Beyond The Impossible

Dark Galaxy, 10 billion light-years from Earth

The immense figure before the ship makes a mockery of its sensors, which are unable to make sense of the god before them.

Even the crew of the N01-Ragnarok is taken aback by witnessing Baal’s form, an enormous skeleton in a dark cloak held together by Ichor and a collection of unimaginable nightmares.

<What are you waiting for!? You have your orders!!!> Noriko Null shouts, shaking her teammates and their allies out of their reverential terror.

<I’ve got this.> Zeus boasts, leaving the ship taking the form of a lightning bolt. He’s followed a nanosecond later by Quantum, who imitates his action.

Once they both retake their regular forms in outer space, Zeus surviving out of his godhood and Quantum thanks to his Survival Field belt, the god turns towards the mortal:

<You’re good at this. Are you doing anything after the battle?>

<I’m getting married in two weeks.> Quantum replies.

<Good! I look forward to spending the night with you.> Zeus says, while summoning a new lightning bolt into his hands. Quantum ignores the pass when he realizes Zeus is not just using electricity: there’s a significant portion of his own divine energy into that bolt.

Zeus throws his lightning like a javelin, which strikes Baal traveling significantly faster than light.

Baal reacts by taking a step back, twitching in pain; his skeletal hands hold tight to the planets around him, which crumble like Styrofoam under his grip.

<Null, I’ve got his attention. I’ll keep him busy while you do your thing.> Zeus communicates, and his body rapidly increases in size in order to meet Baal’s form.

<What am we even supposed to do at this scale!?> Quantum complains, considering that in a couple of seconds Zeus is already big enough to look at Baal eye to eye… if Baal’s skull had eyes.

The two gods lock hands, each one trying to wrestle the other into submission. Although Quantum can sense it’s only the part of the fight in the visible spectrum: there are energies flowing back and forth that he can’t comprehend.

<What the f##k are we waiting for!? Let’s waste this c##ksucker!!!> Persephone incites Quantum, flying past him at the speed of light; Vesta is following at a slower pace.

<Wait! We’re supposed to divert his attention!> she yells at her niece.

<I’ve got your f##king diversion right here!!!> Persephone shouts, unleashing a blast of energy headed towards Baal. She put enough force in it to destroy Earth’s moon twice over.

It doesn’t reach its target: a writhing mass of Ichor tentacles and teeth blocks it, reflecting the blast in a thousand different directions.

<Either this worked or we’re screwed no matter what.> Quantum notes, evading one of the ricochets; Vesta does the same, finding herself under the attack of the Ichor mass.

<You want a piece of me, Primordial God of S##t? COME GET ME!!!> Persephone yells, generating even more energy as all three fight back the Ichor.

 

Bridge of the N01-Ragnarok

Kari Zel pilots the ship into evasive maneuvers to keep it safe; the hull made of Neutral Matter should withstand anything short of a supernova, but it’s a necessary precaution to follow the fight.

<Is it just me, or is Persephone stronger than she used to?> Hermes wonders.

<I thought so too, but you don’t beat Baal on strength. Can anyone tell me how Zeus is doing?> Noriko Null asks.

<They’re evenly matched. Daddy could push a bit harder, but not without breaking this Galaxy.> Aphrodite replies. She wasn’t the person Noriko expected to answer and stares at her in disbelief, something that the goddess does notice.

<What? It’s two bodies exchanging personal energies while exerting a lot of effort and passion, why wouldn’t I be able to pick it up?> she asks.

<She’s got a point.> Dionysus backs her up, pounding his chest to ease his next burp.

Gilgamesh ignores their antics, moving close to the captain’s chair to tell Noriko:

<This distraction won’t go anywhere, Baal can deal with all of us with an imperceptible fraction of the energy he’s already using to hold Zeus at bay.>

<I know; I don’t want him to get tired of this. Torn, how’s your research on Ichor?> Noriko asks the Demon, who has been sitting in a corner meditating.

<There’s an unfathomable amount of suffering in this Galaxy; Ichor is feeding off it, using it to fight for Baal. But I believe we can briefly cut off his control.> Torn answers.

<That’s what I’m counting on. Aphrodite, Dionysus, go out there and give Baal everything you’ve got!!! Now!!!> she orders.

<Tee-hee, you’re so hot when you’re bossy.> Aphrodite giggles, disappearing in a cloud of roses.

<Alright, but you owe ne a new bottle.> Dionysus says, throwing away his drink to stumble towards a portal that reeks of stale wine.

<How are these two idiots going to help defeating a Primordial God?> Hermes asks once they’re gone.

< Dionysus and Aphrodite have proven that their powers work on other gods. If Baal is sufficiently distracted, we’re going to launch a triple assault: we’ll redirect Ichor to attack him, give an opening to Zeus, and I’ll finish him off destroying his mind with an Eternal Eraser.> she explains.

<So you’re trying to defeat Satan by throwing sex and drugs at him? My dearest Sunshine, I didn’t know you had such a wicked mind!> Hermes congratulates her.

 

Naqada Galaxy, 17 million light-years from Earth

General Zel is rarely called back to the throne world of the recently born Rei Empire: she has thousands of duplicates spread across the galaxy tightening the grip of the new regime.

But Rei Null has explicitly ordered her to show up with her original body.

Much to her surprise, she finds the jackal form of Anubis guarding the door to the throne room, together with two Amazon guards standing at attention.

This is unusual: Rei never lets Anubis off his leash, and since they took over his realm there have always been reprogrammed Amazon gynoids guarding the throne.

Once she’s in the room, however, Rei is accompanied only by a being that the General despises: a Demon. Her displeasure doesn’t come just from experience: in her memories as a copy of Kari Zel growing in the dystopian mockery of reality that was Heaven, Demons were nearly extinct.

But she doesn’t like this one specifically: she can feel his hatred of humans in the air.

Rei doesn’t seem to mind. Noriko’s doppelganger just accepted the box brought by this Demon with a black scythe for an arm.

<Baal sends his regards and his promise of retaliation. Your soul is doomed for this exchange.> Reaper tells her, already preparing a hexagon portal to leave.

<Tell your master his help is appreciated and his day of reckoning is inevitable. Dismissed.> Rei tells him, opening the box she’s just been delivered.

<I don’t know how you stand that creep, boss.> General Zel says once he’s left.

<I can temporarily overlook disrespect when it suits me. Especially when it comes with such an illustrious prize.> Rei Null says, her eyes shining silver as she takes an object out of the box.

The Tablet of Destinies is now in her hands.

 

Dark Galaxy, 10 billion light-years from Earth

Baal finds this battle frustrating. Creating pain is all he cares for, but Zeus is above his influence and their powers are too evenly matched… they could keep the stalemate for centuries, without getting any sort of fun out of it.

Which makes it weird for him to feel inebriated by the experience, as if rivers of alcohol were streaming through veins that he doesn’t even have.

Perhaps it’s the light-headedness brought by the influence of Dionysus that distracts him long enough to allow another annoyance to get close to him.

<Pain isn’t too different from pleasure, you know? I know a thing or two about how they intertwine. Why don’t we experiment a little with it, tall dark and gritty?> Aphrodite flirts with him, seductively pulling down her unbuttoned shirt.

<Physical pain is old school. I prefer to branch out.> Baal replies, giving his full attention to the goddess of sex and love for an entire second.

It’s the most unsettling second she’s ever experienced: as she looks down, she no longer has breasts.

She touches her body to discover with utmost horror that it no longer has any orifices. Even screaming is out of the question, now that she doesn’t have a mouth.

<Losing what you cherish most. That, child, is pain.> Baal explains to her, moving his attention towards Dionysus: at a glance, the god of wine and debauchery is transformed into a bottle of water floating in space.

<Noriko! This isn’t working!> Quantum shouts through the Soul Relay, approaching Baal accompanied by Persephone and Vesta.

<Then again, sometimes the classics still work.> Baal says, granting them enough attention to waive his hand in their direction.

Quantum finds himself in outer space, in his human body and with no Survival Field, right next to the cactus plant that used to be Persephone. Vesta suffers a horrific transformation: instead of a woman surrounded by an aura of fire, she’s now a flaming skeleton surrounded by human flesh and organs… and feeling the pain of burning from within.

 

Bridge of the N01-Ragnarok

Noriko rapidly understands how fast her plan has crumbled, turning towards Hermes:

<Take us back! We need to retreat!> he tells him, but it’s useless: the god of speed has just been transmuted into a lead statue of himself.

<He’s here!> Gilgamesh shouts, a hooded figure emerging from the shadows, identical to the Baal fighting Zeus.

Instinctively, the Vanguard tries to fight back.

Kari tries summoning duplicates, but her body explodes into thousands of perfectly cut cubes, each one feeling pain.

Torn attempts to summon Blood swords, but instead steel blades emerge from within his own body and brutally impale him on the spot from multiple angles.

Noriko Null tries to fire her Genius Guns while simultaneously preparing to attack with an impromptu Eternal Eraser, but loses her concentration when the guns explode… with her hands.

As she struggles to stay conscious, she sees thousands of flies emerge from Baal’s cloak, swarming towards Gilgamesh and tunnelling through his mouth to rapidly fill his lungs.

<You’re still… fighting Zeus… how…> she struggles to say through the pain.

<How amusing. You really thought a Primordial God of my caliber could only exist in one place? Let this be the first lesson of the Dark Galaxy: Baal is everywhere. More lessons will follow: after all, you are mine for eternity now.>

The Ragnarok explodes around them, Neutral Matter giving little resistance to a god who can alter reality, and the last words Noriko hears before she loses consciousness are:

<I am a bit disappointed. She said you would be a more formidable adversary.>

 

Naqada Galaxy, 17 light-years from Earth

General Zed glimpsed there was something else in the gift box, but she’s too awe-stuck watching her master hold the Tablet of Destinies in her hands.

<You can wish for anything on that. Become a goddess, or the Empress Of The Universe, or both!>

<Wishes that come with setbacks and conditions. Do not bother yourself trying to make the most of this gift: brighter minds than yours have already solved this. Tablet?> Rei calls.

< You have 6 actions left. Select target.> the Tablet answers.

<Myself.>

<Target selected: 1 target. Select action.>

<Lock the intrinsic signature of my body to this universe.>

<Action completed. You no longer have actions left. Number of unlocked action has expired: Drylon Genetic Code needed to unlock more actions.>

<In due time, Tablet. Something I have in abundance now.> Rei replies, unlatching the handcuff that holds her form together. General Zel reacts immediately:

<Wait! Without the handcuff you will… do just fine!?> she says, seeing how Rei didn’t cease to exist after removing it.

<No need to worry, General. Our forms were unstable because we were created to exist in Heaven, but with my intrinsic signature locked, I can survive just fine. And I can do more.> Rei adds, taking something else from the box… the Twilight Mirror.

<That’s great, boss, but you could’ve wished the same for me!> the General complains.

<True. If you hold this, you will realize my reasoning.> Rei says, holding the mirror in front of her with one hand. General Zel obeys, and for a couple of seconds both women are touching the mirror.

Once she lets go, there’s a second Rei Null right next to the original.

<What the… how did you do that!?> General Zel wonders.

<The Twilight Mirror switches Drylon powers between users. Normally, I would lose the Nexus in order to gain your Myridian duplication power.> one Rei begins to answer.

<However, by locking my intrinsic signature, the mirror can’t take anything away from me. Nothing in the universe can, except for the Tablet itself.> the duplicate continues.

<I think I understand. But why couldn’t you fix me as well?> the General asks.

<For a very simple reason, General.> the original Rei says.

<I don’t need you anymore.> a new duplicate adds, appearing behind General Zel and shooting at her handcuff. No longer held together in this reality, her body dissipates into nothingness… and it’s not a gentle process. Rei Null, in all her new bodies, watches her closest servant slowly disintegrating from the inside out while screaming in pain.

She shows no emotion. Instead, she just turns towards the throne; specifically, to the being that has emerged from its shadow.

<Everything worked as we discussed. Can we proceed with our plan?> Rei asks.

<Yes. Noriko is being neutralized as we speak: with your help and Baal’s, it is time for me to finally take what is rightfully mine.> Athena answers.