__________ POV Narration__________
'Not much left to explain honestly... I've been with you for the longest of times.' The voice, Ozzy as he called himself, spoke with a gleeful tone.
'You say that, yet I have no memory of you...' Ashton thought while flying around the real world and dodging both gravitational spheres(how he decided to call the calamity's attack) and the ranged attacks of the seemingly endless horde.
'Course you don't, I tried to keep my assistance a secret for a long time, but I did drop in some hints for you, using the little influence I had on the world.' Ozzy spoke in a more serious tone this time.
It also clicked to Ashton after hearing the being's voice. 'The doll...' The small doll that was found with him, the one that he had fleeting memories of.
It was likely the method that Ozzy used to contact him at first. The way he managed to inform him of the plan that the gods hatched.
'Indeed, that small doll was my only way of communicating with you back then. You were always under surveillance from the self-proclaimed gods. It doesn't really matter anymore though...' Ozzy's voice sounded tired to Ashton.
'I guess they are already after my blood. Not that it will do them any good...' Ozzy seemed to just sigh at Ashton's words.
'The barrier that was around the human continents, as you call them, was something that I created, using a vast majority of my power.' Ashton raised an eyebrow when hearing the words of Ozzy.
He still had little knowledge of who Ozzy actually was though... Ozymandias, the last king of a lost civilization.
His kind was forced to flee into Lake Mobius, he erected that barrier with his last breath. But he didn't actually manage to die. His strength during his life far exceeded that of many of the gods that resided in the abyss.
So, his aura lived on, and, using the barrier, he sustained himself with the aura of all of the humans that had ever been inside it.
He was also using that energy to sustain the barrier itself. But that mattered little now.
Ozymandias had waited for centuries, for a being that had the chance to oppose the guardian and the creations of the Abyss Walkers.
And, eventually, he found Ashton. A body with little talent at first, but with a fate so grand, that it was simply dazzling.
The talent of his body may have been lacklustre, but his willpower was something that stood above everyone else.
And so, he started his plan to counterattack the gods, constantly planning around them and trying to prepare Ashton for the worst.
Ashton, however, far exceeded any expectation placed upon him. He paved his own way, and in the process, paved a way for humanity to survive too.
'So that was yours? I guess it did a good job for quite a while. An impressive feat.' Ashton's voice lacked any admiration and awe that some would expect, but it still held a bit of respect.
'Somewhat. But it wasn't perfect, numerous times, beasts managed to pass through, either through sheer luck or due to my negligence...' The man was likely referring to the Chimaera Ants, at least that was what Ashton thought. There were many incidents where others managed to cross the barrier unimpeded.
Like the calamities that appeared in the human world as well. Or the few beings that lingered even in the waters of Lake Mobius. The barrier was not perfect, but it still managed to protect humanity for many centuries, countless in fact.
It allowed for numerous generations and countless civilisations to develop. To the point where Lake Mobius became humanities entire world. The rest of the world was all but forgotten by most.
And those that knew it came to call it by a strange name 'The Dark Continent'. As if it was a single continent beyond the constraints of the minuscule Lake Mobius.
No, the lands beyond were vastly unexplored. Even the 'all-powerful gods' were ignorant of the actual grandeur of the world.
'I guess we should concentrate on our enemy... At least for now.' Ozzy spoke, as he snapped out of his melancholic state.
Ashton himself hadn't been standing around while contemplating Ozzy's words and thinking deeper into the implications of Ozzy's existence.
He came to a few conclusions.
1. Ozymandias, the king that he had only seen a broken statue of in the past, was now a god. At least he had reached the same state as the ones that called themselves gods.
2. He was the one that helped him uncover the trickery that the gods set in place.
There were a few more besides the two, but the time to think was little right now.
Ashton was constantly dodging and flying around the sky at insane speeds. Most of the attacks of the beasts he ignored, he did take a fully powered attack from the Guardian and came out unscathed. But the attacks of the newly risen calamity weren't quite as harmless to him.
'Running around forever won't help you much...' Said Ozzy while inspecting the situation with a pondering gaze. He watched everything unfold from Ashton's view.
'Well, I can't really attack it, it seems to constantly shift its plane of assistance. Never in the same one with me...' Ashton's frustration was easily felt by the ghost of the ancient king.
'YOU?!' A voice suddenly broke out in the depths of Ashton's mind. It was an annoying shout comprised of more than one voice.
Of course, the gods finally noticed the presence of another familiar being within Ashton's body.
'YOU FOOLISH KING! YOU DARE OPPOSE US EVEN NOW?! WE'VE ALREADY MADE YOUR DYNASTY FALL!' The gods seemed filled with rage. It was also obvious why. Ozzy, as he called himself now, was the only reason the gods didn't have any choice but to watch humanity prosper for so many centuries.
Also the only reason any human capable of opposing them even existed.
'Can you stop shouting you actual retards?!' Ashton was getting quite annoyed that all conversations seemed to be carried out inside his mind of all places. But such was the way with 'gods' they were an intrusive species after all...
The gods did ignore Ashton, their rage was focused to a fine point, all directed at Ozymandias. Who seemed to disregard them quite heavily, he even released a snort when hearing Ashton's complaints.
'You guys are still so pathetic... The only reason you guys were so bold was that I and my elite warriors were away, fighting your guard dogs at the temple.'
Ashton was a bit interested in the conversation, so he didn't complain about it being in his mind anymore.
'Hmph! Attacking us was your mistake foolish king!' The voices still spoke with unwavering arrogance.
'Still, we did manage to kill off most of your guardians. The only one left was the one that Ashton killed, so I guess they weren't all that great after all...' The ancient king oh so enjoyed taking jabs at the aggressive 'gods'. He found their angry growls to be amusing.
'I guess there was more than one like my teacher then?' Ashton interjected with a question that lingered in his mind.
'There were around a dozen, with different abilities. The old beast that taught you Nen was the hardest to kill due to its regenerative capabilities. It survived since me and my warriors all rushed back after hearing of the disaster that befell the kingdom...' Ozzy responded to Ashton.
'STOP IGNORING US YOU FOOLS!' The gods weren't quite pleased by the conversation that Ashton and Ozzy were carrying out.
'Like petulant children...' Ashton said while he shook his head.
'Yeah, they did kinda live in an echo chamber for a long time. Not a lot of stuff to do besides complain amongst each other.' Ozzy explained with a mental shrug.
'THAT'S IT! YOUR LIFE ENDS NOW BUG!' The gods screamed once more as Ashton felt the aura of the beast surge further than it had before.
'Powered by will, huh?' Ashton looked at the beast, in the small window that he could observe it from. It seemed to be throwing its aura around indiscriminately, shredding apart everything as it expanded.
'I guess I need to find a way to kill this thing already...' Ashton then started doing what he did best... Hatching a plan.
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Hope you liked the chapter!
And yep, I stole the king's name from the poem, cuz I really liked it.
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