Chapter 270: Before The Flood of Night (8)
The Mountain—or rather, Dream Land, to be precise—had now fallen under the watchful eye of Izanami.
But it wouldn’t be just her making a move; no, she was already scheming to rally the rest of her alliance, pulling them into whatever plans she had in store.
In this moment, she walked the dark corridors of the castle once more, with her eyes fixed ahead until the passage opened onto a wider chamber.
Three smaller portals lingered behind a massive one, its dense swirls of black and purple shifting restlessly but never spilling into full chaos.
Each of these portals was linked to the strongholds of the other Pantheons that formed the Accord of Assimilation, with the largest one serving a unique purpose.
It led straight to the singular meeting point of the Supreme Rulers of these powerful factions, and from the news her father had sent, she knew the others were already there.
"Let’s see just how bad things really are," she muttered, knowing her father hadn’t mentioned the finest details.
And before moving forward, she needed to grasp exactly what she was walking into— even if it was only a glimpse.
Without a second thought for the smaller portals, she strode straight through the grandest of them all.
The shift happened in an instant, and with a single step she left behind the dark castle, finding herself suspended in the open air above what was the Realm of Yomi.
----
The realm was an immense chasm, as if reality itself had been ripped open, extending for light-years in every direction with no horizon in sight.
From the deepest depths to the highest reaches, black flames consumed the chasm, not flickering in scattered bursts but sprawling endlessly in vast curtains of flame.
Through the roaring flames, millions of skulls wheeled and spun—dipping, colliding, shattering in the fierce updrafts.
Farther down, shapes out of some nightmare strode with grim intent: long, ember-blackened hands reaching, shadows with gnashing jaws... all creatures that remembered nothing but the ache of hunger.
They clawed at the endless souls caught in the blaze, dismantling them bit by bit—but never offering the mercy of a final release.
Those suffering burned without ever truly dying, their mouths gaping as if to scream, yet no sound ever broke the air.
Their bodies warped and reshaped, only to contort again, over and over.
High above it all, four thrones hovered in the darkness, with three already occupied.
-----
On the first throne sat the Supreme Goddess of Hollow Thorns, hailing from the Dark Thorn Pantheon.
The second throne was claimed by the Supreme God of Endless Hunger, ruler of the Endless Hunger Pantheon.
Upon the third throne rested the Supreme God of Bloody Thirst from the infamous Bloody Thirst Pantheon.
The fourth throne, however, stood vacant, patiently awaiting the arrival of the Dead Sun.
"I’m starting to think all of this was pointless!" the Supreme God of Bloody Thirst said, pale fingers tight on the arm of his throne, red eyes fixed on the empty air between them.
As Izanami quietly approached, the Supreme Rulers were already locked in a heated debate, all focused on the events of a single Pantheon.
"We did all of this to slow down the Celestial Accord, but in the end, why are we the ones taking the bigger losses?" he demanded in palpable anger.
"And to some unknown beings, no less!"
"You’re not wrong... I’ve already used more than eighty percent of my Supreme Divinity to bring back my High Apostles," the Supreme Goddess of Hollow Thorns murmured.
"Only for them... to fall once more. And this time, it was true death that claimed them..."
At the mention of True Death, a heavy silence settled over the Supreme Rulers. It was one thing for a member of the Pantheonish to know they could eventually be restored.
But the idea of a complete and irreversible end was something else entirely... because if true death were possible, then everything—every plan, every belief—would have to be reconsidered.
In that moment, the shadows moved faintly around the Supreme God of Endless Hunger.
"Three Pantheons," he said, his horns catching what little light the black flames of the realm gave off.
We’ree nearly on our last legs... and we don’t even know the perpetrator..."
He had nothing else to add; by now, everything felt more frustrating than infuriating.
Still, frustration often drove people to do things they would later regret.
As the discussion carried on, Izanami wandered closer, her expression shifting steadily toward disbelief.
’Had things really deteriorated this badly?’ she wondered, listening to the accounts of how the Pantheons had suffered, leaving none in anything resembling good condition.
The Dead Sun, the last Pantheon Accord of Assimilation, seemed to be the most devastated of all.
For more than 20 Eras, they had been locked in a war that ravaged an entire star system, and the only surviving Dead Kami were still recuperating in the same healing chambers from which Izanami had just emerged.
And to make matters worse, if True Death was truly at play...
’This is getting completely out of control,’ she thought, just as the other Rulers finally took notice of her presence.
"Supreme Goddess..." the Supreme Goddess of Hollow Thorns said with a faint smile. "It’s good to see you’ve returned."
"She finally returns," remarked the Supreme God of Endless Hunger, inclining his horned head.
"Maybe things aren’t so bad after all."
"Yeah, right..." The Supreme God of Bloody Thirst’s crimson eyes followed her without a hint of warmth.
"How about you try not to make us wait another decade before your next appearance?"
Izanami remained silent, offering only a faint nod as she settled into the vacant fourth throne above Yomi’s vast light-year chasm of quiet fire.
For a long moment after she claimed the seat, none of them spoke.
Noticing the weight on her mind, her gaze shifted between Hollow Thorns, Endless Hunger, and Bloody Thirst.
"I’ve heard enough to know things are bad," Izanami finally said, breaking the silence.
Her pitch-black eyes swept over each Supreme Ruler as she spoke bluntly.
"At this point, I see only two options."
At her words, the Supreme Rulers narrowed their eyes, their expressions hardening as she continued.
"Either we abandon the plan to conquer the Star Cluster, retreat, and devote several Eras to recovery until we are once again worthy of the battlefield."
She paused, her fingers resting lightly on the arm of her throne, the silence heavy with tension.
"Or we commit every remaining resource to a full-scale assault on the Orin Star System. Should we prevail, we may rise from this conflict stronger than the sum of all we have lost."