An Era About to End

The shock from the "Higher Realm" echoed throughout the world, burning the souls to ashes, while the words appeared only to vanish into nothingness, destroying even the gods. He adapted to everything that obstructed him, the divine pressure from the gods failed to make him flinch. Known as "The God of Destruction," he wielded the power of darkness and annihilation. His very existence brought terror and fear to the entire reality.

His name was Asura Ishigami (Second Deity).

"...Everything... it's bad, isn't it... After all... I still can't do anything about you... Toneri..."

Asura mumbled, breathing heavily, every cell in his body clashing against each other at their limit as columns of ice crystals continued to impale him, freezing everything inside him, halting his actions, abilities... even his thoughts were on the verge of stopping indefinitely.

"Well done, but all your efforts are going to end here, thanks to my power..." Toneri replied with a faint smile while sitting on his throne.

Just as an ice pillar appeared to end Asura's presence, suddenly, someone lunged forward—Mercury, the God of Speed, with a kick beyond the concept of normal time, striking straight at Toneri. At the same time, from above, the Goddess of Wisdom, Sophia, appeared with six chains, thrusting them straight into him, piercing through layer upon layer of his concepts.

"...This is... my skill?! This can't be a mistake... How did you create this...?"

Toneri exclaimed in surprise.

"It was created by The Creator... How do you feel now, being restrained by your own power... The six chains pierced you before they even activated... it must be said... it reverses causality! If you could react to it, that would be unfortunate... even causality should bow before your power, right?... But it's truly pathetic and ironic that you yourself are the one being restrained by your own strength..."

Sophia continued.

"...The six chains, the six paths, the six destinies represent the six realms of reincarnation, including: The Deva Realm, The Human Realm, The Asura Realm, The Naraka Realm, The Preta Realm, and The Animal Realm. Each realm represents a different type of existence and karma. The chains bind all beings in the cycle of life and death, with each chain representing a different path of reincarnation..."

"...Six chains, each with a different color and structure, symbolizing the different paths of reincarnation. Each chain represents a karmic path, binding the enemy to the eternal cycle of life and death."

"How... how could you create this?! It carries my power... I am the one who understands best that no one—"

"...—can do this... Only The Creator is immune to your power... He has created something unimaginable... Six chains, six realms of reincarnation, carrying your own power..."

"...The Binding and Suffering, the one bound by the six chains feels the existence of each reincarnation path. Each chain creates pain or burden corresponding to the path it represents, forcing you to experience the suffering and hardship of all the realms... for eternity."

"...Since when... was your plan... to imprison me with these chains... I feel it... a sensation corresponding to each realm of reincarnation that each chain represents. It creates a suffering and burden on me, accumulating infinitely... it pierces through my flesh, soul, and mind... but..."

Toneri furrowed his brows, his face darkening as he continued.

"...It seems... you all... have underestimated me!"

A thunderous noise split the sky, tearing apart space itself, as an overwhelming pressure radiated from Toneri. Asura, Mercury, and Sophia were horrified as they realized the chains could not be destroyed, as they had been rendered indestructible by Toneri, and were now cracking, with the cracks growing larger by the second.

"Hurry! I'll get you out of here!"

Mercury shouted.

"I can't leave right now. This is my personal matter, and I must resolve it myself. If I leave now, everything we've done will be in vain."

"I know what situation I'm in and, more importantly... I know exactly who I'm facing." (Asura replied, his eyes stern.)

"If you want, you can leave. This is not your problem, and there's no reason for you to stay, Mercury. This isn't a matter of survival; it's my personal battle... I'm sorry for dragging you into this, but I will resolve it... no one else."

"...Who do you think you are?" One of the chains snapped. "Who do you think you are?" Three of the chains snapped. "Tell me, who do you think you are?" Four of the chains snapped. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??" Only one chain remained...

"ASURAAAAAAAAAA!!"

.....

The Columns of Crystals Began to Collapse

His gaze was stern. Asura held the "Emma" of destruction in his hand, a sword cursed by this entire world.

"Have you ever truly known your limits? You have always been a failure. History has proven it, and now I will remind you once again," Toneri said arrogantly.

Toneri stepped forward, the last chain binding him about to snap. A crystal column was formed, and the two weapons clashed, erasing an entire region of space, melting away the concepts that existed. Past, present, and future merged as one.

The crystal column pierced through Asura, freezing all existence. Time—past, present, or future—stopped. It pierced through his memories, through every cell and soul. Asura felt the coldness cutting through every fiber of his being, but strangely, it wasn't the physical pain that tormented him. It was a vague memory of something... someone? An image flickered, then vanished like ash carried away by the wind.

From his body, a curse surged, gripping the Moon Slayer Sword and thrusting it straight into Toneri. At the same time, the chains that had already broken began to regenerate, stabbing into Toneri and forming an unbreakable net.

"The six chains, the chain of ignorance, represent the lack of understanding about the true nature of reality, making us unaware of the cause and effect of our actions..."

"The chain of greed symbolizes desire or craving for objects, emotions, or material things that lead to suffering and continued reincarnation..."

"The chain of anger is the chain of resentment or hatred, causing division and conflict in the cycle of reincarnation..."

"The chain of creation represents action; a small action can lead to a different result in the future..."

"The chain of attachment clings to the ego and its concepts, trapping us in the cycle of reincarnation..."

"The chain of life and death concerns existence and death, a never-ending cycle that cannot be escaped..."

"Six chains, six fates, binding the freedom of anyone who dares to rebel..."

"Did you bet everything on these chains?" (The Creator said)

And so, the chains twisted in space, gradually pulling Toneri into an inescapable sealing vortex. Meanwhile, Asura was slowly turning to ashes. He threw his sword into the empty throne, stabbing it to the very depths of truth. The ground cracked, and he fell, one hand reaching to the sky, clenched tightly.

"I will destroy all the gods of this world..."

His prophecy echoed throughout the upper realms. He fell into the sea, "The sunlight pierced through the dense foliage, but it wasn't enough to dispel the bone-chilling cold on the ground. Asura, now nothing more than a fragment of himself, suddenly woke up in the midst of a dark forest... Ten thousand years had passed... A thick mist surrounded the forest. The cold, still air seemed to stop time itself, while the ashes of the battle still hovered in the air, falling like gloomy snowflakes."

From afar, a girl approached, Lumine, moving gently between the trees. Her sharp eyes scanned every corner of the dark forest. Weak rays of sunlight filtered through the thick canopy above, reflecting softly in the mist. Suddenly, she stopped, sensing something unusual. It didn't belong to this world… it was powerful to the point of discomfort, yet silent as if restrained.

"What's happening here...?" Lumine thought to herself.

She slowly walked toward an open space where the faint sunlight illuminated a vague figure amidst the ashes and mist.

A young boy lay on the ground, his body nearly lifeless, with ash swirling around him. His eyes opened slightly, yet they were empty, as if he had no memory of himself. The sunlight fell on his pale face, creating a strange contrast with the still atmosphere.

Lumine stood at a distance, observing, her eyes flickering with both curiosity and caution.

"Who are you...?" she asked, her voice calm but firm.

There was no reply. Asura slowly lifted his head, his gaze vacant, but there was still a glimmer of existence deep in his eyes.

"That kid… isn't like I thought..." Lumine muttered to herself but kept her distance.

Suddenly, Asura grasped his chest, as though feeling an invisible pain from within. A wave of coldness emanated from him, causing the nearby leaves to freeze for a moment. Lumine stepped back but didn't take her eyes off him.

Lumine stared into his eyes, and in that moment, she felt something familiar, as if their fates had intertwined long ago, though she couldn't explain it.

"Who are you...?" Lumine asked again, her tone still neutral.

Asura didn't respond, only staring at his hand where the ashes continued to fall...

-End Chapter 1-

To be continued...