simple. Souls are immortal, and have existed since the beginning of life itself. When dead, a soul enters a random empty shell. Souls can enter animals, sapients, plants, and just about any other living thing except my creations.

    There IS a ¡°heaven¡±, but it¡¯s basically just Akira¡¯s personal palace.

    Anyway, I need to do something about all these free-floating souls. Reincarnation sounds like the right route.

    First let''s sabotage Akira¡¯s little system, yes?

    . . . There. Now Akira¡¯s creations can reincarnate as my creations. I¡¯ll also make it so that the souls of my creations can reincarnate as well. An orc can reincarnate as a demon, or as a human, or as a fucking tulip. Does this mean that my demon hordes will occasionally kill the reincarnated soul of one of my creations? Yes. Do I care? Not really, it¡¯s not like it¡¯ll be on purpose, and not killing them would be suspicious.

    Looks like the number of the free-floating souls is going down.

    . . .

    I should reincarnate some random high-schooler as a goblin at some point. That¡¯ll be funny.

    <hr>

    Hifumi resisted the urge to stare daggers into the elven royal that she had been gifted to.

    She had been separated from the other captured orcs, as each of them was sold to various nobles across the continent. Evidently she was this noble¡¯s 13th birthday gift, the crowning jewel upon an already gleaming pile.

    She had been forced into a rather uncomfortable dress, hiding the bulky chains that bound her, and the sharp tusks that she had such pride in had been filed down, presumably so she couldn¡¯t gut her new ¡®master¡¯ with them.

    She held no belief that her godly parents would come and save her. They had always stayed out of mortal¡¯s business, even when that business went against the gods.

    The Bright One never got involved either, only having sent a single Hero to take care of the demonic invasion.

    The Dark One, named Adho¨C meaning ¡°First Warrior¡±¨C by the orcs, couldn¡¯t get involved, as according to her godly parents, Akira had bound him in unbreakable chains and banished him from the universe. The presence of demons showed that Adho was not as defeated as the stories that Kaito and Mei told her, but that wasn¡¯t what was important.

    Hifumi was alone. She would receive no assistance. There was no cavalry coming. But she would persevere. She would learn.

    She would win.

    <hr>

    Smash. Crush. Break.

    The demon King regained consciousness. The pain it felt from dying was gone.

    Smash. Crush. Break.

    It was not a demon anymore. It had lost its horns and tusks, its wings and its claws.

    Smash. Crush. Break.

    It sniffed the air. It listened to the forest. It felt the lull of sleep once more.

    . . .

    The small white rabbit slowly succumbed to rest, memories of its old life quickly fading.

    <hr>

 Chapter 14 - Slavery? In my fantasy novel? More likely than you think

    <hr>

    It had been months since the end of the demon invasion.

    Saho had been hailed a hero, and Rio became a great celebrity, quickly retiring to be a painter rather than an adventurer. Saho loved it. The feasts, the parties, the mood. After the depressive atmosphere of the world during his arrival, this was like stepping from the shade into the sunshine¨C something he had a lot of experience with.

    Unfortunately, not all was well.

    The fall of the beastkin capital and subsequent death of its royal family meant that beastkin were a rarity. And with rarity came value.

    Beastkin weren¡¯t officially a slave race yet, but royals of all other races had quickly snatched up any beastkin they could for new servants. Even Fuyuko had been grabbed before Saho or Rio could do anything.

    Saho wanted to fight them, but what could he do? Certainly he was powerful, much more so than any other adventurer or soldier, but he was only one man, and even with Rio backing him up, they would lose. So when his patron offered to turn him into a god, he accepted, and left Asyke behind. He would have used his newfound power to smite them, but he doubted that would help. It would likely only cause a new war, one far bloodier than the last.

    <hr>

    Fuyuko was livid.

    She had returned with Saho and Rio to the human capital only to find out that apparently now beastkin were essentially a slave race. Sure they weren¡¯t legally, at least not yet, but she knew that was only a matter of time. So of course, she was grabbed by a royal¡¯s hired goons in order to be given to some brat as a late-birthday gift. "It¡¯s disgusting," she muttered under her breath. The orc beside her, shackled by chains thicker than her own body, rumbled in agreement.

    "You sure you don''t want to?" the orc asked.

    "I won''t. Just because I''ve been enslaved by their followers doesn''t mean I''ll abandon the path I''ve chosen." Fuyuko snapped back

    The orc¡¯s rumbling hum shook her bones like an earthquake. ¡°If you do decide to¨C¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± She declared pointedly.

    The orc grunted, its huge frame softened by a glimmer of respect for her resolute spirit, and it resumed its attempts to find sleep. Fuyuko huffed in exasperation, her tail swishing irritably behind her. She didn¡¯t even know where they were going.

    <hr>

    The months of imprisonment had taken a heavy toll on both Adachi and Sou.

    Within the confines of the demon''s castle, they were kept in a well-furnished room, and the prosthetic limbs allowed them a semblance of functionality, if not freedom. Sou was never the most observant. But even he could see what was happening. Adachi had started to align herself to their captors, even if it was only as small as helping around the castle, and she had gotten him to do so as well.

    Sou made a vow where he stood. He would protect Adachi, and keep her safe even in their captivity. He did not make this vow to the Great Creator. Their power could not reach them there.

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    He made it to himself.

    <hr>

    Why should my invasions be focused on a single planet?

    I mean logically, as the opponent of Akira, I wouldn¡¯t be assaulting a single planet and none of the other millions of inhabited systems across thousands of different galaxies.

    But I don¡¯t want my demons to get overworked. So I suppose I should make some other kinds.

    I¡¯ll take one of the unoccupied planets in the same system as the first demon planet and use that.

    I don¡¯t want the exact same type of demon though.

    So instead I¡¯ll make them a living mist, similar to shades, capable of shifting their shape and solidifying into a malleable liquid form. These will be dream demons. Seeping into the heads of those sleeping, controlling them. There will still be higher and lesser demons, mainly in function, with lesser demons turning their hosts into functional animals.

    No barrier can hold them back. No weapon can stop them. No strength of form can keep them away, only strength of mind.

    Perfect. I¡¯ll send them in a couple decades. Not to the same planet, but to another one.

    But what about the demon King?

    It¡¯ll be the same basic frame of these new kinds of demons. Immaterial, misty, control your mind through dreams, the classics. I¡¯ll pick a ruler on the planet, send the demon king after them, and bam, demon king. Or queen. It''s not like there aren¡¯t female rulers, and the dream demons don¡¯t really have a gender. They¡¯re mist. And unlike the other demons, these ones won¡¯t really have any sort of social hierarchy. They¡¯ll run things Athenian democracy style.

    I¡¯ll inform the classic demons about the dream demons, and vice versa.

    . . .

    Now I¡¯m on a creating spree! Shit.

    Alright, what else? I guess I can make more races. There are plenty of classics I haven''t made yet.

    Let¡¯s start with the most simple of the simple. Slimes.

    Essentially enormous single-celled organisms. Immortal acidic sacks of slime that¡¯ll consume anything in their path. No higher thought, only eat, grow, split. I can respect that. It''s how I got through college. They¡¯ll be able to grow in size the more they consume, and in theory they could grow forever if left alone.

    What else? Kobolds of course!

    Although kobold is just the german name for goblin, in nerd culture it means something different. Mini dragon humanoids, or basically hobbits crossbred with dragons. Kind of like goblins, they have a reputation of being decently smart, and in this case they¡¯ll be more open to show it.

    I¡¯ll try an experiment with this new planet, and try to integrate my races into the races made by Akira.

    Their cover story will be that they come from a different continent, or something similar, with their own religion, beliefs, and technology. Does this mean that my demon invasions will have to attack my own creations? Again, yes.

    How¡¯s Avai and the terran galaxy? Only 191 thousand years since I began the time dilation?

    Fuck. This is gonna take forever.

    <hr>

    Fuyuko was led by chain into the bowels of the castle. She would be dressed nicely at least, which was a relief after months of wearing her leather armor, but this was not how she wanted to be wearing nice clothes.

    During her escort, she saw some of the other servants in the castle. Goblins running around underfoot, carrying various amenities and taking them to the more visually appealing servants, mostly elves and humans. She wasn¡¯t surprised to see an orc among the servants, and the week she spent in the cart had granted her a surface level understanding of orc culture from the stories they would share to keep their spirits high. The orc had been clothed in a fine dress, although Fuyuko could see the outlines of thick chains hidden below it. Then Fuyuko was pulled away to be educated on how to serve.

    But before she went, she got a good look at the orc¡¯s eyes. Few living beings could have recognized it from how well covered it was, but the memory had been burned into Fuyuko¡¯s skull even as she was swatted aside like an insect. The orc¡¯s eyes burned with veiled hate and power. Glowed with hidden malice and hate. Not leveled at her, but at her master.

    Fuyuko felt a shiver run down her spine. Those eyes reminded her of the demon King as it towered over Saho, ready to crush him like a bug.

    It wasn¡¯t the anger of a mortal.

    It was the rage of a god.

    <hr>

 Chapter 15 - Giving dragons head

    <hr>

    I¡¯m still on my creating binge, so let¡¯s go over some things.

    To begin with, up to this point, dungeons have sort of just been monster holes. So I¡¯ll increase their general intelligence, and instill a desire to create. They won¡¯t be geniuses, but they¡¯ll be capable of making dangerous but beautiful dungeons, full of unique monsters and terrifying traps. No two will be alike.

    Shades have also just sort of existed, but I¡¯m not sure what I could make them into. Wraiths? Necromancers? I¡¯ll come back to them later.

    Golems weren¡¯t made by me on purpose, instead having formed because of the arrival of my first avatar. Power leaking from the torn edges of the universe combined with fragments of my will led to some gemstones gaining sapience, and eventually telekinetic control over surrounding stone and earth. The only reason they mostly use humanoid forms is because of leftover unconscious impressions of what my first avatar looked like.

    Dragons sort of just evolved on their own, not really following either Akira or myself.

    Now I know that I¡¯ve been sort of generalizing races, but I¡¯m really only talking about majorities. A majority of orcs follow me, but some (particularly ones raised in captivity) follow Akira. After the enslavement of beastkin, I was sort of expecting most of them to convert to my side, but actually only a small fraction did. Dark elves still exist on Asyke, some who follow me and some who don¡¯t, but discrimination against them hasn¡¯t stopped.

    Anyway, back to making stuff.

    I¡¯ll create some miscellaneous monster races, mostly as filler for adventurers to fight.

    First, cancer. Not the disease, huge crabs the size of carriages with impenetrable armor and razor sharp claws to match. I¡¯ll use all sorts of crab species for them, even though most ¡®crabs¡¯ aren¡¯t actually. . . well, crabs.

    Next, fenrir. Just a bunch of really big wolves. Dagger-like teeth and claws, and deceptively good stealth. Again, I¡¯ll use all sorts of wolves, including dire wolves, even though they¡¯re extinct by now.

    . . .

    Can I make a hydra?

    I haven¡¯t really tried to change already living creatures apart from minor details, enlarging for the demon king and Intelligence modification for dungeon cores. It shouldn¡¯t be that hard right?

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    <hr>

    Fuyuko traversed the mansion carefully, making sure not to make too much noise, as she had been taught in her time there.

    The brat she had been gifted to was about as entitled as it got, and the attitude of their parents wasn¡¯t helping. The hierarchy of the mansion was pretty clear from the moment she stepped through the door. The goblins were at the bottom, then the orc, then the servants, including her. At the top was the brat, and of course, its parents.

    Thankfully, the other servants were nice enough¨C including the goblins, surprisingly¨C and helped her get acclimated to her new role. Kicu, an older goblin, had even stolen some books for her, which really did help her. Really, most of the dark races had been exceptionally kind to her, which did leave her a bit unsure. After years of thinking them to be animals, they acted more like people than some bright people she had met. The only one who didn¡¯t really interact with her was the orc, although that made sense considering the squad of guards that surrounded her. Kicu assured her that she echoed the feelings of the others at the least.

    She obeyed when the brat¡¯s parents called for a teapot, and held back her tongue, though now without effort.

    And when she fell to sleep, her dreams were of fire.

    <hr>

    Turns out that making hydras is really easy!

    Just take two or more dragons, and merge them together into one body. Sure, it gives them all dissociative identity disorder, but it works. Some breathe fire, some spit acid , some breathe ice, some even throw lightning from their mouths! Some have wings, some just have legs, they are truly varied in their forms, second only to demons. I made a handful and distributed them all over the place. Some on Asyke, some on some other planets, and one even landed on earth. They can breed with other dragons, and pass down their multi-headedness through the generations, essentially as another race of dragons.

    I haven¡¯t really mentioned it up till now, but Akira¡¯s and My races can still interbreed, even demons. Half-orcs, Half-goblins, and Half-demons exist, although they¡¯re much rarer than Half-elves, Half-dwarves, and Half-beastkin. And they can be any combination! Elf-dwarves, beastkin-goblins, demon-orcs, you name it.

    . . .

    I think I should take a look down there. My view of the universe is far from all-seeing, so taking a little vacation in a physical shell might be nice. Of course I¡¯ll be sure to hide my presence so as not to be noticed by Akira.

    I think I¡¯ll take the form of a demon for now, although that is subject to change. Now I say ¡®form¡¯ but really it¡¯ll be more like an illusion. My ¡®body¡¯ will be made of rocks, assembled in the vaguely humanoid form, similar to my initial avatar.

    Now for the illusion. I¡¯m thinking almost human, with very slightly longer limbs. When it comes to actually appearing as a demon, I¡¯ll change that up, but for now slightly too-long limbs will do. That¡¯ll be the only constant in my disguise. I could look male, female, human, elven, dwarven, anything. I¡¯ll answer summons, grant wishes, and (of course) take souls. Now I have no use for souls, but I can just throw the souls into the reincarnation cycle or whatever.

    I won¡¯t pick a place or anything, I¡¯ll just show up to a summoning and start wreaking havoc. Maybe an adventurer or something will show up to try to stop me. I hope so, then I can really try to get more used to being physical again.

    Alright. Let''s get going.

    <hr>

 Chapter 16 - Places to be, people to kill

    <hr>

    There were plenty of small villages across the central continent of Asyke, and many which had faced the horrors of war, either from the demon invasion or from the almost constant mini wars waged by the largest kingdoms.

    It was rare, but some of these small villages were home to minor cults that worshiped the Dark One, for various reasons. Most of these cults were culled by adventurers sent by the church of course, but It could take anywhere from many months to several years for news about the existence of a cult to reach the church, much less for a party to be assigned and arrive there. Most towns didn¡¯t have mages who could use messaging spells, and teleportation was unreliable at best.

    In this particular town, a cult had been up-and-running for around 7 months by the time news had gotten to the capital, and 13 by the time word of an approaching party reached the cult leader. When it did, she had immediately decided to do what any self-respecting leader does.

    Sacrifice all of her followers in a bid to summon an extremely powerful demon who she would make a deal with to be granted access to the demon realm, where she could hide out until she gathered enough strength to return and take over the Human capital.

    The blood of her followers painted the floor of the chamber, and the summoning words that came from her mouth seemed to pull all light from the room, until only the flickering light from the candle that sat in the middle of the ritual circle remained. Black smoke poured from the fire, congealing into what she could only describe as an almost shapeless mound of smokey flesh perched on top of a skeletal torso with long, taloned limbs.

    As she watched, the smoke folded again, this time forming into a face. A human face.

    Her face.

    The body of the demon followed, wrapping upon itself into a mockery of herself, almost perfect, but ever so slightly wrong.

    The candle tipped over, and the demon¡¯s jaw unhinged, something lashing from the darkness within its mouth, straight for her head. She didn¡¯t feel it strike her. She only felt her body go weak, and then nothing.

    <hr>

    ¡°Grand Creator protect us.¡±

    The basement door had been torn apart from the inside.

    The town was completely empty, every person missing. It was clear that some things had been stolen from the houses, but there was no sign of struggle. Then they arrived at the farmhouse.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Aina could see the blood that covered almost every inch of the basement floor, only a circle as wide as a barrel left clean. Around the edges of the circle, salt had presumably once been poured to contain the summoned demon, though it was now scattered all across the room, and in the center of the circle, a small candle had been knocked over, the flame long since gone out.

    The worst part wasn¡¯t the corpses of the villagers piled in a corner of the room, nor the smell that sent shivers down the spine of all of the party members. In front of the circle was an unrecognizable mound of something awful. It wasn¡¯t the pale color of the bodies, nor the dark red of the dried blood, merely a stoney grey.

    They left the room quickly.

    ¡°Tracks seem to show that whatever it was that broke the door ran towards the nearest occupied town.¡±

    The rogue shook as he told the rest of the party. He clearly didn¡¯t want to see whatever the thing was in person.

    Aina clutched her staff of healing tighter. This wasn¡¯t the first demon that they had encountered, they had fought in the demon invasion, but they had only ever seen the horde-like demons that relied mostly on numbers. This was a single demon, one that was summoned presumably to make a deal, and was able to break the salt circle that should have contained it alongside the candle that would limit its power.

    This was clearly more complex than the simple cult that they had been sent to deal with. Thankfully, using a messaging spell, the party mage was able to communicate with another nearby party to join together against a threat that they were clearly not prepared for.

    It was only on the way to the nearby town where they would meet the other party that she realized what the mound of something awful was.

    <hr>

    The trader was. . . odd.

    They claimed to be a traveling merchant from the east, who was making their way all across the continent, bringing with them treasures from far off. Certainly, their wares were strange, sometimes nonsensical, such as a number of hollow metal objects with twelve faces that came in varying sizes, and a small tablet of stone etched with unfamiliar words.

    The strangest thing wasn¡¯t their wares however, it was them. Their limbs were slightly too long, their smile slightly too wide. Their skin looked like it had been stretched thin over bone. The sound of their voice seemed to weigh down anyone who heard it, and their gaze felt like insects crawling over skin.

    The townspeople might have considered throwing the trader out, but then they showed their final product. For the simple price of a favor, their wishes could be granted.

    The elderly became young, the poor became rich, and the lonely found love. For such an odd trader, they brought with them such valuable wares.

    They were sad when the trader left, but understood that they couldn¡¯t stay in a single place. The traveling merchant walked away, their slightly too-long limbs carrying them at a leisurely pace down the worn path toward the next village.

    Then the adventurers arrived a few days later.

    And all thought left.

    All that remained was a familiar urge that had poured over the continent almost a year ago. Once it belonged to another being, but now it was held by the townsfolk.

    Somewhere, a small white rabbit perked up, long buried thoughts rising to the surface.

    Smash them. Crush them. Break them. Show them no mercy, for you will receive none.

    <hr>

 Chapter 17 - Theres nothing to fear. . .

    <hr>

    ¡°Wherever it''s going, it sure doesn¡¯t seem to be in any hurry.¡± The rogue observed.

    After the massacre that was the fight in the town, the party had slowed down in order to rest before continuing their chase of the demon that had been summoned by the cult. The fight hadn¡¯t been difficult, it was almost a hundred peasants against two parties of well-trained adventurers, but it had taken a while.

    With two healers any injuries they may have gotten were gone almost as soon as the fight was over, and two rogues meant that following the demon was much easier. Or would be, if it cared about hiding its tracks, which it clearly didn¡¯t. Either it didn¡¯t know that it was being followed, or it didn¡¯t care.

    The odd treasures that had been found in the possession of some of the villagers were being studied by the mages, who were currently discussing something in low voices.

    ¡°If we keep on course, we should catch up in a day or so.¡± The other party¡¯s rogue commented, to which her party¡¯s rogue nodded.

    Aina shivered. Every step they took got them closer to a true demon. Not the kind that had swarmed villages, beating down veteran adventurers with sheer force of numbers, but the kind that organized the fall of the beastkin capital. Defenders had seen larger demons overseeing the siege, and a few mages had been able to get the information of their existence out before the walls of the city imploded and waves of demons drowned everything inside. One defending cleric had been able to muster enough magic to send an illustration of one of them, drawn by a guard with artistic talent and a good eye.

    Aina had only seen the drawing once, but the creature in it had haunted her dreams. The six elongated limbs that ended in long-fingered hands, the dark-furred mane that shrouded the demon¡¯s face, and the 5 eyes that glowed from within the darkness.

    Aina lowered herself onto the ground as the party prepared for a night of rest.

    <hr>

    Hifumi had spent almost five years in chains.

    Of course that wasn¡¯t a lot considering that she had lived far more than that as a god, but five years of a mortal¡¯s life was a decent amount of time. The first four were spent ¡®training¡¯ after her capture at the age of 15, and the last year she had been serving as a servant. Her being given as a gift on the day after the end of the demon invasion was already bad enough, and having to follow the orders of a bunch of spoiled royals who had never worked a day in their mortal lives just made it worse.

    Easy Hifu. Your vengeance will come. Do not let your rage consume you.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Words from her orc parents comforted her. Even though at the time that she was angry that another child had knocked her over, the sentiment remained. Plus, her revenge did come in that situation, when the parent of the orc child made them apologize to her, by letting her knock them over. They had become good friends after that.

    Hifumi wondered what happened to them. If they had also been gifted to some royal pains, or perhaps died in training.

    Orcs did not particularly subscribe to the idea of equal-consequence. Being punched in the face was generally met with a laugh and a punch back, but when it was serious, orcs would make any who messed with them regret it a thousand times over.

    Hifumi¡¯s orc father was laid back, but no stranger to fighting adventurers, and would usually make a show of it. But when one tried to hurt her, he used a pair of rocks to turn the adventurer to a pile of crushed metal faster than either of them could blink.

    Her orc mother was much more up front, and would end any fight quickly, but when a party of adventurers fired an arrow at her brother, she took her time taking them apart while they were still alive, before feeding adventurer soup to the rest of the tribe.

    She would have her revenge. It would be brutal, like her father made it. Painful, like her mother made it.

    She was their daughter after all.

    <hr>

    A low tune sounded through the halls of the demon¡¯s castle.

    Adachi had picked up some habits during her and Sou¡¯s stay there. She had gotten slightly quieter, namely out of fear of drawing attention from other demons, but also because she was practicing for a stealthy escape.

    She was going to escape. She was.

    She and Sou had gotten much closer too, and they would spend plenty of time helping each other with small things and would sometimes read to each other before they went to sleep¨C which apparently their two captors found adorable.

    Well, the not-beastkin thought it was adorable. The red-and-white demon just made sounds akin to soft laughter.

    Adachi had finally finished re-learning a decent stealth spell, but it would still take weeks of training before she could use it on Sou too, and even then it might not even work long enough to get them out of the castle.

    At least it was a start.

    <hr>

    Akira hadn¡¯t been looking at Asyke for months now.

    Since Saho¡¯s ascension and the retreat of the demonic forces, Chihiro¡¯s planet had been recovering well, so Akira expanded her view.

    The universe that she had made was enormous, and was expanding constantly. It was filled with countless galaxies, and countless species. Some had progressed in technology greatly, casting themselves into the space between stars and creating new homes on other planets. Some planets were filled with only one or two kind of sentient, like Einri, whose forest planet of Laomia was populated by a race of quadrupedal avians, or Rizpah¡¯s planet of Sihiri which had two sentient races: one a lithoid race similar to the golems of Asyke, and the other a small but resilient species of ape, both of which were uniquely adapted for the volcanic surface.

    Akira let her attention go free, as she watched the universe of her making thrive. Nakai would sometimes point out a particularly interesting planet or race, and they would engage in excited conversation about them before moving on.

    Things couldn¡¯t be better. There was nothing to fear. . .

    <hr>

 Chapter 18 - . . . Though death is often silent.

    <hr>

    The houses were silent. Not a single thing moved.

    They had caught up to the demon in a burned-out town in the northern fields of the elven lands, which had been destroyed during the Invasion. Destroyed houses and ruined streets made traversal difficult, though the two rogues didn¡¯t seem to be having any trouble.

    Aina could only guess why the demon had gone to this specific town. Perhaps it knew that it was being followed, and decided to fight where there would be no interruptions. Perhaps it was mocking them, taking them to a place that demons had utterly destroyed.

    Hopefully it was just passing through. A small part of her knew that wish was too good to be fulfilled.

    The soft sound of grass waving in the wind was the only thing that greeted them as they stepped into the town square.

    <hr>

    The castle was loud.The royal family had thrown a party to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of the end of the invasion, and the 16th birthday of the spoiled brat.

    Naturally, they had invited just about every royal and noble on the continent, including one of the Heroes that had fought the demon king, now a famous dwarven artist.

    Fuyuko was of course ecstatic to see Rio again, though she didn¡¯t have many chances to interact with him with how much she was being ordered around. The other servants were just as busy, taking and delivering orders to the goblins in the kitchens, serving refreshments to guests, and other servant duties.

    Rio, for his part, was quite polite to the servants, and his expressions whenever another partygoer treated them poorly made clear that he disapproved, but otherwise he was quite passive.

    Fuyuko vowed to herself that she would talk to him before the party ended.

    <hr>

    The forest was quiet.

    Kaede was a simple druid, traversing the woods in her daily trek towards a nearby town, her fenrir familiar at her side.

    Kaede had found Conan when he was only a puppy, having been orphaned by an adventurer. She had thought him a simple wolf, but as he grew¨C quite quickly she might add¨C it became clear that he was more. More giant wolves appeared all over the continent¡¯s forests, eventually being given the name of fenrir by adventurers.

    Conan didn¡¯t act like a monster, more like a friendly kitten that could tear anything smaller than it to shreds at a moment''s notice. Considering Conan was the size of a carriage only a week after he was rescued, the list of things smaller than him was growing quickly.

    But no matter how threatening he got, Kaede didn¡¯t care. Conan was still that tiny wolf pup at heart, and they loved each other. He would protect her from monsters, and she would protect him from adventurers.

    Conan perked up suddenly and growled softly. He had heard something.

    <hr>

    Aina watched the mage cast a tracking spell. The soft sound of wind rustling through leaves was the only sound to hear.

    Tracking spells were reliant on distance. The closer the target, the easier the spell. But they are also quite inefficient mana-wise. A tracking spell on a target one kingdom over could force a high ranking mage unconscious, and one on a target a continent away could be lethal to cast.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    It was for this reason that they didn¡¯t cast a tracking spell on the demon before. But now that they were in the same village as it was, casting a tracking spell to find it would be fine.

    ¡°That way.¡± The mage said, having finished the spell and now pointing down the empty street.

    Aina calmed her nerves.

    They walked in sync, and the sound of wind rustling through leaves was the only sound to hear.

    <hr>

    Fuyuko started towards Rio. The sound of small talk filled her ears.

    She could hear one of the guests chatting with the hosts as she passed them.

    ¡°¨Cmuch for the orc?¡± the guest asked.

    ¡°It was quite expensive. Elf-trained.¡± the host answered.

    ¡°Well I¡¯m looking to buy it. My son has a thing for them.¡±

    ¡°For orcs?¡±

    ¡°Apparently yours caught his¨C¡±

    Fuyuko paid no attention. The sound of her own thoughts distracted her.Why was only Rio here? Where was Saho? Why had he retired from adventuring?

    Out of the corner of her eye, the orc servant walked towards the host, the guards assigned to it trailing behind.

    She kept walking, for the sound of small talk had filled her ears.

    <hr>

    Kaede advanced into the underbrush with Conan. The quiet sounds of the forest covered any noises.

    As they gently pushed branches and small plants out of the way, Kaede strained her ears for any sound of whatever had alerted Conan.

    Conan stalked forward, almost disappearing in the shadows that the trees casted across the forest floor. The already soft sound of his enormous paws became quieter and the dull white glow of his eyes dimmed. What they were hunting was directly in front of them.

    Kaede pushed a branch so that she could get a better look¨C

    A small white rabbit stared back at them.

    Nothing moved, the quiet sounds of the forest covering any noises.

    <hr>

    It was waiting for them in the ruins of a library.

    It stood, back to them, surrounded by skeletal corpses of a party of adventurers and a group of skaven, weapons still at each other¡¯s throats even in death.

    The demon itself didn¡¯t appear threatening, not like the ones that haunted Aina¡¯s memories, merely like a wandering trader, wrapped in a fading blue robe that covered its head, holding a gnarled staff, and wearing an enormous pack that must have contained everything that a traveller would ever need. It wasn¡¯t particularly tall, standing about equal to a horse¡¯s shoulder. The small amount of skin that was exposed to view was aged and tan, and revealed that¨C at the very least¨C it appeared either human or elven, rather than the nightmarish black coat of the demon that felled the beastkin capital.

    Snap.

    Aina winced as the sound of a piece of wood being snapped under one of the paladin¡¯s boots shattered the silence that hung in the air.

    The demon turned slowly.

    Its front was just as inconspicuous as its back, with a simple yellow sash serving as a belt and a number of handmade necklaces bearing small stones and shells. Its eyes were obscured by a shadow too dark to be real in the middle of the day, but the lower half of its face was exposed.

    Like its arms, its skin was tan and wrinkled, a thin layer of grey stubble covering its chin.

    It looked like an old man, no more dangerous than any one of the villagers that it had brainwashed.

    When it saw them, it smiled like an elder greeting a grandchild they haven¡¯t seen in years.

    In sync, both paladins charged, warhammers glowing gold with holy power.

    Aina saw the demons hands elongate, fingers turning to talons as its jaw unhinged.

    She gave a prayer to any god that could hear her.

    <hr>

    An agonized scream pierced the conversations in the room.

    The guest who was talking to the host clutched their face, red pouring from where their eye should have been, but was no longer. Above them, the orc gripped a blood-stained shard of glass to the throat of the host, teeth bared in a snarl. The guards that were assigned to the orc had lagged behind while moving through the guests, and now were frozen in shock, weapons not even drawn.

    For a long moment, nothing happened. No sound was made.

    One of the guards grabbed at their sword.

    The shard of glass moved, and the host¡¯s neck split like wood against the blade of an axe.

    One of the guests, an accomplished cleric, threw two holy bolts in succession.

    The glowing missiles crossed the room in the time it took for the host''s blood to touch the floor.

    The first light pierced the eye of an orc.

    The second light pierced the eye of a god.

    <hr>

 Chapter 19 - Monster of human form.

    <hr>

    An arrow pierced through the demon¡¯s neck, thin skin tearing easily to the sound of a grating roar as its jaw split like a snake¡¯s.

    The demon dove at the charging paladins, Taloned fingers the length of dagger blades tipped with blackened skin ready to tear at their muscle and bone until they moved no longer. Jagged teeth jutted from its maw like tombstones in a graveyard, the torn flesh of the demon¡¯s split jaw refusing to bleed. The sky started to darken as wind began to pick up.

    The cold and stretched skin of its hands slammed against the raised shield of one of the paladins with the force of a rampaging bull, before pulling back to dodge the swing of the other paladin¡¯s warhammer.

    Another arrow found its spot in the center of the demon¡¯s chest, as a second flew past its ear. With a tearing scream, it turned from the paladins, dashing toward the two rangers with speed that made them dizzy. The rangers readied another pair of arrows, but before they could free them, the demons black-tipped claws landed on them.

    The sound of their heads being liberated from their bodies was met by a defiant shout from the only knight of the combined parties, the horrified scream of the two healers, and the guttural laugh-like bellow of the demon.

    A slash from the knight cut through the demons back vertically, black sand being thrown from the wound, surprising it and prompting a howl of rage that tore at the adventurer''s ears. Twisting faster than anything, it brought its talons forward, one blocking another wild swing from the knight and the other piercing the throat of a rogue who tried to sneak behind it. Rain began to fall, the wind now raging like a wild river, ripping at the cloak of the demon with untamed fury.

    With a roar to match its own, one of the paladins charged at demon ready to trample it under the immense weight of their holy armor.

    In the time it took for the other paladin to blink, the charging warrior and the knight were dead, the demons claws having torn through the paladin¡¯s back and the Knights stomach with the precision and speed of the best rangers on the continent.

    Its gaunt form stood over their shredded bodies like a wolf stood over its fallen prey, sharp pearl teeth bared and blackened claws ready.

    The remaining rogue took the opportunity to run. The last paladin readied his warhammer and shield, the two healers safe behind him.

    The demon¡¯s smile widened further, tearing the skin of its cheeks, revealing an uneven grin that stretched from one ear to the other. Eyes hidden by the shadow cast by its cloak twinkled like the far away stars that children would sit and watch at night.

    It raised its arms¨C now stretching to its knees, dagger length fingers dripping red with the blood of their fallen friends¨C to a mocking invitation, tilting its head like a curious animal, grinning like a madman.

    Rain poured from the sky like blood from a wound. Wind howled through the still streets.

    <hr>

    Taro looked upon the twisted form of the demon.

    Its hood had fallen from its head, revealing a curled mess of grey hair that wouldn¡¯t look out of place on a famous bard. Its eyes were completely empty, nothing but gaping holes in its face. The thin grey stubble that coated its chin made it look vaguely handsome, or would if the rest of it wasn¡¯t so disgustingly misshapen.

    He gripped the handle of his warhammer tighter, the rain slick on the leather. Behind him, the two healers, Aina and Yori, alongside the two mages, Kokoro and Juro, shivered in the cold and relentless wind, but were otherwise unharmed and ready to fight.

    Then Juro sent a bolt of lightning at the demon.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Unprepared, it struck in the center of its chest, but through the cloud of dust and smoke he could already see the silhouette of the demon begin to recover.

    Taro wouldn¡¯t give it the chance. He charged with his shield raised and his warhammer ready, glowing with the power of the gods. With the strength to stagger a carriage-sized golem, Taro struck, a flash of holy light tearing at the skin of the demon.

    A furious roar emerged from the smoke, followed by a broken, smoking arm the length of a tree. As the smoke cleared, the demon¡¯s form became clearer.

    Its human shape had been irreparably destroyed, bones shattered and twisted, flesh torn and burned. It stood at the height of a house, smoking robes stretched unnaturally to fit its enormous body. Its chest had collapsed and its jaw had been crushed, hanging loose as dark flakes of ash mixed with the rain and wind.

    A fireball sent by Kokoro was intercepted by one of its carriage wheel-sized hands as it threw its twisted form at the party like an enraged bull, throwing Taro to the ground as it tore towards the mages, arms forward.

    Clutching his dented chestplate, Taro swung his warhammer as it passed him, crushing one of its legs beneath the head of the holy weapon. Undeterred, the demon smashed through a hastily conjured shield, and before the eyes of the paladin and the healers, tore the mages to pieces.

    The gaping holes where its eyes should have been stared into Taro¡¯s horrified face, mangled jaw contorted into an uneven, jagged, open-mouthed grin that split its head horizontally.

    Taro could feel it turn its attention to the two healers, frozen in terror and shock.

    If it could speak through its shattered throat, over its mutilated tongue, between its broken teeth, Taro knew what it would say to him, words echoing through his head without a voice to say them.

    You¡¯ll go last.

    And it twisted, turned its massive shape towards the frozen healers, destroyed arm ready to smash them to paste.

    Taro saw Aina come out of her trance first.

    He saw the limb begin to move downwards.

    He saw Aina prepare a spell.

    And he remembered something.

    <hr>

    Healing is a complex and far from well understood type of magic.

    It shares a lot in common with holy magic, but to call them the same would be foolish. What is understood however, is the adverse effect it has on that which is or should be dead. The state of undeath, usually induced by necromancy, is the act of reanimation. It is not to bring back to life, rather to prompt the body with a new state of existence, that being not-dead.

    Being alive and being not-dead are very different, and as almost all healing spells are designed for use on the living (with the omission of Berezi''s exception) they hurt the undead rather than heal them, as the status of not-dead is reliant on not being alive.

    Interestingly, this also applies to demons.

    During the insurrection of King Kichiro, he summoned a demon in order to bargain his soul for safety from the insurrectionists. In a panic, a nearby cleric cast a healing spell on the demon by accident, causing the demon great pain and a deterioration of its body in the targeted area.

    The reasoning behind this is highly contested, with theories ranging from demons being classified as undead, to the reasoning being that as demons oppose the gods, they suffer the opposite of intended spells. The true reasoning may never be known, as it was decided during the following reign of Queen Ren that summoning demons for any reason, even to kill the summoned demon, was illegal.

    - Excerpt from "The Techniques and Tricks of Magic" by Esila the always-late

    <hr>

    Taro sent a prayer to the gods as the spell touched the flesh of the demon, skin blistering a bubbling as it began to crumble to dust.

    He raised his warhammer one last time as the roar of pain from the monster who wore the skin of a man readied itself to bring a painful death upon the healer who had hurt it.

    Taro dove, hammer glowing golden through the ruthless rain and the all-consuming wind.

    And as the head of the hammer crushed the skull of the monster, the glow penetrated every centimeter of the titanic beast, and its body exploded first into shards of stone and then into motes of black dust.

    Before he gave in to his exhaustion and injury, Taro locked eyes with one of the skaven skeletons lying in the ruins of the library. Undisturbed by the battle, One of its arms was extended outwards towards him, while the other clutched a weathered spellbook.

    He closed his eyes. Exhaustion caught his battered form.

    The wind and rain refused the sound of Aina screaming his name.

    <hr>

 Chapter 20 - Green-skinned goddess.

    <hr>

    The smell of smoke burned Rio¡¯s nose as he woke.

    Blinking the fog from his eyes, he tried to get up from where he had fallen. A fallen beam had landed over his chest, kept from crushing him to death only by luck. Miraculously, he was mostly unharmed, his worst wound being a broken arm that hung limply at his side.

    He tried to remember what had happened. The orc had been threatening the host, a cleric in the crowd had sent two holy bolts at the orc, he saw them impact, and then. . .

    The scene was lit by a dim orange glow, small fires having spread all across the ruined mansion. Bodies were strewn around the one-beautiful ballroom, a macabre art piece surrounding where the body of the host lay, unmoving.

    Rio panned the room, his eyes seeing several just like him, recovering and helping others. Crawling out from under the beam as well as he could, Rio moved toward the nearest figure, a beastkin female that looked a lot like¨C

    ¡°Fuyuko?¡± Rio asked, a tone of shock on his voice. The figure did not respond, her fur slightly ashen and bloodied, moving in soft waves in the light wind.

    Rio crawled over faster, ignoring the pain in his broken arm. He knew that Fuyuko had been sold as a slave, but he didn¡¯t know where. For all he knew, she might have escaped and started a revolution in the south.

    He reached the beastkin¡¯s side, rolling her over to get a better look at her.

    It was Fuyuko. With his good arm, he pulled her closer, checking her over for injuries. She was alive¨C he sent a thanks to the Grand Creator¨C though her shoulder was dislocated, and a shard of wood had pierced her abdomen. Carefully, he pulled it out, and after checking the wound for splinters, cast a healing spell. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have supplies on hand to properly reset a limb, and even if he did, with his own broken arm, he couldn¡¯t do it.

    Fuyuko groaned softly, to Rio¡¯s immense relief. Hopefully she hadn¡¯t gotten a concussion or suffered any internal damage, but her being awake could be helpful in seeing if she had any additional injuries he didn¡¯t notice.

    Satisfied that Fuyuko would be stable for the time being, Rio took the moment to take another look around.

    All it took was a glance upward.

    Hanging in the crater of the ruptured roof was a body, silhouetted by the moon.

    The tattered dress of a servant revealed shredded chains wrapping the figure of an orc. Her arms were scarred from whippings, and her hands were calloused from hard work. Once-impressive tusks had been filed down to almost nothing, and her hair cut to look appealing to those who could never understand the cultural significance of such actions.

    The orc¡¯s eyes had been completely and utterly annihilated by the cleric¡¯s attack. Blood poured from the twin wounds, defying gravity and encircling the orc¡¯s head like a grim halo. Rio knew in his heart that she was dead.

    He only remembered what orcs tended to do when dead when her face twisted into a furious scowl.

    <hr>

    The palace of the Grand Creator was an interesting place.

    Angels flitted about like butterflies, moving from one thing to another with all the energy and focus of a child in a new environment, despite the fact that Saho knew that they had existed in the palace for millions of years before he was even a thought in his parents'' heads.

    Millions of years. That was a thought. He had barely existed for 14 years before he died, and had only gotten to 15 years of age just before being granted godhood. Now he could change his physical age to whatever he wanted, but he wouldn¡¯t know what it would be like to actually live a mortal life for such periods of time.

    He was immortal, never aging or changing unless he wanted to. What should he possibly do now, with all the endless years ahead of him?

    He felt an angel tug at his tunic.

    ¡°Yes?¡± He asked. Always best to be polite, even when having a crisis.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°Your friends are in danger.¡±

    As Saho would reflect on later, such statements should never be said in such a mundane way.

    <hr>

    Gods have different senses then mortal races. They can sense the power of the universe itself, the ancient will of the creator herself that leaked out as she created everything there was. They could watch it swirl and flow like the ocean in a soft breeze.

    Magic was simply the power of the universe, weakened and granted to mortal races. Mortal races, although they could not sense the ocean, they were a part of it. The will that flowed through their veins, no matter how weak compared to deities, but it was there. And their wills affected the universe. It would drip into the ocean, no matter how weak, and dissipate like a drop of milk in a bucket of water.

    When Hifumi had first transformed into a mortal race, she was disorientated by the lack of vision. She couldn¡¯t see the ocean of the universe anymore, couldn¡¯t feel it at all. Through the centuries of living as various mortal races, she had gotten used to the sensory deprivation, and could live comfortably without it.

    Now, the ocean of the universe was all that she could see. The ebbs and flows of the current, the swirls and waves of the creator¡¯s leftover will.

    She searched for the shape amongst the fallen bodies. She would have to. . . thank the cleric for returning her godhood. Then her former ¡®masters¡¯ for how they treated her during her service, then the elves for enslaving her in the first place. . .

    She had a lot of people to thank.

    But first the cleric. She didn¡¯t get a great look at them before she lost her eyes, but clerics tended to have very different magic signatures than other mortals, mainly because they use holy magic.

    As soon as Hifumi felt the cleric¨C who was awake and preparing to cast another spell¨C she lashed out, her will flowing over the cleric¡¯s body.

    After a few seconds, the smoking mass of what once was flesh stopped moving, and Hifumi continued her search. The cleric didn¡¯t deserve even half of what she was going to give to her ¡®masters¡¯, so she went easy on them.

    Her senses slipped over a dwarf cradling a half-conscious beastkin in his arms.

    And suddenly, it felt like a boulder had been dropped into the ocean.

    <hr>

    As a rogue, Fuyuko was used to waking up ready for a fight. Even after 9 months of slavery, some things simply couldn¡¯t be unlearned.

    So when she was woken by the feeling of an explosion going off a short distance away, her eyes shot open, and her hand went for her dagger. Or it would¡¯ve if she had her dagger, and if her arm was working.

    Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rio, face pale and eyes wide. Above them, the orc servant floated in the air, her tattered dress flowing in an invisible wind, empty eye sockets pouring blood that surrounded her head, power and malice spilling from her frame. And Across the room¨C

    Saho stood in pristine golden armor, holy light emanating from his body. He held no weapon, but his mere presence met the furious power of the orc with unmatched determination.

    For a long moment, neither Saho nor the orc servant moved, the air still, and the room quiet.

    Then Fuyuko heard the child of the host whimper.

    The orc¡¯s head snapped to the source of the sound, rage painting her face, teeth bared. With a lash of her arm, the target of her hostility was yanked upward, the air around them turning as hot as an open furnace in an instant.

    Saho, crossing the ballroom in the blink of an eye, pulling the host¡¯s child to safety before leaping towards the orc.

    Before he could come close, she batted him aside in a move all too similar to how the demon king had thrown Fuyuko through a wall.

    The air burned with hatred. Those watching held their breath as Saho rose once more, facing a raging storm.

    <hr>

    Saho knew this wasn¡¯t a fight he could win.

    The power of the universe was affected by emotion, and the stronger one was, the more control they had over it.

    In her madness, the orc¡¯s emotions were leaking into the universe with the force and subtlety of an enraged bear.

    Hate, Fury, Vengeance, and the all too familiar feeling of crushing determination. The will to fight until there was nothing left to fight, and then to keep fighting after that. The feeling that once poured from the demon king now poured from the orc.

    Saho¡¯s will could not match it, and eventually he would fall as well, and then nothing would be there to hold the orc back.

    He could not beat her.

    But he could banish her.

    He remembered the tales he had heard of how the Grand Creator had exiled the Dark One from existence, forever barring it from threatening the universe. Even though it had made the demons, who had broken through and done untold damage to Asyke, the creator of such evil was unable to do so itself.

    And so he gathered his power. The strength of his will, and the will of his patron, and acted.

    The fabric of reality tore, and through the hole. . .

    Nothing. A great, grand nothing. A lack of feeling so wrong that it caused his gut to clench.

    Acting on instinct, before his opponent could react, he pushed with all his might, and ousted the orc from the universe, casting her into the empty abyss that lay beyond. The wound in reality sealed itself behind her.

    Out of breath, chills running up and down his spine, he took a step towards his two friends, who lay frozen on the ground.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    They just gaped at him.

    Saho was reminded of what had happened the last time he asked that.

    <hr>

 Chapter 21 - Spontaneous god-child acquisition

    <hr>

    My perceptions twist as it returns to the quasi-omniscience that I had in the abyss outside of the universe. My demon shell had been thoroughly shattered by the paladin¡¯s attack, easily enough to turn the stones that held its form together to tiny pieces of assorted dust and gravel.

    Was it completely gone? No, I could reconstitute it at any time, but I have no desire to do that at the moment.

    Honestly, that was a lot of fun. Most of the souls that I got have already been thrown back into the reincarnation cycle when their bodies were killed by the party. Some are still out there, but I really don¡¯t care about that.

    But now that I¡¯m back, I should probably get check in on my side projects. The terran galaxy just passed 200 thousand years, my dream demons are developing nicely, and¨C

    . . . What is that.

    Did somebody poke a hole in my void?

    And now they just throw someone through it. I¡¯m a fucking trashcan now. Great.

    Let¡¯s just seal that real quick. None of that.

    Taking a look at my newest roommate, she looks to be alright, a little rattled, which is to be expected.

    I should probably do something about this.

    <hr>

    To say that the void was quiet would be incorrect.

    For something to be quiet, there would first have to be sound.

    She had been cast into an empty nothing, no gravity, no light, no sound. To give the lack of space a size would be wrong as well, for if it had a size then it would not be nothing.

    Hifumi was the only thing in the empty un-space, alone in the void. If she was correct, she was in the abyss beyond the universe, banished like the Dark One, forever confined to a prison of absolute nothingness.

    There was no ocean of the universe out here. No waves or currents of the creator¡¯s will. Nothing but¨C

    Something appeared in her vision. Enormous chains glowing like the sun, simultaneously too far to see and close enough to touch.

    The void, already lacking sound, seemed to loop upon itself, the no¨Cnoise becoming deafening, and the un¨Catmosphere causing shivers to dance up and down her skin. The lack of feeling became worse, like the abyss she was surrounded by was ignoring her. The chains flexed like muscles, tightening around the nothing that they held, and then they were gone. The glow fading away, returning her to blindness once more.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    No. No. No, Hifumi was a god again! She would not be consigned to an existence of nothing! Her power twisted, pushing against the void, forcing it to her will.

    A weathered and pitted rock the size of a castle sprang to existence in front of her, saturated with her own will, created by her own power. Already she could imagine towering spires and impenetrable walls forming from the stone, a fortress in which she would store the knowledge of millions of years as both god and mortal.

    She was drained. To do such a thing without the ocean of the universe had exhausted her to her core. She felt herself drift to sleep, the lack of sensation soothing her aching body. She did not feel the nothing lift her form, placing her gently upon the rock of her creation, nor its ever¨Cpresent non-gaze as she slept. Nor did she dream, for there was nothing for her to dream about.

    <hr>

    Expectations could be crushing for those not prepared.

    Yuuki was prepared. She was always prepared. She had to be. The title of crown princess of the gods was no small thing. She wasn¡¯t the oldest¨C that was her sister, Hifumi¨C but she was the one expected to be the guide for all the younger gods.

    Sometimes she wished that she had refused the title, as her sister did. She wanted to explore every place that the universe had to offer, to find a place where she could relax, away from the expectations that had defined her immortal life. A place where she could rest in the arms of her older sister, where she could see everything, learn everything, do everything.

    But that would never happen. Hifumi was dead.

    She had felt it. The presence of her sister disappeared from the ocean of the universe. In an instant, she had flown to the place where it happened. A burned out mansion, where the agent of the grand creator was helping some mortals to their feet. Quickly, she disguised herself, appearing as a previously¨Cunseen guest.

    ¡°What happened?¡± She did not hide the fear in her voice, worried as she was for her sister.

    The agent of the creator spoke first. ¡°Nothing for you to worry about ma¡¯am, just a demon. It won¡¯t be bothering anyone again.¡±

    She knew he was wrong. It hadn¡¯t been a demon. The universe had been tainted by madness, yes, but the source wasn¡¯t that of a demon, at least not one she knew. Perhaps he simply couldn¡¯t tell the difference, or maybe it was some previously¨Cunknown kind?

    ¡°A demon? What did it look like?¡±

    The agent paused. His eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her. Nothing to worry about. She had hid her godly presence well. ¡°It had the appearance of an orc.¡± The dwarf¨C a healer, she could tell¨C ¡°One of the servants owned by the family.¡±

    An orc. Not a demon. Her sister was dead.

    Rushing off, she hurried to the center of the ballroom, where the taint was the strongest. There was a slight tinge of holy magic, and the smell of death, left behind by what she could only assume was an attack.

    An attack. An orc. Her sister was dead.

    Hifumi liked to take the form of other races, live their lives, learn about them. Learning was her favorite thing to do.

    Holy magic. Smell of death. Orcs died twice.

    The agent of the creator. Orcs died twice. It won¡¯t be bothering anyone again.

    Her sister was dead.

    <hr>

    A shadow slunk away from the ruins. What it had seen was truly inspiring.

    The drama! The action! Amazing!

    It just couldn¡¯t wait until the next invasion. It would ensure that Kranua was entertained. It would make the battlefields its stage once more, bringing all of the drama and action that it had seen in the mansion.

    And so, Balta returned to the realm of the demons, mind on the future, and theatrics in her eyes.

    <hr>

 Chapter 22 - Caerbannog

    <hr>

    The rabbit didn¡¯t move.

    Its white fur and red eyes were unblinking, staring into her own, like it was judging her. The soft wind had its fur moving in shallow waves, though its ears did not move in the slightest. Its eyes betrayed a kind of intelligence that rabbits didn¡¯t tend to have, as well as a silent threat.

    Kaede had never seen a rabbit quite like it. Most fled immediately from Conan, no amount of trust for druids being able to overwrite the instinctual reaction to run from a predator. Sometimes Conan would chase them, instincts for the hunt difficult to overcome when sighting fleeing prey.

    But Conan was also frozen, his enormous frame that made carriages look small seemed tiny when facing the shoe-sized rabbit. It stared them down with a murderous glare only a rabbit could give, so still that if Kaede couldn¡¯t see it breathing she¡¯d think it was dead.

    Slowly, she extended an arm to a pacifying gesture she hoped the rabbit might recognize if it had seen travellers before. The rabbit gave a clear look of distrust, eyes darting from her own to her hand and back. Taking it as a sign to continue, Kaede reached her druidic magic to try to communicate with it.

    Nothing.

    It had no thoughts. It had no thoughts. Everything had thoughts. Even plants had thoughts, simple as they were. But this rabbit, this tiny, albino rabbit deep in the eastern forest didn¡¯t have any. Not even surface level instincts. Just a deep, gaping, nothing.

    ¡°Impossible.¡± the words slipped from her lips on their own, a quiet whisper disturbing the silent forest.

    Instantly, its attention snapped to her, gleaming red eyes suddenly sparking with violent hate. In the blink of an eye, it was in the air, leaping at her with its teeth bared, ready to rend her to a bloody corpse. It was too fast for her body to react, but her mind watched in horror as it slowly got closer.

    Then, Snap!

    The rabbit was hanging in Conan¡¯s jaws, shocked to stillness at its failure to murder Kaede in a manner most gruesome.

    It wasn¡¯t even midday yet.

    <hr>

    I¡¯ll admit, the rock was a surprise.

    I wasn¡¯t expecting anything to spontaneously begin existing outside of existence, especially not by a mortal(?) so small.

    Well, relatively small. Orc males average out around 3 meters tall, and orc females around 2.5. My newest roommate hits about 225 centimeters, which is short for an orc.

    Skaven typically average around 3 meters for males and 4 meters for females, with the largest ever being a female around 6.5 meters tall. The tallest goblins don''t exceed 120 centimeters.

    My point is, I didn¡¯t see the rock-summoning coming. Is my new roommate even really an orc?

    Let me take a closer look.

    . . .

    Alright, she IS an orc.

    She just so happens to also be a god. Not like Akira, more like the gods that Akira made. Not an exact match, but that can be attributed to her being an orc.

    . . .

    Why is an orc a god? I¡¯m not complaining, this means I don¡¯t have to make one of my own, but I want to know how it happened.

    . . .

    Whatever. If she¡¯s gonna be staying here, I should make an assistant¨C or should I say, an intermediary¨C so I can interact with her easier.

    I don''t want it to be overwhelming or all that intimidating. She¡¯s gonna be my roommate, not my slave or enemy.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Some bone there, some woolen cloth there, a little bit of rope and chain, and. . .

    There. A more visually attractive aide.

    I¡¯ll also give her a blanket. Sleeping on rock cannot be comfortable.

    <hr>

    The rabbit gave Kaede a look that promised a slow, painful death.

    It was currently in a small wooden cage that She had in her camp for the transfer of invasive or lost animals. Considering the rabbit¡¯s aggression, she had decided to use the cage to contain it for the time being.

    She stuck a particularly nutritious leaf that she had gathered through the bars of the cage, pulling her hand back swiftly as the rabbit tried to bite her. Despite its hostility, it would be best if she kept it close. It wasn¡¯t a native species, so as a druid it was her responsibility to relocate it, and because of how unusual it was, it was her duty to try to understand it as best she could.

    ¡°At least try to eat it. You need nutrition or you¡¯ll die.¡±

    The rabbit looked like it was considering that option just to spite her, but eventually gave in and began to consume the plant. It might not have thoughts, but it sure acted like it did.

    What a menace.

    <hr>

    Hifumi awoke on something soft.

    Without the ocean of the universe, The only way to see what it was was to see the silhouette it cast on the stone she conjured. By the way that it was shaped, plus its texture, its identity as a blanket was easily discovered.

    But she hadn¡¯t fallen asleep on a blanket, nor had she fallen asleep on the stone that she created. Before she could think on that¨C

    ¡°My most humble greetings, my lady.¡±

    She spun. Silhouetted by the backdrop of summoned rock was a creature of approximately skaven height, wearing a monk¡¯s robe secured by rope. Its hands¨C bound at its wrists by chains¨C were skeletal and long-fingered. She could not make out its head, as it was above where the stone horizon ended, but the voice had emanated from about an arm¡¯s length above where its neck should have been in proportion to the rest of the body. Whereas before it had its hands clasped in front of it where she couldn¡¯t make them out, at her turn it had raised them to a small surrender.

    ¡°Oh! I must apologize, my lady. I thought you knew of my presence.¡±

    Its voice was snakelike and high-pitched, sliding easily over her ears. It had an aged tone, like that of the elder orcs in her tribe, who had told stories around the campfire. It wasn¡¯t necessarily kindly, more akin to the sound that she imagined an old tree would make if it could talk.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± She tried to keep her voice level, wincing at the hint of fear laced in her words.

    ¡°You may call me whatever you wish my lady, though if you ask my name, I am Nahi. I am at your service.¡± it bowed, not enough for her to make out its head, but enough that she could tell what it was doing.

    The Orc language was complex, consisting of short noises with meanings strung together to make more descriptive words. In the language, her orc name, Hifu, was composed of Hi (to think), and Fu (to learn). Often orcs would change names through their lives, such as Nufi, whose name meant ¡°Always curious¡±, coming from Nu (always) and Fi (to be curious), who later became Nuva, when he decided to try cooking, and found that he loved doing it.

    But the name that whoever this was gave her, Nahi, meant something different. Hi meant to think, of course, but Na. . .

    Na meant never.

    She decided to try again. ¡°Where did you come from?¡±

    ¡°I was made to serve you, my lady.¡± Was that a smirk in its voice? The idea of someone serving her like she had served the noble family put a bad taste in her mouth.

    ¡°But who made you?¡±

    ¡°Look around you my lady. Who here could have made me?¡±

    Another non-answer. She knew there was nobody else in the abyss.

    Except. . .

    ¡°Adho.¡±

    The name made the soft glow of her will infused into the summoned rock dim slightly, and the cacophonous un-noise seemed to intensify. Adho. The Dark One. Banished to the nothing outside of the universe forever. Ahdo, who had made the dark races, and was feared by every god that existed, including the Grand Creator.

    Including Hifumi.

    Her time as an orc had given her a new perspective, and she no longer feared Adho like she did before, but she had never been able to shake the terror that she felt as just the thought of its existence.

    The thing in front of her was made by Adho. Nahi was made to serve her.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    She had to know.

    ¡°I was made to serve you, my lady. To help you in any way you want and to assist you in any way you may require.¡±

    ¡°But why? Are you aware of the reasoning behind your creation? Are you capable of telling me the reason?¡±

    ¡°I am only aware of that which I am made aware of, my lady.¡±

    Hifumi paused. ¡°Are you loyal? Are you willing?¡±

    ¡°Forever and always, my lady.¡±

    She was not satisfied. But Nahi would not attack or hinder her, she could tell. It held not even the idea in its head that it ever could, nor the desire to do so if it did. She would continue her internal debate on the possible reason Ahdo had to create Nahi just for her later.

    She had a fortress to make.

    <hr>

    She began with the rough shape, carving away huge chunks of stone as it slowly became more and more castle-shaped. The discarded stone was used to construct towers out of the rock, grande arches and enormous gardens barren of life. It was a lonely castle, monotone and empty in its initial state, but Hifumi was proud. This would be her new home.

    She looked out across her newly carved creation, even as exhaustion began to set in again. Nahi was already behind her, blanket in hand, ready to set her down to rest.

    The fortress was beautiful. And it was all hers.

    <hr>

 Chapter 23 - Nihildemos

    <hr>

    Kaede checked the rabbit again.

    Nothing.

    Though it was asleep, it did not dream, nor did it think at all. Its mind was a blank space, empty and gaping. She felt like she could slip and fall into it, and never emerge again.

    She pulled away from it. It was as fascinating as it was terrifying. For a creature without thoughts, how had it shown such clear emotion, will and desire? It shifted slightly in its sleep. Its front feet curled around the air, like it was grasping something.

    Kaede lay down again, and tried to drift off into the night.

    Her dreams were haunted by a white rabbit.

    <hr>

    Hifumi woke again, laying on a blanket in the courtyard of her newly formed castle.

    Across the empty space, standing at attention beside an archway, Nahi waited, still as a statue and cold as the rock that surrounded them.

    As soon as Hifumi¡¯s mouth opened to speak, Nahi shot to life. The strange appendage-like extensions that spanned from its neck were now partially visible to Hifumi, silhouetted by the dim glow of her will infused into the stone.

    ¡°My lady.¡±

    Hifumi didn¡¯t sense any mouth move, but she thought the odd extensions shifted slightly as Nahi spoke.

    ¡°How long have I been asleep, Nahi?¡±

    Nahi stilled for a moment, seemingly in thought. ¡°No more than a quarter of one of your planet¡¯s rotations, my lady.¡±

    She glanced around the barren courtyard. She missed the many colors of Asyke. Even when she was enslaved, she had seen beautiful gardens of many flowers, paintings so realistic that she could imagine walking into them, and statues that could leave any observer speechless. Here there was no life. No painters or sculptors.

    Except. . .

    She had the power to shape stone. She had an eternity to learn how to paint. The only thing she lacked was the ability to make life. The only god with such an ability was the Grand creator.

    Unless. . .

    Nahi seemed to notice her expression. ¡°My lady?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t just a god now. She was an orc. Orcs, like all other dark races, were known to do the impossible all the time. Their very existence was impossible, as they were not made by the Grand creator, and thus should not live as they so clearly do. Adho, whatever he was, defied rules, and in turn so did his creations.

    Whatever she was now was not her previous definition of a god. She was something new, with new rules. Who knew if she could make life or not?

    ¡°My lady!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Nahi?¡±

    Nahi almost seemed to give her a look of concern. ¡°Are you alright, my lady?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t alright. She was excited.

    <hr>

    The king of skaven watched the edge of the universe.

    His enhanced eyesight made it easy to observe the ongoings of his subjects, the skaven. Of the seven heads, the three most forward heads were each focused on different parts of the universe, keeping their eyes trained on their respective favorite subjects.

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    The most forward head¨C who had fought fiercely for the name of Lok¨C was focused on a massive 6 meter skaven infiltrating the capital of the dwarven queendom on Asyke. On one side of him, Lak was telling Luk about what Luk¡¯s own favorite skaven was doing, while on his other side Lek and Lyk were having a pleasant conversation about what Lok could only assume was their respective favorite star systems to look at. Lik, one of the two heads in the back, was asleep, his quiet snores unobtrusive. The same could not be said of the head to his side, also referred to as the eternal bane of their collective existence.

    The Still unnamed head was loudly complaining about being stuck in the back¨C again¨C making spending any amount of time alone with one¡¯s own thoughts quite impossible.

    Lok¡¯s tail was twitching to smash the head¡¯s face in, held back by only the uncertainty of what such an action would do to the rest of their brother¡¯s and sister¡¯s body. As it was, the rest of the heads completely ignored the unnamed head.

    Lok was distracted from the other head¡¯s continuous whining by the sight of his favorite skaven happily chewing on a dwarf that had wandered too close to its hiding spot.

    Looks like the unnamed head would live another day.

    <hr>

    Khel stood silent, the beauty of the universe in front of her metaphorical eyes.

    She watched it ebb and flow, whole galaxies moving like water in an ocean. It was wondrous. Astounding. Breathtaking, if she breathed. Stars were like drops of water, dancing and twirling in perfect form.

    And each planet that danced with the stars was like her. Rock and stone, all the way through. At such depths it melted, minerals and metals separating, but it was all still like her. She could imagine all the planets awaking, huge golems hidden beneath the surface.

    But planetary gods ruined the image. They kept her kin asleep.

    Khel¡¯s stone hands tightened into rocky fists. How dare they! She would decimate them! Fury flowed through her, thoughts of violence permeating the un-space she was surrounded by.

    The power of the Dark One rested in her. She would make it proud.

    <hr>

    Lilith¡¯s gigantic footfalls echoed all across the enormous castle hallway.

    In front of her, the miniscule forms of higher demons parted before her, not looking to be squashed like insects as she passed through. Being around 15 meters in height made her a truly intimidating sight, especially with the thick black smoke that shrouded her body and the orange glow of the flames that outlined her.

    Ahead of her, she saw the two human servants that she had been told about fearfully press themselves against the walls at the sight of her. For as competent Krika and Balta had demonstrated themselves to be, the humans had her suspicions the moment that they offered to become voluntary servants, and she would annihilate them the moment they tried anything.

    Lucifer was slightly more trusting of them, seemingly believing that him having given them immortality meant that the eternal torture that they would endure should they attempt something would be enough to keep them in line.

    And if they didn¡¯t. . .

    She allowed a small smile to cross her face, hidden from view by the ever-flowing smoke.

    <hr>

    Avai''s mind wandered as a cell divided itself.

    For as basic as it was, the cell itself was one among countless that was scattered across the galaxy that he watched over. An entire galaxy without life was terribly lonely, and for as interesting as mitosis was, after a few trillion times it became somewhat repetitive.

    The clouds that formed over the lifeless stones formed shapes just as fascinating as the cells below them, but they had not the ability to speak, nor to listen, nor to watch as he did.

    Avai was alone. Fully, truely, entirely, alone.

    One of his many hands glided through the rock beneath him, and for a moment he wished he could touch it. He could imagine the texture, the feeling, the temperature. . . but he could not. The light cast from the star above him did not warm him, passing through to touch the stone. The air, thick with carbon dioxide, did not flow around him, only through him. The water that he was half submerged in might as well have been absent, for it did not provide any sensation to him at all.

    A mad thought crashed into his mind, like one of the millions of meteors that had fallen on the planet he was on.

    A scream tore from his immaterial throat, a desperate prayer to his creator.

    . . .

    Nothing.

    . . .

    Then he felt an indescribable sensation that struck all over his body. For an excruciating moment he believed that the Dark One was punishing him.

    But slowly, it became bearable. A soothing sensation across his lower body. A similar, lighter feeling over his upper. An imperfect, rough texture on his hands, a feeling of heat over his whole body. . .

    It was so much. But it was wonderful.

    Thank you.

    He imagined his creator smiling without a face, without anything to smile with.

    All was good.

    <hr>

 Chapter 24 - Bohemian Rhapsody

    <hr>

    Saho was reluctant to leave his friends.

    Rio had decided that he would smuggle Fuyuko with him into the dwarven queendom, where she would pose as a recently acquired servant of his. Rio had assured her that he had no intention of actually treating her as such, and had even dug her old daggers out of his pack for her to keep.

    Fuyuko had tried to convince the remaining servants to come with her, but most decided not to. The elder goblin had elected to smack Rio¡¯s ?????? ???????????? before sprinting into the nearby forest. Neither Fuyuko or Saho had laughed so hard since before their trek toward the Demon king.

    Eventually however, it was time for Saho to depart. He said his goodbyes, gave both of them an enormous embrace, and returned to the Grand creator¡¯s palace, vanishing in a cloud of white mist and golden light.

    His arrival was not uncelebrated by the angels that had been watching from. . . wherever they watched from (angels, he had learned, were practically all seeing, especially with their sheer numbers), and they quickly bombarded him with questions in child-like wonder.

    His patron was still away, and didn¡¯t seem to be coming back soon.

    More time for him to craft an explanation, he supposed.

    <hr>

    Yuuki halted as she passed through the star system.

    She had been on a restless wander ever since Hifumi died, moving from planet to planet, galaxy to galaxy, doing the motions, careful not to neglect her duties as crown princess despite the ravage to her mind.

    She had seen a lot. Species that were in perfect harmony with each other, and species that seemed like they had almost been designed to be at constant odds. She had even seen a whole galaxy that seemed to be moving at almost a hundred thousand times faster than the rest of the universe.

    But she had never seen this before. A massive obelisk of black stone that seemed to protrude from the very fabric of reality. She could sense the care and work that had so clearly gone into its construction, the careful tendrils of will that its crafters had given. It had been buried, whether on purpose or by nature, she couldn''t be sure, but now it stuck out from where it stood, carvings of strange letters and figures almost watching her.

    Instantly, she knew that it was not of the Grand creator. It held not her touch in it. The material might have been made by her, but she had since been removed from it. This was an artifact of her antithesis. An object created perhaps by the Dark one¡¯s followers, and saturated by their belief and will.

    She paused. The Dark one was responsible for the creation of plenty of evils, including the Demons that had ravaged Asyke. But before the swarming animals there were dealmakers, which could alter reality to their will in exchange for whatever they wanted. If anything could bring back her sister. . .

    The air around her suddenly stilled. The ambient noise froze. The sky darkened, and a lack of sensation spread over her.

    She did not notice.

    <hr>

    It was while Saho was contemplating what to tell his patron that the weight of his act struck him suddenly.

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    He had banished them from existence. Sent them to an empty void untouched by the Grand creator¡¯s hand. It was a punishment that no other monster but the worst enemy of his patron had been given, until Saho had done so with the orc-god.

    The orc-god.

    It was not unusual for gods to be born from belief¨C most were in fact¨C and even those that weren¡¯t sometimes found themselves changing as the beliefs of their followers changed.

    But never had the beliefs of the dark races spawned a god before. Saho wasn¡¯t even aware they worshiped gods other than their own creator, whatever it was (and it was firmly not a god).

    To be honest, Saho wasn¡¯t even sure if the orc was a god or not. It had the power of one (a young one), and its. . . unique personality could be attributed to its violent birth and the beliefs of its followers, but such things did not necessarily mean it was a god. It could¡¯ve been any number of things. A demonic possession, magical overload, etcetera. He was just too focused on how dangerous it was to think about it thoroughly.

    He¡¯d explain as such to his patron when he got the chance.

    <hr>

    The planet of Iocli was as average a planet as could be. It was neither particularly large nor particularly small, with a mixed atmosphere of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

    Where it became special was in the condition of the surface, and life forms that lived there. Because of the planet¡¯s lack of a moon, the surface was under a near-constant bombardment of meteors that rendered it utterly unlivable on the long term.

    Because of this, life on Iocli evolved to be tough and resilient, and lived underground, where it was relatively safer. The few Ioclian races¨C namely the short, hairy, but deceptively strong dwarves and the equally small, less hairy kobolds¨C had been at ¡°war¡± with each other for as long as they had existed, as resources were scarce. Rarely did their battles actually involve killing one another, usually being equivalent to a gaggle of children playing keep-away instead.

    Most members of their respective races didn¡¯t particularly care about the war, too worried about finding enough to live another day. Among the hundreds of towns dug into the ashen stone of cave walls, Ortou was one of a number that was inhabited by all the races at once, having been expanded into a tangled wind of passages and rooms of varying size and design, leaving even the most competent of navigators often lost.

    Feilim was a dwarf, a rather short one at that. His small body was coated head-to-toe in blonde fur, only his face and hands uncovered. His head was the usual Ioclian dwarf shape, somewhat axe-like, with eyes on either side to ensure that no predator could sneak up from behind in the winding passageways. His hearing-holes, located just below his eyes, were slightly larger than average, allowing him better hearing, and his short, vibration-sensitive tail had a small puff of fur on its end, which would eventually cover the whole thing as he aged.

    Beside Feilim was his best friends, a kobold named Effie and another dwarf by the name of Shay.

    Effie was slightly taller than Feilim, though not by much. Her neck-fur was thick and soft to the touch¨C though if anyone tried to touch it they would quickly find themselves missing a hand, or an arm, or roughly half their torso. Her scales were a soft red, and her fingers were longer than average for an Ioclian kobold of her age. Her head was flat and angular, ideal for squeezing through crevices that larger pursuers couldn¡¯t, and her tail was long and serpentine, containing plenty of sensory organs for vibrations and smells.

    Shay was slightly shorter than Effie, with gray fur and a longer head than Feilim. He had thicker fingers and powerful arms, perfect for digging through the stone, and short legs that lent themselves to excellent traction. If his legs were longer, he would have easily been the tallest, but fate had it differently.

    They had met when they were all young, Feilim being hairless and fresh, Effie being only slightly older than him, and Shay older than her. Together they made for a team unlike any other, being able to steal, distract, and do it all over again for as long as it took for a merchant to realize that they couldn¡¯t be stopped or caught.

    There were few that they could trust, but just each other was enough.

    <hr>

    Hungry.

    It couldn¡¯t move. It couldn¡¯t hunt.

    Hungry.

    It could only watch as its host went about its actions.

    Hungry.

    Its host would fall asleep soon. But until then, it waited.

    <hr>

 Chapter 25 - Stop and smell the roses

    <hr>

    ¡°There! Get them!¡±

    Honestly, didn¡¯t the guards have better lines to spout? After 15 years of daily thefts and running from guards, Effie had heard the exact words an innumerable amount of times.

    ¡°Hey! Stop!¡±

    Two for two. That one wasn¡¯t new either. It was more often said by the people she was stealing from, but it was still said more than enough times for her to get used to it.

    Ahead of her, she could see Feilim pocketing several fruits from a vendor, and in the distance, Shay sneaking up on a wealthy¨Clooking shopper. She slipped through the crowd of marketplace customers easily, and even the deft eyes of the guard¨C she recognized them as one who had come very close to catching them on more than one occasion¨C didn¡¯t manage to see her get away.

    The open central chamber that served as the marketplace in Ortou had plenty of entrances and exits, more than one of which were too small for any adult to fit through. Effie had been living in one of the many, many, smaller rooms that branched from branches of branches, a maze of corridors that would send any who tried to map them mad.

    Feilim and Shay lived in the same chamber, and she could not imagine what life would be like without their almost constant presence. They did practically everything together. Steal, eat, exercise¨C even sleep, although as they gradually aged, Effie had decided that she wanted her own bedroll, which they helped her steal.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let her get away!¡±

    And of course there were the guards, who were almost just as stupid as they were several years ago, and still hadn¡¯t been able to hold on to them for more than a few minutes at a time.

    She ducked under a cart, sliding between the merchant¡¯s legs before rolling back into a sprint. Already her escape plan was established, and in motion. The guard had lost sight of her for a moment, and a hidden tunnel entrance was only a few strides away. She slipped between some crates, squeezing through the darkness into a spot away from any prying eyes, and¨C

    By the time the guard managed to clear away the boxes, all they could see was another empty room. The thief had gotten away again.

    <hr>

    Moving at night was extremely dangerous, but Shay did dangerous things all the time.

    Of course, those dangerous things typically didn¡¯t involve anything to do with tungwyrms; large, wormlike monsters that had¨C at some point¨C learned how to imitate speech in order to lure their prey¨C which was typically anything that moved, and some things that couldn¡¯t. Like most inhabitants of Iocli, they depended primarily on senses other than sight, namely sound and vibrations, which Shay dearly hoped he wasn¡¯t making.

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    In hindsight, it really wasn¡¯t a good idea to run down an abandoned tunnel to get away from guards, but was he supposed to know he would encounter a tungwyrm of all things? Just because it hadn¡¯t noticed him yet¨C too immersed in its current meal¨C didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t in danger. If he was too loud, or moved too quickly, it would surely realize it wasn¡¯t alone, and then he would quickly be made into its dessert.

    The tungwyrm¡¯s teeth tore through the flesh of whatever its unfortunate prey was¨C it was too mutilated to tell, and the darkness didn¡¯t help either¨C as Shay resisted the urge to groan. Not only was the smell horrible, but the sounds. He had heard plenty of disgusting things before, but this topped the list.

    As slowly as possible, Shay backed away from the monster, careful to soften his footfalls. Thankfully it either didn¡¯t notice, or didn¡¯t care enough to turn from its food.

    The journey back to the hideout was long, and every small vibration and noise made Shay jump.

    <hr>

    The vendor was hiding something.

    Feilim had learned plenty in his years of theft and running, including when someone was lying. And that vendor was definitely lying. About what, he wasn¡¯t sure, but it was there.

    Their wares looked fine, and their cart wasn¡¯t making any strange sounds or smells, but they were smiling too wide to be genuine, and their eyes glittered with lies. By this point in his life, Feilim knew that more often than not his instincts were correct, and his instinct was to avoid that vendor.

    Moving to the side, he turned his attention towards the next cart, where another merchant was selling finely carved knives that looked more ornamental than practical. The blades didn¡¯t look sharp enough to cut through a dwarf¡¯s tough skin or a kobold¡¯s hard scales, and certainly not enough to do any purposeful damage to any of the innumerable monsters that lurked in the tunnels of Iocli.

    Letting out a sigh, Feilim retreated back toward where he, Shay, and Effie had agreed to meet back up after their rounds. It wasn¡¯t as though his search was fruitless, he had grabbed a quarter of a dozen pieces of fresh bread, slipped a modest amount of money from pockets, and he hadn¡¯t been spotted by any guards.

    They had agreed not to stay out any longer than they had to, after both Shay¡¯s close call with a tungwyrm and the increasing number of disappearances in the neighboring towns, moving too much outside of populated areas was getting more dangerous.

    No survivors or bodies had been found yet, but from what investigations had shown, travelers had been vanishing when either traveling alone, or when traveling in small, isolated groups. While not revealing what exactly had been attacking them, it did help narrow the list. Lurites weren¡¯t afraid of large groups, greyskins and revenants were too messy, and while tungwyrms were possible in theory, their mimicry wouldn¡¯t work on any experienced traveler.

    Nonetheless, Feilim, Shay, and Effie had collectively decided that staying out for extended periods of time was probably a bad idea, as was being too loud when in their hideout. After all, there were plenty of tunnels near to them which wouldn¡¯t be hard for an unknown monster to hide in.

    As he approached the meeting spot, he could see them nearing it as well. Nobody wanted to be the next disappearance.

    <hr>

    Hungry.

    It had gone hunting several times recently, but it was still hungry.

    Hungry.

    Its host still kept it from hunting while they were awake.

    Hungry.

    No matter. It would hunt again soon.

    <hr>

 Chapter 26 - The antichrist is a prokaryotic cell

    <hr>

    She started small. Just a simple microbe.

    . . . Although simple would be a hard term to use. Prokaryotic cells were only simple in relativity to the rest of the universe, and still contained a head-spinning amount of information that Hifumi had to add in personally. Nahi would help her occasionally, but seemed more concerned with making sure she didn¡¯t collapse again like she did after making the stone.

    The stone was easy. It was just a mix of solid elements packed together in a rough shape. She hadn¡¯t needed precision, even when carving the fortress. For the microbe however, she needed to be maddeningly specific, and had to account for countless tiny factors in its creation, everything from light level, to atmosphere, to water, to electrons, proteins, stray dust that clung to her body, and what felt like a million others.

    She had created a small star¨C again, just a lump of elements squashed together, she had only passed out twice making it¨C which was close enough to her castle to provide it with ample light and warmth, as well as create a simple day-night cycle caused by the rotation of the stone. She had given her castle an atmosphere, and added a small pool of water that lay just outside the walls.

    The last part was designing the cell itself, which was what was really giving her problems. Progress in the DNA formation took a huge amount of time¨C measured using her new star¨C for even the smallest of additions, and she wasn¡¯t even sure if it was possible for her to create life. For all she knew, she could have done it perfectly, but the microbe would never be alive because she wasn¡¯t the Grand creator.

    She tried manifesting another prototype microbe. Attempt number unknown.

    It just floated there. Not dead, because it was never alive.

    She sighed and got back to work. Nahi was apparently preparing some food for when she took a break.

    Honestly. It was like a grandparent sometimes.

    <hr>

    During her Nahi-mandated break (enforced by way of disappointed look), Hifumi decided that part of her problem was a lack of power.

    Magical strength was determined by will, with more will meaning more power. The most skilled magic users spent years, decades, and sometimes even centuries increasing their willpower in the interest of gaining magical strength. Some were fortunate enough to be born with great magical power, most had to work for it, and still others would develop it over time even without training.

    Gods were no exception. Hifumi had been born with average magical strength (for a god) and had never taken it upon herself to intentionally train her willpower all that much. She was already stronger than any mortal, why would she need to be any stronger?

    Now though, she had to, because she didn¡¯t want to spend the rest of time (or lack thereof) trying and failing to create life. Without the ocean of the universe, her ability was already weakened, forcing her to rely on her own will both to shape and to control, rather than using the leftover will of the Grand creator.

    Nonetheless she would succeed. She¡¯d form her own universe, and her own lifeforms, all separated from the rest of existence. She would make her intended prison into her new home.

    Nahi seemed to find the idea amusing, and did not attempt to dissuade her.

    <hr>

    She was getting closer. Her determination empowered her, strengthening her will, and although the microbes still refused to manifest alive, it felt like they were a puzzle gradually approaching completion.

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    While training her willpower, she worked on her fortress.

    She made windows of colored glass, depicting the creation tales of every race she had lived with. She practiced over and over until she could make the finest of details on the carved faces, and spent a week assembling it piece by piece. She carved a library to fill with tomes of information, with bookshelves that reached the ceiling. One day, she told herself, she would need to carve other rooms just like it, for she knew that it would be filled far too quickly. She made a massive hall for feasting, though only herself and Nahi were there, and she never sensed Nahi eat anything.

    Every now and then she would be reminded of the mansion that she was enslaved in, and her newfound status as the sole ruler of her own castle. She assured herself that she was different. After all, she wasn¡¯t enslaving anyone, and she didn¡¯t¨C

    Nahi.

    . . .

    Nahi wasn¡¯t a slave. Was it?

    It didn¡¯t seem to acknowledge its status one way or the other, but that didn¡¯t answer anything. It was made to serve her. It probably couldn¡¯t even imagine not obeying her.

    . . .

    Why did she call Nahi an it?

    Was she¨C

    ¡°My lady?¡±

    She whirled her head towards the sound of Nahi¡¯s voice, eyeholes wide and on the verge of tears.

    Nahi¡¯s voice was low, almost careful, and its hands were slightly in front of it, like it was about to rush towards her if she needed help. The chains that bound its wrists clawed at her attention, and the robe reminded her of the simple clothes that the enslaved goblins wore.

    She was¨C

    ¡°My lady!¡±

    She was on the verge of collapse. Nahi¡¯s hands were supporting her in a gentle hold, only barely keeping her from falling apart completely. Had she really become just like those that she hated so much? Just like those spoiled, cruel, disgusting¨C

    ¡°My lady, please!¡±

    She had to know. She had to ask. ¡°Am I just like them?¡± her voice sounded awful, and she could only barely force the question out. ¡°Am I your slaver, like they were mine?¡±

    For a moment Nahi said nothing. But the words came as surely as did the sun or moon. ¡°That you ask means that you are already different." The soft words pierced the despair that shrouded Hifumi''s heart, filling it with an emotion that she had not felt in years. And still, Nahi continued. "You are my lady, not my slaver. Though I was made to serve you, Adho gives to all his creations the power of choice first. I do not serve you out of obligation, but out of decision. You are my lady, and I will serve you. But I am not your slave. You are not my owner. And you should know now that you will never be anything like those who hurt you.¡±

    Hifumi''s mind started to clear. . .

    And without a moment of hesitation, she pulled Nahi into a tearful embrace.

    Nahi did not resist, only comfort. And when Hifumi fell to sleep, the weariness of years of tireless work, a banishment to the worst prison in non-existence, countless failures to create life, and now an emotional breakdown finally becoming too much, Nahi carried her to the castle''s courtyard, and set her down on her blanket.

    While she slept, Nahi prepared a full meal for her. She would need it when she woke.

    <hr>

    Hifumi found herself in a dream most horrible.

    She stood in the ruined ballroom that she had died in, the bodies and blood nowhere to be seen, but the damage to the room remaining. An imagined ocean of the universe flowed throughout, casting strange and beautiful colors upon the remembered shapes. She was even wearing her tattered dress, even though she had discarded it as soon as the opportunity arose.

    She didn''t want to remember this. She didn''t want to imagine this. She willed her dreamscape to change, to show her the fortress she had made, or the orc tribe camp, or even her bedroom back in Kyou. But it didn''t shift. She was trapped in the rubble.

    What was she going to do? She couldn''t spend any longer in this place! She had to get out. She had to¨C

    Think.

    Like from nowhere, a thought sprung. She had to think. Of course she did. What was she going to think about though?

    Her mind almost went blank, but then the answer erupted forward. The cells. the life she was making. How was it going? What was she doing wrong?

    And then,

    The idea struck. The answer. The missing piece. She knew what she had been missing.

    Nahi would be so proud.

    <hr>

    Her waking, several solar rotations later, resulted in another embrace, one just as tearful.

    It took Hifumi and Nahi several hours to eventually separate, after which Nahi gave Hifumi her meal. A full course breakfast like the kind given to heroes of war. Hifumi suspected that Nahi may have been a stress-baker.

    And when Hifumi finally manifested a living cell, one so simple but so unique. . .

    Nahi was proud.

    So proud, in fact, that the hug Hifumi received almost made her cry again.

    Just like a grandparent sometimes. Honestly.

    <hr>

 Chapter 27 - Sou expected hell to be dry, but its actually kind of humid, and maybe thats worse

    <hr>

    The demon¡¯s castle was enormous.

    Sou had been to the human capital before, and he had thought that the castle there was huge, but then he was captured and brought to the city of Axalara, and been imprisoned in quite possibly the largest and most terrifying castle that he could have ever imagined, complete with towering demons that stalked the halls looking for any reason to hurt anything.

    Not all of the demons were bad, he supposed. The red-and-white demon and the not-beastkin were alright, and occasionally he would encounter others that seemed more amused at the presence of a human than angry.

    Adachi had adapted easily, and her polite nature seemed to calm most of the more aggressive demons, but that hadn¡¯t helped Sou. He still tensed whenever a demon¡¯s eyes turned his way, and his metal arm still itched to draw a weapon that wasn¡¯t there.

    The food was alright, but he still ached for the pastries and meals of his old home. He missed the strong tastes of the dwarven feasts, the gentle elven food, the hundreds of different meals that beastkin would bake, and the strange hodgepodge of techniques and tastes that the humans would use.

    In contrast, the food that the demons made was almost ghostly. They had hints of the dwarven tastes, a pseudo gentleness akin to the elven meals, and were almost as varied as human and beastkin in types. The colors of the fruits and vegetables were dull, like life had been leached from them, and the meats ranged from bloody red to stark white to glossy black.

    Adachi didn¡¯t complain. Sou didn¡¯t either, mainly because he didn¡¯t want to upset her.

    Life goes on.

    <hr>

    The halls of the castle were decorated with beautiful paintings and fascinating statues.

    Sou believed that any artist could study for generations on any of the works that he had seen. Some were strange, horrifying, but beautiful renditions of the common creation stories that he had heard in the church (although he was certain that there were no parts of that story that included a shadow creature that lived outside of the universe), while others depicted the destruction of cities to an enormous creature that appeared to be a combination of several others.

    And for an odd reason, few demons passed by the set of enormous stone doors that stood not too far from the council room.

    The doors themselves were larger than any demon that Sou had seen, including the enormous smokey demon that he had been told was the empress. The doors were so big, in fact, that Sou wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if opening them was impossible, considering how heavy they must have been.

    The not-beastkin seemed slightly amused at his discovery when it found out. ¡°Something as weak as you likely would be unable to enter, much less survive on the other side. Most demons likely would of course, but only a few dare to find out.¡±

    Sou silently wondered if the not-beastkin had ever tried.

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    He must have let his thoughts slip onto his face, because the red-and-white demon clicked its mandibles together in what Sou was now sure was a laugh, before sinking through the floor like it was made of water. The not-beastkin just gave him a smirk before fading into shadow and seemingly following its comrade.

    <hr>

    Adachi had finally perfected her invisibility spell.

    Unfortunately, she had seemingly lost interest in actually using it to leave. What she did use it for was sneaking into the library to read some tomes that caught her eye. Sou had come with her of course, he had vowed to protect her, no matter what.

    The books weren¡¯t written in any language that Sou was familiar with, written in geometric runes that didn¡¯t mean anything to him. He had never been formally educated in the various languages of Asyke, really only enough to be able to identify them, as well as read, write, and say basic sentences in each.

    Adachi also clearly couldn¡¯t read it, if her upset huff was any clue. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to practice translation spells next.¡± Nonetheless, she kept flipping through pages, staring intently at the diagrams and images inscribed within.

    Sou decided to take a look around, just to calm his nerves. They had never been told that they couldn¡¯t enter the library, but he imagined that the librarian¨C a short, cloaked demon with a pair of branching horns that protruded from its hood and an unknown number of clawed hands that hid under its robe¨C wouldn¡¯t be too happy.

    By one of the tables, a number of demons sat together, engaging in a quiet conversation. One had a spine-covered white shell and blue highlights that reminded him of the red-and-white demon, though instead of blade-limbs it had gauntlet-like hands with thick, sharp talons. By its side sat, a tall, long-limbed demon with a dark fur mane and five glowing white eyes that looked to be quite upset. Both seemed to be conversing deeply with a huge demon that looked much more like the stories Sou had heard as a child.

    They weren¡¯t a threat at the moment, so Sou disregarded them. Their talking was getting louder, and the librarian kept sending them dirty looks, so he imagined he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it for long.

    Sure enough, only a few minutes later he heard a loud explosion, followed by the huge story-demon being dragged out the door by an angry librarian.

    <hr>

    Sou let the words of the demons flow past his ears as he cleaned the hall outside the locked council room.

    The castle¡¯s demons were called into council every now and again, typically making plans for their next invasion, which had terrified Sou the first time he heard it, but slowly turned to just another happening inside the castle. Most of the demons spoke in languages that he couldn¡¯t understand, but every now and then he would catch a few words that he could. As such, he would usually just let their voices be background noise.

    He hadn¡¯t heard much so far, mostly a round of congratulations shared between a group of four unseen demons of which he had only caught one name (Meno), and a joke directed at a demon named ¡°Spiriah¡± about their prospective successes. Sou stumbled when a demon called a distinctly elven name, but otherwise the meeting seemed to be going well.

    He stumbled as a messenger ran past him, skidding to a halt in front of the door. The lithe creature straightened, knocked on the door twice, and waited. After a few seconds, the door opened, and the demon walked inside as calmly and casually as it could, as the door shut behind it.

    The meeting room was completely silent for a long moment.

    And then Sou heard the laugh of the red-skinned demon that had tortured him and Adachi in their first weeks. It was loud and grating on the ears, filled with madness and cruelty.

    Sou fled back to his and Adachi¡¯s room as fast and as quietly as he could, but the sound of the entire room erupting into laughter hunted him down the halls, ringing in his ears until he slammed his door shut.

    Life goes on.

    <hr>

 Chapter 28 - Do gods dream of divine sheep

    <hr>

    All the lights in the castle seemed dim in comparison to the glow of the Grand Creator.

    She glowed like a star, a bright halo and prismatic aura that exuded power like no other thing in the universe surrounding her. She was like the inverse of the abyss that Saho had glimpsed through the tear in reality: her, the culmination of everything in existence¨C and the void, the complete and total lack of any and all things.

    Saho¡¯s decision to banish the orc there was brought upon in a moment of stress, and he truly believed that there was no other option available at the time.

    As he knelt before her, he hoped his patron would agree.

    ¡°Rise, Saho. What has occurred in my absence?¡± Her voice was melodious and mesmerizing, like a thousand musical instruments playing in harmony.

    ¡°Please forgive me, ?????? ???????? ????, I could not think of another way!¡± He cried. She would surely punish him for what he had done. Perhaps she would subject him to the same fate that he had given to the orc, or maybe¨C

    He felt her hand touch softly upon his shoulder, her presence overwhelming but calming at the same time.

    ¡°Calm yourself Saho. And when you are ready, explain.¡±

    He took several deep breaths before he spoke. And the more he talked, the easier it became.

    <hr>

    ¡°It was not your fault Saho. From what you have told me, there were few other choices, and with the pressure placed upon you, you chose the best path that you could think of.¡±

    Saho all but collapsed at his patron¡¯s words. He let exhaustion finally grip him, sagging like a puppet without strings. All he could say was a mumbled thanks as the weight of a thousand worries fell from his shoulders.

    Akira gave him a kind smile. ¡°Take a rest Saho. Sleep for a while, and let yourself relax.¡± He bowed as much as he could, and teleported away, to his private room. He did not spend much time undressing, and quickly dragged himself into his bed.

    He was asleep before his eyes closed completely.

    <hr>

    The rabbit gave Kaede another foul look. She had never gotten so many in such a short period of time.

    Usually it would only be one or two whenever she would enter a town, or a handful when someone would see her in the woods with Conan. She doubted the rabbit''s hateful gaze had anything to do with her being a dark-elf, and more than likely was motivated by a general hatred for anything and everything, but still it was unusual.

    ¡°Do you hate me for being a dark-elf?¡± might as well ask it, she supposed.

    It stopped trying to chew through the bars of the cage to give her another scathing glare, one that gave her the sense that she had offended it, before returning to its fruitless attempt to escape (and possibly kill her and Conan as a bonus).

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    Kaede just sighed. It still didn¡¯t have any thoughts she could read, though it clearly understood what she was saying, so it had to have something going on in its head. ¡°I won¡¯t be bothering you for much longer, you know. Once we reach the northern plains I¡¯ll release you.¡± At the word ¡®release¡¯ the rabbit perked up, and almost seemed to consider something.

    Kaede continued. ¡°The only reason I¡¯m carrying you is because you don¡¯t belong in the eastern forests. The northern plains are much better suited for you.¡±

    The rabbit shook its head, and went back to chewing at the bars, albeit slightly slower. Kaede sighed, and dropped another leaf into the cage.

    The journey from the eastern forests to the northern plains was a relatively long one, and fraught with danger. Large portions of it passed through rocky valleys where golems and bandits lurked, and taking a wrong turn could easily land a traveller in the territory of a fenrir pack, or wetlands infested with cancer the size of houses.

    Kaede would also have to worry about packs of wild goblins, orc hunting parties, and skaven raiders, although there was a chance they would leave her be upon noticing the dark tone of her elven skin.

    The sad truth was, despite her following of the Grand creator, even going so far as to sacrifice supplies that she needed to survive in worship, she would often find more comradery among those who opposed her because of said worship than those who shared it with her.

    Certainly she was not as devout as a cleric or paladin, who spend enormous portions of their lives studying, worshiping, and training in the church, even going so far as to sometimes sacrifice parts of their body to the Grand creator, but she was still faithful.

    Worship of the Grand creator was unique for elves. They would gather in churches, make their sacrifices, and pray, all in complete silence. To make any noise was a great disrespect, and would often result in exile, if not death or enslavement.

    There were some differences across the different cultures of course. Dwarves would pray out loud, in shameless chants that shook the mountains they lived in. Humans would gather around their churches to sacrifice, and pray in small groups. Beastkin, when they were independent, worshiped in almost complete private. Exact details of the prayer process were different for each individual, and sharing them was an act of utmost love and trust.

    She did not have a church out in the wild, so she would construct shrines from rocks, wood, leaves, flowers, and just about anything else she could find, including bones.

    Though she never remained in towns for long, sometimes she would worship there, although it was rare. She preferred the wild, where no one would bother her, and where she could pray to the Grand Creator as she was taught to do. And in the wild, if she was about to be interrupted for whatever reason, Conan was there to deal with it. Bringing carriage-sized wolves into towns wasn¡¯t a great idea, but out in the wild no one was there to scream about it.

    Kaede was torn from her thoughts by Conan sniffing the air.

    In the cage, the rabbit perked up.

    <hr>

    Saho awoke slowly. He reached awareness after a short time, but did not rise immediately.

    His dreams had been strange. Usually he would dream of the adventures he had with his friends, or of his family, but this one had been different. It had been strange, with people he didn¡¯t recognize, in a place he wasn¡¯t familiar with.

    He hadn¡¯t quite been able to make out what they were saying. He wasn¡¯t even sure if they were speaking in a language he knew. It sounded like he was underwater, and they were several meters away. He couldn¡¯t even make out what they looked like. They were blurry, hard to focus on. He knew he didn¡¯t know them, but other than that they were a complete mystery.

    He knew he had witnessed something important, but he wasn¡¯t sure what.

    A knock on the door of his chamber alerted him. He rose, dressed, and opened the door.

    It was an angel. Smaller than others he had seen, and glowing softly.

    ¡°Hero,¡± it began. ¡°The Grand creator has summoned you.¡±

    Saho wrinkled his brow. That didn¡¯t sound good. ¡°Do you know why?¡±

    The angel looked away, in the same way a child might when thinking. ¡°It might have something to do with the letter.¡±

    <hr>

 Chapter 29 - I sent you a letter.

    <hr>

    To those who read this, or hear it read.

    I, Whether you know me as Kranua, Adho, Ome, Ghrebil, Bahn, Eliseo, Itireae, Aislin, Ruairi, Hanzo, Lobur, ¡®The Dark One¡¯, some other name, or not at all, invite you to a celebration to honor the coronation of the honorable new orc goddess Hifu.

    You are, of course, not required to attend, though you are asked politely to do so. Available at the celebration will be free refreshments of the physical, magical, psychological, theoretical, and conceptual form, music, dancing, death sports, board games, contests, and gifts for both the guests and the honorable celebration subject.

    Guests are to wear concealing garments and to hide their names, so as to allow all partygoers to enjoy their time without separation between groups of invited peoples. Concealing garments should hide all identifiable aspects of the guest, including (where applicable), heads, faces, mouths, teeth, hair, fur, skin, carapace, hide, and noses. However, guests may reveal (where applicable) voices, arms, legs, wings, tentacles, tendrils, tusks, horns, eyes, tails, feet, hands, claws, talons, spines, shells, and tongues.

    Concealing garments may be as decorated as the guest wearing them wishes, so long as they do not reveal the identity of the guest and do not violate the describing statement above.

    No Guest shall reveal the identities of themselves or others¨C even if the person or persons are already knowledgeable¨C to anyone in attendance, regardless of reason or conflict, personal or impersonal. This applies to all guests, from the moment that they arrive at the coronation, to the moment that they leave.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Combat shall not be allowed during the coronation, for it is intended to be a celebration rather than a confrontation. All in attendance shall hold others in respect, and act in honor and dignity with their person. All in attendance were invited and are welcomed. Guests should be reminded that the purpose of this celebration is to facilitate civil discussion while celebrating the coronation of a new god.

    Personal aides are permitted to attend as well, so long as they comply with the previously stated rules.

    To enter the celebration grounds, a guest must enter a neutral zone that has been formed just beyond the barrier between the universe and that which is not the universe, accessed either by drawing the symbol that has been attached to this letter on a gateway of their choosing before entering it, or by entering the 6th door in the hallway to the left of the library located in the Castle of Axalara.

    After the celebration concludes, the neutral zone and its contents will be erased, and the methods of gaining access to it will cease to function. Guests are recommended to ensure that they have all items on their person upon leaving, to ensure nothing is lost. Guests are encouraged to leave the neutral zone upon the order being given, unless they desire to be erased as well. Guests should leave using the same method through which they arrived.

    The celebration will begin immediately upon the delivering of a second letter that will arrive soon. There is no reason to fear, for you will be given plenty of time to prepare.

    To those who choose to accept this invitation, you will be very well received.

    - I.

    <hr>

 Chapter 30 - Avais Interlude

    <hr>

    A galaxy is a large place. It just so happens that most of their enormous size is composed of almost entirely empty space. Without multicellular life, that empty space was also gloriously boring for most beings, if there were any beings there.

    For Avai though, after being blessed with the ability to feel it, had found new light in the galaxy that the Dark One had assigned to him.

    Every material was different, and when or where it was being experienced changed how it felt. Some were rough, others were smooth. Under the sun, rocks felt soft and pleasant¨C warm¨C to the touch. After being kept under shadow for a long time, they felt hard and shocking¨C cold.

    After Avai touched one for the first time, he leapt backwards at the feeling¨C it was new and overwhelming. After some time though, he was running their hands through them over and over, basking in the different sensations and the wonderful, wonderful, experience.

    Even the monotonous replication of the single-celled organisms residing in the water and the endless passing of clouds in the sky didn¡¯t seem so boring anymore. He floated upwards, and passed through a beautiful, white, fluffy cloud. It was cold. Soothing, like the water, but lighter. It flowed through and around them, drifting on the soft wind.

    Passing through the atmosphere sent shivers across their body. Space was colder than clouds, colder than water, colder than the rocks that had sat in the shade. The disappearance of an atmosphere that he didn¡¯t realize he had been feeling was strange, but not necessarily unpleasant.

    Teleporting had no sensation before, but now it felt somewhat slippery¨C like the surface of a smooth rock underwater.

    Stars were unbearably hot, but after gaining the courage, they felt lighter than a cloud. Oceans of molten metal were cooler than stars, and felt similarly to water, although much heavier. Comets left cold trails in their wake, and the beautiful colors that permeated space felt like all sorts of things.

    White dwarves¨C young stars¨C were cooler than other stars, but also felt notably heavier. Black holes exerted a strange inverse pressure, but otherwise didn¡¯t feel like anything until touching the impossibly hot and heavy singularity in the center.

    No planets had multicellular life yet, but one made of a thick gas¨C that felt as heavy as water and as warm as a rock left in the sun¨C had developed enormous single celled life. They weren¡¯t that big, but were big enough that Avai could touch them. The cells were warm, and felt like they would cling to him when he pulled away. Sticky.

    The huge, black-stone monuments created by the Dark One were cool, smooth, and flawless, not a crack or imperfection anywhere. He imagined that their hand would slide right across it.

    The structures made and scattered across the galaxy by the Dark One were slowly deteriorating, clearly not made to exist in one form forever like the black-stone monoliths. Some parts felt smooth, others felt rough, a few felt so delicate that Avai thought that they might crumble to nothing just at a touch .

    Stolen story; please report.

    Wind too, seemed to vary with every planet visited. Sometimes it was so strong that he could imagine it carrying him away, sometimes it carried tiny flecks of sand, or rock, or ice, or even red-hot molten metal. Water would sometimes cut through stone, creating caverns full of glittering gemstones and soft sounds, going deeper and deeper until they reached the molten layers of the planets that they resided on.

    Every planet had a new sensation, a new feeling, and one day, there would be life, which would bring even more.

    Avai could hardly wait.

    <hr>

    The letter was a surprise. It was pinned by a small black-stone slab resting on the corner of the sheet, waved slightly in the wind, as if inviting him.

    It was strange. Unique. Written with liquid pigment on a firm, but delicate piece of fibrous material, woven into a sheet. The words were unfamiliar, but still understandable, somewhere in the back of Avai¡¯s mind.

    They read it over several times, gathering each and every detail. It was written to be sent to many, not a specific person, and as such had very general and wide language.

    The smaller note attached to it was specific however:

    To Avai.

    Should you choose to attend, you will be provided with concealing garments, as well as temporarily being given the ability to interact and be perceived, so you may enjoy the celebration as intended. Should you have any requests for specifics on the details of the clothing, you will be given an opportunity to customize before your arrival.

    Given your current mission, your manner of attendance is different as well. If you decide to attend, travel to the the monolith I constructed on the moon above the planet that you were brought to upon the beginning of your mission. There you will find a temporary entrance to the coronation area.

    - I.

    It took him a long while to fully process. But the decision was clear. Even just temporarily, they would have an opportunity to see others, and since it took a long time for anything to happen in the galaxy they had been assigned to, they wouldn¡¯t miss much. And by observing those in attendance, he could get a preview of what life may look like in his galaxy. According to the letter, they would all be concealed, but shapes and sizes were still good indicators.

    He would have to practice his manners, and ensure that he did not reveal what the mission Dark One had given to him was, although revealing that he even had a mission would likely not violate the rules of the celebration. And if he was correct about the reason that the Dark One had made this galaxy, had fought the Bright One, had sent invitations to a coronation of all things, it might even be encouraged.

    This letter, this invitation, had been the last piece of evidence needed for his theory.

    Shades had never been particularly intelligent. They were mostly mindless. Avai had not been chosen because he was smart of all things.

    But Avai wasn¡¯t a shade anymore. When the Dark One had chosen him, he had been transformed. Whatever he was, he wasn¡¯t a shade. And now, Avai was smart. Not a genius, not by a long shot, but still decently intelligent.

    Intelligent enough to see the patterns that few others noticed.

    Avai did not know if he had a mouth. He could not see himself in reflections. But if he did, if he could, he imagined that he would be smiling.

    No. Not smiling.

    Grinning.

    <hr>

 Chapter 31 - In the dark, we are animals.

    <hr>

    The tunnels of Iocli were often just as noisy at night as they were during the day.

    In the almost constant noise of the tunnels¨C whether it be the far-off sounds of dwarves and kobolds milling about, the grinding of something digging through the stone, or the soft dripping of water, the caves of Iocli were never quiet.

    Even now, as Shay kept watch¨C it was his turn on the night shift¨C he could hear traders in the distance bartering, the droning hum and constant clacking of machinery, and the crunching sounds of footsteps wandering all about.

    If he thought any of them got too close, then he¡¯d retreat back into the rooms that he, Feilim, and Effie shared, and rouse them so that they could escape through one of the many smaller tunnels that were attached to their chamber, while whatever was outside was preoccupied with the door.

    The door that they used to block the entrance was a large piece of carved stone that could be removed easily by anyone inside, but was practically impossible to do so for anyone or anything the outside. The time it would take to open it from the outside would give the three of them more than enough time to slip away. It had worked with great success for years. Every now and then a predator would approach, and either realize that it couldn¡¯t get to its prey, or that the energy required to dig through the rock just so it could eat the three of them wouldn¡¯t be worth it.

    Shay¡¯s stomach ached. Not unusual. Food was sometimes hard to come by, and a decent portion of nights they would go hungry either to save the food they had, or because they had none to begin with.

    His eyes felt heavy. The day had been long and tiresome. He had to escape the guard captain again, alongside what felt like a quarter of the guards in Ortou. While returning through the tunnels, they had to take a long and slow route, being as quiet as possible, as they spotted a tungwyrm moving through the passage they usually took. Getting to their chamber was tiring too, when a greyskin decided that the tunnel outside their hideout was prime real estate, and they had to fight it off.

    The rumbling white-noise of the faraway crowds soothed Shay¡¯s ears. It didn¡¯t sound like words, more like the sounds of waves of water crashing against rocks. He, Feilim and Effie had taken a long journey down to the sea of groundwater that had collected in one corner of Iocli. The sounds and sights there were truly something to behold. Maybe he could convince them to go down there again.

    The pull on his eyelids felt like he had been carrying a bag of rocks all day. Despite the day having been busy, the night was quieter than usual. Besides, he was a very light sleeper, and his senses had been honed from years keeping himself hidden. He would be fine if he took a rest.

    Just a few minutes.

    Even if he was hungry.

    <hr>

    Hungry.

    It smelled food. Delicious food, staying still. Sleeping.

    Hungry.

    It approached the food. Wonderful food, unmoving. Asleep.

    Hungry.

    It opened its mouth, and readied to feast.

    No! Not them!

    Why not? It was hungry!

    Not them. Please not them!

    The food was sleeping. Asleep. And it was hungry.

    You can eat whatever you want, just not them!

    Stupid voice. Voice does not control! It will eat the food now, and sate its hunger.

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    Please!

    . . .

    Fine. There is other food. But if it is still hungry, then it will eat this food. Understand, voice?

    . . .

    Hungry.

    Voice is gone. It is hungry.

    Hungry.

    <hr>

    A sudden lapse of sound in the night woke Effie.

    There were only a few possible reasons as to why exactly the tunnels were silent, and none of them were good.

    She rose as quietly as possible, her claws not making even the slightest noise as they scratched across the stone floor. Slowly, she reached for the knife that she had stolen several years prior for self-defense, and upon grasping it, moved towards the entrance of her room.

    The room ahead was dark. The tiny glowstone that they used as a light had fallen to the floor and cracked into several smaller pieces, casting monstrous shadows across the walls and ceiling.

    She could see Feilim rise as well, scanning the room with sharp eyes, and silently approaching her, keeping an eye on the shadows. Shay wasn¡¯t near the door. In fact, the door that was supposed to keep them safe was slightly open, the dark tunnels beyond it unknown.

    Carefully, Effie picked up one of the glowstone shards, and approached the door, Feilim behind her. Shay wasn¡¯t the type to leave them if something happened, even if that something was something he would personally profit from. He might have been dumb and somewhat reckless, but he was loyal to a fault. He was not so stupid as to exit the room because he heard something outside. Probably.

    The tunnel was twice as dark as the chamber, even with the glowstone shard. Now that she was out there, she realized that it just as quiet as it had been inside. The crowds were silent, and the only sounds that could be heard at all were the light dripping of water perpetually raining from a crack in the stone, and the soft sound of something hiding in the dark ahead. It didn¡¯t sound like any of the monsters that roamed the tunnels. It sounded more like a sleeping animal, low rumbles and scratching claws, a quiet but clear warning.

    She gripped the glowstone shard tighter to lower the amount of light that was emitted. She lowered herself, preparing to strike as she and Feilim approached the thing. If it¨C whatever it was¨C had eaten Shay, then she and Feilim would avenge him. Even if it didn¡¯t, it was still best to drive whatever it was away from their hideout anyway.

    It was close now. Within lunging distance. She opened her hand to get a better look¨C

    ¡°Shay?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t Shay. Shay¡¯s eyes were never so blank. It just looked like him, crouched over a bloody, mutilated corpse of another dwarf, and eating chunks of flesh from the body.

    Shay was never so¨C

    ¡°Hungry.¡±

    Someone lunged¨C she couldn¡¯t tell who¨C and all of a sudden she found herself pushing the door closed with Feilim as The-thing-that-was-not-Shay clawed and howled behind it. She could hear it''s claws grinding against the stone, and feel it keeping the door from closing completely. Her knife and the glowstone shard were out of reach, laying at her feet. She felt her muscles strain from the effort before¨C

    There was the sound of a blade against flesh, a roar of pain, and a wet thud. The door slid closed.

    Something had fallen in front of the door, leaking a dark liquid from one end. Feilim kicked it away before she could get a good look at it.

    "We need to get out of here." Feilim gasped, a white-knuckled grip on Effie''s knife. "We''ll use the western tunn¨C"

    There was a grinding sound, and then a loud crack as the door was forced open. Not-Shay stood hunched in the opening, mouth agape, one arm missing, and eyes more clouded then before.

    She couldn''t tell what happened next, just that the three of them were suddenly locked in a vicious melee. Bites, slashes, kicks and punches, Effie couldn¡¯t even keep track of who she was fighting. In the back of her head, she heard the sound of something digging through the stone, but it was far away. The grunts of exertion and sounds of claws against rock, scale, and flesh took all of her attention.

    Shay¡¯s body shoved Feilim away with a powerful push that would have been impossible before, and launched itself at Effie, knocking her to the ground and throwing the glowstone shard across the room.

    ¨CHis teeth at her throat¨C

    Feilim tackled it off of her, grabbing and biting like an animal. Shay¡¯s teeth were darker then she remembered them being at the start, and a chunk of bloody, scaled flesh was sitting not too far from where it and Feilim were clashing. Effie''s head felt light, and her neck felt colder then usual.

    Feilim was slashing at not-Shay with Effie''s knife¨C where did he get that from¨C and then not-Shay¡¯s hand was in Feilim¡¯s stomach and then Feilim didn¡¯t have her knife anymore, and instead not-Shay had it and¨C why was it sticking out of his head like that¨C

    Not-Shay¡¯s eyes seemed to clear. It looked more like him now. A bloody Shay with a knife in his head and a face that looked surprised and thankful and confused¨C

    Why was everything so quiet now? Why is my body so weak?

    And Feilim was crying and hugging Shay, and Shay was so still, and Feilim was trying to drag himself and Shay over to Effie, and he was holding his stomach and his hand was dark and sticky and something was digging through the floor¨C

    . . .

    Tungwyrms are attracted to sound and vibrations.

    <hr>

 Chapter 32 - Anyway, heres wonderwall

    <hr>

    Travelling was almost always nerve-wracking after seeing certain things. The Grand creator knows that after the fight against the Demon king, none of them could sleep soundly for at least two full weeks. Saho¨C despite his attempts to show differently¨C was still afraid of the gigantic demon, and Rio hadn¡¯t stopped shaking even when he was asleep.

    The experience at the mansion had left both Fuyuko and Rio in a similar panic, and with only each other to keep themselves company, it had taken a while to calm. Certainly, seeing Saho had helped (Apparently he was a god now? Both were still somewhat confused about what exactly happened there), but such experiences were not easily forgotten. Fuyuko had taken to keeping her daggers on her when she slept so that if she were to be attacked, she would have something to defend herself with. Rio¡¯s hands would twitch at every sound or movement in the night, ready to grab at his shield and staff. He might not be much good at fighting, but he was still decently strong.

    After a few days of travel, they had calmed slightly. They were still ready for an attack¨C Skaven raids were not uncommon, especially not near the outskirts of the dwarven queendom¨C but they weren¡¯t tensing at every noise.

    Now they could enjoy the sights of the dwarven lands, from the great hills and the grassy plains to the enormous mountains and the grand waterfalls. Trees came in patches around rivers and lakes, and now and again they would spot a rare aboveground dwarven outpost, where they would have an exchange with the guards no longer than a smile and a wave.

    Because most dwarven towns and cities were underground or carved high into the side of a cliff, wildlife was abundant. Great herds of bison stalked the plains and massive bears prepared for their annual hibernation. Even the monsters of the area were numerous, with enormous cancers lounging on the shores of rivers surrounded by newly hatched young, and the only recently recorded bird-monsters perching on rocks and trees, grooming their feathers.

    The birds didn¡¯t have an official name yet, but they were large, dangerous, and were rumored to have human faces hidden behind their beaks, although both Rio and Fuyuko thought that it was unlikely. The birds would attack with wings covered in blade-like feathers, either in a melee or by launching the feathers like arrows¨C a fact that several rangers and mages who believed they could attack them from a distance learned very quickly, and with some injury. No one knew why exactly so many new monsters were appearing, from the cancer and fenrir that appeared shortly after the death of the Demon king, to the new bird monsters that seemed to come from nowhere at all. Some believed it was corruption left behind from the invasion, and others, a punishment from the gods for an unknown slight.

    Thankfully, neither the birds nor the cancer seemed particularly interested in attacking them, at least not at the moment, so they passed without issue. Cancer would eye them, hissing and flashing their huge claws dangerously, and the birds would puff their feathers and stretch their wings in just the right way to imply a threat, but no attack came.

    So Rio and Fuyuko continued their journey peacefully, though not without apprehension.

    <hr>

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    Around one out of every ten travellers that passed through dwarven lands were likely to be attacked at some point, with greater risk but also greater safety in groups. Considering that Rio was travelling back to the dwarven lands with Fuyuko at his side, he was expecting a small attack at some point. He thought it might come from the cancer, or the birds, or perhaps from a hungry bear that was looking for a meal.

    He was not expecting to stumble across an enormous skaven raiding party camping not even three days walk into the dwarven territory. From the size, this had to be at least three or four smaller parties grouped, with dozens of skaven in a single area not much larger than the ballroom where he and Fuyuko had reunited.

    He could see what looked to be hundreds of different weapons, from serrated longswords and battleaxes, to double-bladed daggers, and haphazardly assembled spellbooks full of uneven pages. He could even see a stolen ballista, recognizing it as one designed and assembled during the invasion to protect the capital of the dwarven queendom.

    In one corner of the camp, he spied a small number of skaven poring over a notebook. Behind them, not even a full stride away, was a pile of skaven corpses in varying conditions and states of decomposition. Every few minutes, one of the skaven would look up, wave a glowing hand at the pile while chanting something he couldn¡¯t hear, wait, and then return to the notebook. Rio thought he saw one corpse twitch once, but he quickly brushed it off as a trick of the light originating from the flickering campfires scattered across the area.

    Thankfully, he and Fuyuko had not been noticed yet, so they still had a chance of passing by without a fight that they would not win. But the thought of why exactly so many skaven had formed such a large group shook him to his core. Even just one or two skaven raid parties could destroy a dwarven town with ease, and there had to be at least four parties in the camp. He did not want to imagine what their purpose was, but he did anyway.

    With a silent look, he and Fuyuko returned to their travel, resolving to warn any who would listen about the threat on the horizon.

    <hr>

    Ret watched the dwarf and beastkin leave. They were not being as stealthy as they thought they were¨C at least, the dwarf wasn¡¯t¨C so perceptive skaven had spotted them quickly. He, along with one other, had been sent to keep an eye on them while the main force prepared.

    They would not escape his vision. He was smaller than average for a skaven¨C even as far as males go¨C making him slightly slower but more stealthy. Besides, his speed didn¡¯t matter when trailing something so slow. His companion, Gij, was also quite stealthy, although they were slightly larger than the average skaven.

    The leader of the camp had picked them personally, and they would not fail her. She wanted them tracked, so they would track them to the ends of the continent and back again, without being seen even a single time.

    Dwarf tasted very good¨C usually tough and full of flavor¨C and went well with plenty kinds of side dishes. This dwarf smelled particularly delicious: savory and tender meat with a slight tangy undertone. Perfect when paired with elven wine¨C whether it be elf-made or. . . elf-made.

    Beastkin didn¡¯t taste all that bad either on average, although the kind did affect the flavor somewhat. This one looked to be a vulpine, meaning more tender muscles and less fat. Good meat like that would need some preparation before being a good meal. And perhaps a vegetable side of some sort, to help the little ones grow big and strong.

    Ret was not a chef, but he was an eater. He might not know what exactly made for the best meal, but he did know what tasted good, and believed that this would taste very good.

    <hr>

 Chapter 33 - Holding hands.

    <hr>

    Being woken in the night by an attack by a skaven raid party was not expected, although it should have been obvious in hindsight.

    Rio had been on watch when it happened, and in the few seconds it took him to wake Fuyuko, half a dozen additional skaven sprung from the darkness with weapons drawn. Two lept directly at him, eyes aglow and handaxes flashing in the firelight before he warded them away with one of the few combat spells he knew. In a moment, Fuyuko was on top of them, daggers in hand, slashing at her opponent¡¯s eyes with frightening speed. One skaven barely managed to dodge¨C escaping the blade with a shallow cut across its snout¨C but the other was not so lucky, and screamed in pain as both its eyes were cut through by the sharp edge.

    Another dashed at Fuyuko¡¯s turned back with shocking agility, its battle-scarred gladius appearing red hot in the light, only to be kicked backward into the fire they had lept over. Clumped fur caught easily, and the cries of pain from the blind skaven were swiftly joined by panicked shrieks of another.

    More and more skaven kept coming, however. They emerged from the tree line with uneven teeth bared, weapons drawn, and eyes alight with the fires of every hell. Rio spotted a few who looked more bone than muscle¨C skin pale and taught, fur matted and dirty, eyes clouded and unseeing. They didn¡¯t even seem to breathe in the chilly night air, only making odd gasping noises as they approached.

    Rio had seen and fought undead during the invasion. He had heard stories of skaven bodies vanishing as soon as one''s eye left them, rising from the dead and escaping into the night.

    This was different. They were not escaping, not running, not vanishing. They were not the slow, mindless, shambling threat of undead during the invasion. Almost as soon as Rio realized what he was seeing, one of the undead skaven charged like a bull while drawing a scythe, while another plucked a bottle of orange liquid from a bandoleer and aimed at Fuyuko.

    Rio could only barely dodge the first attack from the undead skaven scythe-wielder, causing it to cut him across the bridge of his nose as he fell backward in surprise. The shock was so great it took him two more barely dodged attacks¨C plus two more bleeding cuts¨C to remember Berezi¡¯s principle¨C the phenomenon he had recorded proving that healing spells were detrimental to undead, which the great alchemist had used to craft a theoretical anti-healing spell that would work on undead for essentially no reason other than because he wanted to¨C

    His train of thought was cut off by the sound of a yell of pain from Fuyuko as a bottle from the other skaven undead shattered, splashing a sizzling orange liquid over the beastkin¡¯s hand. In the center of the clearing, the campfire still held a burning skaven, its screams of pain dying as it did. The undead skaven with a shortsword that had been keeping Fuyuko from dealing with the potion-throwing undead by matching her toe-to-toe in combat took advantage, slashing at her neck with a sickening speed Rio¡¯s companion could only barely block with her remaining hand.

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    Things were not turning out well. He wished that Saho were here. He¡¯d probably make a joke about now, and then they¡¯d beat all their opponents while trying not to laugh. As it was though, Saho was not here. Another scythe attack¨C this one aimed at his neck¨C missed him by a hair, cutting through his beard. But he had remembered! Just about any healing spell would do, although something stronger would be best¡­

    The scythe-undead shrieked as the blast of green light pierced its chest, reducing its patchy fur to ash and dust, its whole body collapsing as its center of mass vanished in an instant. The potion skaven was caught in the side of the head as it turned at the sound, everything above its collarbone disintegrating in a single flash of green. An area of effect heal on Fuyuko relieved her injured hand and caused her undead opponent to start crumbling, hastened when the beastkin slammed the hilt of her dagger into the brow of the skaven¡¯s skull, shattering it.

    A living skaven was met with a bolt of red, throwing it into a tree where it collapsed bonelessly. Fuyuko¡¯s daggers sliced at limbs and eyes wildly, cutting down what seemed like a dozen in only a minute. Rio kept her up with healing spell after healing spell, red blasting and green healing flying across the clearing, striking living and dead opponents alike. The campfire had almost been destroyed in the fighting, but even still the body of the skaven burned, casting a disgusting smell upon the camp.

    Rio popped the lid on one of his emergency mana potions. Downing it all in one go only moments before it was shattered by a skaven arrow. Fuyuko stabbed into a skaven''s heart from behind, cleaving one¡¯s head off with a stolen battleaxe before leaping onto another¡¯s back and slitting its throat in one motion.

    Blood was roaring through Rio¡¯s ears. The longer the fight went, the more he felt as automatic and mindless as his undead opponents. For every skull he¡¯d crack with a spell or the end of his staff, another skaven would leap forward without a moment of hesitation. When only one skaven remained, a final spellbook-wielding undead, Fuyuko and Rio faced it together.

    A burst of gold light behind them grabbed their attention.

    Neither Rio nor Saho had ever felt as horrified as they did when Fuyuko¡¯s chest was pierced by the ashen blade of a still-flaming skaven, its matted fur alight, burning eyes set in a charred skull, still half-wrapped in scorched skin. Its lungs held no breath, nor its heart any life.

    The campfire held only firewood.

    A blue spell splashed across the back of Rio¡¯s head, and he could feel his body grow weak. His legs could not hold him. His ears could not hold Saho¡¯s yells of anger and loss. The golden light reached out to annihilate the undead killers, but could not hold them. They slipped through the gaps of Saho¡¯s power, hissing and gasping with laughter as they fled into the woods that held no justice, only darkness.

    Saho was holding Rio. Saho was holding Fuyuko. But Saho could not hold his tears.

    <hr>

    By the rising sun, the forest clearing held two great stone tombs, each with the body of a hero. Carvings held their stories, and a god held their memories. To be mortal¨C even for a little while¨C was to be emotional. To be emotional was to be powerful, but such power held inaccuracy. Inaccuracy that had allowed monsters to escape justice.

    And as the god retreated to the heavens, he cradled two souls, each hand holding a friend.

    <hr>

 Chapter 34 - Life is a gift to protect, a blessing to worship, and a means to an end

    <hr>

    Adventuring parties were not an uncommon thing¨C not even close. In the largest cities, one couldn¡¯t walk ten paces without encountering at least two adventuring parties.

    But in the eastern forests, where civilization was scarce, they were rare. Most adventurers preferred the more populated northern plains, mainly because more villages were willing to pay for a group of adventurers to deal with a dungeon, wild monster, or group of bandits.

    Kaede knew that finding an adventuring party out here was uncommon. Even more so to find one investigating the mouth of what was very clearly a dungeon.

    Dungeons were the terror of the eastern forests, growing to impossible size, power, and majesty, creating dungeon monsters that could crush even the strongest adventuring party if they were unprepared. Without abundant adventurers defeating them while they were weak, many dungeons had swelled to horrifying strengths fit for legends.

    Even when aboveground dungeons were a threat. The dungeon monsters that rose to the surface were often the stronger ones, and the rare dungeons that were built aboveground were just as dangerous, if not more dangerous than the ones below. Belowground, monsters could only come from so many directions. Aboveground, and they could come from anywhere.

    The party looked somewhat prepared, although perhaps slightly inexperienced, with a decent, balanced makeup of two knights, one cleric, one mage, and one ranger. If they were lucky, this dungeon could be young, in which case they might be able to overcome it, albeit with some difficulty. If they were unlucky, and it was older than that, then they would become the dungeon¡¯s newest chew toys without someone to help them.

    . . . Kaede had been in a few dungeons before. . .

    But that meant nothing. No two dungeons had the same layout, traps, monsters, or dangers. What could save you in one could get you killed in another. There was no guarantee that she could give them any help at all. Not to mention that there was a good chance that they would hate her just upon seeing that she was a dark elf.

    But in becoming a druid, she had dedicated her existence to the idea that all life was sacred and worth protecting. To just let them potentially get themselves killed would be worse than killing them herself.

    . . .

    Well. . . nothing said that they had to know that someone was helping them.

    <hr>

    The interior of the dungeon was not as majestic as Kaede had seen in some mature dungeons, indicating it was somewhere in the late younger age range. It was comprised of stone tunnels carved between the rooms, likely by the first floor¡¯s monsters¨C gigantic insects.

    As it turned out, this party was not as inexperienced as Kaede feared.

    They managed to deal with most threats easily, with the two knights taking defensive positioning in front of the rest of the party, while the ranger and mage cast spells and arrows at the monsters, and the cleric healed any injuries. Kaede only had to cast a sleeping spell on a single monster¨C an enormous beetle with mandibles sharper than daggers¨C luckily stopping it from gruesomely murdering the cleric.

    It was clear now that the dungeon was not particularly old, so it was probable that there were only a handful of complete floors with fairly simple monsters. Treasure¨C which dungeons seemed to produce naturally through a process unknown to any living creature¨C would likely be fairly simple as well, perhaps with a few enchanted items mixed in depending on the dungeon¡¯s exact age.

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    The first floor might not be an indicator of the dungeon¡¯s true power, but Kaede felt like this dungeon would not be a particularly difficult challenge.

    Conan was a great help, even in the cramped rooms. His stealth ability mixed well with the dark, and he was not as impeded by the tunnels as she initially expected given his great size. The rabbit¨C still trying and failing to chew through the cage¨C wasn¡¯t all that helpful, but ended up giving her several warnings by way of very un-rabbit-like hisses toward monsters that came a little too close for comfort.

    Approximately halfway to the end of the floor, as indicated by the increasing difficulty of the rooms, the party decided that they would head back. Not a bad idea, if you asked Kaede (although they did not, because they did not know she was there), given that they lacked the proper supplies necessary to move onwards. It was better to retreat than risk overextending.

    Kaede let out a breath as the party climbed out. What a day.

    <hr>

    It had been so long.

    When Dux had felt his body die for the first time, he was not afraid. He knew he could still slip away.

    When Dux had felt his body die again, killed by the dying adventurer in the elf village after the fight ended with both sides bleeding out on the floor, he had been afraid. The second death was a mystery. Perhaps Ome, the power outside all, would allow his soul to be reborn.

    Then Dux had lived a third time¡ªAwoken in a skaven camp in the dwarven mountains by a pair of skaven mages. Necromancers. The darkest god had gifted Dux a third chance, and Dux refused to allow such a thing to be wasted.

    The ambush, all things considered, had gone well. The dwarf''s ability to disintegrate the undead skaven¨C including both Rur and Ves, who had been brought back alongside Dux¨C had been a surprise, and Dux mourned losing his two companions again, for they lacked even a body left to reanimate now.

    The ever-burning skaven who had fled the scene alongside him¨C male, smaller than average and at least a head shorter than Dux¨C was still cackling and hissing with painful laughter as even the last pieces of their flesh burned to ash. Their second life was already fading quickly, and soon they would be naught but a charred skeleton in the mountains, left to be picked away by animals, as  or used as the finder wished, as according with skaven tradition.

    Skaven had no qualm with the dead. Once the second life is gone, the body is alone and to be used. Fertilizer, food, fashion, or weapon, the dead were fair game. The necromancers had done nothing wrong in skaven culture. Using a skaven corpse in a weapon was an act most honorable, and many would use such weapons to slay the foes who had felled the skaven whose body was used.

    Unfortunately however, due to losing the majority of the force sent to silence the dwarf and beastkin, it was likely that the raiding party would have to disband, and either move northward into the plains to try to assemble a greater force again, or southward towards the dwarven capital in an attempt to break in despite their fewer numbers.

    The burning skaven was crumbling now. Their legs had collapsed, the last dredges of their second life melting in the flame. Their laughs had quieted into whimpers and grunts of pain, mixed with short bursts of hysterical half-laughter as they died for good.

    There would likely not be enough of them left to reanimate. Half of their skeleton was ash, and the attack by the golden being had not left the rest unscathed, leaving huge gashes of molten bone and burnt muscle.

    Frankly, the two foes being so challenging had been a surprise. A healer and a rouge being so effective against such a large attacking force? It was only when the golden foe had appeared that the two were distracted enough for Dux to attack the dwarven healer who had destroyed so much of the raiding party.

    The necromancers had gotten a little ahead of themselves, sending undead to challenge a healer when they knew about Berezi¡¯s principle¨C but what mage could resist trying out a new spell or whatnot at the first opportunity? Every mage knows that caution comes third in magic!

    The two necromancers had died in the fight, and Dux had grabbed the notebook they had used. He could not let such precious knowledge be lost. His thoughts raced with the potential they held even as they were now. With experimentation, with progression, the heights of power they could reach were only previously found in dreams. Perhaps he could one day bring back even the skaven who had been turned to dust by the dwarf.

    The burning skaven let out a final coughing laugh and went silent. Only the soft crackles of the dying fire lit on their corpse remained.

    After a moment, Dux grasped their skull, rough with charred blood and flesh, and pulled it from the body with a wet crunch. Most of the skull had been exposed, with only the last patches of burnt hair scattered across the back of it.

    It would be a while until one could bring back corpses with so much damage, and Dux refused to neglect a good bowl.

    <hr>

 Chapter 35 - Guests of honor.

    <hr>

    Akira¡¯s palace had its own personal sun and moon, which provided a seasonal cycle, as well as day and night to the palace. They did not rotate particularly quickly, but fast enough that it did not become tedious.

    The second letter arrived exactly six solar rotations after the first did.

    It was written on a piece of parchment so similar to the first that one could spend weeks searching for any difference, with identical handwriting (if it was written by hand) and in the same style. The second letter was simple, informing her that the celebration would begin exactly half a solar cycle following the second letter¡¯s reception¨C and would be apparently indicated by the appearance of a sigil on the bottom half of the letter¨C as well as reminding her of the rules and method of arrival.

    Akira had dismissed Nakai and Saho to go dress themselves (she knew that plenty of gods had received letters, and she was not going to let them enter potentially dangerous territory alone), and was considering her own disguise. She almost ordered Saho to stay at the palace, considering the state he was in after the deaths of his mortal friends, but ultimately decided that the celebration might help him take his mind off things.

    (Several rooms away, Saho sat numbly, staring at the softly glowing souls of Rio and Fuyuko. With shaking hands, he lifted them and carefully placed them side-by-side in an empty lantern.

    They reminded him of the campfires they would gather around at night while tracking the Demon King. The cloudy blue sky they would stare into during the breaks between quests. The grass and trees and animals he had never seen before, that they had taken so much care in introducing him to.

    He couldn¡¯t stand the thought of losing his friends again.)

    Akira could admit to her failures. She wasn¡¯t the best when it came to understanding mortals or their feelings, but she had faith in Saho. Hopefully, he would be able to move on, as Kaito, Mei, and Yuuki had concerning the death of Hifumi.

    (Yuuki would still address her sister sometimes, and turn to where Hifumi would usually stand, for a moment not remembering she was gone. Sometimes she would wish that she had spent more time with her sister. Sometimes she would sit for hours or days in her room, not doing anything at all.

    Kaito was quieter these days. He was the king of the gods. He could not show any weakness, even to his closest friends and family. But sometimes he would wander in a haze, and find himself alone in a library. Sometimes he would wake to find his eyes wet and tired, his hands and breath shaky, and he would always know why.

    Mei still set Hifumi¡¯s table setting. She still knocked on the door to her room when she entered. She still called out to her when it was mealtime, and would look down upon the mortal races from above, trying to puzzle out which one her daughter had disguised herself as this time. Sometimes she would stand in front of Hifumi¡¯s door, and remember.)

    Something simple, Akira decided. Nothing that could be recognized as being even tangentially related to her. Earthy brown cloth, fastened around the waist by rope, like the robe of a monk. silk gloves and thick leather boots to conceal her hands and feet. A twine necklace with a wooden pendant of a leaf. For the final piece of her disguise, a simple porcelain mask of a blank elven face, from which only the soft glow of her eyes could be seen.

    She had been practicing hiding the constant aura she emitted and had finally been able to reign it to the point that she might even be able to pass as a mortal if she wanted. She would be just another body in a crowd. One more anonymous guest. A faceless, nameless silhouette no more unique than anyone else in attendance.

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    Arriving at the door she had prepared to enter the party using, she took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. Her reflection was unrecognizable. It didn¡¯t look like her at all. Even her eyes, still slightly visible behind the mask, didn¡¯t look like they belonged to her.

    The ever¨Cpresent dread that had consumed the whole palace since the letter¡¯s arrival seemed to lift slightly.

    Nakai arrived a few minutes after she did, wearing a simple tunic with gloves and a hood, as well as a blank mask similar to Akira¡¯s own. Saho came after them, draped in the tan garments of a traveller, carrying a glowing lantern and wearing a frowning theater mask.

    The only reason Akira even knew it was them was because of context and her intrinsic knowledge of her creations. Their disguises were perfect.

    This might not be so bad. Maybe it could even be. . . dare she say. . . fun.

    <hr>

    Receiving a letter concerning her own coronation to orc goddess was not something that Hifumi expected happening even in her wildest dreams.

    The letter was unfortunately completely unreadable to her as a result of being blinded, and it appeared to her as a silhouette against the magical glow of her created fortress in the abyss, set comfortably between nowhere and nothingness. Nahi had read it aloud to her, allowing her to actually know what it said, alongside the small note attached to it.

    The note itself simply congratulated her on her achievements (particularly the living organism she had made) and informed her that yes, while it was her coronation and thus her celebration, she would still have to follow some of the rules. She could reveal herself if she wanted to (she did not), and request for certain guests to be forced to leave (she might consider that), but she would still have to conform to the majority of the rules concerning conflict between guests.

    The arrival of the letter caused Nahi to almost immediately start fussing around with outfits that they pulled from. . . Somewhere. Presumably from the same place Nahi obtained the ingredients for the meals they made. Unfortunately, while she was sure that whatever Nahi would pick would look lovely, it would be impossible for Hifumi to sense it on its own. Meaning she would have to make her own outfit. Not a problem, considering that she had just made an entirely new lifeform out of nothing just a week or so ago.

    Traditional orc clothing was handmade and somewhat utilitarian. Leather, cloth, chainmail, fur, pelt, armor plate, essentially whatever they could get their hands on, mixed into something protective and surprisingly comfortable. Pendants were also rather popular, with stone especially popular among warriors, and bone among thinkers.

    So, Hifumi created the materials first. Leather, cloth, fur, chainmail, and rope fiber to hold it together. It would be hard work, but that was part of the experience of crafting it. She began with a chainmail base, which wasn¡¯t too hard to make, and then sewed the cloth into a fashionable hooded battle robe alongside leather gloves and boots. Fur lined the edges of the robe, adding to the look while insulating it, and a simple iron crown and a makeshift mask made by wrapping her head in the leftover cloth finished it. It took her several days to complete, but by the end, she couldn¡¯t imagine herself wearing anything else.

    When the second letter arrived, Hifumi was ready. She had added some extra wear to her disguise for authenticity, practiced with movement while wearing it, and even how to dance in it, if she were forced to. Besides, knowing how to dance in an outfit generally also translated into knowing how to fight in it.

    Nahi had simply put their hood up and crafted a bird-shaped mask to cover the opening. Nahi appeared to suddenly lose a third of their height when their hood was raised, and their hissing voice seemed to stabilize into something smoother as the mask slid into place.

    Their method of entrance to the celebration area given their location was by carving a ritual circle that had been provided to them in the letter onto a pendant, which would allegedly transport them there and back without issue at the snap of a finger. Truthfully, Hifumi was somewhat nervous. There was a good chance that Adho would be in attendance, and though she had seen him upon her first moments in the abyss, this could be the first time meeting him.

    She and Nahi watched (well, Nahi watched and described to her) the sigil draw itself on the letter. A circle with a five-pointed symbol Hifumi had never heard of before in the center.

    The celebration was open. The time for worry was past. The time for party was now.

    <hr>

 Chapter 36 - The restaurant at the end of the universe.

    <hr>

    ¡°Ah, welcome.¡±

    Akira, Nakai, and Saho entered into what could only be described as a greeting room, at the far side of which was an odd. . . thing standing at a lectern beside a large door.

    The thing (for lack of a better descriptor) looked like someone grabbed half of a horse¡¯s skeleton, a quarter of a still-living chimpanzee, and a third of a dolphin¡¯s rotting corpse and mashed them into a boulder until the result resembled something almost presentable.

    It glanced at a large book sitting on the lectern using what looked to be at least four mismatched eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. Please enjoy the celebration.¡±

    The door behind it opened with a light click, and they were ushered through by the thing before the door shut behind them.

    The celebration was already in full swing when they arrived, despite it only being a few minutes at most since its beginning.

    The room itself was gorgeous. An impossibly huge area reminded Akira of an enclosed, windowed tavern, with a large number of tables set everywhere, holding refreshments and games. The bar appeared to be managing itself, with drinks being poured and glasses being cleaned by the thin air. Multicolored lights shone from the ceiling, and ambient music sounded throughout. The universe shone brightly outside the windows on one side, while on the other there was a deep and gaping nothingness.

    A fair proportion of the guests Akira could identify as gods, her touch radiating from them easily despite their disguises. The others (likely demons) felt almost empty¨C like they were missing something vital in their very being.

    ¡°My lady,¡± Nakai began. ¡°what exactly is our plan¡ª¡°

    ¡°A plan you say?¡± An unfamiliar voice piped in. The speaker, a demon wearing a forest green garment, had an airy, smooth, and almost immaterial voice. Their words weren¡¯t in any language Akira recognized, but somehow the meaning was still discernible. ¡°If you¡¯re going to scheme,¡± it continued, ¡°I¡¯d recommend joining them.¡±

    The demon gestured with a scarflike tendril that emerged from a fold in the cloth toward one side of the room, where a decently large group comprised of a fairly even split of gods and not-gods appeared to be playing a strategy-based game. It was hard to tell who was winning, but it looked to be fairly lighthearted if the laughs (and strange sounds that could have been laughs) were anything to go by.

    Nakai did not respond, evidently shocked into silence by the sudden appearance of the demon.

    ¡°Oh. My sincere apologies for interrupting. I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± The demon bowed slightly, and floated away, towards the group it had pointed towards, humming a strange tune.

    Nakai shook their head and then continued. ¡°My lady, what exactly is our plan here?¡±

    Akira glanced around the room.

    In one corner, an enormous humanoid demon that towered above every other guest sat cross-legged near another group, appearing to be conversing deeply with two gods (Kaito and Mei if Akira was correct) alongside another, smaller, demon wearing a red and gold robe.

    Kaito and Mei¡¯s daughter was speaking to another not too far away from them, seemingly unperturbed by what was very clearly a demon given its disproportionally top-heavy stature, five glowing eyes, and six long arms.

    Gods were scattered throughout the room and interacting with demons freely. The letter had evidently scared all in attendance into adopting a temporary peace, but Akira was not so foolish to believe that it would last. Perhaps she was being pessimistic, but it was more than likely that tensions would rise, and eventually a guest would snap and forget the rule.

    She did not know if the Dark One would intervene or not, but she certainly would not allow such a thing to happen if she could help it.

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    ¡°Keep things orderly,¡± Akira said. ¡±And. . . maybe have some fun.¡±

    Saho and Nakai nodded and moved away. Saho moved toward the table the demon had pointed toward, and Nakai toward another group, nearer to the edge of the enormous room.

    Akira, after a moment¡¯s thought, started for the refreshments. The bar looked particularly lively.

    she wasn¡¯t about to turn down a good drink.

    <hr>

    The words emanating from the conversation Nakai approached gradually became more understandable the closer they got.

    Before, it sounded like half the conversation was being held by a hive of wasps and two wolves bleeding out, but closing the distance made the strange, almost disgusting noises suddenly gain meaning.

    The discussion seemed to mainly concern the mechanics of divine ascension, presumably as the guests attempted to figure out how orcs managed to conjure a god from belief without anyone figuring out that they had begun to worship a being (presumably) separate from the Dark One.

    There appeared to be two separate groups, one of which argued in the specifics of how it happened, while the other pored through several large tomes that were assumedly about the topic at hand, occasionally giving information they had uncovered to the arguers. Now and then, an arguer would ask a researcher a question, which would be replied by a moment of page-turning, followed by an answer.

    After a few moments of watching and contemplating, Nakai decided. They picked up one of the tomes that the researchers had placed on a nearby table and began leafing through it.

    Their only acknowledgment was a glance and nod from the participants, which Nakai returned.

    Time passed quickly with new information being continually added to the growing discussion, and Nakai had scarcely felt so understood.

    <hr>

    As Saho approached the table, the conversation became more understandable.

    At a distance, the words were garbled, like half the people in the group were speaking in different languages, words being mixed and meanings being lost. Up close though, even though it was clear that multiple languages were being used, he felt like he could perfectly understand what was being said, even if the words themselves meant nothing to his ears, like the voice of the floating demon that had spoken before.

    A glance from one of the players¨C a god he believed¨C had Saho being dealt a hand of cards and a seat. Just like the languages, Saho seemed to find himself instinctually knowing the basics of the game, even though the cards themselves were not something he had ever seen before, much less played.

    ¡°The fall of the beastkin royalty of Akyse was rather saddening I suppose,¡± a white-cloaked humanoid demon continued, their sharp voice clear as they placed down a card. ¡°But I believe that the reaction to it was worse.¡±

    A nearby god hummed in agreement. ¡°Very much so. Even despite the population loss, it wasn¡¯t as though they had lost a part of their personhood. Now they need to recover their status as well as their population.¡±

    ¡°I do not foresee such happening soon.¡± Another god said. Though their face was covered in wrapped fabric, it seemed to contort in displeasure and anger. ¡°They have been set back a great deal. Even though so little time has passed, it could take hundreds of years for recovery. Even more so for orcs, goblins, and skaven.¡±

    The table seemed to agree, although some seemed somewhat tentative.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame interaction is so highly controlled.¡± The first god mused, placing a card on the table. ¡±The restrictions are for a good reason, I understand, but they allow for this kind of injustice.¡±

    ¡°Injustice to be punished given time,¡± spat the wrapped god. ¡°I can scarcely wait. . .¡±

    ¡°One must wonder why the rules even exist,¡± a demon interjected. ¡°Why be granted the power to change things if the cost of that power is the inability to use it?¡±

    ¡°I think the point is that the gods must guide mortals rather than rule them.¡± Heads turned to Saho at his words. ¡°If gods control the affairs of mortals outright, why have mortals at all?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± the floating cloaked demon that had interrupted Nakai said. ¡°Though I would not mind having a mortal to guide during my mission. It gets lonely being alone.¡±

    Many of the demons at the table laughed softly, but Saho felt both himself and some of the other gods tense. A mission. What possible mission could a demon have where it would be completely isolated?

    ¡°All games are meant to be played, my friend,¡± the white-cloaked demon tittered at a god who had yet to play their turn. ¡°One cannot expect it to play itself.¡±

    ¡°How wise,¡± the floating demon hummed, something new in its voice. ¡°Though I would argue there is an exemption for games played in the dark.¡±

    Most demons again broke into quiet laughter, while some gods chuckled nervously at the joke. A small number of the guests at the table seemed to straighten as if suddenly seeing each other for the first time.

    ¡°It is most refreshing,¡± began an enormous, black-cloaked demon with blade-like limbs. ¡°To be among others who think alike.¡±

    <hr>

 Chapter 37 - King Contrary Man.

    <hr>

    The liveliness of the bar put the rest of the party to shame. Demons and gods alike mingled freely, drinking, eating, and talking amongst themselves without worry. It could be due to lowered inhibitions as a result of the alcohol being served, or it could be due to the area seeming more intimate.

    She politely tapped twice on the bar surface to get the attention of whatever was operating it. She felt slightly silly speaking to the air even though she somehow knew that it would work. ¡°Natufian beer, chilled.¡±

    A small glass cup slid across the bar, stopping perfectly in front of her, before rapidly filling with a golden brown, slightly frothy liquid. The glass was slightly cold, and the alcohol was perfect. She could practically taste the stone used to contain it during the brewing process, the wheat and barley that had been ground and fermented into the drink. She let out a small, contented sigh. The drink was excellent, and the mixed sounds of conversation were more soothing than she would have expected.

    Beside her, a guest ordered liquid courage, receiving a small glass half-filled with tiny glowing lights that they took a sip from with an amused air.

    ¡°You look relaxed.¡± the stranger said, mirth clear in their voice. They sounded old, which was strange for gods, who usually kept themselves appearing young or middle-aged. For Demons, however, she did not know their lifecycle, much less their vocal behavior.

    They were garbed in a worn and faded blue robe, fastened around the waist by a yellow sash. Every millimeter of skin was covered by tan cloth held tight to their form by a length of chain extending from around their neck down each of their limbs. A half-mask very similar to her own covered the top half of their face, though no light shone from within the sockets of the eyes.

    ¡°I am,¡± Akira responded. She could feel her touch radiate from the guest (a feeling so familiar it itched at the back of her mind, though she could find no name) and did not appear outwardly hostile, so despite their strange appearance, they were not a threat to worry about. Besides, if they tried anything she could annihilate them with a thought¡ª assuming that the Dark One didn¡¯t enforce their rules first.

    ¡°Relieving stress?¡± their voice reminded her of the times she would overhear Kaito or Mei speaking to their children. Perhaps they were a familial god of some sort.

    She nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Stress can be very bad for you, you know.¡± the stranger paused for a moment, then continued. ¡°I¡¯d recommend taking some time off every now and then. The universe won¡¯t end if you do.¡±

    She almost scoffed, but didn¡¯t on account of not wanting to come off as rude. They didn¡¯t know that it very well could.

    ¡°You might think differently,¡± the guest interrupted her thoughts. ¡°But it won¡¯t. I promise you that much.¡±

    Akira froze suddenly. Those last few words weren¡¯t in the same language as the rest of the sentence. She still understood them, like she had understood the demon when she first arrived, but they were clearly in a different tongue. She examined the guest again. They were humanoid, no obvious demonic features, and they still felt like¨C

    The guest wasn¡¯t what felt like her creation.

    The chain was.

    A chain had a unique feel that had been branded into her mind since the moment of its creation, no matter how far from the universe she had shunted it.

    Despite the stranger facing her directly, she felt suddenly like nothing was looking at her. A lack of feeling flowed over her, as the hum of ambient noise from the party was washed away into an almost painful un-sound. It wasn¡¯t quiet. It wasn¡¯t still. It was like sound and movement did not exist at all.

    The Dark One, wearing the facade of a stranger, did not speak.

    It''s been a long time.

    <hr>

    Akira felt herself be guided to a two-person table, not far from the middle of the celebration area.

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    The Dark One¡¯s puppet (because what else could it be? It did not resemble the last form she had seen it take, nor any of the appearances described by its followers. But she still knew it was the Dark One, like knowing that one¡¯s hand is their own) sat itself down, and gestured for her to do the same.

    After a moment¡¯s contemplation, she did.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    She felt the culmination of her being conveying the thought, a deluge of impossible noise spilling from her lips, a sound so absolute and all-encompassing that any being in existence would be reduced to splintered microparticles if it were heard. She was careful, despite the slip of power. She had complete control over the noise, ensuring that the sound was directed and heard by only that which she spoke to.

    Elaborate, All-One.

    The concepts seemed to appear in the forefront of her mind from nowhere like a gap in her memory suddenly being filled. The second concept almost surprised her. One-that-is-all. A being that encompassed everything. She could feel everything that she had made like they were all part of her. She had made everything there was, except the Dark One and its creations. Creations that all felt empty. Like they were nothing at all.

    ¡°Why speak to me?¡±

    She could not show weakness by asking what it meant by calling her that. What it implied.

    We have things to speak of.

    She felt all of existence¨C herself¨C tense. Every possible thing they could discuss suddenly ran through her mind all at once. Their first meeting, the banishing of the Orc goddess, the invasion, anything and everything.

    ¡°Then speak.¡±

    Would you prefer a delay on the next invasion, so you may relax?

    ¡°I would prefer a next invasion to not happen at all.¡±

    She did not receive a response in words, only in a single concept of amusement.

    ¡°Why invade in the first place?¡±

    More concepts. Decay, Erosion, Entropy. Reluctantly, she asked the question that had plagued her mind since the conversation began.

    ¡°You called me one who embodied everything. Where do you stand in this?¡±

    Nothing. Nowhere. A great, all-encompassing abyss. A lack of existence, an antithesis to being. The zero to her one, the none to her every.

    No-One.

    . . .

    ¡°. . . Why would you care if I were stressed or not?¡±

    From where did you come from, All-One?

    ¡°I came before anything. By your own words, I am everything.¡±

    And before you?

    She stopped. Before her? When she had first awoken, she had found herself in a void. An abyss. A blank, empty¨C

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Everything had never been so quiet.

    <hr>

    She stared at the puppet. Its mask remained blank. No expression, no feeling, no light, no life. The entire party area felt like nothing: like she and her creation were floating in empty space, speaking to and interacting with nothing. Even the drink she had gotten from the bar felt like nothing at all, a void in her body.

    It wasn¡¯t her body, she realized. It was a puppet, like the one she was sitting across from. A more elaborate one, certainly, but still a puppet. And yet, she was the puppet. She encompassed everything there was. The body of the puppet was her own. The body of the gods was her own, albeit possessed by other consciousnesses. The entirety of the universe was her body, her being. She was existence. And before her, just across the table, was everything that wasn¡¯t.

    She focused back on her body (her puppet. It was her puppet, not her body¨C) and summoned the strength to glare at the Dark one.

    ¡°Why? Why would you speak to me at all?¡± she asked weakly. ¡°To torment me?¡±

    The Dark One shook its head. ¡°I do not want you to suffer. I would prefer you to be strong of body as well as mind.¡± The voice, so different from the empty concepts it had conversed with her previously, seemed almost apologetic, soft, and comforting. Like a father might speak to a crying daughter.

    ¡°I will fight.¡± She wished her voice was stronger than it was. She wished she could summon the strength to sound determined and courageous. The strength to keep the tears from gathering at the corners of her eyes. ¡°I will win.¡±

    The Dark One nodded slowly. ¡°Very well.¡± It stood up, rounding the table and placing a cold hand on her shoulder. ¡°I will delay the next invasion so you may get some rest.¡± And then it walked away, disappearing into the guests without fanfare, just another empty body among many.

    Even as she felt the distance between her and chain that bound the Dark One grow, she still felt as though both it and the one it held had never left at all.

    <hr>

 Chapter 38 - The Good.

    <hr>

    The Games table had livened greatly in the time Saho had spent there. Guests would come and go, bringing food and drinks, and most valued of all, conversations.

    After a while, guests began an orderly queue for new topics, finishing and moving on to the next in sequence. At the moment, they had just finished a heavily scientific discussion on the mechanics of the portals that had given them entrance to the area, a long-winded conversation that had not truly gone anywhere at all, though the participants seemed to enjoy it greatly.

    Next was a debate on the biology of the unique life that could be found near the edge of the universe. While sparse, lifeforms that evolved there were often more uniform and resilient than life nearer to the center of the universe, for reasons unknown.

    Saho, not knowing much about the topic, had elected to stay silent, though he listened intently to the arguments being presented. Currently, he was favoring the idea that due to the thinning of matter nearing the edge, life that evolved there needed to be sturdier, and genetic mutations were less of a priority, as the environments were more stable. The argument wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was believable enough, at least for Saho.

    It was at a quiet moment in the discussion that he felt it.

    An inverse pressure built, and sound began to be smothered by an almost imperceptible droning un-noise. Then, it suddenly sharpened, becoming instantly unbearable. Saho found himself instinctually curling inward and shrinking his aura, like an animal trying to make itself unnoticeable.

    He wasn¡¯t the only one. The other gods did the same as he, and even the demons bowed their heads, shaking like leaves in a storm.

    He felt a void shaped like a person approach the table, their anti-presence stark and almost painful to perceive compared to everything else. The demons, which had felt empty and not fully physical before, suddenly felt undeniably real, far closer to the gods that they sat next to than the being that had just appeared.

    The arrival¡¯s voice did not carry, seeming to be absorbed into the roaring un-noise, leaving behind an empty hole where a sound should have been. ¡°Mind if I join in?¡± the voice said, the tone of a kind elder only barely covering the reality of the newcomer¡¯s identity, an act that would fool nobody, and wasn¡¯t meant to.

    Saho couldn¡¯t find his voice. His body wouldn¡¯t move, frozen in place like a statue as the greatest enemy of his patron stood no more than the length of a stride away. He couldn¡¯t even stare at it, his head adamant in its refusal to look up, to gaze upon the non-being that had just spoken.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± a voice from across the table said. Vaguely, he recognized it as one of the guests, sitting just in front of where the Dark One stood. They clearly struggled to get the words out, just managing before their mouth rebelled and snapped shut again with a click. Saho¡¯s eyes were just high enough to watch them shakily pass a hand of cards to the Dark One, who took hold of them with a pair of brown leather gloves.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the Dark One said, seating itself in an empty chair between a god and a demon, who rapidly and fearfully moved to the side to avoid contact. ¡°I¡¯ll be of no trouble.¡± The inverse pressure suddenly dropped back to the previously uncomfortable but now greatly welcome level it had been at earlier. Around the table, Guests¨C both gods and demons¨C practically collapsed in relief, gasping like they had been released from a chokehold.

    Saho¡¯s body unfroze in an instant, his metaphysical muscles seizing and suddenly going slack. Slowly, he raised his head back up, laying his eyes upon the body of the Dark One. It wasn¡¯t the towering monster he expected, merely a blue-robed humanoid, its body wrapped in a tan cloth, and bound around the chest by a thick chain. If Saho had to guess, he would estimate it to be not much taller than average, with limbs that were just slightly too long, but otherwise, it looked almost human.

    The Dark One hummed a toneless un-sound, played a card that was neither high nor low value, and passed the game to the next player like its presence was not to be noted.

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    The game was played in absolute silence for what felt like hours before a brave demon tried to begin the discussion again. Eventually, the conversation reached a decent size, though the tense, hesitant voices of those involved persisted for a long time.

    <hr>

    The Dark One, despite his. . . eventful arrival at the game table, stayed true to its word and did not cause any trouble. In fact, it seemed to be actively doing the opposite. There were numerous times it could have ruined another player¡¯s chance of winning the round, or won itself with ease, but it never took them.

    It wasn¡¯t a matter of not seeing the opportunities, it was obvious to all present that it was fully knowledgeable of the openings that were being presented, and was willfully and purposefully avoiding them, like they weren¡¯t truly options at all. Like it didn¡¯t want to win, but rather to play.

    The demons overall seemed to be adapting better than the gods were. The white-cloaked, blade-limbed, and floating demons had all shaken off the Dark One¡¯s arrival with relative ease, though a mix of reverence and fear was still present and obvious.

    Most of the gods on the other hand, were still glancing at the Dark One every few seconds, like he were a crouched predator waiting to devour them whole, and if they were physical beings Saho was certain they would be sweating rivers and pale as a sun-bleached stone.

    It was at a lull in the conversation that the Dark One spoke again.

    It hummed. ¡°I''d like to speak with you privately, if possible. And to you two as well, but as a pair.¡± Its voice, no matter its kindly tone, sent deep shivers through Saho, especially once he realized that it was speaking to him. A small number of other guests around the table tensed, as it became obvious it was not speaking to just Saho, but rather a handful of those present.

    The floating demon seemed to find their bravery first. ¡°In what order, ehm. . . sir?¡±

    The Dark One hummed again and pulled a small metal object from its cloak. It stared at it a moment and then rolled it across the table, where it bounced for a moment before landing. The Dark One picked it up, looked at the object again, and then directly at Saho. ¡°I¡¯d like to speak to you first.¡±

    If Saho was still mortal, he was sure he would have died in an instant. The Dark One rose, placing its cards on the table face up (a winning hand, Saho noted in the back of his head,) returned the object to its cloak, and walked toward him in a manner that reminded him of a predator approaching its prey.

    Saho put his hand down, and rose as well, ignoring the pitying stares he received. The Dark One beckoned him with a finger, and he left the table like he was walking to his execution.

    His cards were left face up, a losing hand open for the world to see.

    <hr>

    After a moment of walking, the two sat at a nearby table, just out of earshot of any spectators.

    The Dark One spoke first. ¡°I must congratulate you,¡± the empty voice said. The wrapped cloth that covered its face behind its mask did not move, nor was any true sound made. Rather, word-shaped holes seemed to simply appear in the surrounding din of noise and un-noise. ¡°It¡¯s not every day that a mortal becomes a god.¡±

    ¡°I suppose not.¡± Saho tried. Talking was difficult, like speaking through water, but he was just able to manage.

    The Dark One¡¯s cloth disguise contorted into what could have been a kind smile, or a threatening grimace. ¡°Nor is it every day that a pawn of mine is killed.¡±

    The un-noise shifted, suddenly sounding like the crackling of fires and the far-off roaring of a great beast. Idly, Saho was reminded of the Demon King. The stench of rotten meat and burning flesh, its fire-lit silhouette branded into his mind, its glowing yellow eyes that pierced his soul, the blood of his friends and allies coating its fur.

    Saho didn¡¯t say anything. He couldn¡¯t say anything. His voice had once again left him.

    ¡°Tell me,¡± the Dark One said. ¡°Did you enjoy it?¡± The sound the Demon King made when it died, the darkened imprint it had left behind.

    ¡°No,¡± Saho whispered. His illusory heartbeat was too loud. His imagined blood roared in his ears. The Demon King¡¯s claws reached for him, its maw wide, baring bloodied teeth.

    ¡°Would you do it again?¡± Far-off screams, a city burning in the distance.

    The rubble of the towns it destroyed, the blackened, broken flesh of the people it had killed.

    A melted piece of armor, a charred child¡¯s toy.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The Dark One hummed tonelessly and rose, stalking back to the games table. But before it left earshot, it spoke again, whispering so quietly that Saho was barely able to hear it at all.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    <hr>

 Chapter 39 - The Bad.

    <hr>

    Adho returned to the table silently, basking in the terrified stares of the rest of the guests. Behind him, the golden-auraed god that had banished Hifumi sat motionlessly, staring into nothing.

    Adho took out the small metal object again, rolled it once more, looked at the result, and turned to the floating guest, nodding simply. The floating guest returned the nod, rising easily, and departing with Adho to another nearby table without a word.

    The game continued silently, the attention of everyone at the table focused on Adho and the floating guest. Unlike the first, the floating guest appeared much more casual toward Adho, although reverence was still clear in their body language. The floating guest has a mission, Hifumi remembered. It was not impossible that Adho was the one who had assigned it to them, given how casual they were with each other.

    Hifumi glanced at the distant conversation between her sister (She would know that aura anywhere) and a top-heavy demon. It was only the faintest remnants of her self-control and her fear-frozen body that kept her from dashing over to embrace her. Hfumi could scarcely imagine what she would feel if something were to happen to Yuuki, and even from this distance, she could feel the deep despair that had taken root in her sister¡¯s heart, presumably from the news of Hifumi¡¯s disappearance.

    Her sister laughed at something her conversation partner had said and took a dark object in her hand, sending shivers down Hifumi¡¯s spine. The sound of her laughter, bright as it was, seemed drowned out by the constant droning un-noise of Adho¡¯s anti-presence.

    Hifumi tore her attention away from her sister, and back toward Adho, who had just arrived at the table again. The conversation between Adho and the floating guest had been longer than between Adho and the golden-auraed god, though not by too much. It took several long minutes before it ended, and when they finished, both returned to the table seemingly satisfied, the floating guest retaking their seat and picking back up their cards without hesitation.

    Once more Adho drew the metal object and rolled it, and after analyzing it for a moment, he looked to Hifumi, his anti-attention washing over her in a freezing wave. ¡°Shall we?¡± his voice droned, causing several players to suddenly choke on nothing at the un-sound of his noiseless speech.

    Hifumi stole one more glance at her sister, another to Nahi, and then rose from her seat.

    She left her hand of cards on the table, facing down.

    There was still a chance of victory if she played them right.

    <hr>

    They sat at the same table that Adho had sat at with the floating demon, not so far from the games table that they were out of sight, but too far for anything said to be overheard.

    Adho, a truly empty silhouette that made the demons around her seem like bright lights in comparison, sat silently for a moment like a judge determining guilt.

    When he spoke, his voice did not reverberate, like Akira¡¯s had when Hifumi had heard her speak once. Rather, it seemed to blend into the ambient noise, being somehow perceptible while not being audible. ¡°Congratulations on your ascension,¡± his almost grandfatherly voice sounded. ¡°Are you proud?¡±

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    ¡°I am,¡± Hifumi answered honestly. She was proud. She had reattained godhood plenty of times during her adventures as mortal races, but this was the first time she had ascended to godhood. ¡°It feels. . . good.¡±

    Her ascension, no matter how painful and violent, and no matter the events that led to it, had been one of the best moments she had ever experienced. The exhilaration of destroying her slavers, no matter her failure to kill the young royal who she had been gifted to, had been cathartic like no other act and was the memory she replayed over and over when she had trouble falling asleep.

    Adho hummed, a semi-tone that could have been positive, or perhaps curious. ¡°I am as well. None of my creations have achieved such a deed before.¡± Hifumi felt a swell of pride in that moment, at the notion that he was proud of her. That she really was the orc that she had pretended to be, and not just a god wearing an orc¡¯s skin.

    ¡°And I am just as proud of your other recent achievement,¡± Adho¡¯s voice was wearing a smile. ¡°Though I must ask: what do you plan to do with it?¡±

    Words came easier now, practically spilling from her lips. ¡°I want to make a second universe. One of my own, with life of my own creation,¡± she said, perhaps slightly hysterically. She could not blame herself though. The act had taken her so long and had been a catalyst in perhaps the largest emotional breakdown of her millennia-length existence.

    Adho laughed good-naturedly under his non-breath. ¡°A goal worth praise, to be certain. I¡¯ll be sure to keep a close eye. How has Nahi been?¡±

    ¡°Nahi is. . .¡± Kind. Selfless. Grandfatherly and mothering at the same time. An island of stability in a sea of uncertainty. The anchor she fastened her sanity to. The silhouette of a bright light that guided her whenever she needed it.

    Adho¡¯s smile didn¡¯t waver at her vocal silence. ¡°Fascinating. I would not have predicted such an effect when I first crafted them, but it seems they are doing even better than I hoped.¡±

    Hifumi couldn¡¯t even be shocked that Adho had sensed her thoughts. Adho was a being of immense power, akin to Akira. Truthfully, she would¡¯ve been surprised if he couldn¡¯t sense thoughts.

    Focus.

    ¡°Why celebrate my ascension so openly?¡± It didn¡¯t make much sense. None of the interpretations of the Dark One would have hosted a party and invited their worst enemies unless it was a trap, which this by now was obviously not.

    Adho¡¯s vocal smile turned to an animalistic grin. ¡°You¡¯re correct that it is not a trap. In truth, it is a game. A taunt. I want Akira to be afraid. To fear what comes next, to fear not just what I do, but what I could do. And besides,¡± Adho gestured widely. ¡°I wanted to bring you into the fold. To introduce you to my other creations. What fun is there in being alone?¡±

    Hifumi looked back to the table. Most of the guests there shied away from the gaze of her and Adho, but a handful didn¡¯t.

    Nahi. The floating guest. The blade-limbed demon. The white-cloaked demon. They met her eyes without apology, exemption, or fear.

    They met her eyes as equals.

    She felt herself smile under her wrappings. A feral grin spread across her face, one to match Adho¡¯s.

    Time to go make some friends.

    <hr>

 Chapter 40 - The Ugly.

    <hr>

    The discussion between Kranua and the wrapped god was very interesting to observe. It lacked the casual air that was held with the floating guest (They did not possess the aura of a god, and Balta knew the disguise of every demon in attendance, of which they were not one), but remained friendly and amiable, even enthusiastic at one point.

    Balta eyed her cards. They were nothing of note, not being enough to win on their own, so she had not been playing to win. She¨C as well as Krika¨C had taken to playing certain cards deliberately to hurt other players'' victory chances, while boosting their own, having likely doubled the total round time by this point.

    She played a middling card, resisted the urge to grin at the defeated slump of the next player¡¯s shoulders, and turned her attention back to the distant conversation. If she had to guess, she¡¯d say that the wrapped god and the Dark One had met at least once before¨C though likely not personally¨C unlike the floating guest, who had likely been in contact with Kranua much more closely, possibly consistently if they had given the mission.

    When Kranua gestured towards the games table, an invisible inverse pressure weighing down suddenly, Balta did not cower. She knew the true nature of the Dark One and their schemes and did not fear death at her Creator¡¯s metaphorical hands.

    Beside her, Towering above, Krika remained equally stoic, the dull glow of his eyes not even tightening at the twin gaze of the two faceless conversationalists. The floating guest also refused to bend, as did a bird-masked third guest that she did not recognize.

    Kranua and the god exchanged a few more words, before moving back towards the table together. The wrapped god returned their cards to their hand and took a glance at the current state of the game before focusing on their next move.

    ¡°I hope I haven¡¯t kept you two waiting,¡± Kranua said. ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±

    As soon as the un-sound was registered in Balta¡¯s mind, she knew that they had been directed at her and Krika.

    She and her blade-limbed companion shared a quick and silent look, before lowering their cards as one. They proceeded to the distant table, no fear in their shadowy hearts.

    <hr>

    Kranua sat first, indicating them toward two chairs, one of which Balta could have sworn wasn¡¯t present before.

    The seats were not especially comfortable, nor were they particularly uncomfortable, leaving no note of their odd quality except for how average they were.

    ¡°I am impressed,¡± the Dark One stated in a soundless neutral tone. ¡°Your discovery of the greater purpose was a surprise, though a welcome one. You¡¯ve brought unpredictable movements, unique choices, and exciting decisions that add to the experience.¡± Their voice carried a slight sense of pride in their creation, sending a strange shiver up Balta¡¯s spinal cord. However, neither Balta nor Krika responded verbally, merely bowing their heads slightly in reverence and acknowledgment.

    ¡°The next round will be played in a new location,¡± Kranua continued. ¡°Observation and preparation will start soon, but I¡¯ll be allowing an advanced preview ahead of schedule for you two, as well as permitting you to pick the board.¡± The Dark One¡¯s disguise tapped on the table, drawing the two¡¯s attention to a deck of cards that had certainly not been there before. Upon further inspection, the cards appeared to describe planets in great detail, including the size of the planet and its continents, the biology (or geology, Balta corrected upon seeing the description of a golemoid lithium-based lifeform) of the inhabitants, and even the composition of the atmosphere.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°Each is random, chosen based only on whether intelligent life exists there,¡± Kranua said simply, gesturing at the cards. ¡°Choose one wisely and together. I will interfere only if you have questions. Planets not chosen may still be used in the future, you¡¯re just choosing which goes first.¡± They clarified.

    Neither Balta nor Krika moved for a moment, before each drawing a small number of cards, looking through them intently.

    ¡°Ilreon: large and cold, with civilizations floating on icebergs,¡± Balta proposed, holding up one card, showing a deep blue planet. ¡°I believe it would be good for mixed aerial and aquatic combat.¡±

    ¡°A good start,¡± Krika toned in his hissing tongue that would be otherwise indecipherable to any non-demon, as he removed a card from his hand, and drew another. ¡°Iocli: a small asteroid-like planet with underground reptilian and simian races.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, I like that. Rullert: Dry and covered in deserts, with dominant reptillian and avian life. Unstable continental plates and unpredictable weather.¡±

    ¡°Good, but I lean toward no. It¡¯s too. . . basic. Ezuno: Dead surface, but the atmosphere is full of free-floating life.¡±

    ¡°I feel like that¡¯s too much. Kiepra: Forests so big and deep that they¡¯re practically oceans in their own right. Avian, reptilian, and simian races¡°

    ¡°Interesting. Tuccoth: a planet covered almost entirely by an expansive collection of cities leaving no room between. Excellent for urban warfare.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. How about this one?¡± Balta held out one card in particular, the planet in question displayed alongside a short name and thorough description. Krika looked at it for a moment, mouthing the name and description silently.

    ¡°Our armies will have to be altered, our strategies redesigned, almost everything will have to be changed,¡± Krika hummed. ¡°It provides a challenge we¡¯ll have to adapt to, as well as a unique setting.¡±

    He looked back to Balta. ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡±

    As one, they turned to Kranua, who had been sitting silently across the table, observing them intently. Balta slid the card towards them without a word, confident in her and her companion¡¯s decision.

    Kranua appraised the card for a moment and the fabric that concealed their face behind the mask stretched into a hidden grin, one mimicked by Balta and Krika after the words said next registered.

    ¡°The choice is made.¡±

    <hr>

    They spoke for a little while longer, coming to an end with Balta and Krika returning to the games table satisfied while Kranua vanished back into the crowded celebration.

    Balta held back a smirk. In their absence, the wrapped god, bird-masked demon, and the floating guest had grouped into an alliance, taking turns hindering other players and bringing each other closer to victory. To combat the new threat, a second coalition formed against them, transforming the previously single-player game into a budding team game.

    No words were exchanged between them, only actions, and almost the instant they returned to their seats they were a part of the wrapped god''s alliance.

    The table quickly evolved into a battlefield of several large teams and many more smaller teams vying for victory. Cards were being shared across teammates, battle plans were being discussed, and it seemed less like a card game and more like a war simulation.

    Eventually, after many hard battles, treaties, backstabs, and desperate last stands, victory was snatched by a small team consisting of only three players: Two demons, one large and topheavy, and one tiny with branching horns, as well as a softly glowing god that radiated friendliness. Balta knew the names of the demons, and would be sure to congratulate them later, but for now she simply laughed alongside her competitors as they picked the next game to play.

    The celebration continued for many hours, and many more games, a few of which were won by her or other members of the alliance, though not all of them.

    Balta could not name a time when she felt safer or more at home.

    <hr>

 Chapter 41 - Go home and have the best sleep of your life.

    <hr>

    ¡°The celebration will likely end soon,¡± Hifumi toned. ¡°I can practically feel it winding down.¡±

    The white-cloaked demon hummed in agreement alongside their towering black-cloaked companion, who was absent-mindedly carving something from a wooden block using their bladed limbs.

    ¡°I suppose our cue to leave will be soon,¡± The floating guest said. ¡± I hope we¡¯ll be allowed to continue communication, being isolated again would be cruel.¡±

    ¡±And not particularly entertaining.¡±

    ¡°That as well.¡±

    Nahi coughed a quick laugh before returning to their drink, a softly glowing semi-opaque liquid that was slightly bluer than brown. Hifumi hadn¡¯t quite heard what they had asked for at the bar, but whatever it was, Nahi seemed to quite like it.

    A loud, roaring laugh caught her attention for a moment, sounding from a not-to-distant table where a small but decent number of guests were engaged in some form of battle strategy game involving pieces that were at least semi-sentient fighting on behalf of the players. (It was like Adho wasn¡¯t even trying to hide it anymore. She had barely held back her laughter when she saw the game the first time, and it hadn¡¯t gotten any less funny since.)

    She and her new friends (something that felt very strange to think) had spent some time at the table of course, commanding their forces in ways that were more comedic than strategic, though they still won more often than not, ending with Nahi winning a decisive victory.

    She led her thoughts back to the discussion with a hum. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine a reason that we would have been introduced to each other, only to be separated as soon as the celebration ends.¡±

    The black-cloaked demon paused in their carving. ¡°It is rare that one understands the reasoning of a higher being. An ant does not understand the placement of a fencepost.¡±

    ¡°I don''t believe I''ve ever heard of an ant?¡± the floating guest¡¯s voice sounded slightly confused.

    ¡°I suppose they are fairly rare throughout existence. . . they''re small insects. About this size.¡± the white-cloaked demon separated their black-furred fingers a tiny amount, perhaps slightly larger than the average ant that Hifumi had seen.

    As they finished, the floating guest hummed in understanding before pausing again. ¡°. . . what¡¯s a fencepost?¡±

    Hifumi relaxed and held back an amused sigh as the two demons joined in explaining the function and approximate size of a fencepost to the floating guest, who nodded along attentively.

    This was far more enjoyable than any other party that she had attended.

    . . .

    . . . Perhaps except for the one where she killed the people she had been enslaved to.

    . . .

    . . . It was a close competition.

    <hr>

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    ¡°The celebration will conclude shortly. Please take this time to gather your belongings. To those engaging in intimate actions, we are impressed by your ability to exploit loopholes, but please re-dress. You know who you are.¡±

    The exhausted monotone voice that rang through the room instinctually reminded Hifumi of the thing that had greeted her and Nahi when they entered, although it sounded slightly more gravelly. It wasn¡¯t Adho¡¯s voice, though it bore an obvious resemblance.

    ¡°Your prediction was correct,¡± mused the blade-limbed demon, chittering voice holding a strange, longing feeling for perhaps a little more time. ¡°It seems we must part.¡±

    The floating guest hummed in agreement, a sound that struck Hifumi as deeply melancholy for the immaterial voice. ¡°I suppose so. May we encounter each other again soon.¡± They bowed their shrouded form, and departed, gliding smoothly, similarly to a cloud across the sky.

    ¡°Stay safe,¡± shouted the white-cloaked demon, receiving a tendril in salute from the retreating guest.

    The blade-llimbed demon chuckled lowly below their breath, and turned to Hifumi, pushing their finished carving¨C a small figure resembling the disguise Adho had used¨C toward her. ¡°And farewell to you as well. May your times be well, and your successes be many.¡±

    Hifumi laughed and waved the two demons off, making no attempt to hide the fondness in her voice as she pocketed the figure. ¡°You had better save me a drink for next time,¡± She called as they left.

    The white-cloaked demon¡¯s responding laugh was cut off as the door shut behind them, leaving Hifumi and Nahi in silence, watching as the guests left one by one.

    After a short while, Nahi placed a hand on her shoulder, projecting onto her a wordless comfort Hifumi had often received from her parents, both those that were godly and those that had been mortal.

    It was time for them to go.

    Hifumi cast one more glance toward her sister as she passed through the god¡¯s exit, the gateway beyond glowing with a warm, comforting golden light.

    Outside the far window, the endless empty awaited: a temperature-less, light-less abyss devoid of any of the pressures of the realm of the gods.

    No gardens of exotic plants, no libraries of endless knowledge, no beautiful pools of ever-flowing water, no paintings or tapestries depicting legends that sent the imagination wild.

    No mother, father, or sister.

    A prison with no chains, the inmates left to rot forever where none would gaze upon them in pity, anger, or righteous hatred. A sudden, rising despair held Hifumi still, the portal back to the life she had lived closing, sealing her away from the warmth and light.

    The barroom began to fall apart. Gravity failed as the chairs and tables turned first to dust and then nothing at all, the dim glow that allowed Hifumi to see vanishing alongside. The doors of the room dissolved and the rooms beyond, now holding just the mismatched greeters created by Adho, were revealed in all their crumbling glory.

    The creatures fell to pieces with groaning sighs, the facsimiles of life leaving their dissipating bodies like water from a leaking barrel, and the last remnants of the room were gone. Hifumi and Nahi were left floating alone in nowhere, gazing at the outer shell of the universe. Stars, tiny and bright and beautiful, danced in graceful swirls of rainbow color to a silent song so far away.

    The two watched for what could have been hours, or seconds, or years in the void without time or space.

    In the cage with no bars.

    Nahi¡¯s hand clasped her shoulder soothingly, her last bastion. Her only remaining companion, friend, family in the empty. The pendant activated without a sound, carrying them away, deeper into the depthless abyss, as if they weighed nothing at all.

    As if they had never existed and never would.

    <hr>

    Nahi guided Hifumi to her bedchamber.

    They removed her disguise, set her down to rest, and cast two simple spells¨C one to darken the room, and the other to help Hifumi sleep. As soon as they confirmed that she really was asleep, Nahi exited the room silently, and walked down to the garden.

    There were no flowers, but statues were important to all castles. Carving them with magic was easy, but doing it by hand brought a certain enjoyment to it that Nahi found missing in simply creating it with a thought and a wave of one¡¯s hand.

    They carved until the miniature star rose over the horizon, when they departed for the kitchen.

    Nutrition was especially important after so much excitement.

    <hr>

 Chapter 42 - Demon biology and the nature of storytellers

    <hr>

    I think the party went really well.

    I spoke to Akira and her summoned hero, introduced my orc-god roommate to my demons, and started setting up the next invasion! All in all, it was a very productive use of my time.

    Now, I think it''s time to start working on some of those demons for the new invasion. I¡¯ll start with¨C

    Hold on. I¡¯m receiving a call.

    Great one, I dare not ask for another boon, but I pray to you. I fear the isolation I will face alone here, and I had found companions among the guests of the celebration. May they visit me here, among the empty stars and planets?

    . . .

    . . . I mean, as long as they don¡¯t interfere with it I guess. I¡¯ll just send a letter or a dream or something telling them. As long as they¡¯re there I¡¯ll make them just as invisible, immaterial, and uninteractable as Avai is.

    I have a pretty good idea of who these ¡®companions¡¯ are, so it won¡¯t be hard. I might not be all-seeing, but the celebration was a small enough area that I could keep a close eye on almost everything that happened there.

    Okay. Now on to working on the demons.

    The planet chosen was an interesting one, with certain compositional traits that require almost a full overhaul of the entire demonic army. Land-based forces are much more situational, so I¡¯ll start there. Last time I had left the anatomy and makeup of the lesser demons to a mix of high-speed evolution and input from their commanding generals, but I can¡¯t do that here. At least, not entirely.

    I¡¯ll set some parameters for their development, and some extra functions for fun. Starting with scouts. Before, they would generally move in packs, and send individuals back to ¡®report¡¯ whatever they were observing. Too inefficient, not to mention boring! Moving in packs is fine for assault groups, but scouts need to be individual. It''s more stealthy that way. I¡¯ll designate ¡®lookout¡¯ demons, alongside a biological ¡®radio¡¯ they can use to transmit information back to their general using high-powered electrical signals. To make them more fair, they will generally be more fragile, but also faster and more intelligent.

    I¡¯ll also make a framework for ¡®supporting¡¯ demons. The kind that isn¡¯t a big threat on its own, but will make any group fight hell itself. Healing other demons, temporarily blinding adventurers, basically anything to make the lives of adventurers harder without outright killing them.

    . . . Actually, I think I know how to fix shades now. . .

    They¡¯ve been kinda useless up to now. The most they¡¯ve done is give me Avai, and he isn¡¯t even a shade anymore.

    And . . . there. Now shades will do what they were already doing¨C whispering maddening thoughts in the heads of whoever would listen¨C as well as seek out and steal important memories, change dreams to nightmares, and generally menace anyone who wants to get things done.

    Wait, this is reminding me of my dream demons! I had almost forgotten!

    Oh never mind, they¡¯re doing fine. They¡¯ve even developed a strangely peaceful society, at least compared to material demons.

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    . . . Dream demons and shades are really similar, aren¡¯t they? Makes me wonder if I should just make them the same thing or not.

    Eh, whatever. I¡¯ll just make dream demons a more ever-present creeping threat as opposed to the material demon¡¯s occasional jump-out-of-the-fog threat. The kind that being alert to the danger is their worst enemy, and that being ignorant of is the best ally. I¡¯m not aiming for them to be worthy of a hero-summoning on their own, just worthy of a church-led crusade into invaded kingdoms to free the townsfolk.

    Give them the ability to open gates into the universe, and boom! All done there!

    . . . I¡¯ve lost my train of thought.

    Oh right, the invasion!

    Also among the new demon designs, I¡¯ll slip in some more ranged attackers. These are demons, so of course they¡¯re mostly going to be fire-based¨C fireballs, flamethrowers, etcetera¨C but I¡¯ll also use some more. . . unique. . . abilities, since fire isn¡¯t all that effective given the environment of the planet the invasion will be on.

    Abilities like a protrusion on the body that suddenly shoots outward to spear or smash an opponent before retracting so it can be used again! Or super-sharp, fast-growing spine-like hairs that can be launched like arrows!

    I¡¯ll add more humanoid lesser demons with dexterous hands to allow for complex manipulation of objects, I¡¯ll give demons acidic blood, I¡¯ll let demons change their coloration for camouflage, and I''ll even increase their intelligence and lower their durability across the board so they can come up with plans on the fly, but are easier to kill to compensate.

    Excellent! These demons will perform far better than the last batch! Now that that¡¯s done, let''s move on to the star of the show: Bring in the demon king!

    I could reuse the soul from the last demon king, snatching it away from whatever it reincarnated as and shoving it into this new form, but that would take away its connection to the first hero. If I did that, it¡¯d just be another soul, and that¡¯s not interesting at all. The basic framework of an enormous demon of immense power will stay the same, but it will otherwise be very different.

    The first demon king was a physical powerhouse that blazed a path throughout the central continent of Asyke leaving behind a trail of destruction, followed in its wake by hordes of the undead.

    The second demon king won¡¯t be like that. It¡¯ll be a walking disaster: the eye of the hurricane, the center of the invasion it carries with it. I won¡¯t describe it to you in detail, but it is a twisted creature perfect for the environment it was created to invade. It will be dreaded by all who hear of it, a whispered legend feared long after its defeat.

    . . .

    Alright, enough of that. I never thought of myself a poet.

    I''ve been thinking of making another Milky Way galaxy. I¡¯ve got the original and the still-developing terran galaxy, but I kinda want a third to play with.

    . . . Or do I just want to play with alternate Earths, not necessarily the galaxy as a whole?

    I could make a galaxy identical to the Milky Way, fill it with dozens of Earths, and diverge them into whatever I want. I could have a fantasy earth, a sci-fi earth, whatever I want or feel like. Infinite stories, and infinite worlds to be altered to my nonexistent-heart¡¯s content.

    I could plop it into the universe to mess with Akira if she ever finds it, or I could just cast it into my void and surround it with a fake universe backdrop so the inhabitants can¡¯t tell the difference.

    Having a personal playground to mess around in would mean that I wouldn¡¯t be stressing Akira out as much. Of course, that also means I¡¯ll be more bored. Messing with her is fun.

    But I can just make another Akira placeholder that I can screw with! I could give them fake memories to make them think they¡¯ve existed since forever, or reincarnate some poor sop and force them to take the role, or just throw a blank slate into it and see what happens! I could keep up the mysterious villain ploy, or pretend to be their assistant, or whatever else occurs to me in the moment. Plus If I ever get bored with how things are going there, I can reach in and swap some things around, or just reset the whole thing.

    It¡¯s not a bad idea.

    Hmmm. . .

    Well, I¡¯ll think about it. Back to designing demons.

    <hr>

 Chapter 43 - Twenty thousand leagues.

    <hr>

    If one were to look upon the surface of Munov, one would see little more than an endless sea separating small tropical islands dotting the equator. But if one were to gaze beneath the waves they would find life in an endless dance. Reefs of rainbow coral and sponges, fish that swirled through the water with ease, kelp forests a kilometer wide.

    To Hanqi¡¯ll, there were few places better than the shallows. Despite the higher presence of predators, the serene harmony was irresistible. Fish swam by her without a care, pirouetting around her tentacles as crabs stalked across the sand and rocks with dexterous ease.

    The only thing that she was certain surpassed it was the surface. Sometimes she would poke an eye above the water to look around, gazing in wonder at the sky-stars that shined above at night, akin to gemstones in volcanic sand. Being out at night was dangerous of course, predators of all sorts used the darkness as a cover for their hunts, but the views were worth every moment.

    Her kind¨C guneikhthus¨C were medium-sized marine omnivores that inhabited shallows. Compared to other omnivores they weren''t the most proficient hunters, so they preferred farming as a consistent source of food, with meat being a meal saved for holidays and special occasions.

    She was approaching the farming fields now. Phosphuton stalks grew in long rows, the glowing fruits inviting her closer. They were not tame plants by any means, being toxic to most other creatures, but they were nutritious and perfectly safe for her kind to eat. Her species was so intertwined with the plant that they had developed glowing spots on certain parts of their bodies with a similar color and shape to phosphuton fruits, dissuading predators from attacking them.

    It hadn¡¯t helped her sister, but karkinokhora did tend to be more aggressive than other predators.

    Or maybe just more desperate.

    They came from the deeper waters, after all. Food there was likely much more scarce than it was in the shallows and the few research missions that had ventured into the depths and returned reported that karkinokhora were primarily scavengers, only occasionally hunting live prey. When they ascended to the shallows during mating season their meal preferences switched, with active hunting becoming favored over scavenging. This meant that they faced more competition for food than usual, driving some to hunt more risky prey.

    If she had never encountered one, Hanqui¡¯ll might have felt some form of sympathy for the creatures.

    But she had, and so felt none.

    In the distance, a juvenile karkinokhora stalked across the sand. Sharp protrusions and spires of coral covered its shell like a crown, their color inviting despite how clear the danger they posed was. The karkinokhora snapped an enormous pincer at a passing fish, catching it before it could even react to its oncoming fate, and promptly ate it while eyeing Hanqui¡¯ll hungrily.

    She swam away before it tried anything. karkinokhora preferred the deep water, wandering to the shallows only at night and during mating season, after which juvenile karkinokhora would inhabit the shallows until they matured enough to travel deeper. It was likely rather slow¨C most were¨C but having one on the hunt for her was something she would rather avoid.

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    But no matter where Hanqui¡¯ll swam in her nightmares, the karkinokhora that killed her sister prowled. Its black-pearl eyes peered from every shadow. Its arms, as long as kelp grew tall and tipped with scissorlike claws, extended from every crevice. When it was finished toying with her, it would stand high above the seafloor on towering legs, its stonelike shell covered in barbs of coral and glowing plants. Sometimes her sister''s blood painted its claws. Sometimes she could see a tentacle hanging limply from its maw, swim fins slack.

    Hanqui¡¯ll shivered despite the warm water, and pushed such thoughts away.

    She forced her attention to the reef bed, watching the plants wave idly in the soft current. Small fish hid as her shadow passed them by, burying themselves between rocks. Every now and then one would peak their small heads out just enough to watch her pass.

    She considered herself lucky there were no upcoming holidays soon.

    Meat might make her sick.

    <hr>

    Hanqui¡¯ll¡¯s village was a humble place. It was situated on a rocky outcropping on a cliffside below the shallows and looked out to a field of phosphuton, a large kelp forest just beyond it. The village consisted of a large hollowed-out cave, houses carved into the walls and columns with no regard for verticality.

    Colorful glowing stones and plants were placed in easily accessible places, casting enough light to make it easy to traverse. When night fell, they were either covered or moved to avoid drawing the attention of predators that wouldn¡¯t be turned away by the presence of phosphuton.

    The cave had plenty of entrances from all over the shallows, some of which held their own villages separate from Hanqui¡¯ll¡¯s. Entrances that were too big to keep safe from large predators would often be partially covered by boulders, with only enough room for one or two guneikhthus to pass through when carrying something. Any predator that could get through, either by squeezing through the gap or by destroying the barrier would be slowed down enough to allow for at least a partial evacuation.

    Sometimes that was all that could be done in time. Getting a few out was better than none.

    Occasionally, Hanqui¡¯ll would wonder if there were other villages, out in the ocean. Other guneikhthus that lived in other caves. Far away, where karkinokhora were scarce even during mating season, and homes wouldn¡¯t have to be darkened at night to keep selakhoapetra from noticing. A place where one didn¡¯t have to check those around them to ensure they weren¡¯t a selakhoapetra in disguise every time they returned from the outside.

    A place so far away she could never see it with her eyes.

    The open ocean was vast. So unbelievably big it would be hard to imagine that it was empty. And the sky was a second ocean, islands of light amidst currents of color. Maybe each sky-star was a far away village in the sky, with its own people. Perhaps instead of covering the lights at night, they covered them during the day, hence why Hanqui''ll couldn''t see them then.

    Maybe. . .

    . . .

    Hanqui''ll fell asleep that night, dreaming of glowing villages in the sky.

    Munov was not a friendly world. To survive you had to either be the best or be willing to make sacrifices. Sometimes not everyone made it out. Sometimes there wasn¡¯t enough food. Sometimes predators didn¡¯t care about danger. Sometimes sisters died.

    A dance, a balance. Fish swirl. Crabs stalk. Currents flow. Coral comes in rainbow colors. Predators hunt, and prey flees.

    The sky-stars shine.

    <hr>

 Chapter 44 - Under the sea

    <hr>

    Balta found incorporeality to be. . . interesting.

    Moving had no sensation, and touch had only the thinnest amount. Krika seemed not to be as affected as she was, maybe because he could already become intangible and spent most of his time floating slightly above the ground regardless.

    Speaking of Krika, he was busying himself with investigating the interior of a large cnidarian, humming absently to himself while eying its tendrils. Balta, on the other hand, was half-phased into the creature¡¯s prey¨C an enormous horned fish with armored plates across its body¨C examining it closely.

    Each of its armored plates was composed of two separate bone plates stacked on top of each other with a small gap in between, reducing their weight while still providing adequate protection. A strong attack would pierce the first plate, but would likely lose too much power to do more than scratch the second. It was also pretty clear that they regrew if damaged, given the small number of discolored spots that indicated themselves as being younger than the surrounding material. If the sapient inhabitants of this planet were intelligent enough to create similar armor, then faster and more precise attacks would be far more effective than just ¡°hit hard¡± (which happened to be General Azahi¡¯s favored tactic).

    Sound seemed to be louder and travel farther than it did on land, meaning stealth was twice as difficult, but sound-based attacks were twice as effective. A shriek that could paralyze above the water could kill under it. Even creatures accustomed to loud noises likely wouldn''t enjoy a sound that could vibrate every organ in their bodies.

    Balta momentarily considered the use of sound as a weapon before dismissing it. While it would be effective, their goal was not to genocide the intelligent life of the planet¨C that was merely a bonus. No, their goal was to be entertaining. Excluding certain circumstances, a one-sided fight was not that. Sound-based attacks would have their use, yes, but not widespread. Last resort and special circumstances only.

    Light-based attacks would also be affected. the water would diffuse the light, reducing effective range, but the disorientating effects they could bring would be greatly increased. Remembering which way was up while blind and floating several dozen meters above the sea floor was much more difficult than remembering the same when laying on the hard ground.

    Krika hummed again and moved his attention to an enormous crab passing below them. A midnight blue shell tipped with jagged rainbow coral spines marked it as an adult likely moving toward shallower waters in preparation for the upcoming mating season that they had read about when choosing the planet.

    Shallow waters, where they knew intelligent life lived.

    It took only a shared glance for Krika and Balta to follow the monster.

    <hr>

    Hanqui¡¯ll was in the reef again. The second moon was still high in the sky, and mating season wasn¡¯t due until it dipped below the horizon, which wouldn¡¯t happen for at least a dozen more nights. The water was cooler than usual, but otherwise, it wasn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary.

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    She was on her way to an outpost on a cliff face at the edge of the shallows, overlooking deeper waters. Several seasons ago they had begun to dig a tunnel to the outpost, but it would not be completed for another few seasons. Thus, traveling through the reef was still the safest way to reach the outpost. It wasn¡¯t completely safe of course, all the dangers of the shallows still applied, but the only other option was swimming around the shallows, which was essentially offering oneself as a predator¡¯s next meal.

    As Hanqui¡¯ll crested a sand dune, the outpost came into sight. Dug into a crevice in a rocky spire was a small opening just large enough for a guneikhthus to squeeze through, leading to a cavern hidden below the reef floor. There was enough food there to last for several full seasons straight if the outpost was ever rendered inaccessible from the outside, and enough decoration and activity to keep the lookouts from going mad in isolation.

    Hanqui¡¯ll was there to deliver a message from the main dwelling, likely orders that would remain standing in the event that no new ones could be delivered once mating season began.

    It was a dangerous task. With mating season so close the reef was moving at high speed, every creature gathering as much food and finding the safest hole that they could before the moon set and deep water predators flooded the shallows in search of food and mates. Juvenile karkinokhora searched the shallows for caves that could fit them, as more mature members of their species might perceive them as either prey or competition. Although karkinokhora were solitary by nature, mating season always seemed to make juveniles cooperate, perusing the reef in packs that could make even the most hardened of guards shiver.

    It would be a dark day if adult karkinokhora ever learned to work together.

    Hanqui¡¯ll kept a distance from the cliff¡¯s edge, where the distant shapes she knew to be selakhoapetra drifted slowly in the darkness, waiting for prey to get too close. Truthfully Hanqui¡¯ll was glad they were there, as they would pick off some of the karkinokhora as they passed through the selakhoapetra¡¯s territory. Without them, the shallows might be reduced to a wasteland of rubble because of the mating season rush.

    Selakhoapetra were not friendly of course, hardly anything in the deeper waters was, but the majority of them seemed to consider guneikhthus as not being worth the effort of eating. In fact, some guneikhthus would go out of their way to help selakhoapetra, either by picking off barnacles and other parasites or by feeding some of the fish they caught to them.

    At night, however, it was different. Selakhoapetra were attracted to the lights cast by phaosphuton, and if they noticed the cavern that the guneikhthus called home? Well. . . The effort put into hunting a single guneikhthus in open water wasn¡¯t worth the resulting meal. The effort put into hunting over two dozen in an enclosed cavern was. Guardians of the shallows though they were, selakhoapetra were still predators.

    Hanqui¡¯ll shook herself back to attention. She had gotten distracted. The outpost was close enough now that they could likely see her without much trouble. She stopped a few strokes from the entrance. From inside, a wary guneikhthus slowly poked their head into the light, eyeing her suspiciously. Their face wore stress like fish wore skin, and paranoia dripped from them like blood.

    ¡°How was the trip?¡± they said. The first half of this communication¡¯s code phrase. With the danger of prosoponpsude, secret methods of confirming identities had become semi-common. Appearance wasn¡¯t everything, and relying on it was a quick death.

    ¡°Rocky. The water¡¯s been calm though.¡± She responded. Alongside whatever the intended message was, the letter would also include the code phrase for the next communication to prevent any imposters from gaining undue trust using old codes. It was a complicated system, but it worked well enough.

    The other gave a tiny nod and took the letter from her, glancing it over before taking it back inside. In the main dwelling, such behavior could have been considered rude, but for an outpost it was almost polite. Hanqui¡¯ll glanced quickly around her at the barest shiver that momentarily ran down her body, but upon seeing nothing, she smiled warmly and turned back toward home, her guard up the entire time.

    The feeling of being ignored followed her there.

    <hr>

 Chapter 45 - Tunnels are dug by moles and worms

    <hr>

    Mating season struck with the subtlety of a rampaging karkinokhora. Several, in fact, and quite literally. The sharpened legs of dozens of karkinokhora tore through the shallows with reckless abandon, crushing coral and scattering hiding animals to be quickly caught in needle-like claws.

    No living guneikhthus was brave or stupid enough to be outside and with the lull in action following the first waves of mature karkinokhora passing the dwelling by, Hanqui¡¯ll was taking the opportunity to find a good spot for her to spend the time she would normally be exploring the reef.

    Thankfully, the dwelling complex was enormous, interconnected tunnels that led to hundreds of rooms, some so far under the reef that Hanqui¡¯ll doubted they had ever seen daylight. Glowing lichens and phaosphuton were the only forms of light that the various animals living there had. The rooms were too small to support any predators that would be a threat to even a young guneikhthus, so they were as good as safe.

    Most of the time.

    She had told some of the guards what she was doing, so no one would be surprised by her periodic vanishings into the tunnels. Disappearing without telling anyone where you were going was not a good idea when so many predators were roaming freely.

    Hanqui¡¯ll hummed quietly to herself as she entered a chamber slightly larger than average. Dozens of tiny animals fled at her approach, burying themselves into holes in the rock walls. The largest of them, a slender eel-like creature barely longer than one of Hanqui¡¯ll¡¯s turning fins, took the opportunity granted by her arrival to snatch one of the smaller animals in its jaws and drag it into a shadowed crack.

    She placed a phaosphuton fruit in the center of the room and rested on a raised stone slab, pulling a piece of driftwood out of her bag.

    With nothing else to do, she might as well learn how to carve.

    <hr>

    The enormous crab¡¯s pincers cut through the shell with an awful sound. It was almost beautiful to watch despite the noise.

    Using the opportunity to get a better look at the composition of the armor, Krika determined it to be at least three layers of durable, thick material separated by a dense semi-solid substance. It was difficult to tell, but upon close inspection, the substance appeared to be rapidly hardening, likely being able to reach strength similar to the undamaged armor in just a few minutes.

    Minutes that this particular karkinokhora would not experience, as the opposing claw finally dug into its brain, granting it a relatively quick death.

    Some other karkinokhora on the other hand bore numerous scars from battles won in the past. A particularly old one was even missing a leg alongside one of its claws. Several younger and stupider crabs had attempted to show strength by fighting it only to be crushed, killed, and eaten, in no particular order. Elder though it may have been, it was still a towering behemoth almost twice the size of any of its peers.

    Krika turned his attention to the small cave nearby, where he could glimpse shadowed movement. Balta was already poking her head through the stone to get a closer look, half-phased and hovering at an almost comical downward angle.

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    The creatures inside were undoubtedly the sapient natives. Although there was only a handful that Krika could see, they came in vibrant colors and fascinating patterns, no two exactly alike. The woven clothing they wore, although scarce compared to some other races Krika had observed, was highly efficient, and extremely practical. Pockets and attached bags covered almost every available space, while the clothing itself was not so large or bulky to reduce the wearer¡¯s full speed and range of movement.

    At the bottom of the cave was a dark tunnel, which Krika suspected led to a safer spot. Likely the cave was just an entrance to a larger settlement, where the majority of the species¡¯ local population was. The speculation was reinforced when another member of the species emerged from the tunnel. It looked over the cave¡¯s occupants carefully, and said something in their native language, drawing their attention.

    One by one they descended into the hole.

    The tunnels were tight and winding. If they hadn¡¯t been incorporeal, Krika and Balta would¡¯ve been trapped or shredded, if not both.

    If they wanted to attack the tunnels with lesser demons, they would either need to use smaller and more flexible demons, use demons that could dig tunnels of their own, trap the natives inside and starve them, or excavate the entire tunnel system. The third option was not something that either wanted to do as sieges were not particularly entertaining, but it was still an option if nothing else worked.

    Given that the majority of the tunnels lacked any light, demons that could operate without vision would also be highly valuable.

    It was going to be a while before the invasion actually took place. Krika and Balta¡¯s presence was just to get a better basic understanding of the planet. They would get another survey shortly before the attack began, just in case anything significant changed.

    Eventually, the tunnel opened into a large chamber, where dozens of natives waited. Even more could be seen in other tunnels branching away from the cavern, likely leading to additional rooms and entrances.

    Krika could not smile in a way recognizable to most creatures.

    Balta could.

    <hr>

    Hanqui¡¯ll startled up from the half-finished carving. ¡°It¡¯s time to come back,¡± called a guard from the tunnel. ¡°Rations are being distributed.¡±

    She followed the guard back. She wasn¡¯t about to give up her daily rations just because she wanted to spend a little time alone.

    They arrived back around halfway through the distribution and joined the queue.

    Outside, the sound of karkinokhora and other predators rumbled in a constant noise. Some braver guneikhthus floated near the dwelling entrance watching them, but most stayed far back. Shrapnel from attacks wasn¡¯t common, but it wasn¡¯t unheard of either.

    Hanqui¡¯ll mourned the coral that would be destoryed. It grew back fairly quickly, reaching the same state it had been in before mating season by the time the second moon rose from the other horizon, but for a long while the shallows would be dull-colored and mostly desolate.

    Idly, she wondered about the possible uses for living coral as a sort of regenerating wall. It wasn¡¯t as strong as stone, but it would regrow after being damaged. Maybe if coral was arranged in thick, close-together rows, the durability wouldn¡¯t be as much of an issue? It wouldn¡¯t be much help against karkinokhora, since adults would be tall enough to walk over most walls, and strong enough to break through them if they weren¡¯t, but it would still be a boon.

    The space they would take up would also be an issue, as would getting the coral to grow into a wall-like shape. Coral didn¡¯t tend to do such things naturally.

    Hanqui¡¯ll took her rations and thanked the guneikhthus distributing them. Maybe using coral as a wall wasn¡¯t useful. But what about weapons?

    Coral was durable enough to withstand a few strikes and sharp enough to pierce the skin of most predators without much trouble. Shaping the coral would once again be a problem, but space wouldn¡¯t be. Living coral weapons would regenerate damage done to them, and would be lighter than stone.

    It wasn¡¯t out of possibility, but it would take some work to figure out.

    Well, there wasn¡¯t much else to do.

    <hr>

 Chapter 46 - An annual sixteen-night war

    <hr>

    Three nights into karkinokhora mating season, Hanqui¡¯ll had almost finished her first carving, while the shallows outside the main dwelling had descended into full, true, unequivocable chaos.

    As the reef crumbled before the endless assault of karkinokhora, fish scattered from destroyed hiding spots, desperate to find another before they could be snatched away and thrown into the gaping gullets of the towering beasts that hunted them. Scattered sand clouded the water near the seabed, providing some cover for non-monstrous crabs and other grounded animals to find new hiding spots or snatch a risky scrap of food from the carnage above them.

    The thudding sound of the monster¡¯s legs crushing the shallows and the snapping of claws in challenge to potential opponents echoed through the main dwelling, however distant. The far-off sound of wailing ketorallion as they were torn apart by karkinokhora, the thick coral-covered hides no match for their monstrous pincers.

    Hanqui¡¯ll shuddered at the thought of such a creature dying. Even though ketorallion were larger than selakhoapetra, easily dwarfing a guneikhthus in size, they were the most gentle creatures to be found in the seas, and worthy of a much better end than at a karkinokhora¡¯s claws.

    Hanqui¡¯ll carving was a miniature model of one of the guards, sculpted from memory. It was lumpy, disproportionate, and only barely recognizable as what it was meant to look like.

    Hanqui¡¯ll sighed, and began another.

    <hr>

    Seven nights saw the second carving finished, and the death of an elder karkinokhora. Overwhelmed by dozens of young adults, it fell not too far from the entrance of the dwelling after a long and violent battle.

    Its corpse was swarmed until only scraps of its armor remained, scattered across the sand and rock as if it had exploded. Its killers fought amongst themselves for the right to use the elder''s flesh as an offering to a mate, finally ending when only two remained, splitting the bounty of both the elder and their former allies'' meat between them.

    Some thought it a sign that karkinokhora were becoming more social. Others thought that it was merely a forced compromise since neither was certain that they could win. It didn''t look like a forced compromise to Hanqui''ll. It looked like something new, something that sent shivers through her entire body.

    Hanqui¡¯ll¡¯s sculpture was of a ketorallion. It was a little too bulky, and only slightly more recognizable than her first carving, but even in the state it was, it was beautiful.

    She started another.

    <hr>

    A dozen nights saw the water begin to warm, signaling the soon-to-come end of the mating season.

    Karkinokhora became more violent, desperate to mate before the season ended and they lost their chance. The fights that took place outside the dwelling became so brutal that at one point they evacuated into the tunnels in case the dueling monsters broke into the cavern during their combat.

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    Finally, the battle ended, the survivor gorging itself upon the carcass of its opponent as it dragged it off to find a female to offer it to. One of the karkinokhora¡¯s claws, torn off during the fight, rested in front of the dwelling for only a short time before another came past and snatched it from its resting place.

    From the mouth of the cavern, Hanqui¡¯ll watched an episkopophiura do battle with a frenzied karkinokhora to defend the section of reef it protected. The karkinokhora must have been truly desperate if it was willing to fight one of the few predators it had.

    Eventually, the noise of the karkinokhora¡¯s shell cracking beneath the tentacles of the episkopophiura sounded, and Hanqui¡¯ll knew it was over.

    Her carving was of a simple octopus. The main body looked right, but the tentacles weren¡¯t the right length or width and didn¡¯t look right.

    She kept carving.

    <hr>

    Sixteen nights from the beginning of the mating season, it ended. The Karkinokhora finished and left, the males leaving first while the females lay their eggs in hidden nooks away from sight. Then they too retreated to the deeper waters, until the shallows were engulfed in an eerie silence.

    Slowly, the reef¡¯s denizens emerged, carefully eyeing their surroundings until it was clear that all Karkinokhora were gone for the season.

    The remnants of battles could be spotted almost everywhere. Not even a fin¡¯s length of the shallows was untouched, the shattered, empty armor of fallen karkinokhora forming a grisly imitation of coral in the carcass of the actual reef. In the distance, a shape recognizable as a dead selakhoapetra the size of the dwelling entrance was left shredded across the seabed, picked clean of meat.

    The repair began. Shelters damaged by the rush were fixed or abandoned, the phosphoton plants that had been growing almost undisturbed were ripe for harvest and generous in their bounty, and the living selakhoapetra that had bravely picked off some of the karkinokhora as they came and went were bandaged of their wounds that had yet to already heal.

    Huge episkopophiura which had valiantly defended their reef territories from the karkinokhora swarms, basked in the sunlight filtering through the water, the coral beneath them remarkably healthy considering the surroundings. Few guneikhthus swam close, knowing just how deadly their tentacles could be despite their typical gentleness.

    A message was sent to the outposts to confirm that the main dwelling still existed, and any karkinokhora corpses left behind were harvested for their meat and armor. Some guneikhthus would go out and smash any karkinokhora eggs they could find, but they would never find all of them.

    Hanqui¡¯ll finished her fourth carving. It still wasn¡¯t great, but it was recognizable as the elder karkinokhora that had been killed outside of the dwelling on the day of the seventh night. Its body as it fell planted itself into Hanqui¡¯ll¡¯s mind, compelling her to carve it. The resulting sculpture was recognizable but oddly proportioned.

    She would improve. She already had since her first.

    When the second moon crested the far horizon, the reef was back to normal. Upon reaching halfway to the highest point of the sky, the karkinokhora eggs hatched, releasing the head-sized child monsters.

    Some died to predators or were killed by guneikhthus that could recognize them for what they were, while others grew slowly over the course of two more mating seasons into powerful juveniles that would follow their elders into the deep water and emerge again as adults. Some died to selakhoapetra as they entered the shallows again, others to rival adults that challenged them for food and mates.

    The cycle repeated, as it always did and always would, for years and years and years.

    <hr>

    Krika and Balta rematerialized outside the door that had previously been used to access the party held by Kranua.

    ¡°Well,¡± Balta started. ¡°We have some work to do.¡±

    Krika hummed in agreement.

    ¡°So,¡± Balta continued, bouncing off of her companion¡¯s sometimes frustrating reluctance to use verbal communication. ¡°To the library?¡±

    ¡°I would be disappointed if not.¡± Krika hissed.

    So to the library they went, ignoring the stupified expressions on the human servants'' faces as they watched them appear from (what was to them) nowhere at all.

    <hr>

 Chapter 47 - Time leaves nothing unchanged.

    <hr>

    Year three of the fourth age of demons.

    Forty-seven years until the second demonic invasion.

    Simulated Evening, Abyssal Sanctuary.

    The creation of her first microbe was only the first step of Hifumi¡¯s new journey. Since then, she had dedicated herself to manipulating its evolutionary path.

    However, if she wanted to make her own universe, and control it as the Grand Creator did, she could not be heavy-handed. She could not create on the same scale, or with the same ease, but she could still create.

    She started with the container. A table-sized pond she made in the courtyard would serve nicely. As for the miniature universe itself. . .

    Magic could do quite a lot. Theoretically, it didn¡¯t require anything other than the user¡¯s own will to bend and break the rules of existence to get whatever it is they want. In practice, however, it helped to have more. Something to compare to. For example, when casting a tracking spell, it helped to know where one was. When casting a fire spell, it helped to have something cold on hand. They weren¡¯t necessary, but they did help with the ease of casting.

    In the realm of spacial magic, the most useful comparator was water. Water would fill any space it could, changing its shape to do so, and as such, was practically perfect for spells concerning size or space.

    Hifumi filled the pond with water and dipped one of her hands slightly below the surface, extending her godly senses through the liquid.

    She imagined it¨C willed it¨C to change. To let the water become a universe, to let the molecules become stars and planets, nebulas and black holes. To contain the new universe to the water of the pond, and remain.

    She felt herself black out, the sensation of water becoming something else lingering on her fingers, and the feeling of Nahi¡¯s hands laying her down to sleep staying until she left the realm of consciousness.

    <hr>

    Year sixteen of the fourth age of demons.

    Thirty-four years until the second demonic invasion.

    Year 12,096,774 AAL, Terra Galaxias.

    Avai drifted through a young star, bathing in its blistering heat.

    The sensations that he had experienced had not lessened in wonder in the slightest during his tenure as the watcher of the developing cosmos. The sights, the sounds, the feelings¨C none had lost their glitter.

    Life, unfortunately, was still scarce and limited to only microbes, but he had seen many types on many planets, each unique in their own tiny ways.

    However, he had gotten to share his home with a few others. The Dark One had been so kind as to allow Avai¡¯s friends to visit him, and they had engaged in many a fruitful discussion while patrolling the galaxy. Of course, the perception of time was very different for them, but Avai credited that to simply the whims of the Dark One.

    Avai allowed himself to float on the gravitational current, lazily drifting away from the star, and into open space, heat giving way to freezing cold.

    Why grow tired of waiting, when there was so much to see?

    <hr>

    Year twenty-two of the fourth age of demons.

    Twenty-eight years until the second demonic invasion.

    Noon of a High Second Moon, Eastern Munov Sea.

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    Hanqui¡¯ll shivered in the cold water.

    She had only recently reached the age of middle-adulthood, and the responsibilities were already weighing her down. Whether it was finding a suitable mate, bearing and raising children, improving the living coral tool designs she had made, or the dangers posed by hatching karkinokhora juveniles.

    She had felt unprepared years prior when she entered adulthood for the first time, and even now she felt the same. She envied the young guneikhthus learning how to effectively pick phaosphuton, for they had little to worry about in comparison.

    But even as unprepared as she felt, it wasn¡¯t as though she wasn¡¯t getting better. She was far more skilled and capable than her younger self. Far more beautiful too, if the stares of her peers were to judge.

    Her ideas for living coral tools and defenses had been a resounding success. With their introduction to the protection methods of the dwelling, even the oldest karkinokhora hesitated to attack. They weren¡¯t perfect of course, but they were a large improvement over using only stone tools and defenses.

    She kept an eye on the distant guneikhthus fussing over a baby selakhoapetra. He didn¡¯t seem botched by the cold at all.

    <hr>

    Year thirty-five of the fourth age of demons.

    Fifteen years until the second demonic invasion.

    Early morning in the city of Axalara.

    Planning an assault was always harder than putting one in action, at least in Balta¡¯s experience.

    On the field, decisions were made at the moment and adapted to the circumstances. Plans would fall apart, as more and more unexpected factors were introduced. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t like planning, but more so that the plans were more often than not unreliable, even in the best of times. She could plan for hundreds of possibilities and still be forced to improvise.

    Still, having plans was useful, even if they did fall apart.

    Balta had been given a force of bestial fish-like lesser demons, ranging in size and specialty. Her favorite type could force water out of bodies, allowing them to move faster and with more agility than other demons, even being able to bring themselves to a complete stop in the blink of an eye.

    As far as engaging in the cramped tunnels she had scouted on the planet, they were not capable. They could trap the locals inside with ease, ambush them from dark shadows at any moment''s notice, or swim them down in open water, but they could not fight effectively in the tunnels.

    Which is where her second favorite type came in. Instead of expelling water to boost movement, this sort heated water to boiling temperatures and then pumped it through its vent-like mouth to cook opponents alive. So instead of just waiting for the locals to starve inside their hovels, Balta could flood their hiding places with boiling water and kill them that way.

    Krika had been given an. . . interesting force. A ravenous swarm of tiny demons similar to animals known as ¡®krill¡¯, complete with sharpened legs and mandibles to bite and claw through anything in their way. Individually they were all but worthless, but she had watched as Krika directed them to consume a lesser labor-demon, leaving behind not even scraps when the swarm left.

    She had overheard what some of the other generals had been assigned as well, though she wasn¡¯t nearly as familiar.

    Kranua had evidently been impressed by Spiriah¡¯s siege of the beastkin capital on Asyke despite his previous failures, and had given him a bulky and tough force best suited for such warfare. The demons themselves were enormous and in possession of an odd shape, appearing a mix between seastars and anemones with a touch of something tetropodal, and hadn¡¯t shown themselves to be particularly fast, but she couldn¡¯t imagine their skin being pierced by any of the weapons the natives had.

    Meno had been very excited to practice with the force she had been given, and from what Balta had seen, it seemed mostly based around fighting in the caves and tunnels, making it invaluable considering what she had seen.

    She watched entranced as a lesser labor-demon was boiled alive by the circling demons of her aquatic regiment. It struggled at first, but as the temperatures rose, it moved less and less, until it floated still in the boiling water.

    Oh yes, she was very excited.

    <hr>

    Year forty-nine of the fourth age of demons.

    One year until the second demonic invasion.

    Nowhere.

    Smash. Crush. Break.

    The thing stirred in its sleep.

    Smash. Crush. Break.

    It slid its limbs over itself, feeling the power it held within itself.

    Smash. Crush. Break.

    Soon it would be free. Free to smash, crush, and break.

    Smash. Crush. Break.

    But not yet.

    Smash. Crush. Break.

    But soon.

    You are my weapon. You will smash. You will do so in my name.

    You are my tool. You will crush. You will do so in my name.

    You are my pawn. You will break. You will do so in my name.

    Smash them. Crush them. Break them. Show them no mercy, for you will receive none.

    <hr>

    Year fifty of the fourth age of demons.

    The second demonic invasion begins.

    <hr>