Darkness closed in on me; like a predator did to its prey.
Paralyzed with fear, overwhelmed by guilt, and full of exhaustion, all I could do was powerlessly watch as my enemy approached.
I knew for a fact that death would soon follow—and not just for me, but for all of existence.
"Hehehe." The Nether cackled. "I'll be sure to—"
Suddenly, it stopped taunting and moving closer to me. It was just as abrupt as it was shocking. I was surprised by this, but the next statement that came from his crooked lips shocked me even more.
"Y-you… why are you here?"
His eyes were not on me, but something behind me—something that Instilled fear within him.
"You did well, Jared… or should I call you Lewis now?" A familiar voice danced in my ears, and it wasn't until the sound was uttered that I noticed someone was behind me.
'T-this person…' I tried to look behind me, but my body had grown too stiff to listen to my commands.
A hand softly touched my shoulder, instantly spreading warmth and energy through me. I felt this jolt of life course through my body, and I felt good as new—almost as if… everything had been reversed.
My eyes bulged, and I swiftly turned behind me to see the face of my saviour and the source of fear for the Nether.
It was Neron!
"Good work holding on for so long. Apologies for being a little late."
No, in my opinion, he was right on time. Everything had just been about to go into disarray, but I suddenly felt a tinge of relief.
"This reminds me of Ainzlark." I thought aloud.
Back then, even when I failed to defeat Kahn, he came to my rescue. At that time, all I'd felt was relief and comfort that he came to save me and everyone else.
However, currently… I felt a lot of frustration.
'I could have handled it well. Yet, I messed up!'
Unlike my battle with Kahn, I'd truly had the overwhelming advantage in this fight against the Nether. Yet…
"There's no need to blame yourself." Neron's voice echoed in the vast expanse. "I already knew this would happen, anyway."
My eyes widened and at that moment I realized something, I discovered that Neron was far different from what I remembered.
And I meant that literally.
He had flowing white hair, which seemed far more majestic than before, and his pure skin radiated such light and splendour that it made my heart race. His eyes especially drew me in, displaying various colours as he smiled brightly.
He represented such purity that I found it impossible to look away from him.
"You did a wonderful job so far, Jared. You can leave the rest to me."
Thanks to his power, I felt just as powerful as before. Sure, I still didn't have the Arcanas, but I could still fight. However, I decided to listen to him and watch instead.
To my surprise, I no longer felt frustrated by this outcome. Rather, I was curious and trembling with anticipation. A question coursed through my mind as I watched him move from behind me.
'What will he do?'
*
*
*
'Why is he here? I was assured that he was already dealt with. And he's in that form of his? Damnit!'
The Nether felt a strong sense of dread as he watched the conversation between Neron and Jared.
There was only one reason why the two could freely discuss in his presence—and that was simply due to the power they possessed.
Or, more specifically, the power Neron possessed.
'What should I do now?'
He couldn't run. He couldn't hide. It would be more than foolish to fight.
Should he just give up and try again another time? The Nether was caught between so many emotions, and he felt a very strong sense of frustration.
'But I'm so close already! Closer than I've ever been! This can't be!'
He was a Primordial Entity. The very personification of corruption and chaos. How could he be wary—no, scared—of a mere mortal?
The answer existed in the rewritten future—how this very mortal had vanquished him.
'He's dangerous!'
"What's wrong? Not happy to see me?" Neron's voice suddenly echoed through the air, causing the Nether to shiver even more.
"I would have come out to play with you earlier, but I had to deal with Legris first. It's rather unfortunate, but he managed to catch on quickly and escaped before I could completely destroy his Limbo."
The Nether was well aware of this Legris Damien. He was a special case—something akin to an oddity, even in the Nether Realm.
About a millennium ago, however, this Legris suddenly vanished, removing all traces of his existence from his tree.
And it wasn't just one branch. No, all the Legrises in his infinite branches disappeared.
'He defeated Legris…' The Nether shuddered even more.
"Now that things have reached the climax, why don't we finish this?" Neron smiled, the power within him rising as he spoke.
The question of what Neron was going to do assailed him. If it was to destroy him, the Nether was sure that this weakened form of himself wouldn't cause Neron a bit of trouble to destroy.
If that was the case, however, wouldn't he have done so already?
"What are you planning?' The Nether asked.
"You'll see." He simply replied. "First, the preparations."
With a snap of his fingers, he caused three bright sparks of light to appear around him. His grin grew wider and his eyes gleamed with delight.
"I've missed you three."
The bright sparks of light hummed, and they all fused with him once more, causing a massive change to occur within him instantly.
"You… why are you going this far?" The Nether asked in a trembling tone.
The brilliance of Neron's light swarmed the vast space and the pressure outmatched anything anyone had been able to display thus far.
"Why are you using three Constellations at once?"
*
*
*
[A/N]
Character arts and illustrations (including the Nether's forms, Aether, and other characters) are in the Discord Server. The link will be placed below.
Please check out my new book, called SWORDCRAFT: Reincarnation Of A Nameless Nobody.
It's yet another reincarnation novel, full of action as well as adventure, and I can guarantee your enjoyment.
Cheers!
