Chapter 486 [486] The power of chaos.
Like it was not cement, like it was not wood, not a masterpiece of human architecture but mere glass. It shattered into millions of pieces and a blinding light encompassed them, with so much divine power that Stefan spat out blood.
The sky was split apart, as a light descended from the sky. It was so blinding it turned the bodies of those who watched it to ash, except for Stefan and James.
"Oh, it's here."
Said James, as five artefacts were floating behind him, seemingly the conduit to this event. Stefan looked at him with bloodshot eyes, his body having been controlled by the ice threads, which pierced into his muscles and nerves.
"What have you done?!"
He yelled out, blood accompanied his tongue and throat.
"What? What's wrong?"
His evil smile didn't change, as he stood undisturbed in the blinding light. The very light that was reducing the capital to ash, was nothing to him.
"How?!"
Stefan asked, confused, shocked. And scared. He looked up, but the blinding light was clear. He knew it was the descent of his deity. The vast amount of holy power he possessed was shivering, seemingly afraid.
"Do you have any idea what you have done?! You've ruined us all!"
"Why are you so afraid? Is he not the one you worship? Why would you think this is dangerous, then?"
He approached Stefan, who was powerless. The frost has penetrated every cell of his body, and his skin had long since turned blue.
"Ah!"
He yelled out in pain, as James appeared right in front of him. The grand cathedral was reduced to ash in seconds as the bright light in the sky roared.
"What you believe is fake. That thing is of nothing divine. Most who call themselves are not divine..."
"But what do you know? You have never met the others, you have never even left this insignificant world. They pride themselves to be 'Gods' but they are mere copies. Second hand products that have managed to create their own flawed 'divinity'."
"And then they get stronger when people are gaslit."
He talked, not giving Stefan a chance to speak back. His figure was covered in light, and it was hard to even perceive his appearance.
"But that's all bullshit."
He said, as the light disappeared for a second. His figure, however, was different. It was not normal any more.
A strange power, a purple energy, encompassed him. The purple has small dots of pure black within it, and it coalesced in his hand to become a sphere. The sphere had raging winds of purple beside it. Stefan's entire body, controlled or not, shrunk back in fear. Each and every cell of his body was scared of that small sphere.
"Scared?"
His voice pierced him yet again, and he tried to move back. The sphere in his hand stayed there, pulsing like a heart. It looked to be perfect, but at the same time it looked imperfect.
It was hard to describe it. One moment Stefan felt as if it was pure, the strongest energy that could exist, that it was without flaws, but in the next moment it was filled with flaws.
"Do you know what this is?"
He asked him, his hand, holding the sphere, came close as time itself seemed to have stopped. The blinding light above him, the one he prided himself to be a believer of, didn't dare come down any further.
"What is it?"
He asked, curiosity overtaking his thoughts. He just...wanted to know. What it was. He didn't even know why he asked such a question, he just wanted to...
"Chaos."
James answered, chills ran down Stefan once again, not originating from the frost as he muttered.
"The magic of demons..."
But how? How was it possible? This...little sphere was greater than all the vile spells he had seen been cast. It was so powerful it sent shivers down his spine, his entire body screamed it him to run and never look back.
"Wrong."
But James denied his words.
"Many people have the misconception that demons use chaos magic, and it originates from them... But it's quite the opposite. The demons themselves are born from chaos. It leads their path, it is their path. Just like how the Celestials are born from the element of Fate. It's the same for demons.
Without chaos, they are not demons."
He explained, even though it was quite useless at this moment in time.
"You remember...the spear god, correct?"
He asked, mentioning the 'spear god' he talked about earlier. Stefan remembered, but did not say anything.
"Well, you see. He was someone so strong, so well versed in it, that the greatest being of chaos wanted him. It could never take full control of the element...but with him? Yes. And so it devised the most heinous schemes. Turning back time, starting universal wars to draw attention away from him...until it finally snatched him."
The sphere left his hand, and moved upwards, towards the light.
Stefan could only watch it move.
"And you want to know something else? This is so little... I want to use more, but I can't risk it. This is nothing but...a mere fragment of the power."
The sphere collided with the bright light, and destroyed it. Reducing it to such a weak state, a pebble could kill it. It fell to the ground, the bright light was now sullied. IT tried to fight against the purple abyss but failed.
"Stefan, do it."
Stefans arms moved, and he drew the string of Stella.
"No!"
He yelled in defiance, but his body obeyed.
"NO, NO, NO!"
So many times, the word no came out, but the string only went back. Until it was fully drawn.
A blue arrow appeared on top of it, and silently left the bow. Piercing the light. That was it. The light, which would have been consumed by the chaos, was killed by its apostle. Before it could happen. The 'deity' they believed in was dead.
"Good job."
Praised James, as he derived Stefan of all his functions. His body fell to the ground. But James did not kill him. Something else would. Since Stefan was an apostle, he was made from divine power.
But now, that source was gone. He was reducing to ash, suffering a most excruciating, painful death.
And soon enough, as he turned to dust. The displays appeared.
[You have cleared the trials.]
[Sufficient rewards have been attributed to your inventory.
[Rewards: Spark of Divinity, Gaebolg.]
[You are advancing to the next trials.]
"I think I'm going to keep going, this is fun."
James smiled, as his body teleported to the next trials.
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