Chapter 457: Too Big of A Collateral?

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“Well, this is not good.” Lady Life muttered as thousands of plasma guns focused on them. They were Abstract Grade weaponries, capable of hurting them if hit.

In this cosmos turned into a battleground, where stars served as silent spectators, an impending doom loomed large. The fleets of spaceships, their hulls glinting with the cold sheen of war, trained their formidable arsenal on Neji and the others. It was a sight that could make even the bravest hearts quiver, as those ships were the size of planets and stars.

“Today is bothersome,” the Director said and began to chant, readying a spell that’d end all of this at once. But a formidable force stopped her. She looked at Buddha, who was exuding an aura of absolute authority that stopped her from burning the entire legion to the ground.

“It’s fine, I’ll take care of it,” Godmother said in a reassuring voice but the Director shook her head.

“You shouldn’t meddle. It’s already troublesome that you’re in the Prime, now if you destroy their army, they’d really be mad. Stay put, let them handle it.”

By ‘them’, she meant Lady Life and Neji as she shot them a look. Neji glowered and was about to respond when Lady Life stopped him.

“I’ll help,” She said and ushered to Ra. She looked at him with complex emotions before she nodded with a sigh. "Ra, use Divine Titan." she commanded, her voice echoing the power of creation itself.

“Yes.” 

In an instant, thousand beams fired from the spaceships, and the power of a million stars blasted within the core of the Life Golem, and a transformation began.

Lady Life’s eyes reflected the birth of a man forged by stars, while in the back of her head, she caused the death of a billion more stars across the nearby multiverse. Galaxies winked out, as millions turned billions and all of their power rushed into the Life Golem.

With a silent incantation, she harnessed the energy of those billion stars and pushed it into Ra, who radiated a light that blinded the universe. His already bulky and intricate form, a masterpiece of celestial craftsmanship, began to morph, its wooden fibers stretching and intertwining as if guided by an unseen artist's hand. His body began to grow at a tremendous rate.

The cosmos trembled at this act, as starlight coalesced into streams of pure cosmic energy, flowing into Ra’s form that grew colossal, into a titan. 

The enormous titan's aura blazed like a newborn sun, and his now planet-sized body loomed over Neji and the others like a turtle protecting its body.

From the sidelines, the Godmother smiled. "And you said he is not a weapon," she remarked dryly.

"He is not, this is just self-defense," Lady Life retorted, her gaze fixed on the ensuing battle. 

Ra's body, made of colossal wood and divine energy, towered over the battlefield. His wooden frame, etched with runes and symbols of old, gleamed with a light that rivaled the stars themselves.

[Ra – Life Golem | Titan – High Class 4]

“This form can’t last very long, so, son...” Life said, pointing at the ships that have been shooting a thousand beams at them already, slamming onto the barrier around them put by Luck earlier. “[Divine Titan, Dance of a Burning World].”

Ra listened, and Ra moved.

As the volley of attacks blazed through space, his agility suitsuited for his size took the captain of the ships by surprise. 

He teleported away from Neji and the others, and appeared over the spaceships that were the same size as him. His colossal wooden limbs swept through the ships, eradicating them in swathes. Each of his movements was an elegant dance of destruction.

In the midst of Ra's relentless assault on the armada, Lady Life moved with haste towards Nejire and Goddess Chaos. 

“What's going on?”

“Your girl will end up dead since she's too weak. I'll try to fix that.”

Neji asked Lady Life who pointed at the fused girl, Chaos, as the two of them went to her. Beside her, Nejire stood.

Nejire faces Lady Life curious about what fix she was talking about, while Goddess Chaos stood beside her.

"Since you are already a fusion, I want to manipulate your ten intertwining life forces to add another one," Lady Life stated, cutting straight to the heart of the matter as she looked at Nejire. "I propose a further fusion, Nejire. If you combine with her, not only will she be safe, but you'd also be stronger. You can easily power up the abilities they have.”

Nejire's eyes narrowed as she considered Lady Life’s words. There was not much time to think, sadly. She had to decide soon, and she didn't see any problem with it.

"Sure, let's do it," she replied curtly.

“Ready when you are,” Lady Life reached out her hands and touched the two of them, and a surge of life and creation energy enveloped Nejire and Chaos. 

The surrounding space seemed to warp as the two beings began to merge, their form fused, as their individual forms dissolved into a singular, radiant silhouette.

The light dimmed, revealing a new entity. She stood tall, her skin a subtle shade of gray symbolizing the balance between the ten entities and Nejire. She had eyes of many colors, with metallic black horns coming out of her head. Her hair style was similar to Nejire's, but her hair color was a striking contrast of black and white that cascaded down in a harmonious blend of shadow and light.

Her new cloth was quite revealing on the torso, and she had a blue hood around her head.

Beyond that, she was strong. Since she had absorbed Sin of Pride just earlier, her Tier had jumped. Fusing with ten girls who had various abilities, her System had easily leveled them up as skills, pushing her Tier further ahead.

[Eclipsia - Supreme Deity - Low Class 3]

“Eclipsia seems to be my new name," the new entity said in a voice that sounded like Nejire’s. "Hmm, it seems my Nejire side is the one who's mostly in control.”

“That's good. Nejire has more experience fighting, so it's better. Now, just keep your guard up for any sneak attack.”

Lady Life said and the new entity nodded in acknowledgement. This kind of fusion was a daring move, it would harm all the girls if she took too much damage, but it also made them into proper allies instead of people that needed protection.

On the other hand, Ra was finishing.

The once-threatening armada of ships was now being decimated under the might of the Divine Titan. Each sweep of his titanic limbs sent shockwaves across the cosmos, rending metal and extinguishing the life of countless spaceships.

Despite that, the tide of battle hadn’t once turned in Neji’s favor. The spaceships that, dwarfed by his immense stature, crumbled like toys under his relentless onslaught, along with the thousand golden soldiers around them were just secondary worry. The five Class Abstract Entities were the real subject of worry. 

Naturally, this display of the Divine Titan’s power did not go unchallenged. From the ranks of Buddha's forces, a figure emerged, exuding an aura of calm command that contrasted sharply with the chaos of the battlefield. It was a man who anyone might mistake for Zeus, the God of Thunder, except he was more than that.

As the Personification of All Myths, Maestro Myth was a being that represented all mythologies. Among which, the King of Gods - Zeus could be argued to be the most famous figure, perhaps that was why he took that form. However, he was more than a mere Thunder God, he was a being whose very presence seemed to warp the narrative of reality around him.

He was clad in robes that shimmered with the images and texts, carrying the essence of untold stories, as he floated towards the Divine Titan. His eyes that were a deep pool of ancient knowledge, locked onto Ra with an expression of disdain.

"Lady Life, your creation is indeed formidable, I must admit." Maestro Myth's voice echoed, resonating with the timbre of countless tales. "But I must insist that you cease this. As per Buddha’s guidance, I am allowed to enforce his will upon this thing which you call your son."

Lady Life smiled, “"Maestro Myth, I respect your position, but I don’t send my son to attack the fleet for no reason. This is self-defense, nothing more." She said, “But fine. I shall comply.” She inclined her head at Ra, who returned back to his previous position, his planetary body once again looming over Neji and the others.

The message was sent. Those spaceships wouldn’t fire again. Those guards wouldn’t act either. It was more energy efficient for the Abstract Entities to act themselves if they wished to capture Neji and the others.

Maestro Myth's gaze shifted to the retreated Ra. “Glad you called him back. As a mere imitation of the Sun God Ra, I would have easily devastated him.”

“He is not an imitation of Ra, you fool. One of the Beyond Omnipotents bestowed upon their name on him by themselves, he is much more than any of you.” Lady Life said, earning a peal of laughter from the man built like a Greek God.

“And he doesn’t have a soul, indeed very believable.”

“....”

“Let’s not get worked up,” Neji gently placed a hand on her shoulder upon seeing her furious frown. He looked at his current enemies instead. “We have to find a way to leave this place. Do you have any ideas?”

Taking a calming breath, Lady Life looked at someone. That was the answer to Neji’s question as Life’s eyes met with… Death, her little sister.

Before Lady Life could talk, the serene voice of Buddha drew their attention. He was easily larger than Ra, and even the sun-sized spaceships, and radiated an aura of omnipotent calmness, contrasting the chaos he floated within. 

"There is still time to surrender," Buddha's voice resonated across space, reaching every combatant. His six golden eyes surveyed the scene with a divine detachment. "This path only leads to destruction."

Lady Life ignored him.

“Death,” she looked at her sister, smiling. “How’ve you been?”

Amidst the backdrop of cosmic turmoil, a more subtle and perhaps even more crucial confrontation unfolded. Lady Life's gaze, imbued with the depth of eternity, met that of her sister.

The air between her and Mistress Death vibrated with the silent communication of beings who had seen the rise and fall of countless worlds. It had been millennia since they last saw each other, since Lady Life was shoved in the prison.

"Life… sister," Mistress Death greeted, her voice a soft echo that seemed to carry the finality of all things. "It has been long. The currents of existence have kept us apart."

Lady Life’s smile was tinged with a bittersweet melancholy. "Too long, Death. The river of time flows relentlessly."

Mistress Death’s expression remained impassive, yet her eyes flickered with a hint of strange emotions. "Yet you stand today not because of the flow of time, nor the threads of fate, but for your own choices. You know I stand with the cosmic balance. I cannot sway from my path, sister."

Her last two lines were meant to make it clear that she was not to be blamed for the actions she might need to take against Life. Their bond was more than just blood, because as Abstract Entities they weren’t given birth by the same mother to be made siblings. They were sisters by identity, by the basic rules of existence.

Life smiled warmly, feeling a little shameless as she looked at Death. "Hey, Death… Slap me later for this but…” her smile fell. “Please, help me."

….

In parallel, Lady Luck locked eyes with her sister, Contessa Fate. The air around them crackled with a different kind of tension, one born of long-standing rivalry and unspoken grievances.

"Luck," Contessa Fate spoke, her voice carrying the inevitability of destiny. "Your defiance of fate's threads weaves chaos. Look at where you stand.”

Lady Luck clenched her jaws in anger. "And your strict adherence to them stifles potential. You have the audacity to say such a thing after you betrayed me?"

Contessa Fate’s gaze shook gently, but she hid it quickly. "My duty is to the grand design. Your plea is heartfelt, but cannot alter my course."

That was a disgusting lie. She was ready to sacrifice Luck so that Luck wouldn’t stop her from reviving her lover boy. However, in front of this audience, and especially Buddha, she had to pretend.

Amid this exchange, the Director of the Last Act walked beside Luck and looked at Fate with a calm yet persuasive smile. "It’s alright, Fate. I think… the twists and turns of this tale could benefit from your intervention."

Fate’s eyes gleamed. In a second, a thousand probabilities ran in her mind as she understood her words. If the Director was saying it was ‘beneficial’ it meant it could help revive the First Gamer.

In an instant, the universe roared twice. It shone into two hexagon symbols as the figures of Death and Fate vanished, appearing beside Life and Luck. On the emptiness of space, two new Icons formed. 

“I apologize,” Mistress Death looked at Buddha and said. “I shall even things out some other time. For now, my sister requires my assistance.”

-「In the night I hear 'em talk, The coldest story ever told, Somewhere far along this road, He lost his soul to a woman so heartless…」

Mistress Death’s [Death Icon] was on a whole other league compared to the two others in the sky, belonging to Godmother and the fused Neji. It sang [Heartless] by Kanye West, crying for the infinite souls that will be lost and wondering if she were to perish in this battle.

Contessa Fate’s [Kismet Icon] sang the same, worried about the balance of the entire omniverse without the guidance of fate, destiny, and luck as well - since Contessa Fate had been managing luck ever since Lady Luck’s punishment.

The other Icons joined them, and the accumulated pressure exerted caused cracks to form in reality like glass. The Godmother of all Demons snickered while the Director of the Last Act looked at Buddha with a grim look in her eyes.

If Buddha really wanted to capture them now, he should count a few hyperversess as collateral.

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