"What do we do now?" Evangeline asked as she swam up to let pass another giant fish. Those aquatic animals didn't try to attack them even once since they exited the nebula. They all just came and left while just sparing a glance toward them.
"Give me some time. I'll find our next destination," Layla replied and opened her eyes wide. Her pupils slowly narrowed and her sclera glowed with a silver light. Her surroundings became filled with the same kind of illuminance. She then closed her eyes and instead, they appeared behind her as a large projection.
In her vision, Layla was watching transparent silhouettes move back and forth in front of her at high speed. Her eyes were moving quickly under her eyelids.
Aergia gazed at her and the aura filling the water before switching toward the many aquatic monsters. Most of them had suddenly halted and gradually shifted their line of sight in Layla's direction. Aergia silently pulled out a sheathed katana and Evangeline took out a pair of red daggers. They were prepared to act at any moment.
But in all honesty, they didn't want to confront those animals. They had noticed the moment they saw them. Every big fish in this mystifying ocean was at least at the peak of the Earthen Realm while some rare ones were at the peak of the Heavenly Realm. If they were to attack all at once, it would be honestly a disaster. Not only would a big fight occur but every nebula around would most likely be obliterated by a single clash.
As the large animals were approaching, Aergia frowned and raised her weapon to signal Evangeline to stay on standby. She followed the biggest fish, the whale-like one they had crossed path with earlier, with her eyes. It swam right past next to her and went toward Layla.
The whale stopped a few tens of meters away from her and merely stared. The other fish also surrounded her and stopped at the same distance. They formed a sort of protective wall around Layla and there were still more of them arriving.
Aergia's eyes widened. "What are they doing?" She put her weapon away and observed as a continuous flow of aquatic beasts kept moving around her to get near Layla.
Evangeline squinted and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "She's attracting them. I can feel it. They seem to be interested… or to be exact, charmed by her."
Aergia peeked at Layla's figure. She admired her serene expression and her hair which was waving with the water.
"I see… a natural charisma that she doesn't release usually. This girl is indeed special. Her entire existence is quite peculiar too. She appears to be the fusion of a benevolent goddess and a pure holy woman…" She commented. "She might be the closest person to a true angel that I ever met. The kind of angel that you hear about in the sweetest stories."
Evangeline smiled and nodded in agreement. After a few minutes, Layla opened her eyes and beamed when she saw the colossal animals in front of her. She drew near the big whale and put her hand on it as if she was a mother patting her small child. The whale's eyes narrowed before he gave out a powerful and soothing cry. Even though Layla's hand amounted to basically nothing for his planet-class size, he acted as if he had been blessed.
"Now, can you move out of the way with your friends? You're kinda blocking the passage, and having so many presences around me is slightly annoying," she smiled and said.
"…" The whale fell silent. Aergia's reaction wasn't that different.
"She would have been the perfect one if that man had not influenced her," she added to her earlier monologue and Evangeline could only smile wryly.
The whale opened its mouth again and a deep-toned sound reverberated across the sea. The other animals immediately obeyed and swam back to their territories. Layla returned to her group afterward while the whale continued to follow her from a safe distance.
"In the end, what did you just do?" Aergia inquired.
"I looked into parallel timelines," Layla answered. "I looked into the future first, the came to the present and went into another possible future while avoiding the one I already had seen. I continued to do that until I found one of the Guardians, or Pillars. It took me around ten thousand years' worth of exploration to find one. Then I followed his soul imprint back in the present and followed the trace to locate him," she explained.
"…I'm not sure it's normal that you can do that," Aergia retorted and Evangeline dazedly nodded. She had not understood what she said at all. "The ability to see in the future is even more freakish than slowing time. How did you do that?"
"It's not like I can do it without limitations. There are also fixed and variable points in time. Nothing is flawless."
"Don't act humble. That's a power that could make someone a hundred times stronger if it's well used and also a terror for anyone trying to sneak, escape, or strategize."
Layla wryly smiled. "You're right. But for me, I always compare this power to what Arima can do. In front of him, reading the future doesn't help you if the only thing you see is your death," she said.
"I tried once to initiate a fight with Arima. I told him to attack me seriously. Of course, he didn't. But by doing that, I managed to create a parallel timeline where he actually went full power."
"In that parallel line, even with my power, I only survived for a second. That's all," she helplessly told. "And it was quite a long time ago. Now, I don't think I could even survive half a second even if I predict his moves."
Aergia and Evangeline fell silent. "…It's true that when you're faced with that demon, any kind of divining power must be useless," the former stated. "But I think that using him as a contrast measure will only destroy your ego. Just thinking about comparing myself to him makes me want to give up."
Layla giggled. "Yes, but to stay at his side, I must keep evaluating myself at his standards. Maybe one day I'll be strong enough."
"Do you think you can do it?" Evangeline asked and Layla stuck out her tongue.
"I already did it," she revealed and both Aergia and Evangeline froze. "Just that the technique I need to use for that is quite taxing and not very efficient," she added.
"If you were to measure that technique's potential in 'seconds of survival' against him. What would it be?"
Layla mused. "If I give my best without hurting myself… it would be around 40 seconds. It's already quite good since real fights can sometimes be decided in a few seconds even when the opponents have the same strength. And if I decided to throw away my well-being or even my life, I may be able to last a hundred times more."
"I'm extremely curious now," Aergia snickered and shook her head. "Anyway, we don't have that much time. Who did you find earlier then?"
"The Pillars," Layla responded and cast the Second White Art. For some reason, she made it tremendously big. It was perhaps larger than two Earth's put next to each other.
"Why did you make it that wide?" Aergia was perplexed but then recalled something. "Aah…right."
"Wait, don't tell me…" Evangeline also seemed to have remembered something. She crooked her neck to look behind Layla, like Aergia. They both stared at the oddly cute oversized whale quietly looking at them.
"Are you okay with him following you?"
"Sure, it'll be fun to have a pet," Layla chuckled and turned around. She pondered and pointed at the whale. "I'll name you Apąm Napāt, like the legends. I'll just call you Apana. Are you okay with that?" She questioned and the whale let out a short cry to convey his approval.
"Good, then follow us. And try to not die," Layla declared and went through the portal. Apana wagged his fins and went shockingly fast inside the silver gear. Even Aergia and Evangeline were pushed back by the force he transmitted to the water.
"She got herself an awfully powerful pet…" Aergia commented and followed them inside the portal with Evangeline.
***
Meanwhile, to pass time, Gilgamesh was drawing an actual piece of art on the ground that could maybe blow the minds of the best artists in the human world. A bit earlier, he saw Jorga come out of one of the portals to enter another.
He finished the drawing of Deva he was making then stood up. He looked at the sky and peered until the sun was exactly in the good position. "24 hours… it's time," he mumbled to himself and his golden eyes glowed.
The giant gate made of gold behind him made a loud noise as it opened. A shining golden light came out of behind the doors and the first figures that came out were people that had crossed paths with Arima before. Particularly Azes, Gabriel, and even Tiatus who acted against Heaven before as well as every other god.
Behind them, there were even mortals, especially humans. Among them, Arima would probably be able to recognize Aria which he met a long time ago already.
They all were wearing gold equipment which was completely different from what they were supposed to have. That was the ability of the Babylon Gate. It could welcome soldiers and give them an endless amount of magic equipment to prepare for battle.
The gods and soldiers looked around the moment they came out of the gate and spotted Gilgamesh gazing at them. "Sir, what are we supposed to do now?" Azes approached and asked. His eyes locked on the drawing on the ground for a second.
Gilgamesh glanced at the still increasing army emerging from Babylon and nodded satisfyingly.
"I want you to use those portals you see up there. Only the three at the right. I was told to not let you go inside the far left one."
"Told you?"
"Yes, the man you know as Arimane Blade," Gilgamesh released his aura when he saw that the tens of thousands of soldiers clad in golden armor had gotten out of the gate.
"{I will nominate three leaders,}" he told everyone. "{They will each form a group and go in one of the three silver portals on the right you see in the sky. Your job will be to invade and control the worlds you'll find behind.}"
"{Killing unfairly is prohibited. Any act of deliberate humiliation or torture is prohibited. Also, I want you to spread the name of the Kind Demon as your leader. Additionally, if you ever break the rules aforementioned, you will most likely be killed by the latter. Don't blame me afterward if that happens,}" Gilgamesh displayed his mighty presence for once.
At that exact moment, the sky lit up and blood-colored flames erupted. A large fireball emerged from them and burst open to let place to tall fire djinn. Ifrit huffed and the flames promptly disappeared behind him. Gilgamesh glanced at him and nodded.
"{The leaders will be Hades, Ifrit, and Gabriel. They're the ones who the Kind Demon chose so don't even think about disobeying them. The leaders have the right to pick their army as they please though. So, do it quickly and go into the other Realities.}"
***
In a secluded Plane, Ahura woke up under Yggdrasil again. This time, she stood up and breathed in.
"He initiated his plan… but," she whispered and her irises split. 'There's something else happening currently... he didn't envisage that? No, I can't believe he would forget about something so crucial.'
Ahura's expression darkened. 'Did he perhaps count on my intervention?' She groaned. "I can't stop thinking that it sounds like him…" She grumbled and snapped her fingers.
"Yes?" Sebas appeared out of nowhere.
"Call Anubis and Trevy. We have one last job to do as the Pillars of Elysium and you're coming too, Sebas. It's time to make use of the contract I made with you."
The old butler smirked and bowed. "Of course."
Ahura sighed and walked away.
"Who was the name of their creator already?" She paused. "Karaskan… was it? He truly made a scary thing."