Chapter 54: Ch 54 : Demonic voices

Thalorax, the towering figure of the Dragonborn, stood his ground, his obsidian scales catching the ethereal glow of Morticia. A deep-seated sense of protectiveness, an instinct inherited from the very blood of Nova that ran through his veins, flared within him. his fiery eyes narrowed, and with a mental command, the space around Morticia began to warp and shimmer. Sharp, silent space blades materialized in a vortex, threatening to tear her formless body into nothingness. Morticia, a being of mist, was utterly flabbergasted. She had never encountered a power so absolute, so alien to her own. She could neither fight nor flee, and the crushing pressure of the space magic was a tangible threat to her very existence. "I mean no harm," her voice, a haunting whisper, echoed directly in Thalorax’s mind. "I am here to congratulate you" Thalorax, a being born of Nova’s blood inherited her proud and arrogant nature. Thus, dismissed her words as a mere trick of a demon. He prepared to fully ensnare her, to end her threat before it could even begin, but a new voice, a commanding voice that resonated with the very blood that made him what he was, echoed in his mind. "Let her in." It was Nova. Thalorax immediately obeyed, his space blades dissipating as he stepped aside, his expression unreadable as he allowed Morticia to pass. Morticia, shaken by the encounter, followed him quietly into the Citadel. She had faced powerful beings before, but never one so young with such a profound mastery of power. He was an A-Grade facing a S-Grade, and still he was dominating the fight. She was still reeling when she entered the main square of the city, where the giant, monolithic form of Nova was visible to all. Morticia, in a show of utmost sincerity and reverence, immediately knelt before the magnificent black dragon. Nova nodded, her eyes closed in deep contemplation. Her visit today had a single, important purpose: to make the demons recognize Sunny as their God. The battle had been a mere byproduct of this, it was to see if the Veilborn had the wisdom to choose a new path. Nova’s voice, a low rumble that resonated in the souls of every lifeform present, echoed "Declare your allegiance to my master, God Cosmos, and you will find a new purpose." Morticia didn’t have a moment of hesitation. She had witnessed Nova’s power firsthand, and the choice was clear. With a calm nod, she sent a mental message to her tribesmen, who were still hovering on the outskirts of the battlefield. As the Veilborn tribe, a gathering of ten thousand entities of sentient mist, declared their allegiance to Sunny, a miraculous thing happened. The ever-present voice in their heads, a constant, insidious scream that commanded them to "hunt all life forms except demons," vanished. Morticia stood up, her form shimmering with a mixture of confusion and profound relief. She asked her tribesmen if they still heard the voice. The result was universal: the voice was gone. A heavy weight they hadn’t even known they carried was lifted. With a newfound sense of clarity and freedom, Morticia and her entire tribe bowed before Sunny’s statue, a silent prayer of gratitude and submission. Morticia, with a newfound purpose, informed Nova about the voice, a piece of information that Nova instantly recognized as a matter of cosmic importance. She immediately contacted Sunny, who was still basking in the glow of his gaming victories. Sunny was also unaware of this phenomenon, but this didn’t stop him. He knew he needed to get a clearer picture of what was happening. He walked towards a nearby luxury home in his God space and entered it. Inside, Adam was seen, completely engrossed in his favorite farming simulator, a game he found surprisingly addictive. He was a god, a being of immense power, but he found a simple, almost zen-like pleasure in the virtual toil of planting seeds, watering crops, and harvesting the fruits of his labor. The game was a simple, repetitive loop that calmed his restless mind. Sunny’s mental voice broke through Adam’s concentration. "I need to ask you about these demonic voices, the ones that tell them to kill other races." "It’s that bastard," Adam’s voice suddenly cut through Sunny’s thoughts, tinged with a mix of fury and exasperation. "What are you talking about?" Sunny asked, his voice laced with confusion. "Can’t you see I’m busy? Just go away," Adam replied, his mental focus still on the virtual crops he was meticulously tending to. Sunny’s patience, though immense, was not infinite. "Thea, cut down his system access and delete all his in-game achievements," Sunny said playfully, intending to tease Adam. "Stop! Stop!" Adam’s mental scream was loud and clear. He reluctantly set aside his system panel and looked at Sunny, a deep sigh of resignation escaping his lips. "Fine, I’m talking. You would’ve found out sooner or later. It’s the doing of the demon of discord, Deimos. He gets his power from creating discord between others, and for that, he uses mental magic on his life forms to make them attack other races." Adam didn’t clarify any further, diving back into his game with a renewed sense of urgency, leaving Sunny with a chilling new reality to ponder. There was a greater enemy out there, a demon God who thrived on chaos and conflict. Sunny was aware of this demon, as Adam had told him about Deimos during their history lessons, but seeing the actual work of this demon, which sent entire races into a state of chaotic bloodlust, was an eye-opener. This was just the beginning, as more and more demons would not be able to bear these voices and would attack the life forms of other Gods. Sunny, now fully aware of the threat, immediately notified all the other gods about Deimos’s influence. He saw them not as competition but as fellow beings in a universe threatened by a parasitic entity. They were, in a way, his cattle, providing him with faith points, and he would not see them fall prey to this.