Bloody Odyssey

Chapter 69: Acceptance

Before Ryker could fully take form, Dax's hand clamped around the neck of the forming figure.

"And I can also touch you in this state," Dax said, voice low and certain.

Ryker manifested in his true light—pure, blinding white. His eyes widened in horror.

"First I shall give you the treatment you bestowed on my father."

Ryker gritted his teeth. "You are the devil."

Dax smiled at his words—calm, almost amused.

His halo flickered into existence above him.

"Thanks to black hole forging, I realized origin could imitate enigmatic matter. Reverse it just a little… and it defines dark matter."

"A force powerful enough to crumble a neutron star from within. You angels possess bodiless forms similar to that, and a special soul construct."

"The patterns are almost everlasting."

"I could have just collapsed her body and transformed her into a black hole… but where is the fun in that?"

Dax touched his lips, utter madness glinting in his eyes.

Ryker stared at the ceiling in silence. Gali… I feel everything. The pain you went through… ahh.

Sadness filled his heart completely, but in that moment something clicked inside his mind.

"I accept," Ryker said through clenched teeth.

You will die here. His heart became still.

He reached down and lifted one of the nearby corpses with ease. He squeezed it against his white halo.

"During the first war of gods—a chase for dominion and power over the god realm—an angel offered a sacrifice… to himself."

"That was the first rebel, the first fallen. He did it, saw it was good… and he drew closer to God."

Ryker's voice echoed calmly through the hallways as blood poured over his halo.

Master, I believe you should stop him, Inerous whispered in Dax's mind.

Dax just watched, eyes cold, surging with intent.

"This is the first act of blasphemy toward God." Ryker's wings began turning black.

He hugged himself, folding into a tight ball.

His power is growing. Falling from grace isn't supposed to bring strength. The patterns in his soul continued to extend.

His halo withered away.

Entities rushed in from every direction—only to be met by soft golden ripples. The floor beneath him turned golden. Soft white petals drifted down from nowhere.

One petal landed gently on Dax's palm. What is this? He observed it closely but couldn't see through its frequency.

Warning: Imminent space crumble.

A baleful scream tore through the void.

Dax looked around—his space was empty now. Pure emptiness stared back.

Dax hovered, refusing to let his feet touch the newly forming world.

In an instant every string pouring out of his body wove back into his very soul—like a state of returning to origin.

Strange figures manifested. Their faces were pitch black, bodies white like snow. Broken halos of different shapes hovered above their heads. Each held a different type of weapon and was covered in flowing white garments.

Before the curled-up fallen angel, one of the beings knelt and presented the Longinus Spear to him.

"My king," a hollow voice came from the figure.

Ryker stood to his feet, face emotionless. He took the spear. More power surged into him the moment he came in contact with it.

"This world is truly magnificent. You are the first entity to break and injure Zero."

Should I just switch levels? Dax wondered.

"Dodge!" Inerous screamed.

Dax leaned to the left, vanishing like a flicker. Mid-air, he saw a transparent, invisible ray streak past.

What is wrong? I see no energy rippling from his body. The strings are gone and now I can only see the shadow of this attack.

He looked at his finger—nothing there. He felt no pain. It was just a little graze.

Like a streak, Dax moved. He held onto Cil. His finger regenerated with insane speed as he drew.

"Blood Flow."

The angel blocked with ease.

"Very good. You are one of the strongest I've fought. I can even say you're stronger than the two angels I encountered my first day here."

"You shall call me the Starry Demon… or the Doctor."

"Powerful one—what shall I remember you as?" Dax asked, taking a stance.

"Dead men don't need to know names." Ryker's tone was cold

"You've finally decided to be serious," Inerous's voice echoed in his mind.

Dax simply smiled in response. "He is strong. This world has the best specimens."

Dax flicked his finger, packing his hair into a tight bun.

"Inerous—show my team. Show them what I expect from them through this."

This is war.

Dax's halo began to spin at an insane speed. It turned faster and faster until it looked like it wasn't moving at all.

Dax's body began to release a devouring force. Around this devouring force was perfect harmony—destruction and creation forming a strange balance.

-100 World Ki.

Dax's strength surged. His body circulated synthesis and origin water through his veins.

Under Dax's gaze, a strange flame took place in the angel's core.

He pulled one of the entities manifested from Ryker toward him. It instantly tried to turn to light particles, desperate to get away from Dax.

Dax smiled.

"I am the force that devoured light itself."

It crumbled, fusing with his being.

"Ahhh… such vast energy. But I didn't get any World Ki from this. How strange."

"Praise to the mighty one."

Voices of praise and worship covered Ryker's entirety.

"Cil—let's go."

Dax's traits wrapped around Cil perfectly. She hummed violently.

They appeared amid a bunch of those black faceless creatures, brandishing their weapons with insane intensity.

"Inerous—do the usual and take partial control of my left arm."

He swung, slicing the weapon cleanly. In the distance Ryker raised his hand to the sky, bursting strange light particles from his hands.

All of Dax's hair stood on end. Danger!

He dodged—just to see a spear shatter beside him. Dax dodged again, getting away from the fragment.

My body is warning me. Dax had no time to be marveled. Lost in thoughts, another spear was shot at him.

"Blood Rush."

Dax moved once again with intent, slaughtering everything in his path.

With Cil he was like death—dancing in the slaughter. More entities came out from Ryker's being: some slender, some bulky holding massive shields.

Tall figures covered in white robes from head to toe began to chant. Suddenly those dangerous spears covered the sky.

Dax once again changed his stance, instantly transforming Cil into her katana form.

"Killing Demon."

The demon manifested—but now it was different. It carried an air of blasphemy. On its back was a single black wing, and on one of its six arms it held the massive mirror, making it look small.

Dax smiled. He retrieved the corpse of Gali.

With an evil smile on his face, he pierced into her abdomen, removing a golden core.

Ryker raised his head, looking at Dax. He was calm on the outside—but going crazy inside.

Dax threw her headless corpse like a useless rag.

How is he holding onto something intangible? Nothing made sense to Ryker. I never wanted to admit it, but now I believe this man is a God wearing the cloth of a man.

"I don't want to understand you."

"He finally speaks." Dax turned to the Killing Demon. He pierced the orb into its heart. "You are just like them. You are not flesh and blood." Dax's tone was gentle.

This man must be mad. What does he think he's doing? Ryker laughed out loud.

"You think you can mix the source of an angel with something so vile and evil?" Ryker's voice was mocking.

"I don't follow the laws of this world. I am not bound by it. Do not judge me by your concepts." Dax was calm.

But the Killing Demon screamed in pain—blood dripping from its evil face. It tore free from Dax's grasp with speed, smashing onto the ground in pure agony.

"What did you expect? I wonder what vile place you're from. You don't even understand that those energies conflict." Ryker's voice was loud and mocking.

"Synthesis," Dax whispered with a cold smile. He placed his hand on the demon.

Instantly a silver goo burst from his palm, covering its entirety.

In Dax's lab the team was intensely focused on the screen, mouths agape. Their faces carried a glimpse of fear and pride.

They had a lot of questions in their minds. What was that strange hellscape? What were those demonic creatures?

How was he even that strong to fight an angel? Yes, they had seen his power and a bit of what he could do—the same for the angel.

They saw its fall from grace but didn't understand its lengths.

Who was that man in the blood-red robes?

They saw Dax defile the corpse of an angel then stab into the air. Anastas staggered backwards.

"What is going on?" Mimi asked.

"Blasphemy of light," Anastas said. He watched Dax's fingers hold the intangible core of the angel and he could see the demon standing behind Dax.

"What are you implying, Anastas?" Hanna turned toward Anastas.

"He is fusing a core of light into an evil spirit," Anastas said, gaze stuck on the screen.

"But that shouldn't be possible. Those energies conflict. But what doesn't make sense is the fact that he can control the evil spirit without mana."