CHAPTER 156: DEMON OF DREAD

"I’m not in the mood for jokes." Aether frowned, sitting at the edge of the summit, looking at his sword replica in front of him... or at least that was what it was trying to seem as.

His sword tilted its head, confused. "What do you mean?" A cocky smile curled up on his lips. "Don’t you want to use my rage?"

Aether exhaled, steam coming out of his mouth. "If you were really Voidpiercer, then I would have. But you aren’t."

The figure paused, its face darkening, before suddenly bursting into laughter. The wind got louder, rougher, raging upon him; he had to dig his feet into the ground to not get carried by it.

The Abyss wiped the tear from his eye. "You are really something else, you know that. You have the guts of a Breaker, and yet your powers are not even close to that level."

...

"But you know that Voidpiercer can’t help you, right?"

Aether frowned, almost mocking The Abyss. "It can, I just need to hit him once, and then I have to survive."

The Abyss shook his head at his stubbornness. His Vessel was a smart kid, but a very persistent one; it wouldn’t listen to him, even if he had to, it had taken him a lot of convincing just to get him to give control when he was about to die.

"It can’t, why can’t you understand that you brat?" He gritted his teeth as it slowly got closer. "Even if you hit him, you wouldn’t be able to survive; you don’t have the speed, power, or endurance to do so. Even now, while Lilith wasn’t trying, you still all failed miserably. And I doubt you could land an attack."

Aether scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"In the end, what do you want? Why did you bring me here? Can’t you see I’m busy?"

...

"You know, Voidpiercer isn’t the only one who can help you."

...

Aether’s eyes widened, out of genuine confusion.

"Lilith is fighting together with God’s help, with Freedom’s helping him, and it’s the same for all the others. You’re the only one who doesn’t get help from their God, because of course, I don’t care for you; I want to take over you as fast as possible. But, I’ll make you a deal, I’ll help you, but I have to get a favour in exchange.

Aether squinted his eyes, trying to see the truth behind his words. He knew there was something about it, which was why he was thinking of declining, yet... at the same time, he didn’t think he had a choice.

"What favour?" Crossing his arms, Aether’s gaze didn’t waver, staring a God straight in his eyes, like they were equal, no, like he was a higher being than him. Which made the Abyss laugh.

"I don’t know, I’ll see when I want it."

Aether scoffed; the bastard clearly already knew what he wanted, and just didn’t want to say it. Someone like him wouldn’t do a deal like this without having a plan with it that would help him in the end.

...

"So, what is it?"

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...

Aether’s legs trembled as he got on his feet, his arms waving around in the air, as if they didn’t have anything inside. Lilith stared in confusion at this sight; it was as if the dead were coming back to life.

Did the Abyss have some sort of zombie ability? But before he could say anything, Aether exhaled, and the moment that breath left his mouth, something happened, as one side of his body began to get covered in the black gooey substance the Abyss was known for.

It started from his foot, wrapping around his feet like chains, and from that original chain, many other branches extended, like a root. It continued towards his chest, and while he couldn’t see it, he could see the dent made by it. It specifically circled his core more than two times, as if trying to mark it; it also circled his heart.

It continued up his neck; this time, more than one main branch appeared, almost going around his whole neck.

And finally, his face, the substance also got to his face, going inside his mouth. And the eye on that side, going from the blue color it was originally, to a pure black, one you could stare into and forget how long you had been staring.

Fallen Eden gripped his blade, the Abyssal matter going down his hand and onto his sword, his marks from his blade almost resonating with the substance, as the matter made the blade sharper.

The One Lost smiled, also gripping his blade, a slightly translucent blade made out of some sort of blue crystal, and with a hilt and guard made out of shiny gold, the guards coiling into a circle at the ends, and with a pommel made out of the same blue crystal.

His marks began to glow blue, maybe even brighter than before, his swords also, becoming brighter, reacting to his power, just like Voidpiercer.

...

It was a battle between Aether and Lilith, but deep inside, both Gods had a very important role in this battle. So not only were the two vessels battling, but their Gods too.

It was a battle between the Forgotten and Fredoom, between the Abyss and Life, between Fallen Eden and The One Lost From the Path.

...

...

Aether dashed forward, his speed much higher than ever before. The Abyss matters on his feet, helping him with his initial acceleration, propelling him off the ground with each step. The matter on his hands gave him stability, a much more powerful grip, and a lot more strength than ever before. And with his blade transformed, it could also slash. And his slash was much more powerful than ever.

Still, Lilith was able to block it. Then, pushing against his blade with his shock of energy, it threw Aether back slightly, but with his trying to reblance himself, Lilith went in for an attack of his own, stopped by the tip of Aether’s blade, from a sudden thrust from an uncomfortable position, which made Aether fall after doing it.

Or at least he was supposed to fall, as when he was about to hit the ground, Abyssal Matter shot out, sticking to the floor, and preventing him from falling.

After Aether regained himself more quickly than Lilith had expected, he went in for a barrage of aimless slashes, in the hope that one would hit, and after that one, that he would be able to continue his attack.

But Lilith was able to block most of them, redirecting some, and the ones that he didn’t block and that hit him, he didn’t let him continue.

He laughed, as at Aether attacks, his marks glowing even brighter, as he hit Aether’s blade like a baseball hit by a bat. It was supposed to disarm him, but since it was chained to Aether, it only made him lose his grip on it.

And before he could get it back, Lilith also threw his blade, his marks brightening as he winded up his punch that made Aether fly, rolling on the ground, as the matter finally stopped him. He got up quickly, but not quickly enough, as Lilith was already there, kicking him to the ground. The shock was great, and he felt his organs being damaged, but he punched the ground trying to get back on his feet, only to be kicked right in the face.

Aether got turned on his back, as Lilth sat on his stomach, baragging him with a series of punches, filled with energy shock that made his whole body tremble, and created by the sheer force of his attacks.

His face was getting battered, his nose started bleeding, completely destroyed, alongside his eyes, which were black, and his jaw, he could swear it was slightly tilted. But while it hurt like crazy, he was busy slowly moving his hand on the chains, bringing his blade back, and unexpectedly, cutting Lilith’s cheek.

The Boy stopped, bringing his hand to his cheek, seeing the blood left on his hand, he laughed hysterically,

"I have to say, I’m impressed..."

His marks began to glow brighter than ever, almost turning white, hitting Aether in the face, and making the ground under them break even more than it already was.

Taking a look at Aether’s beaten-up body, he got up. Laughing, before getting his blade, and stabbing him right in the middle of his chest. He waited, staring in his eyes, as the Abyssal matter began to disappear, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

He smirked.

"Die in agony. In these last moments, dread about all of the decisions you’ve made, you Demon."

...

...

Aether slowly watched in pain as Lilith left him behind to die.

Was it really it? Was this his end? Was this really how he died? Even after making the deal with the Abyss, he still lost? But how? In Frozen Crown, he had defeated a Breaker, so how did he lose now?

Had he overestimated himself?

Was that his reason for his death? Because he had gotten too cocky? To confident, if he had left that day, would he have lived, would the other have survived? Or if he never got selfish and didn’t go to the camp to help his home Kingdom, would they be spending time together, planning their next move?

...

’Damn it... I don’t want to die.’ With the last force in his body, his eyes began to tear up.

’I.. I’m scared... I’m scared of dying, I don’t want to die. I can’t die... not now... not alone."

...

I guess in reality, after all this time, his child self hadn’t truly left, that side of him that feared death so much. The same side of him he had thought to have lost the day he had first shed his first blood.

...

His vision darkened, his heart started to beat slowly, as blood flowed out like an old fountain, slow but steady.

Was that how all the people he killed felt?

Were they also scared?

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"I... I wish to redeem my sins..."

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[Mesuring the Sins of the Reader, to create the perfect book]

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[Measurement has been completed, you hold a wicked heart]

[Name-Demon of Dread]

[Description- There was once a grand world full of hope, before strange creatures started appearing. As their world began to slowly merge with the real world, the divinites fled to the Sky, leaving the world on its own. Mourn what has already been destroyed, for the embers are slowly fading and the world is descending further and further. Cling onto hope, but in doing so, beware that the world punishes those who dream of salvation.]

[Class-Seeker]

[Knowledge rank- Titan]

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[End of part two of volume one: The Fall of the Withered’s Second Rebellion]