Malediction of the Depth – Silence in Judgement

The smell of ember fills the air; ashes float all around her.

Wow...

After a whole day of going in a straight line, Lea saw the battleground between the gods. A land of white chalk, stained with scars of battle.

Lea landed next to Robert, letting dark smoke ooze out of her body.

The first thing she noticed was the giant humanoid boar wrapped in flame, wielding a massive greatsword. The Blood God. Though possessing the Divine Domain of Unconscious, it still hurt her mind when looking at a partial divine body...

She quickly moved away, then her eyes widened at one of the other gods. A man in a black formal suit, with only a smile and a hole through his head. The Maker, the God of Degeneration.

Just standing there, smiling like the depictions of Him.

You...

"Calm down, Miss Faceless Twilight.", Robert spoke, sensing her surging rage, "Though I am curious... what plight would a Star God, who usually has no interest in humans, feel rage?"

"It is just the lingering emotions of this body.", Lea replied coldly, "To her, everything went wrong when she met a follower of The Maker."

"And may I be intrusive... where did you find this girl?", there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Lea could guess he had Judgement, capable of discerning truths and lies. But can his eyes see through the lies woven by Veil?

"At the bottom of the sea, sinking while I was taking the so-called Divine Domain of Unconscious.", she spoke casually, stepping forward, "She has immense hatred for the gods, specifically The Maker."

"Because he was the start of her spiral toward self-annihilation."

Robert shook his head, "Another unfortunate soul caught in the cycles of the world."

"Do you hate this world?", Lea asked.

Because of this world's Trials by Fire, an endless loop of conflict for self-improvement. Reward for those who passed, punishment for those who failed. From an insignificant orphan, in less than half a year, she had become one of the more terrifying demigods - more so than she realized. By its cruel laws, it had stripped her of an innocent mundane life.

"I don't, even if the world is cruel... it is far gentler than those beyond the sky.", that was his answer, "As far as I know, only the Giants of Light come with no other purpose than to protect and bring justice."

He walked forward; his body began to be enveloped in golden flame. Not the fire he used to burn down this cursed forest, but warm, comforting flame.

The other monks behind her also lit up as well, closing their eyes and clasping their hands into a prayer.

"Ever Burning Torch;

Light of Justice, Protector of the Weak;

Eternal Righteous Flame."

They all held out their emblem, the burning eye.

"I call upon the Champion of Light!!"

In an instant, the battle before them stopped. As drawn by the sudden burning light, the divine battle died down.

The monks covered in golden flame walked forward... and they grew, their size increasing with every step.

An army of Fire Giants... Lea mumbled inwardly.

In mere seconds, hundreds of Fire Giants were on the battlefield. Standing roughly at 20 meters in height, half the size of the Blood God.

At first, she thought this was a ritual sacrifice to bring down the power of a god. But her senses tell her differently; rather than being sacrificed, it is more of a Divine Descent.

Is this how powerful the Temple of Fire is? All of its high-ranking members can just summon the god's power?

Her former Church of the Three Rings, whose god rarely passes down oracles. And They are said to only appear when "the time is right".

This isn't the right time?

Lea also stepped forward; her body began to transform and grow larger. A monster made of black and gold thorns, lumbering in height not too different from the Fire Giants. Black smoke covered her entire body, like a mass of darkness and malevolence.

Taking inspiration from Curruid, that monstrous Dragon, and The Demise Ground, that Star God who did more damage to her than anything. She became what she feared the most.

Weaponizing her trauma in the literal sense. In response, a forest came about. The Blood God swung His sword, cleaving through the trees.

But the wood splinters changed form, twisting together into giant cages, and they sprouted hollow limbs and began to walk. Those wood giants lumbered forward; they were surprisingly agile as they locked on the Fire Giants.

One also came for Lea; she tried to wrestle it... but found it broke her body in an instant. Literally, it tore off her arms.

However, it also began to wither under her curses. Lea jumped back, causing a sort of earthquake—

A figure covered in heavy clothing appeared in front of her, its fist charging up what looked like a vortex of stars.

"Wait wait—!!"

She received a punch from the Light Seeker, shattering her form in an instant. Her humanoid body self got flung far away, impacting a tree.

Now, Lea doesn't have the context of who is the enemy and who is an ally.

For all she knew, the person who just punched her could be the Lord of the Fog Wall.

They landed in front of her, while her body was still trying to piece itself back. They swung their fist again—

"Oh... Jester of Light.", they recognized the power emanating from her; their fist barely touched her face.

The Light Seeker retracted their fist, only for the blinding light to grow bigger.

"This is for stealing the job market!!"

What the fuck is going on?!

What job market?!

"■■■■■■■■!!!!", a scream came from behind the Light Seeker.

They swung their fist to their right— crashing into the Mist Lord, shattering its body into thousands of insects. It had tried to trick the Light Seeker, but failed.

"It has gone beserk~ acting out of instinct as of now!!", a booming voice came from Lea's left.

She turned her head, her eyes locked onto that silver beauty, one she is familiar with. Charlotte... holding a megaphone.

Seeing her relaxed expression, Lea quickly deduced that... the Chalk Princess isn't taking any of this seriously.

And...

Wait. Lea stared at the person beside Charlotte.

Jim?!

A chill ran down her spine... she was locking eyes with Charlotte, who was still smiling.

"Anyway, the cavalry is here!!", she spoke using the megaphone again.

Cavalry?

Then sounds of machine engines hummed in the air, taking Lea's attention away from Charlotte...

She saw...

=0=0=

Dawn saw steel... no, a material that looks similar to steel. Metallic beasts flying through the air, her eyes scanning them at a dizzying speed, even for her.

The more she looked at them, the more impossible it felt to recreate them.

Components so precise that it is impossible to make. Inorganic parts that act the same way as flesh and blood.

The more she gleamed into their creation, the more her smile grew.

These creations darted past her with near supersonic speed. Using the road carved out by the Temple of Fire.

"Haha... so this is the power of another civilization..."

Then her gaze turned to the silver moon, with its glowing red "eye" that seemed to stare at her.

Dawn had found out the identity of the second moon of this world. A revelation so earth-shattering that it would rewrite the whole perspective of how astronomy is understood.

"So that is your true form...", she held her hand out, "One day... I will reach you, overlord who watches us."

That is Dawn's dream, was and always will be. Godhood is merely a step toward that goal.

Despite the terrified expression of everyone, facing things they cannot understand, Dawn steps forward...

Entering the battlefield of the gods.

A titanic insect god, a mixture of fly and mantis, spreading wings made out of vines and purple flowers. With swarms of bugs shifting in and out of reality.

Solafant dashed forward, creating a dark barrier in front, blocking the cognitive distortion emanating from it - protecting the people behind them.

"Tch, this is way too much for a sightseeing expedition!", they exclaimed, a clear thrill shining in their cold eyes.

Dawn kept on walking forward, seeing the ground split from every strike, dark spires of corruption and degeneration firing rays at the giant beast, streaks of light, fire giants against wood giants.

Then her eyes turned to see the darkness leaning against a tree, crystal fragments piecing itself back together.

"Hello again.", Lea spoke, then looked at her legs, finally regenerated.

"Faceless Twilight...", Dawn widened her eyes, "Why... do you..."

Lea touched her face... part of her armor was destroyed, now showing her face. She locked away her emotions with Silence, painting another Veil on herself.

"So you know this body?", she stood up; her legs regenerated fully, "But we have something bigger to deal with."

Just then, above the sky, three intertwining rings formed, freezing all action.

Simply ceased all motion, as if the universe had paused to take a breath.

Three rings manifested above the battlefield, each one impossibly large, miles in diameter, interlocking in geometric perfection that hurt to comprehend. They rotated in opposing directions, creating a hypnotic pattern that demanded attention.

The first ring blazed with white light so pure it made everything else look gray by comparison.

The second ring shimmered with countless colors that shifted and changed with every observer's perspective.

The third ring held perfect stillness, neither light nor dark, containing both and neither.

Where the rings intersected, reality itself bent.

Every combatant on the battlefield, god and mortal alike, felt the command simultaneously, not heard but known.

CEASE.

The war stopped.

Yet someone was still moving, ignoring the pressure of a god's Command.

"The Primogen Almighty, The Salvation Walker, The Whispering Beat."

It was Charlotte, walking toward the center of the battlefield.

"The Gods of Equilibrium, together they are known as something far more powerful."

A book appeared in front of her, floating in the air. It was the book she always had with her.

"The first of the Great Old One, the light that all can see."

The White Light of Order.

"Y."

The Golden Glow of Judgement.

"H."

The Yellow Beauty of Salvation.

"W."

And the Rigid Hue of Equilibrium.

"H."

Charlotte stared at the rings in the sky, her hand drew the cross with a mocking motion, then pointed at the three rings in the sky.

"The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit."

YHWH

Yahweh.

"The Almighty, whom my world simply calls God."

Who only show up in the greatest moment. Only when good and evil are in conflict.

When the Sacred Flame, the greatest force of good, steps in - deeming his opposition as Evil. Thus allowing him to transform this battle from a fight for freedom to a fight for justice.

"And now, as the Chosen One of Time..."

She tapped her compass, letting motes of blue light out, dancing around her left hand. It formed the Construct of a sniper rifle, carved with runes and cracks running over its entire body, venting out blue flames.

"I Announce that your Time is up."

108 weapons and items made up her compass, 88 of those are what people of Earth call God Slayers - weapons designed to bring down divinity, original intention, or sheer overwhelming malice.

The rifle she just made has three such weapons. Fallen Starlight, made to kill The Almighty. Arachne's Silk, made to bind gods. And the Devil's Core, said to have the most potential to destroy Earth.

To those who call themselves gods, Charlotte is their natural enemy.

And Lea can feel that very well; she didn't hear what Charlotte said. Mostly because of the distance between them, and... the thousands of screams, screams of malice and anger, wishes for destruction, urges to slaughter... all coming from that compass.

She feels like she would go insane just from being near that thing.

How is Charlotte handling it so casually...?