Chapter 563
This became evident as Ikenga observed the enormous, grotesque plant he had created, which now bore one of his very eyes as a grotesque fruit. The plant, a testament to his power, remained oblivious to his presence, thanks to the applied curse that perfectly concealed him. He can perceive and interact with his creations hence why he could teleport here easily.
This limitation on his direct spatial influence also explains his restricted teleportation. He found he could not teleport from the Abyss or the goblin world. His unique form of traversal is confined to the corrupted land, a place that holds no inherent attachment to either the Abyss or the goblin world. This corrupted land is, in essence, a nature of its own being formed, not complete yet hence why Ikenga can easily influence or act on it.
Ikenga continued his solitary walk across the barren lunar surface, his bare feet making no sound as they "mapped" the ground beneath him. Suddenly, he paused. A subtle fluctuation in space, not far away, caught his attention. Directing his focused gaze, his divine sight pierced the veil, revealing a hidden truth.
There, in the void, was a small, inconspicuous station. Within it, a mage was meticulously engaged in what appeared to be research. Yet, every so often, her gaze would drift, landing squarely on the moon and the grotesque plant that now bore one of Ikenga’s eyes. A faint smile touched Ikenga’s lips. It seemed the mages hadn’t forgotten his unspoken threat to unleash the moon itself upon them. Unperturbed by her observation, Ikenga resumed his walk.
As Ikenga continued his silent promenade, a strange and profound transformation began to occur. With every step, pieces of his very being began to fall away, dissolving into shimmering spores of light. These luminous particles didn’t dissipate; instead, they were gently absorbed by the moon itself. The process was gradual but relentless. Soon, there was no longer a visible Ikenga on the lunar surface, only the subtle, growing luminescence within the moon. He hadn’t vanished; he had become one with the celestial body, seeding it with his divine essence.
The spores of light, now fully integrated into the moon’s core, began to pulse with a faint, internal rhythm. Ikenga, no longer a physical presence but an essence woven into the very fabric of the celestial body, felt a familiar stirring within him. It was the echo of his previous act of creation on the barren planet, but this time, the scale was far grander, the potential far more immense.
Before he was in a hurry and the process was rushed, he could not fully observed how the seed needed for the last planet was formed. This time he planned to watch closely.
Due to the scale of his new project, Ikenga invited a few friends usually ignored by him and other origin gods. He reached out, his divine consciousness a vast, intricate network extending beyond the lunar surface, into the deep currents of the void. This time, he sought not to merely create, but to collaborate. He called upon the fundamental elemental forces that sculpted the universe itself: the unyielding strength of Earth, the furious dance of Fire, the caressing, yet carving, breath of Wind, and the life-giving flow of Water.
These weren’t entities to be commanded, but ancient, titanic powers he would entreat, offering the moon as a canvas for their raw, untamed expression. He would provide the vessel, the nascent framework for life, and in return, they would pour their elemental might into shaping a nature with him.
As Ikenga forged this cosmic pact, the moon began to respond. With the subtle, deep hum. First, from deep within the lunar crust, an Earth-infused will began to manifest. Jagged, obsidian spires, veined with unknown metallic glows, slowly pierced the dusty surface, drawing nourishment from cosmic dust and the moon’s own dense core. They twisted and turned, forming cavernous structures and soaring peaks that defied the vacuum.
Then came the whispers of Wind. Ethereal, shimmering currents of cosmic gas, energized by distant solar flares, began to sweep across the nascent landscape. They sculpted the obsidian peaks, eroding them into elegant, impossible formations, and carried luminous spores that way breathed out from the huge plant hosting Ikenga’s eye, from one nascent crater to another, seeding new growth.