Chapter 44: The War of Great Severance
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!
Instantly, the two Decrees collided with a cataclysmic explosion of light and sound, the grand hall shaking violently as purple dream energy and golden purifying light fought for dominance.
The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the ancient structure, cracking pillars and causing more debris to rain down from the ceiling.
Akasha felt control rush back into his body in an instant.
With a knowing smile, aware things had gone almost exactly as planned, he twisted midair, flipping out of harm’s way.
The golden beam skimmed past him, smashing into the far wall with devastating force and reducing a massive section of the ancient stone to molten, glowing slag.
With a smile on his face, he spoke words meant for Yume.
"Haha, I wonder who will dare say they have a better Star than mine?" he said, voice warm with genuine appreciation as he shot forward.
The Sun Kami hovered above, its stellar eyes wide with shock, the flames around its body flickering unsteadily as it tried to process what had just occurred.
Its war-general form trembled slightly, the blazing spear in its grip dimming for a fraction of a second.
However, it had little time to understand how a Tier 10 True God could unleash a Decree surpassing the power of a Celestial Decree, which was considered the absolute lowest.
Akasha blitzed the construct in a blur of crimson and black.
HUMMMMMM!!!!!!
With a single thought, a surge of deep purple light crashed onto the Sun Kami.
In that instant, by Akasha’s will — or rather, his dreams — he stripped the construct of its sentience, making it just like the others: a mindless guardian once more.
Instantly, the Sun Kami’s burning eyes flickered with confusion and fading awareness. Its mouth opened, trying to utter one last word.
"H-how—"
BOOOOOOMMM!!!!!!
Before it could finish, Akasha’s fist completely exploded its head and body into pieces.
And... the impact was catastrophic.
The construct’s radiant form shattered in a brilliant burst of stellar fire and golden light, fragments of armor and burning essence scattering across the grand hall like dying stars.
The explosion sent a final shockwave rippling through the Citadel, the remaining golden murals cracking and the ancient stone groaning under the force.
Akasha hovered in the air for a moment, breathing steady, as the last remnants of the Sun Kami faded into glowing embers that drifted down like falling ash.
The grand hall fell into a heavy, echoing silence, broken only by the soft crackle of lingering flames and the distant rumble of settling stone.
"Ah... that was indeed thrilling," he muttered with a satisfied smile.
Despite the trouble he faced in this battle, he had discovered something even more important about himself.
With Divinity, he might be able to take on beings far stronger than his Battle Power alone would suggest.
HUMMMMM!!!!
As he stood there, the Citadel suddenly shone with a bright, golden flame that enveloped the entire hall.
The light was warm and restorative, washing over the cracked walls and shattered murals.
When it finally cleared, everything was back to normal — the golden murals gleamed once more with pristine clarity, the ancient runes glowing softly, and all the hidden information within the Dawn Citadel now fully accessible to Akasha and the others.
-----
Yume appeared standing directly in front of Akasha, her dream-like purple hair drifting gently.
She looked slightly shy, but her eyes sparkled with deep curiosity as she tilted her head slightly.
"Master how... how did you know we could do that...?" she asked softly, her voice melodic yet hesitant, fingers fidgeting with the hem of her white dress.
Akasha smiled and gave a light shrug as his eyes met hers.
"I didn’t know... I just assumed it would work," he admitted honestly, though his mind was already drifting, wondering how she was able to do the things she could.
’Maybe that Elixir was better than I thought?’ he thought for a moment, recalling how it had been the reason he could create his own star in the first place.
Still, he couldn’t say for sure—after all, the Elixir never spelled out exactly what it would change.
It only promised to turn him into an anomaly.
By then, Luna was approaching from the side.
---
With a playful, teasing note in her voice, Luna crossed her arms and leaned in.
"So, why didn’t Yume ever mention she knew nothing about Decrees long before all this?" she asked, a mischievous sparkle lighting up her pink eyes.
Yume looked at Luna, her expression light as she replied, her voice as bright as ever.
"It was never something that came to me... Hmph, dreams are the most important thing, after all!"
Luna chuckled warmly, shaking her head as her pink and purple hair swayed.
"Fufufu~ If dreaming lets you create Decrees on a whim... then perhaps."
Akasha chuckled softly, "Right, Yume is the brightest star... and will only shine more under my care."
He reached out, resting his hand gently atop Yume’s head, giving her a warm, affectionate stroke.
His fingers lingered for a moment in her soft, dreamy purple hair.
"Hehe~ Thank you, Master."
Yume’s eyes widened slightly at first, but instead of shrinking away like before, she leaned into the touch just a little.
A faint, genuine giggle erupted from her as a soft pink blush dusted her cheeks.
She was clearly becoming less shy around him, her usual gentle and ethereal presence now carrying a quiet warmth.
Akasha’s smile softened as he looked at her.
"Alright, now Yume," he said, his voice calm but clear, "create a device that can help you decipher the Language of Gods on the murals. Once it’s done, you and Luna can explore the Citadel however you like."
Yume nodded softly, her fingers still lightly gripping the hem of her dress, but her eyes were steady.
"Okay... I’ll make something good."
Akasha gave her one last gentle stroke before lowering his hand.
He glanced between the two of them, then turned his gaze toward the far end of the hall where the grand golden throne of flames stood, its eternal fire casting shifting golden light across the restored murals.
"Alright. I’m going to see what the throne is all about."
From his experience with ruins and exploring them, he knew it was important to decipher every mural, as they sometimes held subtle details missing from the final stage of it all.
He also knew the throne symbolized the completion of the Ruins, with each one containing a throne that granted explorers the knowledge, power, or treasures hidden within.
----
As Akasha moved toward the throne of golden flames, Yume followed instructions and started making her way to the walls and surrounding murals.
The grand hall stretched out before her, the restored golden light casting a warm, ethereal glow across the ancient surfaces.
The towering columns and walls were covered in intricate murals that depicted perhaps the most unknown portion of Kalpa’s history.
Vivid depictions showed Sun Kami — radiant beings of stellar fire and light — clashing against shadowy dark figures that looked like pure demons, twisting tendrils of darkness reaching out to consume the light.
The battles were epic, fought across starry voids and celestial realms, with bursts of golden flame and swirling darkness frozen in time on the stone.
---
Luna strolled beside Yume, her pinkish-purple hair swaying gently as they examined the walls.
Tilting her head, she spoke softly, genuine confusion in her tone.
"This stuff looks pretty interesting..." she murmured, admitting she didn’t really understand it.
"Ugh, I kind of regret not doing anything all that time waiting for my love to be born."
Yume’s warm, light chuckle echoed in the vast chamber.
With a graceful flick of her hand, she pulled out an Above Origin Ranked artifact after slipping in and out of Dream Land — a sleek crystal camera that emitted a faint hum of power.
"Worry not, Mistress. This camera will do all the work for us," Yume said excitedly, lifting the artifact and snapping pictures.
Click! Click! Click!
After taking a few hundred photos, Yume smiled, a spark of excitement in her eyes.
With just a thought, the artifact activated without the need of any divinity, simply because she was a Star Entity.
HUMMMM!!!
In the next moment it shone brightly as the images were projected back onto the walls — but this time showing words in the Script of the Gods, ancient runes that shimmered with hidden meaning across the golden surfaces.
"Then we just have to try reading, and the knowledge will flow into our minds," Yume said, her voice brimming with pride.
The golden light of the hall shimmered in Luna’s eyes as she gazed at the newly revealed text, the weight of centuries of hidden wisdom hanging between them.
Yume stood nearby, eyes wide with wonder as she absorbed the sight of the glowing runes.
Together, they sat cross-legged on the cool stone floor, the ancient golden light casting gentle patterns across her face.
After a short moment of skimming—well, more like glancing—they had only just started to uncover the very beginning of what these ruins were hiding.
"The War of Great Severance..."
They both murmured under their breath.
----
As he delved deeper in his search for answers, Akasha finally reached the throne.
Without hesitation, he settled into it, and the moment he did, the golden flames around it flared even brighter.
FWOOOOM!!!!
The fire surged upward in roaring golden pillars, the heat washing over him like a living wave, warm yet not burning.
The ancient throne pulsed beneath him, the stone growing warmer as if awakening from a long slumber.
The grand hall around him began to fade — the towering columns, the restored murals, even the distant sounds of Luna and Amber — all dissolving into a brilliant, overwhelming surge of golden light.
The weight of millennia pressed against his mind as the vision took hold, pulling him deeper into the secrets of the Dawn Citadel.
Comments