Elishem choked on his words as the figure interrupted him. The other seven were still processing how this even happened, weren't they supposed to be the ones doing the ambushing. Although they were in denial for a few seconds, true to their titles of the strongest. They quickly change their mindset and focused on restoring their bodies.
Well… some more than others.
"We made sure that you could not escape the blast! No matter how strong you are That energy should have killed you!"
"Are you really asking that? Although you blocked this section of space with space, time, and dimensional anchors. Alongside magic formations, cosmic suppressions, Multi-star arrays, chains of laws, galaxy formations, reality barriers, and some other methods the moment the explosion went off. Add that to the mixture of energies that the eight of you dumped into the core of the planet and the use of multiple 'Cosmic Artifacts/Treasures' to contain and amplify the deadliness of the explosion. Oh...! and let's not forget about that surprise you left for me, that should have been the real finisher. The energy from a cosmic being, that should have turned my energy against me and stop me from transforming I'm guessing. Phew... now that I say it, you guys really tried your best in trying to kill me. Even a Primordial would be completely dead from that."
The tone in his voice towards the end was like an adult congratulating a child for trying their best
The more he talked the more horrified the eight of them were. How could he have known this, he should have been deprived of all of his divine senses, it's as if he was right there setting the traps himself. One of them was more angry then horrified…
The Cultivator Lian Zhong or by the title he went by before his defeat 'Monarch of the Heavens'.
"Elishem you said this was enough to kill him, how can he still be unharmed!!!"
"HOW CAN you know all this! No... how do you know that energy from a cosmic being was being used! the moment you realize that, it would have already been too late!?"
Elishem didn't even bother replying to him. But instead asked his own question. Seeing his question completely ignored Zong was already about to explode in anger. As the other six saw that their leader had no intentions of answering any of their questions, they didn't even bother asking. Their entire focus switched back on recovering and the man before them. Whatever that black-violet energy was. It kept interfering in their recovery. They still needed more time to gather enough power to break free from whatever force was holding them in place. The thought of escape didn't even cross their mind, they all knew the moment the ambush failed escape was impossible. So all they could do was bide their time and wait for the right time to attack.
"Although everything happened in a flash, finding the different types of methods and energies being used wasn't that difficult. As for the cosmic being's energy. Well... you can probably guess by the way the eight of you almost kicked the bucket not too long ago. Although… even if it did hit, it wouldn't have mattered."
There was ridicule in his voice by the end of his sentence. As he shakes his head, condescendingly, even, as if they were on some sort of cosmic drugs for even coming up with such an idea.
While he was talking the stalkers were receiving deja vu. A tone that completely looked down on them… like their very existence was nothing more than a chore to clean up. They tried to calm themselves down from the humiliating feeling and focus on analyzing his aura for any weaknesses. But they just saw the same texts they've seen before, which just irked them more. All they could see was a fifteen-foot-tall figure of a man, with the skin tone that changes colors when he breathes from grayish-blue to rosy-brown. He was clad in cargo shorts, casual shoes, and skin-tight magic armor in the shape of a t-shirt that showed his lean muscles. But for some strange reason no matter which methods of their respected branch they tried to use. All they could see above the neckline was indistinguishable darkness.
"I'm guessing a Cosmic Threat on the lesser side, helped you in ambushing me this time. Although it seems you don't have a solid relationship with it, since it didn't send its 'Avatar' to help you. You know, although I'm enjoying this ambush… after all this time I expected more from the eight of you. I even spared y'all's lives and applied the catch and release method in the hope you would become strong enough to entertain me more. Or at least bring others that can… but I guess in the end, this was all you amounted to."
Finally, the darkness surrounding his face started to disperse. As the face they all knew all to well, was revealed. Although he was now a different race and his facial features had changed slightly from their memories. The otherworldly looks that could inspire the soul, his short messy hair that resonated with his skin. His unchanging silverish golden eyes with red pupils that were shining now. While one could see slight flashes of light in the irises, like neurons going off.
His uninterested eyes looked at the eight hopeless figures.
When the eight saw the same dismissive eyes like all those years ago, as if their very existence was ignored. The fact that they just tried to kill him was brushed off like a child's joke. Old memories that they could never forget resurface, they finally couldn't stand it.
When was the last time they felt such disrespect? (They're just going to ignore being disrespected multiple times now)
They were the most powerful beings in their universe, they were gods, conquerors, dominators, tyrants, rulers, but most of all… executioners. Until this man appeared out of nowhere and destroyed their reality. They couldn't allow such a person to exist.
Their egos simply couldn't allow it…
They had recovered enough, they would rather fight than to listen to this.
"Whoa there...!"
The eight suddenly made their move, even with their injuries their energy started to climb at an alarming rate. The new power they received, the power of a Primordial. Their bodies started to grow into massive shapes, but as soon as these changes started to happen, just as fast they disappeared. The force holding them down suddenly grew stronger, as it simultaneously invaded their existence, feasting on their energy faster than what they could output.
"Can't have the seven of you transforming right now, since you will make my efforts go to waste."
They tried to move with all their might, that you could even see space distorting enough, to see a massive single red eye staring from the other side. But soon after, they felt their powers completely leaving them, as things went back to normal.
"Wha...! What have you done to us?"
"Nothing much, just sealed parts of your powers. After all, I couldn't have Elishem's plan to work."
"Damn it! If we weren't injured there's no way you could have captured us so easily."
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say Mizuho."
Their arch-enemy just shooed his hand like he was shooing a fly away. The otherworlder could only glare back with anger for the blatant disrespect shown towards him.
"Plan…? What are you talking about!?"
"As I thought you imbeciles didn't even know, do you think that energy you were given had no consequences? You probably examined it a thousand times over and thought it was safe enough. Although you do have full control over it, and it can't kill you. But… the thing is, whenever Elishem wants. He can absorb the seven of you to obtain a drastic increase in power… permanently. Basically, y'all are like walking batteries. He totally stole that from me."
You can hear a little bit of pride in his last sentence. But the seven of them were already shocked by what they heard. Them batteries? At the time when they were offered this power. They knew it was dangerous, but they also knew they had no hope in getting their revenge with their own powers. They indeed checked it thousands of times, and even if they couldn't analyze it fully, it was safe enough. They were all arrogant creatures with extreme personalities, now finding out the truth, how could they not be angry.
Some push back their anger, still keeping a rational mind. They understood one thing, if they couldn't survive this battle then they were dead anyway. But they had no intention of sacrificing themselves for the cause. While others didn't care for reason and wanted to kill Elishem right now.
"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
"ELISHEM!! YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!"
"..."
Some wanted to attack Elishem, others still took the bigger picture into consideration, but no matter what they thought, it was all too late.
Even during all of this, Elishem was in his own little world. Ever since his creator's energy failed, he knew something was wrong. The only thing that could go against energy from a cosmic being is energy from another. Or a unique cosmic artifact, if it was the former it would be bad since he was receiving help from a cosmic being. If it was the latter then he might still have a shot at killing him, by absorbing these six power sources and using the cosmic weapon his creator gave him. But the way he looked at them kept resurfacing in his mind. As if their plan was doomed to fail from the start.
But when he finally decided to carry out his plan, he was suppressed like a child. No matter how hard he struggled, it was pointless. There's no way that he could be so powerless unless… When that one thought appeared in his mind, the gnawing at the back of his mind grew to the extreme. If it's true then everything makes sense, no wonder he never took them seriously, why he kept looking at them like fools.
"ELISHEM ARE YOU JUST GOING TO KEEP IGNORING US!!"
When he finally came out of his thoughts he heard his batteries screaming at him.
"SHUT UP IT'S YOUR HONOR TO BE EATEN BY ME!!"
"WHAT YOU SAY YOU SACK OF SHIT!?"
Even with all the screaming from his batteries, he just ignored them. He turns to look at the man before him and ask the answer he just reached. The man in question just kept on staring at them like he was enjoying the show.
"YOU… JUST HOW POWERFUL HAVE YOU GOTTEN OR WERE YOU ALREADY…?!!"
"Oh, what's this, did you finally realize something?"
Elishem just kept looking at him and continued speaking.
"NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRIED I COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR ORIGINS. ALL I FOUND OUT WAS WHAT EVERYONE ALREADY KNEW. THREE INDIVIDUALS APPEARED 14 YEARS AGO WITH POWER EQUAL TO PRIMORDIALS, WITH COMBAT POWER THAT CAN EVEN RIVAL COSMIC BEINGS. EVERYTHING SAID TO HAVE PROVOKE THEM HAD BEEN ELIMINATED. THEY HAVE BEEN WITNESSED IN MULTIPLE UNIVERSES. AT THE TIME I THOUGHT IT WAS A JOKE, HOW CAN FINITE CREATURES KNOW HOW POWERFUL A COSMIC BEING IS. BUT NOW…"
Elishem glared straight at him.
"YOU'RE NO LONGER A PRIMORDIAL LEVEL THREAT OR…. YOU WERE NEVER ONE TO BEGIN WITH?!"
When he was done asking his question, he tried to read his energy fluctuations to glean any clues but to no avail. All he saw were those same annoying words he's seen before. The seven batteries that were forgotten, had already stopped making a ruckus and were listening to the conversation. When they heard Elishem's question, their thoughts froze. Although they weren't exposed to how the Multiverse worked for long. They knew about 'The Universal Threat List,' it was already hard enough to imagine a threat level on the scale of Primordial. But when they received the power to be classified as a lesser Primordial, the feeling of absolute power, the power of being omniscient, to gaze over the horizon of the universe, to see what laid beyond, it was intoxicating to the extreme. But when it was all said and done, it only magnified just how weak they were in front of their leader. A child to a warrior, a sun to a dark hole. The gap was just that big. Yet they still did not believe he was better than them. Given time, they too can reach that level, no… they can definitely surpass him. But the thing that still shocked them to the core was… he was only classified as a Primordial plus. They can't even imagine the powers the levels above wield.
If he's no longer a Primordial then… that would make him…. gulp.
But the person in question just started to laugh. It was a low, low laugh that pours out.
"Really, it took you this long just to think of that. As for how strong I really am, I'll leave it to your imagination."
"Impossible! The data shows your powers haven't reached that level yet."
"Well Cyberlife that's what you get for always believing in your data, I thought you already learned this lesson. Well, that's also the reason why I... repurposed all the data you ever collected. Better hands you see."
When the man brought back his humiliating past, you can literally see his biomechanical body turn red.
No matter how hard they struggled, the eight knew their end was near. By the feeling of death coiling around their necks. Finally, as if trying to get a single jab in. Elishem spoke…
"EVEN IF YOU DO KILL US, THE MOMENT THE AMBUSH FAILED THE NEXT PHASE OF THE PLAN BEGAN. EVEN AS I SPEAK HERE, THIS ENTIRE UNIVERSE IS BEING BLOCKED. I DON'T KNOW WHO ELSE YOU PROVOKED…
Elishem removed his eyes away from his arch-enemy, then stared into the cosmos as if he was looking beyond the boundary of space.
…BUT TODAY YOU WILL DIE ASIER VOID. BWAHAHAHA~"
A burst of dark laughter rang out.
Although they never knew that a next phase existed, since they were never told, but right now they couldn't care less. Even though the seven knew it was futile, they still had a strong will to survive. Maybe they can still be saved. Asier Void their arch-enemy, was uninterested through all this. As his eyes looked at the eight guinea pigs in amusement.
"Well, the time for talk is over. At least at the very end, the eight of you can prove useful in my experiment. Ava my dear, if you will."
"Yes my Lord."
As soon as he finished speaking, a beautiful female voice that sounded out of place in this situation resounded throughout the area. Following eight portals appearing behind Asier. Like a harbinger of what was to come, a disturbance in the space-time continuum spread throughout the universe. As a physical oppressive force descended onto the guinea pigs. Slowly as if being spawn from the abyss, were blood red eyes that seemed to merge into the void. As humanoid obsidian-like machines, with strands of dark energy flowing out of them appeared. Although they all varied in appearance, the one thing that was the same in each of them. Was the powerful fluctuations that could literally crush everything.
Even the faint hope they held of being saved came crashing down.
As the eight guinea pigs were frozen in place. They stared at the new appearing machines in disbelief, they have never seen this type of model. The power they emitted was already overwhelming them. And the men who stood in front of such beings.
Ah… at this moment they knew, all their hopes, dreams, and desire for revenge were all for naught. The moment they chose this path… no, the moment they turned this man into an enemy, they were already dead.
But enlightenment came all too late.
Even the way they die will soon be taken from them. And the thing that was going to take their life, was not even their arch enemy, but from puppets he created.
"The eight of you are ordered to fight the pigs before you. No weapons allowed, or this test will end too fast."
""""""""AS OUR SOVEREIGN COMMANDS!""""""""
"Well then, let the test begin."