Chapter 657: A New Era for Flora World
Narrator: Upon defeating Light God Daren, the heroes have been attacked by Rom and Raylee
Lilly looks at Raylee with shock. She shouts, “That’s a fairy!”
The others are shocked too. Zeth replies in shock, “I didn’t even know that they exist!”
Lilly grits her teeth as she tries to make sense of the situation. She states, “As far as I know, they don’t typically leave the Divine World.”
Rom looks at all of them with a stern expression as he speaks with a warning. “Cease your quest to explore the pyramids or else you will face severe consequences.”
Kurt angrily replies, “Now we have a couple of faces to apply to this abyss plot.”
Rom looks at the ruins of the pyramid and laments, “There is nothing we can do for this pyramid at this point…”
Rom holds out his right arm toward the pyramid ruins. A massive orange half-sphere appears around the ruins. A strong force within the half-sphere starts pulling all the pieces of the ruins toward the center. Once there, all of the pieces explode, leaving nothing left of them.
Raylee looks at Rom and asks, “Rom, was that really necessary?”
Rom replies, “Indeed it was, Raylee. We can’t risk them learning anything, even from the ruins of a great pyramid.”
Zeth shouts, “If we can’t learn from the pyramid then we will just have to kick your ass and learn from you!!”
Zeth launches toward Rom and Raylee. Zeth attempts to punch Rom but he blocks the attack with his arms. However, the force of the punch still pushes him back. Rom kicks Zeth to knock him back. However, most of the other remaining heroes surround Rom and Raylee.
Raylee comments, “I don’t think trying to deal with all of them like this is the best strategy.”
Rom replies, “I agree. We will have to retreat for now.”
Kurt shouts, “You’re not getting away!”
Suddenly, a blinding flash of light happens and when it clears, both Rom and Raylee are gone.
Zeth clinches his fists in frustration and states, “I can’t believe we let them get away so easily.”
Kurt replies, “At least we now know that there are definitely villains behind all of this. That alone will help us immensely.”
Ivy looks over at Lilly. With a serious tone, Ivy states, “Now, end the angel occupation of Hell. Then we can meet tomorrow morning to arrange a peace treaty.”
Lilly looks back at Ivy and nods while saying, “I will.”
***
Narrator: That night in a Flora World hospital.
Sasha is lying on a bed and is still unconscious. Froid is examining her while Zeth and Ivy watch. After examining all of the wounds on her body as well as checking her vitals, Froid walks over to a window and opens it. He pulls out a cigarette and lights it. He begins smoking and blows out a puff of smoke outside while Zeth and Ivy watch with concerned expressions.
Zeth nervously asks, “Is she going to be okay?”
Froid continues looking out the window as he blows out another puff of smoke. He begins speaking without looking back at Zeth and Ivy. With a tone that is a mix of sadness and being impressed, he says, “I must say, Zeth, Sasha is a hell of a woman…”
Zeth opens his eyes a bit wider as he waits for Froid to continue speaking.
Froid continues, “Her body has taken massive damage. Grant put a brutal beating on her. The kind of injuries she has sustained are fatal…”
Zeth grits his teeth in fear.
“…Usually.” Froid finishes before starting a new sentence. “However, be it through her body’s incredible power or through some miracle, she will survive these injuries.”
Zeth breathes a sigh of relief.
Ivy states, “Maybe we should have had someone else go with her so she didn’t have to take Grant on alone.”
Froid blows out another puff of smoke and then finally looks back at them. He replies, “Only if that other person was at least as strong as her. Anyone weaker would have just given her someone else she has to protect while fighting an incredibly powerful opponent. At any rate, she won. She succeeded where everyone else before her had failed.”
Zeth asks, “How long will she take to recover?”
Froid goes back to looking out the window while smoking. After he blows out another puff, he responds, “It’s hard to say how long her recovery will take. If she regains consciousness by tomorrow, she might be able to fight again in a week. However, she probably won’t be at 100%”
Zeth replies, “I will keep that in mind.”
Froid blows out another puff of smoke and says, “All we can do is let her rest now. I have done everything else I can for her.”
Zeth responds, “Thank you, Doctor Froid.”
***
Narrator: In an unknown.
In a dark creepy forest filled with a gray background and black trees, Sasha finds herself walking around.
She asks, “What is this place?”
She hears a voice call out to her.
“Sasha.”
Sasha turns to her left and sees Zeth not too far in the distance.
“Zeth? What are you doing here?” She asks.
Zeth responds, “I came here to see you.”
Confused, Sasha asks, “But what even is this place?”
With a smile, Zeth replies, “I don’t know. That’s something only you can know. Come on, let’s go.”
Sasha begins walking toward Zeth. However, as she gets closer, a black substance begins to envelop Zeth. He grits his teeth in fear while Sasha opens her eyes wide in terror.
Zeth shouts in panic, “What is this!?”
Sasha begins running toward Zeth and screams, “Zeth!! No!!”
As she runs, she can hear an unknown male voice whispering, “Abyss. Abyss. Abyss. Abyss.”
Before she reaches Zeth, he is completely engulfed by the black substance which then sinks into the ground. She continues to scream and pounds on the ground. She screams, “No!!! Give him back!!! Give Zeth back to me!!!”
“Sasha.”
Sasha is alerted and looks to her right to see Grant. She becomes confused and says, “Grant? But you’re dead.”
Grant replies, “I am dead… but something else plagues you.”
Sasha stands back up and starts walking toward Grant. She asks, “What does that mean?”
Before anything else can be said, Grant becomes completely engulfed in a black substance and then dragged down into the ground. Sasha then sees six other figures engulfed in the black substance as an unknown male voice whispers, “Come into the abyss. Welcome to your home.”
Those figures are also dragged down into the ground.
Sasha shouts, “What is going on!!?”
Finally, Sasha is also engulfed in the black substance. She screams, “What!!? No!!!”
She too is dragged into the ground.
***
Sasha’s eyes quickly open and she sits up breathing heavily while drops of sweat flow down her face. She is sitting in the hospital bed that the others had brought her to. Zeth is asleep sitting in a chair next to the bed.
Narrator: It is the next day. It is now December 25th, Year 14,197.
Sasha looks around and when she sees Zeth, she states with relief, “It was just a dream. Thank goodness.”
Zeth begins to open his eyes. Once he is fully awake, he smiles and says, “At last, you’ve regained consciousness.”
Sasha asks, “I wasn’t out for too long, was I?”
Zeth replies, “This is the morning after our successful attack on the pyramid.”
Sasha opens her eyes wide and shouts with desire for confirmation, “So we won!? We didn’t have any casualties, did we!?”
Zeth responds, “Many of Ivy’s demons were killed or wounded in the battle in the main hall. As for us, we didn’t suffer any casualties but you and Pearl were significantly wounded. You had it worse than her though.”
With concern, Sasha asks, “Is Pearl okay? Is she up and about?”
Zeth nods and says, “She’s nursing her wounds but she was fully conscious by the night hours.”
Sasha’s expression turns serious as she looks down at her lap. She states, “Zeth, before we leave this planet. We need to talk to its God of Death.” Sasha looks at Zeth and continues speaking. “It’s about the abyss. This planet had an equivalent to Korobu.”
Zeth opens his eyes wide when he hears this.
***
Narrator: A few hours later that day. Outside in a small city where the hospital is located.
A rectangular table has been set up. Ivy sits on one end with her arms crossed and with her right leg crossed over her left. She has a serious facial expression. Standing beside her is Froid. Many other demons stand behind her. Lilly sits at the other end of the table. She has an expression that is both serious and sad. Standing beside her are Simon and Kasuma. There are many angels behind her. Sitting at the middle section of the table are Zeth, Sasha, Kurt, Pearl, Lavana, Dusk, and Herbie. Both Sasha and Pearl are wrapped with a lot of bandages for their injuries. Many humans stand in the background, curious to see what will happen.
Ivy begins speaking. “You have fulfilled the non-negotiable parts of any peace talks so I think we can begin. State what it is that you want.”
Lilly responds, “We want the war to be over. Despite what you and the demons have gone through since your father was killed, we don’t want any retaliatory attacks for what has already happened. In other words, we want to start over and go back to square one.”
Ivy raises an eyebrow and then says, “Start over? That would be very difficult to do. That would require every demon and angel to just forgive and forget everything that has happened to them. Do you really think that is realistic?”
Lilly nods and replies, “I do. At some point, someone has to say ‘Enough is enough.’”
Ivy uncrosses her hands and legs and then leans forward with her hands clasped together on the table. She asks, “And how would you suggest that we accomplish that?”
Lilly also leans forward and puts her right hand on the table as she speaks. “I suggest that we implement a ‘cooldown period’ that has all angels going back to Heaven with no exceptions as well as every demon going back to Hell with no exceptions. After this cooldown period, we will gradually arrange meet-ups for mutual necessities starting with higher-ranking officials and then gradually working our way down. After all, we will need to fix all of the problems mortals have endured because of our conflict. Daren really did cause them to fear doing anything against his wishes. You and I will supervise all interactions. Trust must be built. By the end of it, I hope that both sides will come to see the other side as people just like them, beings with hopes, dreams, feelings, and goals.”
Ivy’s expression lightens up. She responds, “I’m actually impressed by this plan. I’m not going to say I one hundred percent believe it will work but it sounds like something that is absolutely worth trying. Maybe with that bastard Daren finally gone, it will be a lot easier to see all of you not as enemies.”
Lilly asks, “Now, what is it that you want?”
Ivy replies, “I want Daren’s records. All of it. That’s on top of the reparations that I plan to ask for.”
An angel commander looks at Ivy with a shocked expression and shouts, “Our records!? That’s preposterous! We already moved all angels out of Hell just as you asked!”
Ivy shouts back, “That was just to even get me to sit at this table!” Ivy resumes speaking calmly. “I don’t want all of your records. I only want Daren’s records. I want to see all that bastard has ever said or done. I will decide what gets made public. The whole world will know of Daren’s atrocities. If you have any empathy, you will not object to this.”
Lilly stays silent for a moment and then replies, “I accept that demand and will give any crucial resources you and your demons might need to get back on your feet.”
Ivy smiles with a pleased look and says, “Good. I’m glad that we came to a quick agreement.”
Before anything else can be said, Lilly asks, “Do the reparations only apply to what happened after the war?”
Ivy replies, “Yes. War is war. I won’t hold anything that happened during it against you. However, everything that happened after the war was over is fair game. Your forces continued to hunt us and any casualties your side faced during that time were from self-defense on our side.”
After a moment, Lilly responds, “Well, you may be happy to know that the ones who caused the highest post-war casualties are already dead.”
Ivy chuckles and says, “Fair point.”
While watching the talks, Sasha has a serious expression as she thinks to herself. (“I have to see this world’s God of Death immediately following this.”)
***
Narrator: Later that day, at Flora World’s Palace of the God of Death.
Zeth, Sasha, and Lilly meet with the God of Death who, like all Gods of Death, looks like a skeleton.
The God of Death leans forward while sitting on his throne and begins speaking. “Greetings. You may call me Nahol. Is there something you need?”
Sasha replies, “I need to know the status of a mortal that died. Her name was Anima.”
Nahol leans back on his throne and puts his hand up to his skeletal chin while looking up at the ceiling.
After thinking for a moment, Nahol responds, “Yes, I know who that is. However, even though she died, she never came to this place. No grim reaper ever saw her soul.”
Zeth and Sasha open their eyes wide in shock.
Zeth states with worry, “It’s just like Korobu…”
Sasha mumbles to herself, “So Korobu not being found was not a coincidence…”
Zeth looks at Sasha and says, “They died so where could their souls have gone? It just doesn’t make sense. I don’t even know how we would begin to investigate this.”
Sasha replies, “Even so, this information will surely be nice to have even if we don’t know when or where we can make use of it.”
Lilly puts her right hand up to her chin and thinks. After a moment, she says, “This Anima woman was very interested in Grant for one reason or another and even gave him his scar. I don’t know why she would be interested in him. He wasn’t exactly going out all that often.”
Nahol states, “Unfortunately, that is all I can tell you. I wish I could help you more.”
Sasha bows and then says, “That’s okay. Thank you for answering my question.”
***
Narrator: Soon after. Back in Flora World.
All of the heroes meet just outside of their ship. Lilly, Kasuma, Ivy, Froid, and Simon are with them.
Lilly looks at the heroes and begins speaking. “I know you all need to leave this planet and move on. However, I did say I would tell you about why I believe Grant was stronger than Daren.”
Kurt replies, “Oh yeah. You did say that. Let’s hear it.”
Lilly begins. “When Grant was born, he was already powerful, at least for his age. As a young child, he was able to go toe to toe with adult angels that he would fight in training. On top of that, he had Light Magic that gave him an edge in speed. He was both fast and powerful. When his mother was killed by demons, it only served to further his motivation to train. He trained every day. He kept training so that he could be the strongest. He never wanted to lose a battle. By age 10, he was already taking on demons in real life or death battles. Even with that, he still would stay back most of the time and keep up his training. He wouldn’t fight unless he had to. By the time he was an adult, only the strongest demons could take him on in battle. But even those demons couldn’t defeat him. They could force him to retreat but they could never deal significant damage. After a very long time, he became stronger than everyone, even his father.”
Lilly looks specifically at Sasha and continues. “The fact that you were able to kill him feels like a miracle on your part.”
Sasha rubs the back of her head as she responds. “To be honest, I got lucky. If Pearl’s crystals weren’t around, I definitely would have lost. Even with them, I was out of energy when he fell. It took every bit of energy I had to beat him. He’s not the strongest person I have ever fought, but he is the strongest person I have defeated in one-on-one combat.”
Froid wipes his finger on his tongue and speaks. “Whether by skill, luck, or some combination of the two, we are eternally grateful for what you have done.”
Ivy looks at Froid and playfully says, “Back to wiping your finger on your tongue, I see.”
Froid chuckles and replies, “Now that the nightmare is over, I can go back to ditching the cigarettes.”
Lilly continues speaking. “At any rate, I just want you all to know that I will become the Light Goddess and I will commit to making this world a better place. We will work with Ivy and make sure the conflict and suffering finally ends.”
Simon then says, “And I will be there to help. One day, you will come back to this planet and see how much has changed and improved.”
Ivy follows up by saying, “I promise that as long as they hold up their end of our talks, I too will do everything I can to make Flora World the best planet it can be. I declare that as the new Dark Goddess.”
All of the heroes smile when they hear their words.
Kasuma steps forward and walks toward the heroes. She stands with them and then faces Lilly and Simon. She states, “I intend to leave this planet with them.”
Lilly looks surprised but Simon does not.
Kasuma continues. “When Kurt fought against Simon, he had shouted that I would be better off in Earth’s Heaven. Those words really made me think about what it would be like to leave this planet. Although peace has been restored to Flora World, I still want to leave. I want to see what other places are like as well. I want to gain an outside perspective on life.”
Lilly’s surprise soon turns to a smile as she responds, “I understand. Do what you think is best for you.”
Kasuma smiles and nods. She says, “Thank you.”
Smiling, Zeth says, “I think it’s time we get going.”
Narrator: True to her word, Lilly did provide Ivy with all of Daren’s records. Following that, Ivy publicized all of Daren’s wrongdoings for all mortals in the world to see. Although many mortals had already grown to fear Daren, the released information shocked and angered most of them. Those people were pleased to find that he had been killed in battle. With that information revealed, hope began to return to the mortal population as they learned that the new leadership of Heaven and Hell would cooperate. And so began a new era for Flora World.
It’s finally time for the heroes to depart. Where will their space travel take them next?
Chapter 657 END
To be Continued in Chapter 658: Flora World Expedition Report
