Universe's End

“Not quite what I was expecting,” Apostolos muttered to Irene.

“Likewise,” Irene said, the two staring down as people streamed out of the archway that had appeared within Ehkorrus. Hundreds, thousands of people were appearing, people they’d never once seen before. For a planet that only had a few tens of thousands, maybe a hundred thousand, max, even this many people appearing was rather insane.

“Leave it to the World Spirit,” Apostolos said. Apparently, throughout every Founder settlement, one of the archways had appeared, a temporary means of travel for one day only.

All to see the most anticipated fight in the history of the universe.

The arena had even been spatially expanded, something the World Spirit also handled, the first direct showing of some of her power that 99% of people had seen.

“Nervous?” Irene asked as the silence stretched for several more moments, the two of them viewing everything from a viewing floor at City Hall.

“Incredibly,” Apostolos admitted.

The sky overhead had changed; the entire planet was cast under a field of perpetual aurora, blazing between the colors often attributed to Rory, gold, red, and green, and the Spear’s monochrome black and white.

“I’m going to assume Rory isn’t being allowed to flex the power of Ehkorrus?” Irene asked.

“Not a chance,” Apostolos sighed. “This is meant to be a fair fight, within reason, as he explained it.”

“How was he feeling?”

“Hard to say,” Apostolos shrugged. “He can clam up at times, gets evasive when he doesn’t feel like sharing everything on his mind. I think he understands that this is probably going to be the hardest fought battle of his life, that isn’t outright against a superior opponent.”

“You think he will win?”

Apostolos was silent for several seconds, giving the question serious thought.

“Maybe. Without being able to flex the might of Ehkorrus like he could against the Bird, making use of the natural advantages conferred, it’s just his magic and his skill in direct combat. From what I’ve put together about the Spear, Rory would have absolutely zero shot of winning in a direct melee.”

“But that has never been his strength,” Irene pointed out.

“No, it hasn’t,” Apostolos agreed. “It’s his ability to think things through, try new things on the fly, and always be flexible.”

“Which is also why you’re worried. Because sometimes, it comes down to raw power. This is someone who beat… What? Every Founder she has come across, minus the Bird and its victims?”

“Something like that,” Apostolos begrudgingly agreed.

Again, the two remained silent for several seconds before a new voice chimed in.

“Is now a bad time?”

Turning around, the two figures found a tall woman standing with her arms crossed, her horns proudly standing.

“Roxy,” Irene inclined her head. “You decided to take the invitation?”

“Well, I already caused shit to go sideways,” Roxy muttered darkly, “Can’t really make it worse at this point.”

“No, that was my fault,” Irene said, wincing slightly. “I hadn’t considered that perhaps your racial difference might cause issues, something I should have considered. Rory himself has referenced the fact of knowing about other races, so why not the other Founders?”

It had been a mistake she’d beaten herself up over. The Varasians should have taught her that lesson; that Rory had already known of them should have planted the seed in her head to consider whether bringing an unknown variable, such as Roxy, into the equation could backfire. It was such a small consideration if one didn’t understand there was bad blood to be considered, but nonetheless, it was her failure.

And Irene did not like failing, not when it involved her city, her people.

Well, Rory’s city and people, but that’s splitting hairs when he doesn’t even know something as simple as the current credit return rate of the blood sacrifice ritual.

Shaking her head, the two of them, now joined by Roxy, watched as the twin suns approached each other from the opposite sides of the horizon for the first time in history. Apostolos, having a solar affinity, instinctively knew it was nothing more than a visual appearance and that the dual stars hadn’t actually changed their location. Whatever the specific details of how it all worked, the Apotheosized Eclipse was meant to signify the start of the battle.

“Not much longer. We should probably be making our way there soon,” Irene said.

“No need,” Yet another voice said, one that had all three of them suddenly feeling like a massive pressure was pressed upon them. A titan of a woman had appeared as if she’d always been there, one eye marked by an eight-pointed star, red, gold, and green, the other black and white. Her body was black obsidian and chalk white marble, and she was clad in blood red bark, savage green thorns, and golden world ichor streaming through ‘veins’ in her body.

“World Spirit Aelia,” Apostolos dropped to one knee, Irene and Roxy copying the motion.

“Those who represent the Architect will appear there on my command.” The World Spirit said, her gaze carrying the attention of an entire world, even restrained, it was enough to crumble mountains should she please. “As will those representing the Spear.”

“W-what of after?” Roxy managed to force out a droplet of blood spilling from her nose, as a tier seven, and an early tier seven at that, the sheer presence of the World Spirit was pushing her to her limit.

“After?” The World Spirit gazed down on Roxy for several moments before her lips turned upward into a quirked expression, barely the whisper of a smile. “Rest. I will allow for no further Founders to fall.”

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And like that, the ‘presence’ of the World Spirit faded, leaving behind a literal statue that still pressed upon them, though to a much lesser degree.

“Rory wasn’t kidding about her,” Apostolos said before his eyes narrowed. “And quite the parting gift.”