New York City, Earth
It’s been five minutes since two gold-skinned strangers materialized in the middle of Times Square.
The crowd surrounding them has already dispersed: they walk around with blank expressions on their faces, spreading to cover as much ground as possible.
Eden just needs the slightest touch to assimilate a human: it should take a couple of hours to absorb the entire city’s population into their hive mind.
The rest of the planet should follow within days.
Myridia, 50 light-years from Earth
Two other Eden, identical to those on Earth, stand outside of the Church Of The Silver Eyes.
They watch the endless parade of Myridians leaving the building, walking in unison. Over a hundred people were worshipping Null at their arrival: once they duplicate there will be ten thousand times more Eden, even before they assimilate anyone else.
With the massive boost from their duplication power, Myridia should be the first planet to be assimilated in its entirety.
Argos, 100 light-years from Earth
Being the capital world of the Mortal Republic makes Argos a vital hub for interstellar travel.
By the time the government can issue the order to close down all spaceports, countless citizens have already been assimilated and the chain of command has been severely disrupted.
Boreas, 30,000 light-years from Earth
The seat of government of the Winter Kingdom is a unique target for Eden: the Lar are uniquely immune to assimilation, and they consistently rejected joining Eden since they were created by the Sumerian gods. Today they could assimilate them, thanks to the Anubis necrobots, but the Eden don’t consider them worthy enough.
A recently assimilated Amaterasu floats in front of the Winter Palace, next to a couple of Eden.
Her body is radiating enough solar energy to melt the permanent layer of snow that covers every inch of the planet, raising the temperature to unbearable levels for a Lar.
Her brightness dims a little only when an ice javelin breaks against her body, thrown by a woman wearing an armor that reflects the sun’s light.
<I thought no god was foolish enough to forget that this world is under my protection.> the Ice Queen tells her, trying to freeze the two Eden next to Amaterasu. Nothing happens: their bodies remain intangible and two blocks of ice simply fall to the ground.
<We are Eden. We are more than gods now.>
<Then I guess we have something in common.> the Ice Queen replies, launching her attack.
Labya, 34,000 light-years from Earth
This is a paradise planet, perpetually struck in an endless spring. It’s also the most peaceful planet in the Olympian Galaxy: there has never been a war here, or even a crime.
Despite being the capital world of its sector, Labya has almost no impact on galactic politics.
That’s what happens when the only thing its inhabitants are required to do is to have sex.
There’s a large pink tent on a cliff overseeing the ocean: on any given day, the line to get inside is always full. But now an indescribably beautiful redhead steps out of it, barely covered by a semi-transparent pink negligée.
<Hello? Where did everybody go? I’m sooo lonely in here!> Aphrodite moans.
She can see the naked crowd walking away from her tent, with the two Eden overseeing them.
<Hello there! Have I seen you before?> Aphrodite asks flirtatiously, wasting no time clinging to the male Eden’s arm.
<We have not seen this galaxy in a billion years. You are unlikely to be old enough to know us.>
<Oh, you are too kind! But you’re a little overdressed for this weather. Here, let me help you.> she says, starting to undress him, starting by his trousers.
<We have met the likes of you. You are this generation’s Inanna.> the female Eden comments.
<Oh! That old hag? I’ll have you know that I’m a million times sexier than her!>
<You seems to be resisting our power. Why are the necrobots unable to infect you?> she asks.
<Silly you! You don’t have to worry about that stuff with me, I’m immune to everything! Why don’t you take off your clothes? We can all have a good time together!>
<You are referring to sexual intercourse. We have no interest in such an inefficient reproductive method.> the male responds, phasing through Aphrodite to get away from her.
<Ooh, a timid one? I like the challenge! Are you telling me that you guys never, ever have fun?>
<Fun is irrelevant. We evolved beyond physical pleasure.>
<But… what about sex?> Aphrodite asks, pouting.
<Sex is irrelevant.> both Eden say in unison.
A strong gust of wind blows the tent away. A powerful wave smashes against the cliff, making the ground shake like earthquake. Thunder can be heard at a distance.
Aphrodite’s smile fades away, and she scowls as her green eyes turn red.
<What the f#ck did you just say!?>
<You are the goddess of a worthless concept. There is no place in Eden for…> the male Eden starts to say, but then stops and kneels over in pain holding his stomach.
His body contorts in a horrific way: it’s turned inside out, with the organs exploding from within and turning into a large pile of wriggling worms.
The female takes a step back: all the might of Eden wasn’t enough to prepare them for this. Aphrodite glances at her, and the air inside the Eden’s lungs is transmuted into a mass of seashells that overflows into her skull until it makes her explode from the inside out.
The flirty goddess dressed in revealing clothing looks over the disgusting remains of the emissaries of the most powerful mortal race since the time of the Drylon.
<Nobody turns me down. NOBODY.>
Hell, 163,000 light-years from Earth
The swordfight is proceeding faster than human eyes can track. Agony and her daughter Laceration are fighting Torn, who is still controlled by the Eden.
The other Demons under Eden’s control are a non-factor: the infernal cathedral is devastated by the hundreds of chain sickles and thorn-covered whips generated by the two women, in a whirlwind of chaos that make mincemeat of anything on their path, whether it’s part of the building or someone’s body. Everything except Thorn: the energy swords around his body effortlessly block every single attack, leaving him… or rather Eden… free to just stand there, staring at his own hands.
<So this is the Blood. We feel it raging within our veins, an angry caged animal that yearns destruction, pain and suffering, constantly trying to eat us from the inside. Keeping it under control requires a considerable amount of our willpower. How does a pathetically primitive species such as yours manage to…>
<MERCILESS OVERKILL!> Agony interrupts him, creating a ridiculous amount of blades surrounding Torn and throwing them towards him at once.
<WHIPLASH OVERFLOW!> Laceration adds, plunging her whips into the ground: they dig beneath the surface and then grow around Torn’s body at incredible speed, immobilizing him.
<Instinct. Killer.> Torn replies calmly: his body generates an aura of Blood energy, absorbing all the energy weapons thrown at him by his wife and daughter.
<Interesting. The Blood seems to respond better to our commands if we verbalize them. We find many applications of this property in this host’s memory. SOUL REAPER.> he then says, raising his voice: a large energy scythe appears in his hand. It’s very different from his other weapons: beneath the translucent layer of Blood energy, there is a pitch black lightning bolt that wriggles uncontrollably.
Agony takes a step back when she sees it, positioning herself to shield Laceration with her body.
<We also see that none of you can survive this. Our desire to test this weapon overrides our original plan to greet both of you into Eden.>
<No Demon will ever accept to join your abomination.> Agony replies defiantly.
<We will recall you as the last Demons to die before Hell succumbs to Eden.> Torn adds, launching the scythe at the members of his family.
The weapon flies towards Agony too fast for her to react, and with enough force to cut her in half.
She doesn’t flinch, even when the scythe comes to a complete stop half an inch before her body.
<What is-> Torn comments: he doesn’t even see the scythe fly back to him, until its blade hits his chest. It plunges beneath his torso all the way through, piercing the heart and exiting on the back.
Two new daggers appear behind him, slashing his calves and forcing him to fall on his knees.
The scythe moves on its own to leave his body, and in a swift motion repositions itself to cut Torn’s throat. A large amount of Demon blood pours out of his veins, despite his attempts to stop the bleeding with his hands.
Laceration creates a new whip and prepares to lash out, but Agony stops her by placing a hand on her shoulder.
<Wait. Let your father work.>
<You mean you… you aren’t the one controlling the scythe?>
<Our weapons are extensions of our souls. And only a Demon can tame a Demon’s raging soul.>
As her father continues to drip copious amounts of blood, Laceration notices the spark of tiny lumps of golden metal within it. After losing enough blood to purge his system from the necrobots, Torn’s eyes finally turn from gold to red.
Keeping a hand on his throat, he creates an energy dagger to write something on the floor.
“I am proud of you both. Gather Hell’s forces. We have a planet to kill.”
Agony nods solemnly, while Laceration shows her father an object recovered by her whip.
<Would this help?> she asks, holding the Silver Key of Heaven.
N01-Ragnarok, Eden’s orbit
Quantum and Noriko Null have been teleported back to the Ragnarok, specifically inside one of its many laboratories, where she rushes towards a workbench that is covered with scattered pieces of technology that he can’t even begin to identify.
<Are you sure Vesta can handle Anubis on her own?> he wonders.
<Not entirely, but I hope she’ll buy us enough time.>
<Time for what? Why exactly did we need to get back here?> he asks, scratching his head.
<Because your powers can’t actually hurt Eden, thanks to their power of intangibility.> she answers, furiously assembling something as her silver eyes glow intensely.
<I thought their weakness was fire?>
<No, the necrobots are destroyed by intense heat; Eden needs them to possess gods and Demons, but they can assimilate anyone else without them. And who knows how many planets they have already infected in Naqada Galaxy alone. Our best shot is for me to get to the planet’s core, where you found the device that I assume is some kind of central hub, and fire a Final Abyss at it.>
<Maybe, but the teleporter doesn’t work at that depth. Too bad I can’t take people with me when I transform into energy.> he sighs.
<Not without this.> she says, turning towards him holding in her hands a newly assembled device: an amorphous patchwork of metallic parts, with a central disk with a pulsating orange circle.
<Neutrino Asynchronous Field Booster. This will allow you to transform into energy not just your body, but mine as well.>
<What? When did you come up with this!?>
<Five minutes ago.>
<How does it work?> he asks, cautiously tapping on the device.
<Do you want three months of lectures on quantum mechanics and theoretical quantum chromodynamics?> she asks back, turning the device on: the orange circle turns golden.
<Or do you want to save the universe?>
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