They were losing. Badly. Sure they had not moved from their spot and they had not let a single entity past them. But it cost bodies. Living armors were upfront halting the entities. Argonnes above holding back any aerial divers. Once in a while, an Argonne would crash down dead further burdening the hearts of the gods.
The Evershus had withdrawn leaving the Argatans to hold the spikes while the living armors battled with all their steel might. The Elosas sat atop the spikes still occasionally assisting the living armors to route the large unending armada.
Try as they might it was over. They knew it. Unless something changed then Creation Online would use them as lore to bolster morale for future players.
It was just fortunate that the chaos entities were not smart enough to realize they could simply go around the hill. Their desire to end life pulled them like moths to the flame at the large congregation up front.
Something did change. But not in assisting the gods. One of the chaos entities devoured yet another of the numerous shards it had been getting and right before their eyes evolved. It got a form, its crystallized skin becoming black flesh, four arms extended out its sides, and a tail that lashed about with a round hard ball at its tip. In place of a head was a torso with a wide mouth. Legs that were beastly helped it as it charged for the spikes.
"Down that beast. !" Mariet screamed.
Jean the Undule one of the gods resting looked to see the thing rush at the spikes its arms batting armors out of its way. One arm grabbing at them and the other ripping out their shards.
But the consumed shard did nothing for it anymore.
Horror downed on the gods as they realized. It was coming for then.
The ground ripped and burst apart as thick vines tore out tripping and binding the limbs of the creature. It roared fiercely as it fought its constraints. Jean was having none of it. The goddess of combat was upon the entity her sword slicing into its body. She gaped as her sword marks healed. The beast ripped the roots off and turned rising to its full nine feet height. Jean's chest rose and fell.
Two ways about it. Permanent death now or later. Help may come but more gods would die to this thing. Who knew if help would come? Who knew if the creator players were still in their universes either way?
No help was near.
The Undule smirked darkly. Her long sword pointed upwards and her three eyes twinkled. Her hands gripped the sword tightly as the beast stared her down.
'It's just a game'.her feet dug into the ground.
"Come!"
*
Gertrude shook as she watched the beast toss the shard into its maws and then snap it close before tossing the Undules broken corpse aside like a rag. It swallowed the shard and then stilled. The glow of gold divinity was visible flushing into its body and getting converted. Its muscles burned and roots shot out to enfold over its arms and torso forming an armor of black eldritch vines.
Gertrude exhaled, and slowly she walked forward short swords in hand. She wasn't the only one. Everyone had seen what must have been the shortest fight in this battle. The other gods tossed a proverbial finger to the nothingness as they all rose from their rest or hiding.
It was all or nothing.
The first screamed and then the second and all charged with hate. Both known and unknown gods. Even the Qitsarlmers pulled out long five-pronged tridents and raced ahead with the rest.
There was no arrangement in ranks or race. A mad mixture and a complete show of powers. Gertrude was swept with the flow as rage colored her face. While her subconscious told her it was a game her mind still saw it all wrong.
The Gods finally reached, the Argatans parting to let the engaging army through, then joining. The living armors pulled back and like a tidal wave flowed around to rejoin the charging gods. Most of the gods screamed in defiance, others were silent with grim determination, and others just striving to survive this.
Right as both sides were about to clash silver fire descended burning through the ranks of the chaos army. Then from the west and east devils and demons smashed into the chaos armies. There was no formation, no arrangement. Just a battle craze to kill as many of them as possible.
*
[FURROW HOUSE]
[BEFORE VOID INCURSION ]
The Furrow family had long ignored the TV for a night of Ludo gameplay. One of the few relics of the past that had managed to survive. The family tweaked the game rules a bit to reproduce their version with the children teaming on one side to defeat the parents.
Their play had gone on for the hours with the children taking a sound thrashing.
"With all the games you both play you'd think this should be easy". Carmella chuckled as she threw the pair of dice. All watched it roll till it halted with a six and five.
Dustin grumbled at his proud parents sending his seed back home while yet another of their seeds left the game. Before he could make a complaint about creating his leg jerked as his phone vibrated in his pockets. He fumbled with his pockets eyes on his father as Keller shook his cup to throw the dice. Dustin listened to the jumbled voice of Jameson and Kevin frantically speaking on the other end as he answered.
" Wait...what".
"I can't get you." his face furrowed as he tried to listen. The family halted to look at him. After a minute he dropped the call his face confused.
"What?" Helen asked.
"I don't know. "he shrugged. " Something about a void incursion, on your universe". The girl frowned in confusion before standing and heading closer to the screen to see what was going on. All eyes followed.
"What the hell?" Helen exclaimed.
Everyone watched as a flying entity zipped through the boundaries of a realm and approached a jet-black growing substance.
"Was that part of the plan?" Dustin asked shocked at the sight.
"No. It wasn't" She turned and rushed for her room.
"Do you need help?"Dustin asked. She looked back at him. " What would you do, travel the void?" She shook her head and rushed upstairs.
"So what's going on? Carmella asked. The boy shrugged.
"Probably something new. It's Hilde's world. It's a mad place. She'll handle it". undisturbed he went for the fridge ignoring his parents' raised brows.
"Chill. It's Hilde. This is breakfast for her. Whatever it is. She always thinks of something". he assured.
*
Hilde roused from her slumber after a long time of pushing herself off a mode her body had been in. After which she cleared the massive influx of notifications that had filled her mental box. One caught her eye though.
[PRIMORDIAL CHAOS INCURSION]
[QUEST DIRECTIVES - DEFEND]
The chaos has found a passage into your universe. Defend your realms from it's hunger.
[ADVICE - HALT CHAOS INCURSION]
[Rewards - CHAOS STONE]
[Failure - PERMA DEATH OF LIFEFORMS AND CORRUPTION]
.
.
[PRIMORDIAL CHAOS INCURSION]
[QUEST DIRECTIVES - SLAY]
The soul realm is at 2% corruption. Slay chaos limb to halt corruption.
[ADVICE - HURRY]
[Rewards - CHAOS STONE]
[Failure - PERMA DEATH OF LIFEFORMS AND CORRUPTION]
Her eyes snapped open. Even from here she could feel and hear the thousands of cries that bombarded her. It was a different matter when gods prayed. Hilde dashed for her castle exit with confusion. Whatever made the gods who hadn't prayed since they were made to do so now was a big problem.
Her first thoughts had been that Bali had found her universe somehow. It was crushed with the memory that he was sealed behind the nether gates. Right as she was about to touch the doors she found herself at the start of her run. The door remained far from her. Hilde turned around confused.
Her eyes went from the door to herself and back. Then she rushed it once more only to find herself at the start again. The girl was slightly annoyed at this point. She took slow steps to the four yet it was the same thing. She moved quickly but it repeated.
" Show yourself" she shouted angered.
The side of the room shifted and Cole appeared with a clean slate for a face. Hilde just stood there confused staring at him.
"You?"
The boy made no reactions. Shaking her head she just turned and walked back for the door. Cole just looked at her and the point she started at. The whole thing reversed.
"What are you doing.?" she shouted. He kept quiet. Looked at her then shook his head.
Hilde was panicking now. Frustrated and slowly getting enraged. It didn't help his silence. The boy seemed to notice the slow increase of divinity in the air as he took a step back sighed and spoke.
"They are not ready. You are not ready," he announced.
"That's what the demons were for," she shouted. He remained silent then looked away. "Wasn't it?" her confused expression clear she doubted it now.
He sighed before rubbing his forehead.
"I dislike this part" he muttered. "Yes. And no. The demons are too weak a caliber of opponents to contend with the living armors and the Devil's are too inexperienced to battle the gods. Especially players. Besides the required lesson won't be learned with such a war.".
" So, you did what exactly?" she pushed taking a step closer. He looked away. "Increased the odds simply." her head tilted. Then she remembered the notification.
"How exactly did you do that?. What did you do?". she hissed with malice. Cole frowned at her voice but sighed with resignation.
"Made sure war affected your aether boundaries. " he took a step back as she made a grasping move and squeezed the air.
"Nothing can break my aether from within not even the aether beasts". she commented shaking her head in doubt. Cole scratched his right shoulder.
"I know". Hilde frowned as the screams and prayers increased.
"I need to head down. Let me out".
He shook his head. " I can't. Not yet".
"Why can't you?" she growled. "Are they all gonna die before you let me out?". he winced.
" No. They just need to adapt to this."
"LET ME OUT!" The castle shook and Cole shut his eyes.
"You'd find that impossible to do now. Leaving means you'd have to get through me". It was like glass broke at the statement. Hilde looked out the window and then back at him. Slowly her expression turned stoic her eyes cold. Divinity flowed into her arms and then rushed through her body and into her eyes.
Cole sighed at her choice. A hint of pride was hidden in his gaze.
"Come. Warrior one.".his eyes flashed with a little sparkle as Hilde pounced at him. "Hopefully you can at most, tickle me"