***
Watching the illusion come to its finish. Neveah's golden projection slowly faded as she cried loud enough to deafen a storm before she disappeared.
"Oh that was unpleasant." Thorn said as he hopped back and forth across my shoulders. "I mean—leaving Neveah and all—that was something i could get behind as hot as she was for a niece-like existence to us. Maybe a cousin twenty times removed. But fuck was she the idealistic bullshitter when she clung to you in
"I remember you enjoying being called 'Mr Thorn' and 'Badass Raven' by that little girl." I said calmly. Making Thorn recoil from the forgotten memory.
Shaking his head free of loose thoughts Thorn argued back, "alright—i get that your just saying that because of ADHD personality disorder bullshit, but come on! Even you have to admit she was fucking annoying pretending to be like your daughter in
Thinking about it for a second Neveah's charm was undeniable, as was her daughter-like relationship with me in
Neveah, the kralscell of order, was kidnapped and taken into
She immediately inherited the kralscell of order's legacy on her arrival that was a year after i first arrived. Causing havoc among the many military and non-military groups that dotted throughout
After that she clung to me like glue but effectively became the daughter of all the insane idiots filling the Ignis Fatuus ranks. Even Raptor as one of the most rational member of Ignis Fatuus doted on her but she stuck with me since i was also quite new to
Don't even know how she got so attached to me when i spent most of my time outside the compound doing other jobs. Such as eradicating the cannibal camps, searching for an exit, meeting the other kralscell's, removing the two souls stitched to my own and building bodies for them to resurrect into. Me and Thorn were busy.
Slamming his head down into the glass floor, Taul prostrated in a beg for forgiveness. His spiritual naga body made of ink shaking in regret. "Please pardon my prior ignorance, my liege."
Thorn sighed loudly.
The recording we just watched, while i was more focused on Neveah's part in it, the truth is that most of the destruction from it was caused by a fight with Taul before he became one of my foremost apocalyi. When he was a war deity of the Ruwez deities who tried to stop my rampage when aether controlled me.
He was difficult to see since our fight primarily was in the sky jumping across the mechanical blimps. When my madness lifted right before the fight finished, and he was dying with the roots of my [regalius breaker: eternity's garden] skewering him. He made a request.
"-please take me as your own. Take my spirit as your loyal servant-"
"-why?-" i asked back.
With his last gasp the naga deity said what he could. "-you seem like a good king to serve. Even if i must become something else just to serve you.-" with those as his last words before dying i immediately grew curious what Taul meant.
By instinct i immediately took Taul's ego with my [aspect] and kralscell's authority fashioning him into my second dominant-class apocalyi. It was his wish after all, and it was something easy to grant. Even if i dislike being treated like the monarch he thinks of me as.
"Taul, get up."
"Yes, my archon." Lifting his head Taul got out of the prostrating position kneeling on the glass while his snake tail wagged behind him like a puppy's would excitedly. "You are truly benevolent to excuse my actions from before i knew the greatness of your embrace, my archon."
"I never did ask." I said abruptly. "If i did i must have forgotten. What did you mean when you said i seemed like a good king to serve?"
Staring at me as if it was obvious Taul then bowed his head in respect. "Through you who is immortal, we your servants may live forever by your side. Your reach is infinite, your sight marred only by an imperfect power. Even with your omnipotent might, you only conquer the conquerors, and take only what presents itself to your grace. You are a good king. Precisely because you take no more than you need and attack the attackers in your unfathomable mercy, my liege."
Speechless for a moment i honestly found such praise ridiculous. But it was endearing knowing how truthful Taul was being. "What a strange loyalty to me you have, Taul. Even now you still don't resent me for killing you or destroying your world?"
"Never, my liege. In my previous life i thought it blasphemous that i myself was what people believed to be god. Only when i met you did I believe i saw the qualities of a true sovereign. Even the other kralscell's did not possess the wrath of authority i believe a god to embody. Your repeated refusal to my faith in you as a deity only solidifies these thoughts in me."
Thinking about what Taul said i thought it nice of him before promptly being annoyed. "Well, since you know i despise being praised like that. Prostrate."
With a bang the naga was back to having his head in the ground and his body arched upwards. Even though he was being punished for calling me a god the pleased grin on Taul's face was near radiant.
Thorn gagged at the naga's reverence showing his disgust.
His revulsion continued without any words making it clear he was too nauseous to even begin ridiculing me if i thought myself a deity of some sort. It was annoying to admit it but I'm as spiteful to the idea of me being god as he is.
Religion always seemed like an insult to the idea of god to me. There's nothing more lamentable than watching self-proclaimed gods beg and have rancid personalities either.
Shrugging off this thought i asked Thorn, "so where should we go next, Thorn? Thats Taul and Ingrik's recruitments revisited and their homeworld's are no different from before.
"Fuck if i know." The raven said outright.
"Me, boss! Me!!" Jumping out from thin air a fox-girl latched onto my arm. "Do Sune's world next! Sune wants to watch as boss kills her in the past!"
"Oh you happy bloodthirsty girl." Lifting up the arm the black Kitsune clung to me on she dangled upside down for a moment before i said, "You were a grunt before you rose through the ranks to become one of my dominant apocalyi, Sune. Plus you were recruited a short while after Ingrik and I first met and we worked together to kill the kralscell of evolution at the time inside
"But, boss~!" Sune cried with a sudden explosion of tears. "Sune wants to see how you gouged Sune's heart out!!"
As i stared apathetically at the whining fox-girl hanging from my arm. Thorn made a wry comment, "are we sure she's not some sort of super masochist?"
"No and no." I declared. Getting an eye roll from Thorn while Sune's complaining only got louder.
"But Sune wants to play with, boss!!"
"Go play with Ingrik and his legion. I'm sure their regular training has gotten boring."
"But thats not boss..."
Trying to think of a solution i had an idea. "How about this, Sune. I'll let you deal with whoever or whatever picks a fight for me next time instead of just sorting it myself. Deal?"
"M-my liege." Taul made a pleading face like he also wanted to do that. Averting my gaze from the naga he was heartbroken by the silent refusal.
"Really-really!?" Sune got exited as she dropped from my arm to then grab my chest. "Yay! Sune can help boss properly! Bet stinky lizard is jealous of Sune~."
"Lets put that chance to assist the lord on the line, rotten mutt!" Taul demanded and a fight was clearly closing in. "Whoever wins gets the chance to assist the lord in his endeavour's!"
"Sune accepts!" Bolting from in front of me Sune cracked the glass ground beneath her feet before tackling the naga through several skyscrapers made of glass and toppling half the city in just the initial confrontation.
Watching the shockwaves destroy the city as the naga and kitsune spirits made of ink battled a long sigh left my mouth.
"Whats so important about doing someone else's work that they'd fight over it like this?"
Sighing even louder than i had Thorn was annoyed. "Fuck knows. Wish they'd fight over who helped me with menial chores. You'd think they'd have some respect for my authority wouldn't you as the gaffer of this circus."
"Call yourself that one more time and i will give you to Vita's little sister for half a day." I threatened.
"Do that and I'll sing songs right into your ear, pisspot!" Thorn menaced back.
"At least you'll finally be doing something that matches your body, parasite!"
Sparks flew between Thorn and I before the tension completely vanished and the raven started laughing. Getting a subtle grin from me as his enjoyment siphoned into me and his laughter still continued, echoing across the glass city as the fight between two spirits tore down rows of glass buildings.
His laughter died down and Thorn relaxed his feathers across my shoulder and down my back. Letting out a content breath. "Ah... I could tear you to pieces easily."
"Like you'd even try after the several times I've already flattened you."
"You got lucky." Thorn chided in defence but we both knew full well he was wrong.
With a final explosion from the fight. A meteor came flying through the nearby towers and crashing into glass road right next to Thorn and myself.
Swatting my hand a gale took the dust away. Showing Taul barely managing to crawl out from the crater with Sune equally as exhausted crawling out right next to him.
"My... victory." The two wheezed before collapsing from a lack of energy. The two spirits had used up nearly all the aether sustaining their forms just to try and beat the other.
Leering down at them Thorn chirped in a mocking tune, "looks like a tie to me. Maybe they should share the chance, pisspot. Your not such an idiot to deny their request like this are you?"
The naga and kitsune were slightly revitalised by Thorn's words. Staring up at me with their pleading white eyes before i finally assented, "sure, why not. They can share the chance." At he same time i sent new aether into their spiritual bodies recharging them.
"No!!" Sune cried immediately with newfound energy.
"Oh, your grace is truly great to allow this humble servant be of use to your greatness." Taul praised like a fanatic.
Squinting at the two spirits a wave of pity rushed across my mind feeling sorry already for whoever would have to deal with these crazy followers of mine. Just the two of them destroyed this entire city in the fifteen minutes they were fighting for. Even with how fragile it was not even most eighth ring sequence exalted could manage such destruction so quickly.
The once artistic city frozen in time and glass had been reduced to rubble of glistening shards with not a shining building or crystal corpse left in sight anymore. Being left as an even more ruined city than how we first arrived.
"At least it looks like a real apocalypse happened now." Thorn said gruffly.
Taul and Sune vanished back into my throne-world and blowing out my breath one last time i then asked Thorn, "so where should we go?"
Shrugging his wings the raven was unbothered. "Pick a direction and go until we crash into a planet with a civilisation. How you used to do it, you madman. How we met your wife as stupid as it sounds."
Chuckling at the ravens snark i nodded my head. "Yeah..." settling the grin on my face i stared up at the sky before picking a direction. "Lets see whats in this direction then, partner."