★192
'He didn't move. He waited for me to attack. Was he expecting this? Well, not all of this.'
(Use light mode to differentiate between ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & | |)
We appeared in a▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ that dwarfs the colour black or the concept of darkness. Because no concept exists▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, not even the concept of nothingness, absence, or emptiness can be applied.
('Here'? There's no 'here'▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.)
The only thing that ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ is 'to converge', anything and nothing is falling into one, me. Think of it as a singularity, where everything, and nothing collapsing into me.
(No place, just 'me'.)
Enta really can create a▇▇▇▇▇▇▇. I complimented.
(Domain expansion?:)
But Mordryth was standing unscathed, looking up at me, the violet sparks glowing all around him.
"How's your hand?"
He asked, even though he shouldn't, because there was no 'talk', 'sound', or 'language'. There is no 'dragon', 'existence', 'stand', 'look' 'dimensions', 'life', and 'death', so he should've just converged.
I narrowed my eyes, studying him. I just got ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ and I know how it operates. Yet, Boulder was totally unaffected.
(A contradiction, right? Well, not really. Mordryth's origin is meant to counter all of these anomalous behaviours, making him an outsider. Antares is an anomaly to the world.
Currently, Mordryth is an anomaly to Antares himself. So he's immune to Antares's feats and can do all the things that have converged without needing a new one.
That doesn't mean any anomaly can resist this ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, Mordryth was built for this, and your regular anomalies aren't. A spoiler, but I want to clear the contradiction fast.)
'The Fated Storyteller was given immunity too.'
Enta was yapping nonsense, so I kept him where he belonged.
(Yeah, I was given immunity because the "story" was supposed to converge and ended in this chapter. But something beyond my power kept it going.)
'This guy...'
I looked down only to see my arm crushed. There was no 'pain', so I didn't feel anything. No 'emotions', so I'm in my 'perfect' state as Entares called it.
(Another contradiction. Nyxon shouldn't be able to feel anything because everything converges to him. But as the sub creator of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, he's unaffected too and can give info about ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.
This also means a conversation between the two is possible, even though it shouldn't be. A creator is immune to his creation versus an anomaly immune to the creator and his creations.)
'I am convergence. I'm literally indestructible▇▇▇▇▇▇▇. No regeneration, so I can't regenerate, but that doesn't mean I can be erased if I'm wiped off.'
(Indestructible is the only word I can use, even though it doesn't apply. And indestructible = erasure, not damage.)
Badum.
'What's this feeling? No...it's a...'
I looked up...
'Brace for impact.'
Enta reacted to the torrent of Darkness scorching its way towards me.
"I ain't bracing shit."
I replied, swiping my hand, giving birth to 'void' from 'to converge', charging to consume the flames.
"How predictable and immature!"
He said, and the Darkness. Surprisingly, the Darkness only intensified, and I wasn't able to pick up the void anymore. It was negated?
"You're kidding?"
I charged straight into the inferno, using the 'void' to restore my arm, grabbing the Darkness. I planned on redirecting it, but the moment I grabbed it, I knew that's not possible. My 'void' arm was being fed upon by Darkness, which was so illogical. Without hesitation, I severed my burning arm, fleeing from harm's way.
"Very predictable. Your trump card is so useless here!"
He spoke enthusiastically. I ignored the Darkness, slowly eating away what's left of my left arm. There's no 'eat' yet I, 'to converge', am been devoured. How weird.
'So that's what's going on.'
Enta spoke under his breath. But he was loud as hell to me.
"Victory is assured. You've lost!"
Mordryth is in his draconic form, but I can bet he's grinning right now.
'Void meant to erase darkness just made it stronger. It just converted erasure into fuel. That's absurd.'
"Any feedback on my Darkness?"
He asked.
"You're the third person to witness my wrath. And none of them, including that Dragon Deity of Strength, survived."
'Dragon Deities are supposed to be the pinnacle of Star Dragon race. A Hollow Prince of Baeleryon came out alive during that confrontation. Baeleryon Family, that must be the second if not first family in the Abyssal Calamities. There's no odds to be played in this fight. I'm going to lose.'
I stated plainly. But I'm not going down without a fight.
"How did you know my trump card was void?"
I asked. I never used void not once, yet they know.
"Learning Mega Arts to stay in touch, but your real power is that void. Something suitable for an anomaly, don't you think?"
'So even an Omni's Domain isn't safe from these guys? How can they know I can wield void? I guess Lady Elara being overprotective was due to these sniffers.'
"I'm curious. Darkness is just an absence of light. Void can be an absence of existence itself. That previous attack should've been nullified."
I need information as soon as possible. Because as of right now, I can't move. It's like I'm drowning in tar. Something is filling up▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ without needing a Notion or Concept to exist.
"Since your fate is already sealed, I'll tell you. I've never given it a name, but I'll call it Parasitic Darkness for now. You see, the three True Descendents of Baeleryon, myself included, are all anomalies like you, but better.
I'm welding the apex and indestructible form of darkness. Something that can put void users like you out of the false state you're living in."
(False state = anomalies are outside the system, regardless of which it is. They're outside the system yet existing in it. That's a false state.)
"My Darkness is not an absence. It's a presence that fills everything & nothing. It seeps into all, be it physical, spiritual, conceptual, even void, as you're currently experiencing, saturating it until nothing else can exist there. You made a huge mistake, summoning void to the scene."
'So that explains the choking, tar-like-drowning effect. That also explains why he let me draw him in ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇. Why he was defenseless when attacked him.'
"Anything touched by it loses its state. It's just a matter of time before Nyxon and Antares disappear completely."
That voice, he's grinning again.
"I'm built to take care of anomalies. 'Antares' is just a huge prey on my list."
So, basically, he's the bounty hunter for the Void Dragons. Incharge of taking care of anomalies.
'By its nature, his Darkness exists in contradiction, a presence masquerading as absence.'
This lets it break the logical hierarchies since it is not part of the usual,
"light < darkness < void" chain.
'As a result, it can overpower forces that are supposed to be stronger, like conceptual attacks or primordial laws even ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.'
'And void. The more something tries to erase or negate the Darkness, the more it feeds.'
Enta added.
'They were prepared. I made a move, and they didn't hesitate to chase me down. Void Dragons, I've underestimated these beings.'
'Rule number one, don't underestimate your enemies and never overestimate yourself. Elara taught you that, and Zhou made that clear in training. Only this time, it's a real fight, and you're experiencing it the wrong way.'
If he could chuckle, Enta would've done so right now. But he couldn't. Antares is nearing his 'perfect state' through Nyxon's. What ever my perfect state is, Entares wouldn't do something funny.
'I was right about Mega Arts being useless. Now my trump card, void, is useless.'
Before I knew it, my awareness began to fade as the Darkness consumed it.
"The Endless Veil has been completed."
His voice echoed through what remained of my consciousness. It carried a finality that made my chest tighten, a declaration that the process was finished.
"Now die!"
I sensed him approaching, the weight of his presence pressing down on me.
Instinct screamed that this was the end, yet something in me refused to accept it. I could not die like this. I closed my eyes, not in surrender but in defiance, refusing to yield to oblivion.
My breathing slowed, my thoughts sharpening into a quiet resolve. If this was the moment, then I would face it without fear. I would not disappear so easily.
[[WE...ARE PROUD...]]
The Edict spoke when all hope was lost. The familiar searing white light igniting behind my eyelids, and I opened them.
Etherium activated out of self-defense, Clarivide adjusting the filters so I can see clearly in this wild space. Mordryth's endless maw was poised to drag me into the unknown when I regained my vision.
Energy wasn't affected in whole but most of its Fragments were missing due to my▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, that's weird, but I didn't give it much thought.
Now, Endless Veil restored something. Parasitic Darkness feeds on void, but not my REAL VOID. I Aether Move to the side, his mouth closing in on my previous location.
(Plot armour isn't a thing because the Fragment of Narrative Reality, Mythaeon, is affected.)
"You moved?"
He asked, surprised. The floating scales charging towards me like missiles.
'Thanks to the Endless Veil, I can't even use void now. It'll immediately be converted into fuel and.... Wait, fuel? ...'
I repeated, a dangerous idea coming to mind.
"Let's see how much of me you can take."
(I didn't mean it that way:)
With that, I began releasing void from every pore of my body.
To be continued...