The four gods, poised to strike, froze in shock. The young god, Fariel, flung far into the distance moments ago by Sven's dying blow, reappeared on the exact spot Devon had stood. His boyish face twisted with raw anger, eyes burning with hate.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" His scream tore through the air, shaking the ruined city below.
On the ground lay Sven, weak and broken, his massive lion-like form barely holding together. A gaping hole in his chest spilled torn organs onto the dirt, blood pooling beneath him. With fading strength, his golden eyes turned toward his master, Nick—whose severed head dangled in the hands of the god Sadean, her cruel grip unyielding.
Their eyes met, and tears welled in Nick's.
"It's been… what, a thousand years? Yeah, that's about right. You've been a faithful siege. I never once saw you as a pet—you were always my brother. Always cleaning up my mess. Always staying by my side, even when most of the times I almost got you killed. I know it's too late for both of us… but in the next life, I promise, I'll treat you better. I—"
Splat!
Sven's body was crushed into a bloody pulp, the ground cracking under the force. Fariel, the ten-year-old god, drenched in gore, floated upward toward Nick. His childish face carried a cold authority, like a judge of the Celestial Enforcers, the universe's law that hunted down any who broke their code. The other four gods—spear-wielder, smoke-handed, coal-eyed, and chain-bound—stood tense, their power heavy in the air.
"Nick Birch, you are guilty of aiding the murderer Devon Veyron. As a council member, I proclaim justice upon you. And I sentence you to death."
"Wait, Fariel!" Sadean's voice cracked. "If you kill him now, Chaos won't take this lying down. Is it wise to make an enemy of Chaos? He has—"
"Silence!" Fariel's roar cut her short. The other gods shifted uneasily, fear flickering in their eyes.
"What? Say it! More powerful than me because I lost to him eight thousand years ago? Don't forget—I sit on the Council of Gods too. A lowly god like you should know your place."
Fariel turned to Nick's head, still held in Sadean's grip. Nick's eyes burned with defiance, meeting Fariel's gaze without fear.
"Do you have anything to say before we hunt down your friend and kill him?"
Nick glared, then spat in his face.
"Go ahead. Do you think you can stop him?"
"Stop him? I'm a god. I could go back in time a hundred years.Fariel said
Or a thousand,"
Nick's voice turned mocking, almost playful.
"What the hell are you talking about?.Fariel asked
Why would Devon Veyron kill a god when he knows it's treason, punishable by death?"Nick said through his bloody teeth.
Fariel's eyes narrowed. "It's not possible to go that far back—you'd need the—"
"The Book of Understanding," Nick interrupted.
Fariel froze, his youthful face pale. "Impossible. He can't have it.
Even if he could get it It requires a god-level Nexus!"
Nick's face twisted into a wide grin that spread across it.
"That bastard… he was already a god. How else could he have killed Vale? A deity killing a god is impossible, yet I believed the report. They did say he was seen with a special artifact. Vale wasn't weak he was a mid tier god. How didn't I see this?" Fariel said, pacing around, hands behind his back, his steps quick with panic.
"We need to act fast," Fariel muttered, fear creeping in. "If he knows the path to godhood, three hundred years is more than enough with the right resources—"
Nick laughed, bitter and mocking. "You're scared, aren't you?"
"Scared?" Fariel's anger flared. "He just became a god. I've been one for thousands of years!"
"Yet you brought six gods against a single deity," Nick said.
Fariel's face twisted. "Destroy it!"
Sadean, realizing she could not defy the order, pressed her fingers into Nick's head. A glowing white orb emerged, and Nick screamed in agony. Sadean crushed it without hesitation, and Nick's head dissolved into dust, his final laugh echoing in the storm.
...
Devon opened his eyes to find himself in a vast black void. Around him, countless serpent-like creatures slithered through the darkness, their massive forms coiling endlessly.
"It's… bigger than last time," Devon muttered, scanning the endless void. "Now, where the hell is that door?"
He wandered through the emptiness, doubt creeping into his mind. "Don't tell me it's changed. Is there no door here at all—"
Then he looked up.
Suspended in the void was a golden door, inscribed with dark runes only gods could decipher. The meaning was simple, absolute: ORDER.
Devon floated toward it and grabbed the handle. He pulled with all his might, but the door didn't budge. Not even divine strength could move it.
Suddenly, the door began to rise, dragging him upward. His hand clung to the handle—until realization struck.
It wasn't a door.
It was a shield.
A massive shield wielded by a giant towering over 700 feet, clad in brass armor. A helmet obscured its face, save for two burning red eyes that pierced straight through Devon.
In its other hand, the giant held a colossal one-handed sword with a word written on it as well: "LAW."
The towering being studied him in silence before letting out a deafening roar. Both sword and shield ignited with a blinding red glow.
Devon clenched his fists, his expression hard. He knew instantly: he wasn't leaving this place until he defeated this abomination. Already igniting his nexus, he faced the beast.