logo

Epic of Caterpillarchapter 1905: meeting your other self

.

.

.

"I just don't like it! I don't want to eat you!" Umbra said. "It feels weird, why would I? Let's do this differently! Let's find… another way!"

"You're… so stubborn." I sighed, giving her a slight smile. "You remind me of myself. I guess we are really two faces of the same coin, haha… Then what do you suggest?"

"Hmmm… Let's blow up this space!" She said with a smile.

"E-Eh? But this is something like the subconscious, isn't it?" I wondered. "This space…"

"Nuh-huh!" She said. "This place is called… Umbra World. It is my world. I made it when I went to sleep… Since then, I've been here. I can't leave, and I am trapped in the world of my own creation… But maybe we can get out together."

"Your world?" I asked. "Then this space… God, so you really are as strong as a Primordial if you could just make up a world so easily, dear."

"I've lost most of that power…" She sighed. "But the Umbra World will stay… somehow."

So I did all of this before my consciousness, memories, and sense of self was sealed and reconstructed as Kireina? An entire world where my true self was maintained safe, sealed, but safe.

Even after my own fragments generated other living and independent beings such as Chaos, and perhaps many other entities within the Universe, even then… Umbra was always here with me.

In every adventure, everywhere… Even in the lewd stuff? Ugh, now I feel a bit guilty.

"Fine!" I sighed. "I can't really help it with you, Umbra! Let's do this together."

"Okay! T-Then… can you free me?" She asked. "These chains…"

These chains covering her, they were so similar to the ones wrapped around mother, yet they were made of her own self… So strange, yet so scary.

"I'll do it…" I said, touching them.

However, no matter what I did, I couldn't even break them, my natural strength was not enough, nor my magic power… Until I decided to use Cosmic Energy.

FLUOOOSH!

The chains slowly started to shatter, and break apart into particles of light. And then, as I kept using Cosmic Energy, more chains broke apart, constantly freeing her.

Crack… CRASH!

"Oooh! It is working! Wow!" Umbra was really happy. "I-I can move?!"

"Careful." I said. "Not yet…"

I don't know how long it took, but it felt like entire days passed within this space until I was able to completely free her. Suddenly, from beneath her spherical body, several tentacles popped up one after another.

"Y-You did it, Kireina! Woahhh!" She was really happy. "N-Now I can move…"

"Phew… Ugh, it felt like an eternity." I sighed in relief. "Now, how do we get you out?"

"Let's breakthrough!" She smiled, suddenly grabbing me with her tentacle. "Kireina, can you give me more of that fuzzy energy?"

"You don't have? Ah well, we share the same energies…" I said. "I guess you can't channel it yourself naturally?"

"Maybe…" She sighed. "But I can channel this!"

FLUOOOSH!

One of her tentacles generated a pure black and red essence that constantly twisted around. This wasn't Miasma, nor Cosmic Energy, nor Divine Energy either. It was… something completely different.

"This is just the purest Essence of Chaos… I think." She said.

"A-Amazing… Its quality is higher than… even Cosmic Energy?!" I was shaken.

"Mama said that this power was the origin of Cosmic Energy, and all other energies." Umbra said pridefully. "Do you want to use it? If you combine it with yours…"

"I know… I get it now." I nodded. "To be able to breakthrough a world you made, we'll need your own energy for that, and my own, which seems to be able to even free you from the sealing chains you unconsciously inflicted upon you!"

"Huh? I got a bit confused…" She said innocently. "W-What was it?"

"Ah, never mind, let's just combine our power, Umbra!" I smiled.

"Oway!" She nodded happily.

FLAAAAASH!

Her powers and my own combined together, generating a distortion in space and time, as if the birth of an entire cosmos was happening. It gathered into a sphere and then shoot up into the ceiling of this world.

TRUUUUUUUMMMM…!

Crack… crack…!

"Come on… keep pushing!" Umbra said.

"Ungh… I am almost out of Cosmic Energy…" I groaned.

FLUOSH…

The beam started growing weaker and weaker, as I was losing my Cosmic Energy…

"K-Kireina! Are you okay?!" Umbra asked in panic.

"I-I'm alright! Don't worry about me- Ugh!" I groaned. "I just have to call back some of the power from another place, hehehe… You wouldn't guess the stuff I've done! Remember when I talked you about that old man I defeated?"

I had talked with her while freeing her, Umbra learned about everything she has been doing without realizing, even about the family she had, and children, everything.

"The Maxima Ruler grandpa?" She asked. "Oh!"

"That's right." I smiled. "I guess it's time to use THAT! [Maxima Universe Authority]!"

FLAAAAAASSSSHH!!!

A powerful, tremendous connection to a different Universe opened, reaching up to the two of us, as gigantic quantities of Cosmic Energy continued flowing endlessly!

Ding!

[You have activated the [Maxima Universe Authority]! All of your Stats have increased exponentially, and you'll gain Cosmic Energy constantly while this skill effect is activated!]

[Time remaining: 10 Minutes.]

[Cooldown: 24 Hours.]

"Alright, that's more than enough time!" I celebrated. "Let's… GOOOOOO!!!"

TRUUUUUMMM…!

TRUUUUUMMMM…!

TRUUUUUUMMMMM…!

The enormous powers flowing through the two of us surged endlessly, like an all-encompassing river of pure golden and blue, shiny essence, mixing with the darkness of the Purest Essence of Chaos that Umbra held.

Crack… crack…!

CRAAASH!

"It's working…!" Umbra celebrated.

"Yeah!" I nodded. "Let's keep it up!!!"

FLUOOOOSH!

Fusing together, becoming a swirl of endlessly powerful energies. The Umbra World she created to protect herself was now slowly shaking, shattering away, and at the same time as the light from the outside could be seen, Umbra's entire body began to turn into particles of pure darkness, becoming smaller.

Each particles slowly flew back to my body instead… As she gave me a cute, innocent smile.

N-No… This can't be happening…

It wasn't supposed to be this way…

"UMBRA!"

.

.

.