It was exceptionally delusional. Even with the title God of Time, Kronos knew he could not avoid what was about to occur. He and Aphrodite decided to face the worst threat head-on, and there was no turning back. Engaging in any form of interaction with Regashi Ketsueki was undoubtedly the last option. Typically, when Kronos gazed at an individual, mortal or not, he could peer into their future; however, with Regashi, there was nothing but darkness. An encompassing void that effortlessly veiled every inch of reality. That was simply who the brown-haired menace was.
Aphrodite had watched Regashi murder Hades before her eyes, as one of the last gods and an army of Valkyries were slain with little, if any, effort. But, amidst the profusion of Regashi-related fears, one ray of hope remained: the Disruption of Reality. It was the entire reason the goddess gave it to Tanjo and it was also the reason she and the God of Time chose to interfere.
"Are you positive that this will have any effect, Kronos?" Aphrodite queried as she shifted her gaze to the blue-haired god beside her.
Kronos glowered at their current opponent and said, "If his pride is allowing."
Regashi spread his arms, stretching them outward as he tilted his head to the side. "I've been waiting for this moment, you know. From one overseer to another."
"I don't resent myself enough to accept an equal standing with you." Kronos asserted, clenching his jaw.
Slowly, Regashi moved his right hand to his face and manually stretched his right eye to open wider. The one green eye reflected every ounce of light possible, resembling a window that shows an utterly majestic space that is yielded just behind its iris.
"I see everything, Kro—even the time you purposely got the alternate version of me killed," Regashi spoke gleefully, his right eye bulging from its socket.
Aphrodite gasped, her nose wrinkling in bewilderment. "What? Kronos?"
The alternate Regashi, the one who fought Lord Phoenix with Tanjo in the alternate reality. The fight had concluded with Regashi sacrificing himself by channeling all of his red Aura Sense into one last blast that annihilated the masked lord, leading to a depressive funeral afterward.
"He was supposed to survive that fight with Lord Phoenix. Everything would have been perfect for the people of that world—happiness was all that fate offered that universe." Regashi revealed, his grin widening.
But then there was that brief instant when Kronos severed Derrien's arm, directing the Failed God's divine power into Lord Phoenix's body, bestowing the masked lord with extraordinary abilities that quickly overwhelmed both Tanjo and Regashi. That incident alone resulted in the alternate Regashi's death, which was entirely intentional.
Kronos remained stoic. "I don't regret it. I did it for Tanjo's sake. He grew from fighting a stronger opponent."
"We're all monsters when it comes to fixing our world, Kro. What makes me any worse?" Regashi questioned the God of Time, his eyes glimmering.
For a few moments, neither of the divine beings spoke, floating silently in space.
"Tanjo will be the one to show you," Kronos stated sternly, his voice turning gruff.
Regashi's grin morphed into his typical malevolent smile, stretching from ear to ear. Both Kronos and Aphrodite feared the sight, finding the man's exuberance disturbing and reflecting on the notion that Regashi alone could oppose their divine might in any fashion he wished. Hades had quite a tame ending compared to the other victims of Regashi's killings.
"Then continuing this conversation would be pointless, no?" Regashi asked rhetorically, the space between the three of them becoming heavier.
Subtly, Kronos clenched his right fist tightly, sensing the impending chaos that was to inevitably take place between them and Regashi. The severity of the situation was becoming evident more quickly than Kronos and Aphrodite had silently pleaded for; nonetheless, they had a task to hopefully accomplish.
"Go on, deities, prove your divinity." Regashi taunted, his eyes half-lidded.
The God of Time hummed, lifting his head slightly. "I have been. Regressing the age of the universe isn't necessarily easy to notice from afar, is it?"
Regashi diverted his attention to the distant galaxies surrounding them, immediately acknowledging the cosmic swirls vanishing and losing billions of years of their lifetime. The universe was getting younger by the second, and Regashi was not clueless as to what the event was leading up to.
"Coincidentally, you're hovering in the same spot as the singularity that caused the Big Bang. I'm assuming you've seen it before." Kronos stated, his voice bereft of emotion.
Suddenly, every bit of matter in the universe swarmed Regashi, being filed into one singular spot of space. Once there was not an ounce of matter traceable in the void that they hovered in, time stopped, making the microscopic bubble of dense matter halt.
"Happy travels." Aphrodite waved, smiling.
Kronos then let time proceed at its regular pace.
*KWRISHHHHHHHH!*
With one loud crack, the singular area of immensely dense matter exploded right before Regashi's eyes, consuming him entirely. As space expanded at a rapid rate, Kronos and Aphrodite remained fixed in their spots, enduring the Big Bang as if it were a light breeze.
"How much do you think that did?" Aphrodite asked the God of Time, tilting her head slightly.
Kronos scrutinized the center of the Big Bang, a dissatisfied grunt reverberating in his throat. "Zilch."
Without warning, matter began to be pulled back into the center of the universe. This time, however, Kronos did not influence space, as everything that shot outward as a result of the Big Bang was now retracting into the depths of Regashi Ketsueki's mouth.
Aphrodite was noticeably more agitated, watching as Regashi easily swallowed the Big Bang.
"Although that was a filling meal, I see two better treats in front of me." Regashi's chuckle became hoarse, staring the two deities down maliciously.
Neither Kronos nor Aphrodite found the declaration charming.
For a brief moment, Kronos reflected on his current predicament and how he could have fled like he had done when Reiwa Takuetsu slaughtered all the other deities. Kronos and Aphrodite could have vanished, choosing to ignore the conflict known as Regashi Ketsueki. Unfortunately, Kronos could peer into his own future, which was covered in sheer darkness. This presented the God of Time with an ultimatum: squander whatever time he had left doing activities he had already accomplished for billions of years as a god, or do the one thing he refused to be a part of—fighting the multiverse's biggest foe.
'I ran from Reiwa…but I can't run from Regashi. Perhaps, this is what it means to be a god…' The God of Time thought to himself, bracing for the inevitable fight.
XXX
Tanjo and Yuso were abruptly expelled into an unknown region of space, potentially in a different universe. Given that two deities were poised to meet a man who could harness reality on a scale considerably greater than Tanjo's Disruption of Reality, a conflict that jeopardized the universe's security was anticipated.
The jet-black-haired boy flapped his angelic white wings to stabilize himself, looking around frantically. Yuso, on the other hand, immediately shot his gaze toward Tanjo, ensuring their recuperation.
"They're buying us time. You need to focus on yourself!" Yuso called out to his current partner, his black wings fluttering erratically.
Tanjo reflected on the recent events, briefly wondering how the battle between the gods and Regashi would conclude. Kronos himself admitted that he and Aphrodite would only "stall" Regashi for a particular amount of time, not that they would defeat him. Tanjo was ordered to reconsider his approach to fighting the brown-haired menace, especially since neither the teenager nor the last Takuetsu could muster enough power to deal long-lasting damage.
"Yuso, I want you to look at something…" Tanjo spoke lowly, stretching his right hand out. "Tell me what you notice when comparing my rifts to Kronos and Aphrodite's."
*KRSHHH!*
A thick fissure emerged from the boy's hand, slowly expanding through the area. It bent the fabric of space as it flew, throbbing violently and appearing distorted like every other time. It was a terrifying ability that haunted everyone unfortunate enough to encounter its fury.
"It's…" Yuso scrutinized the blue rift intently, sorting through his memories to compare the two deities' Disruption of Reality compared to Tanjo's. "...Less refined, visually. Yours is like a wild animal, unlike the two gods that have theirs presumably under control."
Tanjo huffed, clenching his jaw. "That's why I'm not packing a good enough punch. He has too much leeway to scurry from whatever I trap him with."
The redhead hummed, his gaze shifting toward the boy. "And what are you to do with that information?"
Choosing to simply "charge" himself with the Disruption of Reality would not be a viable option, since the potency of the rifts themselves was the issue. Was it simply because he was human and not a deity like Kronos or Aphrodite? Did the gods have a closer link to the principles of the cosmos? They were the rulers of the multiverse, after all. Did that also mean that Kronos and Aphrodite would have a better chance at fighting Regashi?
'No… then I wouldn't have been told to get better with it in the first place, much less given it…' Tanjo thought to himself, lost in his mind.
Tanjo retraced every step he had taken to become stronger, focusing on the facets of his character that stood out the most. What gave him a boost, revitalized his senses, and practically re-birthed him in times of need?
His Aura Amalgamation.
XXX
Regashi stared down the two deities with elation, his green eyes shimmering brightly. The same could not be said from either Kronos or Aphrodite's perspective. The leader of the Furusato Unit had always been aware of Kronos's presence, noticing his lingering appearance around Tanjo throughout the boy's training.
"I've danced with a god before, but not two… Two masterminds, at that!" Regashi shouted giddily as a wicked grin was plastered on his face.
Aphrodite cautiously glanced at the blue-haired god beside her. "Kronos…"
Kronos narrowed his eyes calculatingly, leaning forward slightly.
"Let's not delay the inevitable."
*SWOOSH!*
Swiftly, at incomprehensible speeds, Kronos charged toward Regashi while lobbing a cluster of light blue rifts. With immense ease, Regashi maneuvered around the incoming attacks by flipping himself around in various directions, resembling skilled dance moves.
"Nice light show—!"
Before Regashi could finish speaking, Aphrodite swung her leg at the back of the man's head, causing him to duck and glide downward into space. As Aphrodite pursued him, Regashi grabbed her wrist and turned his body to position her beneath him, allowing Kronos to rush in from above. Regashi was able to deflect Kronos's impending fist and keep the goddess down below in less than a second.
*KRSHH!*
A ball of light blue rifts exploded from Kronos's fist, which grew to a large enough size to contain all three of them. Regashi merely grinned and pushed Aphrodite away, reeling his right arm back as he proceeded to launch a hefty punch toward Kronos's face.
"Oh?" Regashi's voice rang out.
Oddly, Regashi's punch had been utterly nullified, dealing no damage. Curiously, the brown-haired man continued to throw punches at the God of Time, with each strike proving to be fruitless.
"Stopped time again, huh? Causing my attacks to have no existing effects solely because no time can pass for them to be registered." Regashi murmured, his grin widening.
Refusing to answer, Kronos covered his left fist in the Disruption of Reality and attempted to ram his knuckles into Regashi's face, only to miss as the brown-haired man twirled his body in a cartwheel motion and violently slammed his right foot into the side of Kronos's neck.
*CRACK!*
"Too bad I'm already bored of it!" Regashi laughed, watching as the God of Time was flung out of his bubble made of light blue rifts.
Immediately after, Regashi soared toward the God of Time and wrapped his legs around the deity's upper body, holding him still. With a malevolent expression, Regashi allowed his right hand to transform into a sharp claw, which subsequently found itself piercing into Kronos's neck, causing blood to spew and a painful groan to escape the god's lips.
Nightmarish laughs echoed throughout the vacuum of space, defying reality and indicating the monstrous behavior that Regashi adopted.
"If your petty concept of time wouldn't work on Reiwa Takuetsu, what made you think that I'd be subjected to it!?" Regashi admonished the God of Time, licking his teeth.
Kronos seethed in pain, feeling Regashi's claw stabbing through his neck. "I… didn't need it to work on you."
Tilting his head, Regashi laughed once more. "Your plan to buy Tanjo some time to recuperate himself and potentially beat me is pointless. We could fight for millennia, and I'd still be just as strong, and that boy would still be just as weak! You were always so dull!"
'You were always so dull…' Kronos replayed the words in his head. '...were always…'
XXX
[FLASHBACK: DERRIEN'S EXECUTION]
After a few moments of silence, leaving the three gods hovering in the center of the universe with nothing but their thoughts, Derrien eventually spoke through his quivering lips.
"Fine!" Derrien forced himself to speak. "I'll speak, damnit!"
Kronos nodded. "Good. Because I really didn't want to have to get near Regashi unless I had to."
With a heavy breath, the Failed God hastily formulated a structured response. "Your question—why the Abnormal Universe's Regashi Ketsueki was different, right?"
"Yes," Kronos replied shortly, refraining from prolonging the interrogation any longer.
Derrien huffed. "To be completely honest... I don't know why he grew so much. After I bestowed a part of my power, he surged higher than he should have."
"There had to have been an anomaly with the Abnormal Regashi, Derrien. Think." Aphrodite chimed in, floating closer to the elderly god.
The Failed God exchanged a brief glance with the goddess before diving into his own mindscape, dwelling on any discernible memories that floated to the top of his brain. A god's memory was quite advantageous, absorbing moments within their psyche for eternity.
"The Regashi in the Abnormal Universe acted differently, given his setting." Derrien confessed.
"Different how?" Aphrodite urged him to speak.
Derrien held a distant gaze. "Usually, in universes that had Regashi living a proper life, he was pure-hearted. But in the Abnormal Universe, he was an entirely different boy. What's worse is that he knew how to use my powers the mere moment I handed them down."
Kronos and Aphrodite felt disappointment linger within them. Of course, Derrien was also out of the loop as to how Regashi Ketsueki became so powerful. Gods could not bestow powers that made an organism mightier than them. The gods were at the top of the multiverse in terms of power; anything more powerful would have to exceed even the limit of the multiverse itself.
XXX
Following the Keisan War, in which every god was killed by Reiwa Takuetsu, Kronos, Aphrodite and Hades—the last three deities to exist after the war—failed to find every single deity's body to prevent humanity from messing with divine beings after their death. Kronos could not go back in time to resurrect a deity, and no god could use their abilities to influence another divine entity. Gods were unable to dominate or control other gods through their inherent powers.
However, if a deity possessed a human's body, intertwining their souls, while receiving the divine power of a god—who happened to be Derrien—then that individual would surge in power to levels beyond anything before. The godly power of two deities combined with a strong human soul would exponentially elevate the potency of their abilities.
Such an event would explain the Abnormal Regashi Ketsueki.
'...No, it can't be…' Kronos clenched his jaw, struggling to look up at the brown-haired menace who was stabbing his throat.
There was one deity that was never discovered after the war, and they had a well-known grudge against every other being alive.
And they were possessing Regashi Ketsueki.
XXX
Abrupt ending! You know I like them because they give me time to fully stitch things together in an orderly fashion! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_