One Fell…..
Towards the endless abyss she won't return…..
One Stood…..
The remains of his enemy feeds his ceaseless growth….
Those precisely summarized the outcome of this war.
The Universe lost!
Every single fabric of her existence was devoured away by Getter Emperor for his unending quest of evolution, causing the size of his demonic yet regal form which stood triumphantly amidst the infinite expanse of emptiness to reach the realm of impossibility.
More than 150 billion light years tall! Much bigger than the observable universe in his past life!
And worse, his growth didn't stop....
It continued on as his all devouring aura was rending the void piece by piece, even the emptiness is not spared from his ceaseless gluttony!
The World Devouring Titan finally spoke, the voice which resounded from within was that of Ryoma Nagare. ["It's over, huh?"]
Innumerable lives, innocent and not, young and old, sentient and not, were sacrificed...
Countless futures, bright and dark, were erased, never able to come into fruition…..
Nevertheless…..
["We win…."]
He won…..
He and his wives won their first ever universal scaled war!
How about the guilt? from all the destruction he caused? That wasn't fully his to bear as it was the choice of The Universe's Will to sacrifice all of her children against him, no?
And in this war, it was either him or her! He couldn't spare a tiny shred of pity against one who seeks nothing but his death, right?
Furthermore, he has loved ones to protect! Pity and guilt can go to hell if his wives' life is on the line!
"Fufufu~ that we did!"
[No hidden dangers could be detected inside the Universe's remains you just ate… phew, safe! We truly have won, Master!]
And speaking of loved ones, his two dearest wives immediately chimed in and cheered on their hard earned victory.
Oh how good life truly is, and it'll become even better from now on!
"So how do you feel right now after completing your evolution? Like maybe you got a sudden surge of power and want to destroy more things?" asked his adorable genocidal maniac through their connection, her curiosity was brimming just like a kid.
Though why was destruction the first that came to her mind?? Oh well, as expected of her…..
["The best that I've ever been! But first of all….."] He proudly answered yet didn't finish his explanation as he started a more thorough observation of the seemingly endless expanse of the void.
Which strangely didn't look as empty as he had expected...
Countless light dots, some drifting alone, some gathering and forming arrays of constellations were decorating its body that was devoid of light.
A strange resemblance to the sceneries inside the Universe he just devoured....
What are they? How could there be light dots inside a place which should've been void of time and space?
So with piqued curiosity, his incredibly titanous visors zoomed into one of the light dots, obtaining the answer to those questions which made him quite amused. ["We fought so hard to break free from a small pond only to end up in an even bigger pool that contains countless of such ponds, interesting isn't it?"]
Indeed, those light dots are universes of their own, floating aimlessly inside an even bigger realm....
And the Universe he devoured not long ago was as insignificant as those light dots inside this endless void….
The sight could truly make one feel small and powerless, no?
"Hm. Furthermore, this kind of scenery would show itself once we have ascended beyond this "bigger pool" and so on, so forth! Heh! We still have a long way to go, haven't we?"
["Hahahaha! It's good that you didn't lose your will to fight after realizing how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things!"]
But obviously not for these two! Because no matter how powerful their future adversaries might be, they will defeat them and evolve further beyond!
"Fufufu~ If I did, then I'm not worthy to be standing by your side, no?"
["Oh~ If you did, then I can simply protect you from any harm that'll come our way! That's one of a husband's duties, no?"]
A duty he must fulfill no matter what! He can't call himself a man if he failed to do so!
"Ara~ my dear really said that after getting scared shitless from knowing that an obsessive animal is coming for him~"
Though his dearest somehow drifted the topic away to a direction very unfavorable for him...
["Ehm! In any case, you are curious about my new capabilities, no? How about a demonstration?"]
So The World Devouring Emperor decided to use a diversion tactic with his finger pointing towards one of the universe orbs in front of him.
And he isn't scared! Not one bit! Not when he had achieved his ultimate form!
"Hehehe~ how cute~ then show me what you got!"
["How can you call this form cute? Anyway, let's start from the most interesting stuff!"]
As his tactic somehow worked (It obviously didn't), It was time to begin the show!
Fwoom...
On the tip of his pointing finger, an enormous amount of Getter Rays began to converge and formed a considerable sized emerald energy orb.
And using this orb towards the unsuspecting Universe, he would demonstrate a very intriguing ability from Getter Rays other than evolution, destruction, and devouring. Though whatever unknown abilities it might be, the demise of another universe alongside all of its inhabitants was already on its way….
["Hm?"]
But fortunately, their doom was postponed as Ryoma's full attention was suddenly redirected somewhere else, the scenery of the void right above him.
It was like any other part of the endless expanse, almost devoid of light if not for the arrays of universes constellations lighting it up.
Nothing strange, no sudden shifts in space and time, and no immediate threats could be detected by his ultra advanced sensory modules.
Yet, his gut feeling told him that something wasn't right....
And as The Emperor of Evolution who reigns at the top of survival, his mere ominous gut feelings are an absolute sign that there really is an exceedingly dangerous threat to his existence lurking in the shadows.
But to ensure that his premonition was true, he unleashed another Big Bang of Getter Rays which painted quite a considerably large portion of the void in emerald hue whilst consuming many of the unsuspected universes in the meanwhile.
Why did he do that? Shouldn't he be hiding or running for his life if he had already sensed a threat to his life? Isn't that how most of the threatened living beings act?
Heh! But not for him! If there really was a formidable enemy hiding in the shadows, he will smoke them out so that they have no choice but to fight him head on!
["Is it just me or...."]
Though his Getter Rays outburst discovered nothing of significance….
Indeed, he found some interesting stuff such as void beasts many times larger than an observable universe lurking amid the darkness of their domain. But, they pose no threat to him because his indiscriminate attack instantly devoured them whole and turned them into nutrients for his growth!
["Maybe there really is nothing here? So where are they!? Where are the formidable foes for Getter Emperor?!"]
Whether it was just his paranoia acting up or something was really lurking out there but the earlier outburst of power couldn't manage to smoke them out, either way he could do nothing to these unshakable gut feelings of his.
Still, while he was still in doubt, his maid, now wife out of nowhere, gave him an alert. [My beloved Master, you have received an urgent mail in your inbox! Want me to open it for you?]
["Mail? From whom? I didn't remember finishing any quest other than the ones in Es' homeworld…"] So in intrigue he asked, the out of nowhere ominous gut feelings and this surprise urgent email must be linked, one way or another.
[It's from my Creator…. their purpose for sending this is unknown. But one thing for sure, every urgent message they send should hold information of utmost importance. So, should I open it?]
Information of utmost importance….
Yeah, these two events were absolutely linked!
["Please do so, my love. I can't shake the feelings of being watched so any bits and pieces of information will be very helpful"]
[Oh my… A lover's moniker~ Very well then! Opening the urgent email!]
And thus, alongside the joyful announcement from the system maid, a light panel opened up in his vision, showing the first sentence of the mail with letters coloured in radiant golden hue.
[CONGRATULATIONS MY CHOSEN ONE.....]
It was a congratulations, something which should've made him happy after seeing it…..
[FOR COMPLETING THE TUTORIAL STAGE!]
Yet reading the following sentences of those celebratory words sent a chill down his spine….
[WELCOME TO THE REAL BATTLEFIELD!
Best Regards,
The Parents of Your Wife Whom You Haven't Asked For Blessings From]
["This isn't good….."]
How absurd...
From dropping him down into an uninhabited island full of man-eating beasts until fighting a war of annihilation against a sentient universe alongside every single one of its natives only count as tutorial??
A FUCKING TUTORIAL??!!!
Then what could be the real battlefield?! What kind of monstrosities he has to face from now on?! Surely the newly discovered void beasts don't count because even if their size makes the Getter Emperor's hundreds of billions light years tall figure look like a 1/144 scale Gundam Plastic Model to an adult human, they are harmless! Hell, he had one shot them with his earlier indiscriminate attack!
And so, what could really put him in extreme danger as if he is in a real battlefield?
["Esdeath, Theresa, prepare yourself! We are going to fight against our first Transcendent!"]
It was obvious, wasn't it? The most probable opponents that could truly threaten the current him were transcendental existences, higher dimensional beings capable of trivializing all below them like a work of fiction!
An immovable object! The only befitting opponent against his unstoppable Getter Rays!
"Ohh, we are going to fight them this soon? Heh! Bring it on! I'll crush them with my dearest' Emperor-2!"
The response from his adorable battle maniac was as expected, her ice cold blood was boiling intensely in anticipation against enemies that were beyond infinitely stronger than herself!
Still, why did she say that she would use his other Getter Emperor's form to fight them? Right, her Hel was still unqualified for a battle of this caliber so to participate, she needs to borrow his body….
Well, at least she got the spirits!
[Transcendent? Wait Master, can you allow me to see the mail from My Creator?]
And when it came to his system maid, it was different as she was still unsure and in need of a solid proof of his claims.
Though he found an interesting point…..
["Hm? You haven't seen what's inside the mail already?"]
Indeed, didn't she already see the content of the message? Like, it came through one of her functions right?
[Even though I could do it, I didn't because a maid needs permission before rummaging through her Master's belongings, no~? Though there's no need to worry about safety hazards because I have my own methods of inspections without having to look at the exact contents of your stuff!]
Ohh so that was why, a very admirable work ethic. As expected of his adorable maid!
["I'm quite curious how but let's leave that for later, I'll give you permission to see the mail"]
So he gave his permission, ignoring his interest on how she could check the security of his belongings without a thorough inspection because right now they were in a dire situation if his prediction was true and each moment spent could decide their survival or demise.
Though, let us ignore the useless question he asked in the first place...
[Permission Received! Reading through The Architect's email!]
And almost in a flash after she began reading the mail from her creator...
[ACTIVATING WORLD TRAVEL FUNCTION!]
["Eh??"]
"Eh?!"
The System Maid immediately activated the World Travel function without asking for her beloved Master's permissions!
["Theresa wait!"]
[Destination: The Zongman]
[Risk level has been updated!]
[Risk Level : Medium!]
Ignoring her Master's disapproval, the World Travel process went on, starting from pinpointing the destination that risk level had gone down tremendously after Ryoma's advent as Getter Emperor.
[Executing Safe Travel Sequences!]
Followed by the sudden appearance of an almost invisible energy barrier that instantly enveloped his incredulously massive frame alongside everything contained within.
[The safety of passengers has been secured!]
And with the protection of this barrier, none can harm them unless they are superior than that of A Supreme Transcendent such as Theresa's Creator!
Nevertheless...
"Sigh….. Don't you want to see My Dearest Husband evolve? Don't you want to accompany him as he trample those transcendental beings below his feet?! Answer me, Maid! I didn't give you my approval to stand beside him as a COWARD!"
Her abrupt decision to ensure their safety only made the wrath of her love rival explode like never before and worsened their already full of animosity relationship because she forced the battle maniac and her dearest husband to escape their incoming greatest battle in which they have prepared to stake everything for!
An insult the Ice General would never forgive no matter what!
["Shush…. She must have her own reasons. So tell me, my beloved maid, why did you decide that running away was the best course of action rather than fighting with everything we have then escaping if the fight is truly impossible to win?"]
While it wasn't as obvious as her hateful rival, the maid too could feel her beloved Master's anger that was hidden beneath the way he calmly questioned her action.
[Master….. I'm sorry...]
And it was truly painful, way more agonizing than what she had expected the moment she decided to immediately evacuate him alongside that loathsome Iceberg away from the grandest fight of their life.
But...
[But I won't change my decision!]
Indeed she won't! Even if she got a chance to turn back time because she knew the underlying meaning behind her Creator's message,
[We must escape! There is less than a zero chance that you can survive the incoming battle!]
Her Master wouldn't be able to survive the first encounter with the enemies from the "Real Battlefield"!
["How can you say so? We haven't even clashed once with them!"]
As she had expected, her beloved Master refused to believe that there was absolutely no chance for him to win against the incoming foe because of the boost of confidence from evolving into Getter Emperor...
[Because it would be too late if we decide to escape by then. Very well, I will briefly explain to you as the safety protocol has successfully been set up and I no longer have to worry about your life...]
Still, as her sudden decision was the one to blame, she owed him a very convincing cause.
[Do you still remember the selections of Transcendental Machines Path you could choose from in the beginning of our journey together? How high would you rank Getter Emperor compared to the others in the same list?]
So she did, beginning with a question which made the man reminisce of their past.
["If I'm being generous….. not even in the top 10"] Ryoma answered after a brief moment of thinking, though no sign of regret couldn't be sensed from the way he said that his current form was among the weakest.
Because there is no point in lamenting over something that can't be changed, he has the same potential as the other machines anyway so one way or another he will surpass them in the future!
[Sigh, that is one pessimistic claim….. Then what would happen if right now you are pitted against the top 10 of that list?]
["Simply existing in the same realm as them will obliterate me completely... wait, don't tell me!"] and upon answering her follow up question, her Master finally understood the gravity of their current situation and the importance of her seemingly cowardish act as his visors once again darted to the void ceiling above.
CRACK!
A gigantic fissure had formed on its supposedly invincible wall accompanied by a crimson glow that seeped through from beyond the border…..
[Indeed, Master... I decided that escape was the best course of action precisely because I predicted that The enemies in "The Real Battlefield" my Creator stated in their mail...]
Followed by the emergence of a colossal dark hand that began holding the supposedly intangible space-time of the void from within the formed crevice...
[Are at least capable of fatally damaging the top 3 machines in the transcendent machines list!]
CRACK!
"THAT IS ENOUGH, PEST FROM THE OUTSIDE! YOUR TRAILS OF SLAUGHTER ENDS HERE!"
And alas, the hand that could make the Getter Emperor who had grown tremendously from its initial size seemed like a grain of sand compared to a grand mountain range tore the border of realities effortlessly like ripping apart a wet paper, revealing the first transcendent obstacle in Ryoma's path!
[And it turns out my prediction wasn't too far off….]
Another familiar entity, the embodiment of collective wills from a race that betrayed their own kin in a twisted quest to prevent their reality's descent into oblivion…..
Humanoid in form, almost blending with the blankness of the void if not for the crimson cosmos around it and the dim white gleam of its pair of rage filled round swirling eyes…..
[An 11th Layer Transcendent, capable of crushing the top 5 and below in the list like a bug...]
And only one of such entities exists, at least one iconic enough for the man to remember it for as long as he lives!
[Anti Spiral.....]
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