Terra.
A world of nothing but greatness. A world of unfathomable beings. A world of mysteries. A world... above many other worlds. A world blanketed in endless darkness.
This was Terra.
A world that had an ascending hierarchy of Realms. A world that had gods capable of altering worlds, gods capable of altering Universes, gods capable of transcending said Universes.
Just within the lowest Realm.
A world were beings capable of gaining the powers of the entirety of a Reality, were considered as canon fodder, and worms struggling for a living.
An example of such beings were this... couple, stranded within the outer void that they unintentionally exposed. A couple with the power capable of grasping the Rules of Reality, each from their own supporters.
Yet that being the case, regardless of how nigh-omnipotent these two were within the bounds of Reality, even they... struggled with problems of their own.
Problems that desired not omnipotent powers to solve, but just a consensus. A consensus that was very hard to come to.
"...This conversation is headed to nowhere." Mirai finally spoke up after a long embrace of silence. She was unaware of how much time flashed by, a second, a minute, or perhaps even a few hours.
But it mattered not.
"...."
Elaide did not respond to her words, and only kept staring straight at her with a frown. He was still in denial that the person before him was Mirai, or had any connections to the Mirai he knew of.
Her power. Her attitude towards him. Her actions. They didn't match those of the Mirai he knew. The one that loved him dearly, and adored him to the ends of Chaos.
Meanwhile, Mirai took a deep breathe of air to calm herself down. She might have failed to obtain answers now, but there was no need to rush things.
There was still ample time. More than a decade, that is. Thus, the best choice for her right now, would be to cut the conversation short.
"I hate you." She said, "I hate your entire family. I hate your looks. I hate your entire empire. I hate your goals, your reasons, your values. I hate anything that has to do with you. I hate myself too." She suddenly blurted out her emotions, and Elaide silently listend.
There was nothing else he could do. Even if this wasn't the real Mirai to him, he expected the sane words from her.
"...."
Mirai saw his silence, and continued, "I hate you so much I want to punch you. I want to kick you. I want to... I want to degrade you to nothing. But, but that isn't enough to satisfy my anger. Instead, what I truly want, is to see you suffer a fate far worse than my own."
"Unfortunately, now is not the time. So, all I have to say to you now is... prepare yourself, for I'll always be out for my revenge. No matter how many years pass us by, no matter how many times we die, I'll get it through and through." She concluded with a firm gaze.
But Elaide thought otherwise. Him understanding her hate for him, did not imply that he was willing to understand the whole of her, and her revenge.
"Why wait... when I can capture you right now, and obtain the answers that I desire from you? Or maybe, as long as you tell me where her soul is, perhaps... I'll let you keep that body of hers." He said.
His power began rising up once more, exceeding the limits of a literal Outer Demigod that just achieved such a Realm. The Conduit connecting him and Archdemon Riley, his Dragon Heart, churned with foreign demonic might.
"...."
Yet Mirai remained still. She was not worried whatsoever, despite the bellowing waves of power far above her common knowledge. She was unperturbed.
'Teacher was right. There really was someone behind the silver lineage of dragons and their rise. It makes sense now.' She thought, apparent disappointment flashing before eyes.
She then followed after with a sigh. A sigh that piqued the interest of Elaide. 'As expected, she is not surprised by my might. Now I am more than sure, that this being... isn't Mirai at all.' He thought, choosing to risk it all right here and there.
His power spread out, quaking the outer void, as he was about to activate a series of skills under his belt. But just as he had such a thought, <Cease your actions, and return. Now>
A booming will exploded out within his heart, causing him to freeze in motion, shock painting his expression. 'B–But Sir Riley!! This being is a great threat against our plan of conquest. There are secrets sorounding their existence that we cannot let go!!'
He thought in rage, and also in discontence, pointing out a reason as to why he had to stay, as to why he had to fight. But no response came his way, as only a heart rendering pain, struck his chest.
"Argh..!!" He muffled his shouts of pain and hurriedly clutched his chest. His heart was literally rendered apart, and instantly healed at the same time, by the enhancements of the Rules of Reality.
<....>
"...."
The will of Riley truly did not repeat itself, and Mirai on the sides, watched with a frown. A part of her wanted to help, but another part remained static, and instead... pulled back away from him.
...!!!
Elaide, in the midst of his extreme pain and discomfort, widened his eyes when he saw her back off. He clearly required help, and yet he obtained none.
It was to be expected of enemies, true, but right now, he was in a state of emotional turmoil. Hence the actions of Mirai, his late wife, backing away from him when he clearly needed help... was a deep psychological blow to him.
It was greatly unsettling.
"...."
He grit his teeth at the discomfort he felt, and retreated. His speed being vastly far beyond light speed, as he had the Rules of Reality backing him up at this moment
With a step, he could instantly traverse a light year, and with two steps, he could traverse two light years. Hence in just a single breathe, he was far gone and back into the castle of the Silver Empire.
"...Sir, I have returned. As you have ordered." He appeared by instantly kneeling, lowering his head close to the floor. 'This... is infuriating!! My warriors are going to die, and I failed to–'
"Disappointing." Archdemon Riley uttered out, as ground breaking pressure spread out, and forcefully plastered Elaide straight onto the ground, mixing him along with the foundation. "Truly, a disappointment. Next time, when I order you, immediately respond, is that clear?"
"Ye–Ye–Yes..!!" Elaide forced himself to respond, using every ounce of strength contained within his being. The strength to destroy the Universe if he saw fit, just to utter out a word of response.
"...And to think you actually felt ruffled up by mere mimicks, embarrassing." Archdemon Riley continued, spitting on the sides with disgust. "The girl is long dead, you made sure of that remember? Now discard of those unnecessary emotions you still harbor towards her, and devote all of yourself to me." He added, the pressure within his might also increasing.
"...."
Elaide failed to respond this time around, as he had long expanded his entire reserves of power for the previous response.
Thus, he could only die under the Great pressure of a being capable of destroying the entirety of Reality. A genuine one at that, with his own personal grasp over the Rules of Reality.
A genius and an emperor, dead just like that, by the release of mere pressure from Riley. His great aspirations that he risked it all to achieve, would not be achieved.
His unsatisfied anger towards the outer beings would never be satiated. His chaotic emotions and desire to see Mirai, or learn of her fate, would never come true.
He was gone. A Great Emperor of a Great Empire, a being above even gods themselves, was no more.
Or perhaps not.
With a sigh, Archdemon Riley reluctantly revived Elaide with the Rule of Life, only to kill him again with the same method as before, followed by yet another rebirth. Then rinse and repeat. A cycle of continous deaths and instant rebirths.
Elaide experienced it perfectly, life and death, and at some point, he was unaware how many times he had died and came back within a short span of a single minute.
Perhaps ten times? A hundred times? Or maybe even a thousand times? Perhaps more. He was not sure, nor did he want to be sure at this point.
"Consider this punishment for being such a disappointment." Archdemon Riley said, continuing to bring down 'judgement' onto the prideful dragon of heaven.
But deep down, he was just unsettled. Perhaps more so than Elaide himself. 'There were three presences hidden within the folds of space, where even the senior followers of father could not see through... What's going on?' He thought in wariness.
The threats he felt, were one level higher than the other, yet each one, was no different than the presence his father let out as well.
The presence of Transcendence!!
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