"Soon… soon I will have it all. The multi-universe will be in my hands, I will control every law, magic, and every other possible power out there. When I'm done, nothing will be in my way anymore."
A handsome man with long black hair and silvery eyes sat on a throne. However, there were no subjects, no admirers, no servants. He was all alone, just like he always wanted it to be.
"Please, please have mercy, Lord Glottis. I will never go against you or interfere with your will, let me live!"
The area was not exactly empty. There was one powerless man kneeling there. His figure seemed elusive and almost transparent, a sign this god was on his dying breath. His body shook, and his hands clenched the floor with desperation as he begged for his life from the lord in front of him.
"I'm sorry, Viper. Letting you go would insult the memory of the gods, immortals, fairies, magi, and other beings I have consumed. I must complete what I started, I owe it to them. I will only stop once I control every possible power out there; when I finally achieve my aspirations."
Glottis opened his mouth and a strong sucking power hit Viper. The man could only scream in agony as his very being was taken by the lord.
"Ah, that felt good. I can never have enough…" Glottis muttered to himself as he found his comfortable spot in his seat. He knew it'd take him a few years to completely digest the new powers, and there was a queue of other individuals in his metaphoric stomach. Viper, the god of poison and curses, could only wait in line to be assimilated into Glottis' body, soul, and mind.
"Sounds like you had a good meal, Lord Glottis," a female voice made him open his half-closed eyes. Ever since he devoured the Demoness of Sloth, he developed a new hobby of taking afternoon naps, especially after finishing a hunt.
"Oh, Epiphany, welcome to my humble abode. If I knew you were coming over, I would prepare the best delicacies for you," Glottis smiled at the newcomer.
Epiphany was a woman of extraordinary beauty with her golden curls falling from her head and her eyes, adorned in the same color, made one believe they could see through their very core.
"I know what you want, Glottis. I always did. I might have closed my eyes so far in the false hope that this day will never happen, but it's time to confront you."
Epiphany's expression remained stoic while she spoke, giving one the impression she did not feel the slightest fear at the presence of the mightiest god in the multiverse.
"Haha, what might that be? Tell me, O Wise One, what is it that I desire?" Glottis' laughter echoed in the empty space as he shifted his position slightly to match it with his outburst. He had nothing to fear anymore; even if Epiphany wasn't coming for him, he'd come for her soon.
"You don't hide your wishes anymore…" Epiphany sighed, "You want to kill me too, you always planned to."
"You might be smart, but you sure are rude. Don't you know that peeking into one's mind is a violation of privacy?" Glottis mocked the goddess. Even he was unable to entirely hide his thoughts and plans from her. It was enough for him to think about them for her to know all his secrets.
"I'm sorry for violating your privacy, Lord Glottis, I only do it when I believe the other side wants to kill me. I must say, I'm surprised you managed to feed me with lies all this time. How did you make me believe you are not going to attack me?" Epiphany waved her hand and a golden chair appeared behind her.
"We both know you read everyone's thoughts all the time, dear. As for your question, it's a good trick I learned from an immortal I once devoured; they have exceptional willpower and tenancy. I simply had to convince myself that I'd never attack you. I didn't lie to you. In fact, we both believed the same thing."
"Huh?" Epiphany raised an eyebrow, "Then how do you explain the fact you are openly planning my death right now?"
"I re-evaluated the situation after Viper died. He was one of the most dangerous gods out there, and with him gone, it's only you, me, and Noctis. Since you are already here and the god of darkness and thievery is quite slippery, I will just start with you and easily find him with your powers in a few years."
Glottis did not mind explaining his plan since it seemed final and unavoidable. Having someone appreciate his foresight and prospects was better than just accomplishing his goals with everyone being none the wiser.
"I see, it is indeed a useful ability you picked up there. Do you truly believe you can beat me, Glottis? There is a reason you hid your intentions from me and didn't dare face me. It's because I'm the best, because I know every thought that crosses everyone's minds. No matter how strong you are, if I know your future moves, you can do nothing against me."
"You are bluffing, Epiphany. You are not my match anymore. I only feared you would assemble the gods, demons, immortals, and all the others. If they formed a military with you as its head, my power would not be enough to take it out. However, you are alone now. Even if Noctis is hiding somewhere around here, you two cannot sustain my power by yourselves."
Glottis remained cocky to the end, not letting a single way out for the goddess of wisdom. He was so close to being the one and only god of the multiverse. Empty threats held no value in his eyes.
"If you are so sure, let's see if you can protect your mind from being shattered," The golden-haired woman challenged.
The golden eyes met the silvery ones, and the last battle of the two greatest gods began.
----
*BOOM*
A planet exploded when Glottis used his hellfire. The flames covered every matter in a radius of over a light-year, trying to consume everything and anything in their path.
"Don't think it's that easy to destroy me!"
Epiphany, unwilling to lose, used her mind powers to create a safe path for herself, and a golden flash could be seen crossing amidst the sea of black fire that threatened to leave a barren world behind.
"Hmm, cheap tricks," Glottis frowned when the flames began to lose control. He could recognize that his thoughts were disarranged, making it hard for him to execute his skills properly. To make things worse, a penetrative headache assaulted him, making him distort his face further and bite his lower lip to resist the pain.
His troubles did not end there; he almost fell off his chair when his senses deviated, giving him false information. The powers of the goddess of wisdom were nothing to scoff at.
"You want to play? Be my guest!" Glottis was suffering, but he knew this battle would not be easy. He was not losing, he simply did not go on the offensive yet.
"Ah! Lord Glottis!" Epiphany screamed, but it was not from pain. Her eyes turned unfocused when she looked at the mighty god who hadn't left his seat yet. In contrast, her golden chair was burnt into nothingness by now.
The goddess' lips parted ever so slightly and a trail of saliva leaked without her attention. Her face revealed a blush as her temperature rose and she could feel a tingling sensation she hadn't had in ages.
"The powers of Asmodeus, the demon of lust! Wisdom prevails over animalistic desires, I won't fall for it!" She gritted her teeth and said with conviction. She could pressure Glottis' mind much less now that she was occupied with her own obstacles. Her movements slowed and her concentration was damaged.
"This is not it yet, love. Do your best to entertain me, I haven't had a challenging duel in a long time! Hahahaha!"
Glottis' wild burst of laughter reverberated, generating thunders and lightnings all over the multiverse. In many worlds, legends would be told for many years about the day God's laughter was heard by all.
"You monster, you have eaten all the gods! This is Phoebus' light! Apollo's music! Even the scent is stolen!" Epiphany's voice was desperate when the space turned white with shining light. In the next second, countless scenes were shown to her. Glottis created countless mirages of himself, of Epiphany, and of the other supreme beings he had devoured.
'I can still find him through his thoughts!' The goddess deduced when she realized she could not tell the fake from the real. For all she knew, Glottis had assumed an entirely different figure from his usual self.
"Try to find me, Epiphany!" Glottis' gloating voice came from every direction. It mixed with the music that disoriented the goddess, the whistle of the wind that only blew in her mind, and the sound of the imaginary entities surrounding her.
"You have cast the spells even on yourself!" Epiphany finally understood what was going on when she failed to locate Glottis for the hundredth time.
"True, but do you know the difference between you and me? It's simple, really! I can cancel everything whenever I want."
Glottis' confidence was not unfounded. Epiphany's wisdom could not save her from those illusions because they were not only in her mind, but they were real illusions. He created them by manipulating the light of creation to make an ethereal yet genuine-looking world come to life, and his manipulation of sound wasn't any less good, giving the fake world another layer of reality.
Since he knew she would pinpoint his location as well as his hidden attacks if he tried to command the illusions, he trapped himself with her. In the background, there were raging hellfire flames that tried to consume his enemy.
"AHHHH!" A feminine scream was eventually heard. All beings, mortals, and beyond, kneeled at that moment as a splitting pain took over their minds. It did not spare a single one – humans, elves, orcs, demigods, or angels. Even animals were not exempted from the agony.
"It's time for you to be conquered. You might be one of the oldest gods to ever ascend, but now it's time for the new generation to take over, and by new generation, I mean me alone!"
Waves of crystal-clear water rammed into the trapped woman, caging her in a sphere of water that rendered her unable to move. This water was one of the most sacred things in the many worlds, yet Glottis had gained control of it, making it abide by his will. One vial of this water would cost a fortune anywhere.
"NO!" Epiphany tried to struggle, but it was all in vain.
"It's too late now, my beloved goddess. Now, be a good girl and let me eat you."
The last sight many gods had seen before their deaths was now shown to Epiphany. She watched silently as Glottis opened his mouth unnaturally wide and a sucking force swept over her. Only a few tears testified to the sorrow she felt for her death.
The bubble of water floated to Glottis' open maw and quickly slipped down his throat, leaving emptiness behind. The survivors across the multiverse could finally let their heads go and fall into a healing slumber. Glottis undid his illusions and many techniques and sunk back into his throne, a slight smile adorning his lips.
'Now I only need to digest her abilities before I can find the last slippery god and have everything,' Glottis thought, his eyes shining with greed. The world was in this peril because nobody stopped his battle with the demon of greed, letting one of the most dangerous gods develop an endless appetite for everything.
Glottis did not leave his chair for hundreds of years while he digested all the many gods he had devoured. He only had a little left until he was finally ready to take over the multiverse.
"I'm done!"
Glottis cheered when he opened his eyes for the first time in many decades. Unfortunately, his happiness was short-lived.
"This is our final act of revenge, Glottis. You managed to defend yourself from any curses of Viper, but not me. I had let him spend most of his powers on a special curse, and now you have devoured it when you devoured me. From now on, your thoughts will always be in disarray, and you will always forget one detail in every plan you make. Try and guess the main element behind the curse, Young Boy."
"Epiphany!" Glottis shouted in fury when he heard the female voice speaking to him. He didn't have to guess what element the curse was based on. This curse was the final project of the last three gods – Viper, Epiphany, and Noctis.
"You have set me up, but once I devour Noctis, I will get rid of this bloody curse!"
A few more unlucky galaxies vanished as collateral damage with every syllable he screamed at the empty space.