Chapter 396: The Curtain is Raised
Unknown Lounge
Prime World Gozon
Orithyia Galaxy
November 14th
530th Divine Year
In the cosy lounge, three men and two women sat comfortably, engaged in lively conversation over drinks.
The ambient glow of subdued lighting cast a warm atmosphere, while Jazz music wafted through the air, providing a sophisticated backdrop to their discussions.
"I really don’t get why you lot are so fixated on that Alvey boy. Especially you, McEnda.
You care about him more than you care about your son."
"I already know all there is to know about my idiot son so isn’t it normal my attention shifts to someone who surprises me every time?"
McEnda II replied to one of the Demon Queen’s questions as he refilled his glass with wine, before turning his attention towards the silver-haired man seated on the couch next to his.
"What about you, Westley? Why did you agree to the vote?"
Hearing his name being called out, the silver-haired and blue-eyed man turned his gaze towards McEnda with a raised brow.
He appeared to be a young man; with a handsome face that would make even Vampires; known for their supernatural beauty, feel jealous just by looking at him. His clear blue eyes, like crystalline pools of untouched water, drew one in with an uncanny depth.
But within his elongated black slit pupils, lay hints of something more predatory beneath the surface.
"Haven’t I mentioned it already?"
"No, you haven’t. Are you also joining the ’Alvey Sargon Train’?"
The man whom McEnda called ’Westley’ shook before completely taking his focus off his phone in his hands and replied.
"That boy whom Alvey summoned is the one who has my attention.
You said he used an ’Authority of a Progenitor’, right?"
"Yep. He even said it with a True Voice, which was shocking as the kid was just a Legendary.
For a moment I thought he was the incarnation of some deity from somewhere."
When he heard McEnda say that Arthur had used a True Voice, Westley seemed even more intrigued as he rubbed his chin while having a pensive look on his face.
"I know a thing or two about Progenitors, but this is the first time I’m seeing one who isn’t already at least a Supreme."
From the way he acted, all the others present could tell his interest in Arthur was clearly more than theirs.
"You said ’Supreme’ just now? What’s that?"
Before Westley could answer, McEnda spoke up while emptying the bottle of wine he was on.
"My father told me about that long ago. It’s one of the realms above the Monarch Realm.
I’m surprised you know about it, Westley. Not many people do in this day and age."
The other Demon King and Queens present were among those who didn’t know about it as they looked on with confused gazes.
"Of course, I know about the Supreme Realm; that’s where my real body is, after all."
Westley dropped that bombshell in the most casual way possible before getting to his feet and continuing.
"This astral projection of mine is a deity just like you all, though.
Anyway, I’m off to Aramis. I want to see this new Progenitor in person."
The man buttoned up his Suit Blazer while he spoke, before snapping his fingers to teleport out of the room with the remaining four Demon Rulers left with dumbfounded looks on their faces.
He reappeared in the void of space, at a point from where he was overlooking a dozen planets orbiting around a giant star.
’Now, which one of these was Aramis again...’
Westley counted the planets and after reaching his target, he grasped the ’space’ in front of him and tore it open to create a spatial gate—using cosmic energy that came from within his body.
The man then silently disappeared beyond the gate that led to the planet Aramis.
◇ ◇ ◇
Unknown Location
Unknown Prime World
Orithyia Galaxy
December ??
Year 1054
A grey-eyed teenage boy silently gazed at a projected map of a continent that displayed the planet’s energy veins and the hotspots where most of these veins intersected.
He then dismissed the map with a sigh, leaning back on his seat while running a hand through his white-highlighted black hair.
"Damn, Heroism is a tough job."
After letting that mutter under his breath, he got up from his seat and walked up to a nearby mirror to check his appearance.
He was wearing a light grey hooded jacket atop a pair of black trousers, all under a long black overcoat whose collar he discovered was a bit creased.
Just as he took off the overcoat and tossed it into a ’black patch in space that appeared mid-air’, another person flew into the room and landed on his shoulder.
It was a tiny humanoid that was about 40 centimetres in height, with straight black hair tied up in a long braid that reached just below her knees.
Her eyes that shone with noble gold twinkled under the light as she excitedly spoke.
[Master! Leviah’s here!]
"Finally."
The grey-eyed boy exhaled in relief, raising his hands to check the time on his watch before turning towards the door of the room.
An inscription in his eyes lit up with a golden glow; a single letter from an ancient language lost to time.
"Let’s go kill some False gods."
Cracking his fingers as he spoke, the boy exited the room and headed to battle.
◇ ◇ ◇
Location Inapplicable
Month and Day Inapplicable
Year Inapplicable
It was White.
White as far as the eye could see.
Besides the occasional black dots that floated around mid-air, everything else was white.
In this space of infinite white, two people sat opposite each other, on white chairs, with a chessboard placed atop a white table in between them.
On one side was a man wearing a black three-piece suit, with a similarly coloured shirt, tie, gloves, shoes, hat and a walking stick that rested on the side of his chair.
His facial features were constantly morphing from one appearance to another as if he could not settle on a particular one. In one moment, he looked like a young human man in his early twenties, the next he looked like a middle-aged demon who had lived millions of years.
"Pawn to D5."
Opposite him was a woman wearing a white gown, with a similarly coloured shawl, diamond necklace and flat-soled shoes.
Her facial features were breathtakingly beautiful, and she had long white hair that flowed down to her waist.
Each action she took was angelic yet bewitching at the same time.
"Bishop to E6."
"Knight to E3.
Checkmate."
The man casually declared his win after moving his knight piece. Leaning back on his seat, he continued speaking.
"Everything seems to be in place."
"I noticed."
When the woman replied, the man’s ever-changing faces all began sporting mischievous grins. He got up to his feet and raised his walking stick high while proclaiming in a loud voice.
"Wonderful!"
Multiple floating screens manifested around him, displaying different people who were going about their activities.
One was returning after wiping out a city ruled by gods, another was planning to search for their beloved, the third moved to satisfy their curiosity, while the fourth moved to fulfil their duty.
"Different Times! Different Spaces! Different Universes!
All converging together for one singular, Nexus Event!"
He took off his hat and performed a neat stage bow, as a pair of closed red curtains manifested behind him.
"Let’s raise the curtains on the greatest crossover of all times."
The man’s face morphed into that of a featureless humanoid, before a thin line appeared where his mouth was supposed to be, and curled up at the edges.
