A dimensional distortion.
Not just any distortion, but one that goes against every known model of time and space.
This distortion was piercing through the void that separated the Exosphere from the Material Substrate. But that in itself wasn't the actual problem.
The Exosphere is surrounded by a canopy backed up by a law dictating that no one other than ethernals can trespass it.
The dimensional distortion, currently being employed by the Wanderers, would not be enough to break through it.
That's why they brought him back.
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A cracking sound could be heard across the Exosphere.
"They are here", says Penumbra.
"Prepare our armies. This will be the wanderers' last war", Walkure replied.
Venus remained at the center of the Exosphere, within her metaworld, observing the chaos unfolding.
Then a boom sound echoed throughout the multiverse.
A hole was made in the Exosphere. And from it, the wanderer spaceships invaded this world.
"Show them what we are made of."
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Numerous ethernals who were already in position engaged on the invading wanderer spaceships. The ethernals fought with swords and magic, while the wanderers fought back with technology. Both parties were numbered in the trillions.
Walkure was leading the troops and administrating its tactics accordingly to overcome the opposition swiftly. But it didn't take long until a peculiar individual appeared on the battlefield to contend against her.
From within the middle of the battlefield, where you could barely see anything noteworthy due to the sheer amount of people, a light beam emerges and flies directly towards Walkure.
"!!!"
Walkure manages to perceive and barely dodge the light that traveled at impossible speeds.
The light stops behind her. Walkure turns around.
"That aura...you are..."
The light sphere, which had the size of a human, gradually fades out, revealing the shape of an enemy she already confronted before. It was Rephidim.
"So they have this much powerful resurrecting abilities? How convenient."
But Rephidim said nothing. In fact, his expression seemed to tell her that it wasn't actually the Rephidim she knew, but a dead puppet being controlled.
"A resurrection with a cost, I see. You probably don't even understand what I'm saying right now and are just acting as you were told. It seems you don't even have a mind or a heart left. How pitiful. But if you are here, then that means that man is also..."
But before she could finish speaking, Rephidim advanced towards her with all his might. As one would expect of essentially a zombie, they have no reason to hold back.
Rephidim quickly approaches Walkure and throws a punch at her, which Walkure manages to block with her sword Viktoria. Rephidim grabs her sword and pulls it towards himself while at the same time performing a kick with his left leg. Walkure manages to anticipate his moves and drops the sword at the moment he grabbed it, preventing her from being pulled and losing her balance, which allowed her to safely avoid his kick.
"You are much cuter when quiet", Walkure said as she cut space open with her claws, sending a wave that cut through time and dimensions, splitting a supercluster and Rephidim in half. Not because of the distortion, since an accursed cannot be affected by the supernatural, but because the force of the cut was simply that strong.
"I don't remember you being this weak."
Rephidim's body, which was now split in two, quickly regathered itself and was thus back to one intact piece.
While it was true that Rephidim lacked consciousness and was somewhat weaker this time, he also possessed great regenerative abilities to make up for that. And when taking into account that supernatural attacks were useless to begin with, it could prove to be a difficult opponent.
"I suppose it would be too easy otherwise."
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[Edge of the Exosphere, backline of wanderer troops]
"Commander, we have successfully invaded the enemy territory with all our troops. With our cloning technology, we now outnumber the ethernals by a factor of millions."
The commander says nothing. He calmly watches the clash of both species within his throne, situated in a spaceship far from where the war is taking place.
After one whole minute, he speaks.
"Fool. The ethernal troops are the least of our problems."
At that instance, the supreme council was not aware of what he was referring to, but that soon became clear.
CLANK
The sound of metal from a wanderer spaceship breaking apart could be heard. No, this was not it. It was the sound of millions of spaceships being annihilated in an instant by a pitch-black wave coming from all directions. It swallowed and erased their traits, their identity, their forms. Like an abyss that suddenly emerges from the depths to pull you to its darkest pit.
The supreme council now knew exactly what the Commander's words meant.
In this eldritch realm, there was an existence (if it can even be called that) that surpassed comprehension. An existence that defied what is logical and illogical, retaining power that could not be measured. Or rather, it itself could not be measured, neither spatially nor temporally, for he lacked such things.
And they were now within his territory. The territory of the darkness.
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Venus was sitting calmly on her throne made of sorrow, situated within her own metaworld. In this sense, it could be said she was equal to Zophades. Or perhaps, she was ironically mimicking him.
This was a safe place where no one could enter if she didn't allow it. It was backed up by numerous laws that prevented any harm to her existence or even her world itself.
Even so, even then, something broke into it. Something neither ethernal nor wanderer. A cracking sound is heard and an arm bursts forth, creating a hole in her metaworld.
The thing then jumps and steps into the realm of the crowned one, observing and analyzing its surroundings. Around 100 meters from it, it had detected the presence of an ethernal sitting on a throne.
If anything, the thing was close to mechanical, a sort of machine.
Venus knew it had entered her realm the second it did so, for she was aware of all things that happened within the Exosphere. And naturally, she knew who sent it here and how it did so.
"So you are their actual ace in the hole? I see. But I expected more from someone with such an intimidating name. Ah, if you are wondering, I overheard your master before he sent you here. Trying to enact war against me on my world does have its natural detriments, as one should expect."
The seemingly mechanical entity raises its arm towards the ethernal, and from it, a multi-colored beam springs forth. Venus makes no attempt to dodge and simply raises her hand as well and takes it with class.
"Hoh..."
Venus says in surprise as she manages to not only withstand the damage effortlessly but condense the beam into a single infinitesimal point until it vanishes from reality.
"Transdimensional energy that does not match with the Hex...intriguing. If I hadn't blocked it, it probably would have destroyed the Exosphere. What a fine piece the wanderers got for themselves. But with this much power, you would only be destroying yourselves."
Venus stands up from her throne and speaks to the angel-shaped entity.
"Show me what kind of machine you are, METATRON."