Around a circular table with an engraved emblem for the former Manufacturing company, a select few guarding the area. The door locked, the Icy Priestess had her arms crossed over her chest with her sister right beside her. Fiddling with her fingers, Genesis stared around at the fancy material and otherwise in the area. The sparkling cup nearing closer to his lips, the representative of The World Arcana gulping down the crimson alcoholic liquid exhaling with a satisfied sigh. Above the meeting table, the chandelier began to sparkle and twinkle with the flames of the candles as the wind began to sway the candleholder. The furniture had the Hunter of Justice seated at the end of the bench, with his nephew at the furthest area of the work surface, had also taken a drink of liquor.
This time with an orange coloration to it, clear that it was whiskey as the liquid began to slide right down his throat. The bunch of fluids hitting and dropping into his stomach acid, his baby sister beside him with Jason's feet propped up. Madi's hand on her brother's shoulder, Azazel had personally seated himself beside August. Head rested in his put-together hands, each finger interlocked with one another as the Detective's eyes darted to the man in front of him. Uraku across from the table, at the left side, if you were looking from above, the Emperor stood at the bottom part of it if you're still looking from the bird's eye view. Fiddling with the ends of his repaired glasses, he began to push them over his optics so he could bend down and plant his palms onto the table.
Moving over his head, there laid a pile of folders each having corresponding names and symbols for the respective individual. Each of the others began to pile up on one another, with two main ones sticking out from the crowd. The one on the right is that of Almighty, the mastermind of the incoming Incarnations that sought out to obliterate everything. And on the left there held the symbol of The Devil themself, a pentagram, symbolizing none other than the Embodiment of Evil and Destruction; Satan. As the doorknob began to twist to the side and the entrance rattled open, there revealed none other than the duo of best friends. The first one to enter being the boisterous Requiem Justice, raising his hand as he apologized loudly,
"Sorry I'm late! Got held up at class, but we're here now- now let's get on with the, uh, stuff,"
A nervous chuckle exited the young man's lips as he took his seat beside his mentor, sunglasses shadowing over his emerald and crimson optics of sight. Digging into his bag beneath his feet and offering a bag of chips after popping it open, the mentor and protege began to chomp on the salty snack together. Rose, on the other hand, had her father follow in with her deciding to sit at the seat Ben had been standing beside. Pushing it back, the younger of the two swiped the sandwich he'd put on the plate taking a bite out of the already-bitten portion of the lunch. Which, side note, his wife had made him.
Ryder let out a natural laugh at his rival's movement, the oldest of the Karlos shared a sympathetic look to the Rivera brothers' sister. Madisyn couldn't help but smile, after all the time they'd, unfortunately, spent apart, seeing him here now... finally improved, together with his children. There was no greater joy but for her to see someone she truly cared about finally happy. Rose bent over to press her lips against her father's cheek, as Azazel began to rise as he tightly embraced his sister. Arms around her back as he gave her a protective brotherly peck on the forehead, the ginger couldn't help but giggle as she bounced on her feet before being relinquished from his touch. Skipping over so she could jump and situate herself beside her friend on the table, Alex patted her thigh as he offered one of the chips to the girl. With that, as everyone had been gathered in this location, Uraku slid his appendage separating the folders so they'd all be in a horizontal placement.
"You've all been informed of the impending doom regarding the Advent of Destruction. However, these are enemies neither of us have fought before, and only I have a way to tell you all about them so we can stand a fighting chance. So, we begin with the weakest, and go from there to the strongest,"
In the past, there was a war between all that was Evil and all that was Good. Above vs Below, on a planet that would soon be inhabited by the creatures known as humans, the Angels and the Demons began their fight to the death. That was their destined path, destruction or nothing; the end goal of these races. Those involved in the war were none other than Uraku's distant relatives, his Allfather with the Requiem warriors lined up perfectly all suited with Omni-infused auras protecting them. The Author proudly at the front with His lover at His side in the guise of her human form, kneeling at the edge of the higher cliff. Her black locks moved as she played with the leather fabric of her short jacket, Moriah spotted the ground beneath this monument begin to rumble as she giggled with excitement.
Standing up straight, she rose her arms and felt the stars overtake her anatomy- the burning sensation of the galaxy embodying her previous brain. Brought from the future to influence the past, Moriah was the first Spacial Embodied Being and the mother of the Children of God. Or well, some of the members, those being Uraku, Charmeine, and Demiurge. Nyarlathotep, Sirilla were all included later at the time. Her form was imperfect, the colorful nebula that the Guardian possessed in her form had disappeared for only the blank void with a few twinkling stars were visible in her stomach. Eyelids popping open, the white illumination of her pupils glistened in the light as she pulled at the fabric of her favorite jacket.
Golden pieces of light and Omni began to tear apart at His physical form as the monsters from the depths began to reveal their ugly hides. Frightening growls and terrifying screams escaping their throats as they swarmed into the sky, the younger Watcher of the Temple widened his eyes at them... as if he'd never seen them before now. The Author felt the beautiful sensation as the droplets of rain steamed to nothing but a sight of gas as they touched His superheated form of pure Omni. Six eyes blinking at once, an irritated scoff echoed out from the Younger God as He watched with disgust.
The demonic army began to gather, parting as whispers from the damned and the unfortunately tortured began to echo out from their lips. The skeletal hand started to ascend from the depths of the platform belonging to the rocks and the hardened surface of the canyon. Spikes made of bones popping out from the sides of this bony structure, they lifted and attached themselves to the tips of the fingers behind his head. Each holding a skull of a decapitated demon with the edged spike piercing through the back of their brains to exit through their widened mouth. Their loud cries of applause and praise began to crawl out like spiders from the gutters of their stomachs, as the monsters began to scream out as he ascended from his throne. The Self-Labeled King of Hell, wielding his trident as he skids his sharpened claws against the golden material of the pronged weapon, Lucifer Morningstar felt the crunch of bone as his spine had two wings emerge. Fitted with the blackness of the dark, the Fallen Archangel couldn't help but laugh at the pain as he fell to his knees for but a moment.
Just then, as the winged levitators began to spread apart and break from their bunched together state, a gust of wind flew out with Takyr energy emerging from his hands as he clawed at the air. Stray feathers soaring out from the abundance of quills forming to make these flying aids, the Almighty couldn't help but hold a grimace over His face as He gazed down with pity and hatred for the Angel He once labeled His right-hand man.
The cries and unnatural screeching from the skies they labeled the heavens began to leak out from behind the clouds. As she soared out with a flap from her blackened organs of flight destined to land right beside the Prince of Hell, affixing her tie putting it into its right place. Rahab yanked the hood off so it'd stay around her nape and covered the back of her head, the Former Angel put her hand on her hip, Morningstar laughing at the sight before him. The destined battle and war between the world above, the Heavens, and the underworld that resided beneath the Earth, the depths of Hell.
"Thousands of years ago, my father fought with the Requiem warriors and my mother to push back the demons as they'd invaded Earth. It remained uninhabited by humans at the time though since He saw the potential of humanity, He decided it best to intervene. This is the only time the Incarnations of Obliteration were recorded on a version of Earth in the history of the multiverse. I'll start from the weakest and go to the strongest from there,"
The war had already commenced, with the middle of the battle spewing blood and inner guts as the demons fell. Their stomachs sliced wide open as the droplets of ruby fluid began to tamper with her vision, Moriah opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue with her body spinning through the air. Her sadistic giggles sliding out of her throat as she felt the lovely sews of war power her further, the gas from a star beginning to build up in her chest as Moriah extended out her appendages. The energy building up to such a degree that it burnt up the air around her, their monstrous features beginning to leak off their scarlet pieces of skin.
Squeaking in rage as they clawed at their skins to tear off the chunks so their skulls would poke out from their flesh, Moriah exploded in a ball of fire and superheated plasma. Their flesh and skin burning off, wings snapping off so they'd burn and turn to crisps- skeletons showing as they fell to their knees and dropped like flies. Moriah couldn't help but giggle as she clawed at her face, using the peaks of her Auckland to cover her mouth- eyes squinting with the illumination in the center of her optics radiating brighter than the Sun above them. Turning her head so she could make eye contact with Uraku as he tore their throats out with his natural enhanced strength, that bloodlust full look in her eyes was unique to just... her.
"Moriah Hemingway. Born in 1994, she lived until she was 27 and committed a heinous acts of mass murder against men, women, and children all across the world. She was diagnosed with psychopathy and deemed a sadist. In the future of her universe, she was taken into the Incarnations of Obliteration after undergoing the Advent of Destruction to initiate her into the group. She was the sole survivor using only her human intellect and pure lust for blood as she annihilated the demons. The world she inhabited in the future was destroyed and she was brought to the past by the younger version of my father to influence the events we now know. She was granted infinite power and from her own will, she carved together a new technique; Spatial Infusing. Replacing your human body of flesh to take the form of the stars and space so that you could become one with every universe in existence, she was the mother of that technique. She gave birth to me, my sister and my other sibling, Demiurge. And she was the third member to join the Incarnations of Obliteration,"
While she was incinerating them to crisps, she felt the roar of the creatures as they echoed in her ears. Their pointed edged nails digging into her shoulders as they carelessly yanked her off her balance so she could soar into the sky, Moriah was taken into the clouds while some angels were stabbed right through. The Requiem Warriors throwing one of their brothers so he could charge up his fist with lightning surrounding his hand, the second his grip implanted itself against her cheek- that glare in her eyes was the stuff of nightmares. The female took her hand over her jaw, snapping it right out of place so the crunching of the bone would vocalize.
The aura of evil began to surround her from her feet as it leaked around her anatomy, splitting out into tendrils as they sharpened at the tips acting as if they were spikes. Just then, she snapped her neck right to face him, directly making eye contact with the poor warrior who'd dared to touch her face. Right then and there, her two fingers, index with middle- were out together as if they were a pistol made out of extremities. Putting it to her jaw... the moments before his death, the warrior could make out the sight of her bored frown. Sliced right in half so his guts and heart would go flying as the blood-splattered right onto her eyes, an invisible blade cutting right through his body as if it were nothing but toilet paper. Using her wings as a way to hover upward so she could be the key piece for this portion of the battle, she pushed both of her key two fingers to her jaw. Both sides snapping so it'd go limp and break, Rahab was unable to speak as she saw it happen. All she could do was attempt to make out a sociopathic half-grin as she emotionlessly watched their bodies go flying.
Pieces of disembodied guts and blood flying into the air, intestines managing to snap and around some of their necks. Heads entering spraying blood from the stomps with cut-off legs and arms managing to cut as they flee air. The massacre was so beautiful she couldn't help but laugh- Obliteration at its finest,
"Rahab. Fallen Archangel and devoted follower of the Prince of Hell. Fallen to Hell after siding with Lucifer after she saw the way God favored the humans, she was Lucifer's right hand man in the battle between Heaven and Hell. She can use slashes and blades that are naked to the naked eye. That's her main power, it's insanely powerful and can shape the size of these slices in any way she wants. There's a sub ability she rarely uses in a battle, using the human negativity in humans to forge and reshape their bodies. Twisting their flesh inside out so they could run into something like... monsters,"
The swift movement of these prongs had cut open their stomachs, intestines flopping out as a simple kick to the chest sent one of the warriors through a crowd. Spinning it around her the peak of his hair so he could stab the three edges of the weapon into the ground so they could unleash the hidden Takyr around them, his soul hardening and weaponizing Hell's demonic energy so it could drive the tips of those tendrils into their souls. Lighting them ablaze, the warriors couldn't help but scream in agony from the terror of it all it felt like his chest was on fire. Using the remaining power invested within him, he drove his fist into the rock-covered platform beneath him. White lightning splitting out from his knuckles, the purest and most powerful form of Requiem energy tearing and ripping at pieces of The Prince's flesh. Coupled with a burst of energy that sent him flying into the air, Morningstar grunted at the momentary pain he'd just experienced.
Wings popping out, contorting and crunching out as they flapped from his spine- organs of flight composed of bone producing a gust of beefy wind. Reaching out his hand so it could twist and have a sixth finger pop out from the palm, Morningstar couldn't help but let out a sadistic giggle as he watched. Tearing at his face as this so-called warrior had their energy drained, returning to Lucifer's soul to repair the damage done to his physical vessel... how wondrous. Flesh pouring out with gallons of blood leaking out from the cut wounds he made, Lucifer felt the drive in his chest- the war around him- the death, the hatred. All of it orchestrated, RIGHT BY HIM!!
Landing without a care for his very own puppets, Morningstar heard the crush of their bones as they snapped beneath his feet. Brandishing his signature devilish halberd in his hand, he swiftly ran through the battlefield. Leaping with a simple flap of his wings as he drove the trident into one of the warriors' mouths destroying their heart from above- Morningstar could catch a g kindle of something in the corner of his eyes. A sinister snigger over his lips, he tripped on his feet intentionally so the sideways slash of their energy-infused weapon aiming to cut his head in two pieces... the lasers in his four eyes had simply cut them to pieces. Cutting right through their fragile skin so blood and guts would splatter onto his face, Lucifer began to rise, unable to control the crazed beams flying out from his optics.
Spinning around at the tips of his feet, the lasers began to slice and cut through demons and angels alike. Pieces of their halved anatomy laying on the ground as they leaked specific gore from their specific organs, Lucifer couldn't help but let out one final laugh. Filled to the brim with the specialty of his sadistic desires, Lucifer Morningstar couldn't help but smile. His insane laughs and cackles echoing through the canyons, the warriors couldn't help but prepare to fight onward with this great threat laid before them,
"Lucifer Morningstar. The first fallen Archangel and the previous right hand of the Allfather. Now he stands as the Prince of the Demons and all of Hell, being the first to use the ability to transform humans into fully-fledged corrupt demons. He manifests Takyr into his trident then turning it into fire so it can split into waves of disastrous and weaponized energy. To which the corrupt pieces of energy divide thanks to his psychic influence, able to tear and rip off flesh then skin. He can also shoot flesh-slicing lasers out of his eyes, he's the puppet of the Embodiment of Evil,"
As Lucifer marveled in the horrors of the blood, drenching his body so the crimson palette of his skin would turn redder and redder. Claws and bones crunching as he twisted his knuckles to point inward, the elongated nails pointed in as they dig into the flesh of his skin so they could leak out streams of blood.
Their backs snapped, wings cutting off, organs made of flight decaying right down to the bone so they could turn to ash. Crashing to the ground so an invisible slash could cut one of the creatures could cut right in half as their blood and guts splattered onto the rocky platform beneath them. More of them turning to piles of ash, demonic blackened wings snapping around erratically- as if they were nothing but blurs, more corpses of the Warriors from Heaven and monsters of Hell began to descend. Bodies cut right open, head sliced off shoulders so the brain would fly right out as the skin began to unravel around their skulls- the dark clouds began to pass over. Hiding the sun behind the gloominess of the grey background, the damned cried out with screeches of disembodied spirits beginning to slip out from beneath their torn cloak. Pieces levitating into the air as their feet began to implant themselves into the earth, the Embodiment of Evil couldn't prevent their sinister giggles as splashes of blood hit the invisible shield of nothingness in front of them. The onlookers and remaining fighters couldn't help but look in terror, quaking and shivering in their armor as their eyes began to water... the Horror from the Fiery Depths. Satan, in their purest and definite terrifying form,
"Satan. Beelzebub. The Devil. They're second on this list but tied with Almighty in terms of abilities, I don't much about this one because they vanished before I had a chance to fight them. But their power seems to decay everything they touch with every part of their body. Wings, hands, legs, feet, everything. Their power is destructive, and with enough determination; I do not doubt that they can destroy a plant from decaying its core. That is the only power I can confirm, I can't say if they have anything else besides this... but it's a definite clear probability. So besides the decay, Satan is a complete and utter mystery in this world of Obliteration,"
And finally, there laid none other than the God Himself, Almighty, as He had simply watched over everything. Using His acute detection and awareness to gaze upon the war as it raged on and on, the more He stared, the more the future became clear. Space around them distorting, the ground began to swallow up, demons and Requiems alike torn in half as their upper halves were ripped off. Death slicing through them all with its signature branded sharp scythe, the personification of the Grim Reaper easily cut through these different species with no mercy. The Author watched on, simply extending out one of His palms so the rocks and pieces of the ground could begin to lift and fracture. Satan vanished into the shadows they created, reappearing behind their polar opposite, God yanking back His hand so He could watch. The Earth began to fold in on itself from the inside and out, core superheating to such a point to where the planet imploded to bits of space... this version of Earth had been destroyed in less than a minute. Thanks to the sheer power of God Himself, Rahab, Moriah, and Lucifer all hovered in balls of oxygen with Satan beside their opposite comrade.
Beautiful flowing white hair still, covering the nape of His human-like body, the Author began to pace around their bubbles of air. Psychically popping the one He'd entrapped His lover within, Moriah bounced awake, attempting to speak but no words came out. It wasn't that no words had croaked out from the inner workings of her throat, it was rather that there existed no sound in space. And so, the ping of their psychic link had echoed throughout their brains, Lucifer holding his temples as he felt the sting of an intruder in his mind. Trident vanishing as a pentagram engulfed it within its fiery lines, Rahab shook her head at the brand new feeling as the Author paced around them with His feet dragging across the nothingness void of space. Smirking as the voice of the Deity began to communicate with the remaining three, Satan couldn't help but let out an echoing sinister echo in their minds. The distortion and creepiness in the deepness of their voice sending chills down their spines, goosebumps forming on their skin as the Embodiment of Evil talked to them all telepathically,
"The Allfather and Satan had a plan together, something that the rest were unaware of. The war had already ended, the demons had no choice but to listen to these literal Gods. With my Father's knowledge of the future, He allied with them all. With the goal of True Happiness across the Multiverse for humanity, He managed to satiate Lucifer's promise as He assured him that tons will die in the purge. Mother went along because of her debt to my Father and her neverending love for Him, while Rahab followed Lucifer in his choice. The demons and Angels formed a truce, following the scheme of the Author throughout time. Lucifer willingly trapped his soul within the Key to Hell as the operation was enacted, for him to use the artifact he made to inhabit a new body. The events went as planned, the Kingdom was hired, the Author manipulating events from the shadows as He was sure of the way things were going to go. All for the sake of this plan, to get the sixth and prophesized member of the Incarnations, so they can execute the True Happiness scheme in all its foretold glory. The annihilation of the Multiverse with a Requiem by their side, so the New World can reincarnate with a race He can truly manipulate... and then, peace,"
Back in the present, Uraku was questioned by his grandson, August holding up one finger as he hit his chest with his fist. Burping for a second causing Emma to roll her eyes at her brother's idiocy, covering her face to hide her smirk as Genesis giggled beside her big sis. With the exhalation of gas out of the way, he parted his lips and inquired the old man, sunglasses tilting down to show his special heterochromia optics,
"Y'know, I've been wonderin' this ever since I 'died' back then and you told me about the 'True Happiness' bullshit. But, why can't Great Grandpa just rewrite humanity's collective consciousness to obey Him so we don't have to deal with all this?"
"I'd often asked that, myself. I never knew the clear answer so I can only assume that it's because humanity has grown independent of my Father's intended purpose. While Governments exist to maintain authority, nobody loves them and they're often millions or billions of people who dislike them because they get screwed over. Taxes, racism, corruption. So why would God's will, no matter how noble it sounds, to manipulate and orchestrate the human mass consciousness, be accepted by the masses? My son was able to accomplish this, because of his promises with the New Era he promised, he was able to ensure his place at the top. With the public opinion in his favor for the first time since 2019, coupled along with Requiem abilities, you are the perfect candidate for the Incarnations. I have no doubt you'll succeed in the coming war, my son,"
No one could say anything else, all of their eyes trained right to the Emperor to see where he'd been- but he was nowhere to be found. The door had shut the second their heads turned, Rivera, taking a step as he tumbled, without balance. Subconsciously warping to a balcony so his fingers could wrap around the railing, the Emperor coughed, hitting his chest and shaking his head... holding his center as visions and memories of the future begged- trying to break through into his mind. Why couldn't he see further- why was he cursed with the uselessness of the past... why couldn't he save his best friends...?
"Oi, shithead, stand up,"
How oddly calming, his head turning to see his brother with his sister already leaning with her bottom on the edge of the railing. Legs dangling, fresh air zooming past her face so she could let out a sigh of relief, she sent up her arms and felt the breeze brush across her face. Jason helped his brother from the floor, patting him on the back as Ben whispered, "Thanks," so they could stand by side at the same height. Gazing at the sight of the nature around them, the grass field was surrounded with beautiful trees, leaves of all assortments, and colors moving as the wind guided them. This structure towering higher than ever so the tip could pierce the clouds, the Rivera Triplets gazed at the sights around them. Birds chirping as they flew past their heads, the sun's rays descending from the Heavens above to shine onto their bodies. As her straw twisted around playing with the ice of her drink, the Empress of Light snapped her head so her face could reflect in the transparent liquid of water. Speaking loud enough for her brothers to listen to her vocals, Madisyn parted her lips with a soft grimace over her facial features,
"Back then, when we were only kids before we were cursed with these powers... I miss it when it was simpler. Even in 2013, the month after we got these powers, despite our mother- the Kingdom. Before the multiverse, before the Requiem bullshit, before this terrible excuse of a father entered our godforsaken lives. I miss the people we were then,"
The past, back when everything wasn't so screwed when they had their mother here... still alive. Ben couldn't help but rub his eyes as he felt the incoming tears about to drip out the corner of his optic, Jason feeling the prick of metal slice the tip of his finger open... to shield the pain. Maybe if they'd never been born, none of this would have been wound into the cogs of time, going onward and onward for the rest of eternity. None of them could tell what would occur in the future, the New Era of superhumans had arrived, with more improvements than ever... would it stay forever, or would it be demolished in the coming Advent of Destruction?
To Be Continued... in the Next Chapter.
Synopsis for Chapter 66 of the Angel of Death arc - With the New Era having actualized from Ben's visions, the Academy goes onward to keep trying to train the recruits to ready them for the war. Focusing on the Major Arcana once more before the Advent of Destruction, seven months remain until the new year. In the summer of 2059, the story continues...