Chapter 167: Farewell, My Sister!
The moment Caligula's soul filaments touched Zagan's skin, pale-gray flames set the undead king on fire. Zagan reeling back and ballooning into a dark, skeletal demon as he clawed out of Caligula's Corrosive Destiny.
In our battle's timeline, this clash occurs in the instants preceding Mithras' return. Meaning that Mithras had not yet severed the Weaver's Authority from the Mortal Plane.
At 100%, Zagan didn't need anyone to take down a Caligula. But with the Weaver's laws suppressing Imperfect Brahmans and above to Embryonic Wisdom, the Great King couldn't unleash himself. The Heart of Malice didn't make things easier, compelling Zagan to hold back against Caligula!
It's normally mortals who need these advantages to protect themselves from the gods. But now a god is relying on such blessings to oppress the mortal world. Fate…is truly fucked up.
Let's make it right tonight.
The scenery shifted, Caligula and Zagan entering a world of graveyards as the undead king unleashed his Palace of Indulgence!
"You're bluffing! You can't use your Palace of Indulgence because it would isolate me from your boss' mantra! She's isolating space as we speak to prevent me from escaping her reach, and you think I'll buy that you'll trap me in your palace?
BS! It's just a bluff!" Caligula didn't spare the palace a glance, ignoring Belphegor and the Rite of Negation to blitz Zagan through Quantum Tunneling!
Indeed, the palace never reached completion. Zagan's wrinkled face twisting as he traded blows with the mad god—retreating step by step. Belphegor and Abominations came to the undead king's rescue.
But here, Caligula shifted targets—blitzing Akamana instead. He didn't even care that Elektra had reached the first of his Gates of Malice. Akamana had to die, die fast or he'd spend the rest of his life regretting this night!
But as Caligula's monstrous fangs closed in on Akamana's neck, Sucuria snapped her fingers, detonating the parasites she'd infected Caligula with. The mad god reeled left and right, his blood and organs bursting over the scene as his soul cried for help!
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"That…hurts so much more than I expected. Dad...I hate this pain. I can't suffer that again!
Die! DIEEE!" Enraged, Caligula bolted to Sucuria, slicing her right shoulder with a barbaric swing!
Belphegor and Zagan flanked him the moment next, in synch locking Caligula's shoulders and forcefully dragging him across the ground before smashing his spine into a burning pillar!
Zagan, Caligula could understand. But why was a measly Belphegor able to trade blows with an Antigod on steroids? Wasn't he still at Blood Longevity? A Blood Longevity undead can injure Caligula?
Nonsense! Something isn't right!
"It's him! She's just using herself as a decoy—but it's him that the Heart of Malice is abandoning me for! He's Ahriman's true chosen—the heart's true owner! She's channeling herself and the Ars Goetia to fuse that undead knight with Ahriman's Heart.
This feeling…isn't very nice." Caligula cracked his neck. Elongated ebony spikes firing out of his back and ripping the Abominations apart!
Zagan smashed his way through the spikes, slicing up Caligula with disks of concentrated darkness while Belphegor's hammer crashed into his face!
"You know I'm a new-age guy and don't really care about what the wife does with her cheeks so long as she cooks my dinner. But I can't help but feel like I'm being taken advantage of here.
Belphegor, fuck you." Caligula's foot bashed Belphegor's face in before ripping him apart with a hurricane of malignant energies.
Zagan came to the rescue, clearing a path for Belphegor to save himself from Caligula's clutches. The mad god was right. Akamana was relying on her Divine Integration to transfer the Heart of Malice to Belphegor. And because of Ahriman's love for Belphegor, it wouldn't take five minutes before the undead knight received the whole thing!
"Divine Integration is so busted. How did that measly Caged Bird achieve that level of Sid mastery?
Zagan, why is a former Great Demon King content to serve a measly mortal theocracy leader? No matter how talented, she can't compare to my old man. Just one word and you could enter the Weaver's court. High Judge, Antigod! With us your options are unlimited!
But keep serving that girl, and it is your own father who will end your unlife!" While struggling to resist Zagan's Divine Secrets, Caligula pleaded the Weaver's case.
The mad god spoke facts. The mighty Ba'al Hammon would never allow his progeny to be a mortal demoness' puppet. Yet even as Caligula caught a second wind, the undead didn't waver.
"When Ahriman and the Ancestral Demon competed for the Throne of Infernalism, no one could imagine that Ba'al Agan, then the weakest of the Idols of Vanity, would rise above them all and conquer the Corrupt Worlds.
Those who believed in Ba'al Agan before his prime are now called Heavenly Demons. And the weak Yaksha tribe, the demon race's number one.
Good. But even Ba'al Agan couldn't fix the Corrupt Worlds.
Being a demon is no fun. The little cultists all want to learn the Dark Rites and unlock Dark Glory but offer them contracts to be reborn as demons in the Corrupt Worlds and you will realize that for those people, demonism is only cool till it's time to face the treatment of a demon spawn. And for good reasons. There is no place in the universe where demons don't suffer.
Not even in the Corrupt Worlds that we call home. In the most peaceful lands, we face catastrophic climates. In the worst, death is an hourly business. Why do you think we're all over the place?
In our cities, Undertakers are the wealthiest, so we run to chase better lands. We're fleeing home and end up exploited by cultists and divines.
Being a demon sucks. Sucks so much that our leaders abandon the ship to be reborn as Antigods at the first given opportunity.
She can change that. She will change all of that. She might not have the blood of a legendary being flowing through her veins, but this Grand Priestess of ours will one day run the Infernal Realm.
When that time comes, I dare you to ask me again why I serve Akamana."
Zagan sneered, his right index aiming at Caligula's chest as a thin, hyper-concentrated beam of darkness pierced through the mad god's soul, pressing dangerous close…to his Divine Root!
Here, Caligula's eyes turned glassy, and as a disturbing wave of ominous feelings rattled Zagan's senses, a new, infinitely bright magnetic field formed around Caligula, sucking in Zagan and Belphegor as it threatened...to unravel the Spiritual World.
Mad!
He's stark raving mad! Caligula no longer cared about his own life. So desperate for a win that he was willing to detonate himself and erase the Spiritual World!
Not even Akamana could deal with this one. But as her mind buzzed for countermeasures, Belphegor came through, walking through the magnetic field as his Sid level rose by astronomical units.
"Belphegor di Angra stop this at once!" Ahriman's voice reverberated. But focused on Belphegor, Akamana ignored the genderfluid Wrathful God. Trembling as she extended her right hand, and reached for her brother.
"Be strong little sister. One day…you will rule demonkind," Belphegor said with a smile, draining Ahriman's boons to complete the job for his sister…and strip Caligula of the Heart of Malice!
91% more precisely.
"Belphy...no…nonoo—NO!" The broken stone vanished in a swirl of dark flames, reforming in Akamana's hand. But she slapped it to the sideline, not paying attention to the Heart's attempt at fusing with her soul.
It fused with her anyway, and as Akamana went through another shift, her brother forced his hands into Caligula's soul, draining Ahriman's boons from Caligula one after the other.
"It's unfortunate that we couldn't get the whole thing. But if we can't have it…at the very least we should make sure that our enemies can't either.
Ahriman, thank you for your love. Without it, how would I have been able to use this life of mine to pave the way…for my sister's hegemony?
So, thank you Ahriman…from the bottom of my heart…thank you for your love!" Belphegor bellowed in a rare outburst, turning into a twister of jet-black flames that burned down Caligula's flesh and soul.
Even his Divine Root was starting to melt down. Caligula despaired, cursing Belphegor for this sinister parting gift!
For indeed, Belphegor is dead.
Akamana now realized that she'd been played the fool. Her brother was always more powerful—with access to Ahriman's every ability, and blessings that she only now discovered. But afraid to stifle her growth, Belphegor restrained himself. Allowing Akamana to forge her own path.
A man is fortunate to die for his family. Having devoted a thousand years to his sister's banner, the undead knight passed without regret. Caligula, meanwhile fled for his life, large reptilian monsters crawling out of the Gates of Malice to protect his retreat.
Sucuria vanished. Sensing that if she didn't use this opportunity to escape with the Ars Goetia, she was about to become a statistic.
In that same breadth, the quintessence of Divine Power and Dark Glory erupted from Akamana's soul, and as her tears dried on her cheeks. She unlocked…her Divine Fantasy! Now wielding all the powers…of Naifem royalty!
[Akamana di Angra has unlocked her Divine Fantasy, and combined with the Astral Pulse, now wields all the powers befitting the monarch of the Forbidden race. The Sage Kings of the Golden Court hereby elect her…as Preceptor and Queen of the Naifem.
Your Majesty, the day you ascend to the Higher Planes, the Corrupt Worlds…shall celebrate your reign]
A cacophony of elderly voices rumbled throughout creation, warning all across the universe of the Great Queen's coronation.
Finally.
Akamana had been waiting for this day her entire life. Finally, she'd completed her first goal in life—going from Caged Bird to Preceptor and Queen of the Naifem.
The first Great Queen with no connection to the Idols of Vanity. Yet moving forward, her background wouldn't lose to anyone. She had no weakness. This should be one of the happiest moments of her life. And yet…she couldn't feel anything. Nothing…but pure and unadulterated killing intent!
The Great Queen went unhinged, blitzing Caligula's protectors…and ripping them apart with a mournful roar!