Chapter 264: Ch 264 : The Divine Annihilation

In a multiverse governed not by the flow of mana or the cultivation of Qi, but by the rule of Talent, two figures drifted through the space between universes (not multiverses, they are currently inside a multiverse).This was the multiverse of Thera, the Goddess of Divine Annihilation.

She was a being of breathtaking, celestial beauty, her very presence causing the vaccum around her to ripple with unseen power.

Beside her floated Cai Zhen, a God from a distant reality, a cultivator whose Godhood was built over three hundred thousand years of discipline, now slowly crumbling in a world devoid of spiritual energy.

When they had first set out on this journey to the edge of the multiverse, they had expected a silent march against the grand multiverse.

Cai Zhen was dying, his divinity leaking out of him with every breath, and Thera was his only lifeline, using her World-Walker talent to ferry him toward a path that may or may not lead to spritual energy.

They anticipated silence. They anticipated boredom. But they found neither.

In the infinite quiet of space, they found each other. To pass the agonizing years, they spoke.

At first, it was a simple exchange of histories. Cai Zhen, with his vast lifespan, spoke tales of ancient wars, of sects rising and falling like tides, of the pursuit of the Dao.

Thera shared the struggles of a Goddess born into a world of rigid laws, of the loneliness of being the apex in a multiverse that feared her power.

Slowly, the stories became confessions. The confessions became shared silences. And in the darkness between stars, a spark ignited that was brighter than any star.

They became a constellation of two, a heavenly couple lighting up the space.

But peace, as it is said since ancient times, it doesn’t last for long. Once you begin to think that every thing is going right, the reality strikes.

One day, as they drifted past another universe, the fabric of space in front of them screamed.

An ugly crack tore open the vacuum, bleeding a dark miasma into the space of Thera’s multiverse.

"A black hole?" Thera whispered, her hand instinctively tightening on Cai Zhen’s arm. "No... it feels... hatefull."

She released him, drifting forward, her hands raising in a combat stance.

She was the Goddess of Divine Annihilation. Her title was not a boast; it was a description of her ultimate technique. But it was a power with a terrible cost.

To unleash annihilation required a full reservoir of Soul Essence and a long, agonizing cooldown.

After years of constantly using her travel talent to carry Cai Zhen, she was drained. She had barely half of the soul essense left.

Behind her, Cai Zhen floated, his face pale. In his prime, he could have crushed worlds with a thought.

He knew a tens of divine techniques, movement arts that could cross galaxies in a step. But here, starving for Qi, he was a cripple. He couldn’t even fly without Thera’s aid.

"It is a Demon God," Cai Zhen choked out, recognizing the foul aura pouring from the rift. Panic pierced his heart. "Run, Thera! Leave me! I will buy you some ti-"

A deep laugh cut him off, booming from the other side of the portal.

"Buy time? With what, little cripple? Your good looks?"

A massive hand, red-skinned and clawed, gripped the edge of the spatial tear and ripped it wider. Slowly, agonizingly, a nightmare stepped into the void.

He was a burly monstrosity of crimson muscle and bone, crowned with two spiraling horns that seemed to drink the light from distant stars.

In his hand, he held a spiked mace the size of a small moon, the metal stained with the dried blood of a thousand races.

This was Angra. A hunter sent by Maledictus herself, tasked with a single purpose.

"Isn’t this the Cai Zhen of legends?" Angra said, his voice was a deep rumble. He grinned, revealing rows of shark-like teeth. "I am truly lucky. To think I would find the prince hiding in the skirts of a goddess."

"What do you want from me?" Cai Zhen demanded, pushing himself in front of Thera, though the effort made his limbs tremble.

He had fought demons before. His own multiverse had been attacked by them many times. But this... this was a Demon God. An entity of a higher order than those demons.

He wasn’t afraid for himself. He was already dying. But the thought of Thera, his savior, his love, falling to this beast... it terrified him more than the anything ever could.

"I don’t want anything from you," Angra said, shaking his massive head mockingly. "I am a simple soldier. I just follow orders from the higher-ups."

"What orders?" Cai Zhen pressed, his mind racing. "And what do your higher-ups want with a dying god?"

"They have given me a simple decree," Angra said, hefting his mace casually onto his shoulder. The movement sent a shockwave through the vacuum. "Kill the fly. Bring back the head."

Thera stepped forward, her celestial aura flaring, trying to shield Cai Zhen from the demon’s oppressive killing intent.

She knew Cai Zhen was helpless. He could barely stabilize his own body in zero gravity. He was like a leaf in a hurricane.

She raised her hand, her eyes hardening. She was making a choice. A final choice.

"Thera, control yourself," Cai Zhen whispered, seeing right through her intentions, the reckless sacrifice she was planning.

But even though he was weakened, his resolve was still solid.

He turned back to the demon. "So, basically, you do what you are told, nothing more nothing less?"

"Yes," Angra confirmed with a shrug. "Are you going to lecture me about freedom? About how I should follow my heart? Save it. I have heard it all before."

"Not really," Cai Zhen said, his voice steady. "I just wanted to clarify the terms. Your masters ordered you to kill me. So, leave her out of this. She is not part of your mission order, is she?"

Thera let out a choked gasp. The realization hit her like a mental blow. He was bargaining. He was offering himself up to save her.

"No!" she cried out. "I will not leave you!"

Angra threw his head back and laughed, a sound that strained their souls just by listening.

"Quite the heroic spirit you both possess! Romeo and Juliet in the void! Ready to die for each other! It’s almost touching."

His grin widened, becoming cruel and malicious. "It reminds me of your parents, Cai Zhen."

Cai Zhen froze.

"Oh yes," Angra chuckled, savoring the moment. "They were just the same. They pleaded in front of Lady Maledictus. ’Spare him! He is just a boy! He will join you! We will talk to him!’ They begged. They cried. But in the end... they were the ones who died. Screaming"

"I heard that you ran away in search of someone powerful.... Your wish now came true, here am i. Ain’t i powerful? Haha."

"He is lying, Cai!" Thera screamed, grabbing his shoulders. She felt him trembling, not from weakness, but from a rage so potent that it threatened to shatter his fragile body.

She had listened to him, talking about his memories. She knew his love for his family was the core of his being. "Don’t listen to him! He is trying to break your mind! He is torturing you!"

But Cai Zhen didn’t answer. He didn’t move. His eyes, once filled with the light of stars, had gone completely blank.

Thera looked at his broken state, and her heart hardened into a resolve of fury.

She released him and turned to face the demon. She raised her hands high above her head.

She didn’t care about the cost. She didn’t care about the exhaustion. She didn’t care if she burned her very soul to ash.

"DIVINE ANNIHILATION!"

She roared the words, her voice a commandment that shook the fabric of her multiverse.

Instantly, the color drained from her face, leaving her ghostly white. The last reserves of her Soul Essence, already critically low, were violently ripped from her core.

Her body swayed, threatening to collapse, but her will held her upright.

The space around them responded. The darkness of the space was suddenly pierced by a blinding, golden light.

One by one, then hundred by hundred, swords materialized from nothingness.

Ten thousand golden blades, each one forged from the concept of absolute destruction, hung in the void.

They hummed with a terrifying power, their points all aimed at the single, red figure of the demon.

Angra looked up at the sky of blades. He licked his lips, his eyes burning with a gluttonous battle lust.

"Quite a few toys you have there, little Goddess," he growled, tightening his grip on his mace. "I would love to play with them."