Beyond The Impossible

N-01 Ragnarok, traveling through intergalactic space

The warship is flying millions of times faster than light, so far away from any nearby galaxy that both the viewscreen and the main sensors are showing total darkness.

Since everything it has to do is just fly in a straight line, it doesn’t really need a person to pilot it; the ship is still following Earth’s day cycle, and almost the entire crew is sleeping.

Noriko Null, however, is on the captain’s chair. She’s reading through some technical schematics on her N-Phone, but she’s flipping through various slides with a bored expression on her face.

<Trouble sleeping?> Gilgamesh asks, getting into the otherwise empty bridge.

<I could ask the same.>

<I’m restless, plus I don’t need much sleep anyway. Your turn to answer.> he insists, leaning against the chair. And then moving away once his muscular frame starts bending it.

<Sorry. Guess I’m not used to everything being as sturdy as it was in Heaven.> he apologizes.

<Try not to break my favorite ship? Only the hull is indestructible.> she comments, smiling at his embarrassment as he puts the chair back into shape. Finding herself staring at her own reflection on his metallic bronze skin, she decides that maybe answering isn’t the worst thing she could do.

<Yes, I couldn’t sleep either. It’s been a regular problem since I’ve had the Nexus; my body gets tired faster than my brain.>

<I get you; it’s a boring mission. Why exactly couldn’t we use your portals?>

<Ereshkigal’s galaxy is out of the range of the Portal Generator. And with Hermes not reporting, I had no choice but to investigate directly.>

<You do know you’re the Empress, right? Couldn’t you delegate someone?>

<It has to be me.>

<Why?>

<Because someone else could get it wrong. Don’t give me that look!>

<What? I didn’t do anything!>

<You were about to make fun of me. I can sense that stuff.>

<So your powers are killing gods and detecting sarcasm? No wonder people worship you.> Gilgamesh jokes, enjoying the back-and-forth.

<You know, I could teleport you into space.> she teases back.

<And be stuck alone? I thought you were enjoying my company.> he answers, leaning once again but being careful enough not to damage the chair.

Then the bridge gets slightly more crowded and much louder once a goddess appears on the bridge, surrounded by a flash of light and wearing no clothes at all.

<I’ve had enough! I expect you to fix this, Null!> Inanna shouts, standing before Noriko with her hands on her hips.

<Can’t you put on some clothes first?> Noriko replies, covering her eyes.

<We’ve doing nothing but flying! I’ll have you know I haven’t killed anything or slept with anything since we left your pathetic galaxy!> Inanna says, ignoring her own nakedness.

<You better get comfortable, Irkalla is three months away at full speed.>

<THREE MONTHS!? You expect me to continue this abstinence for THREE MONTHS!? I can get us to my sister’s galaxy in THREE SECONDS!!!>

<Inanna, try to think this through, okay? Your fight with Hades left you severely wounded, we need you to recover all your strength in case we have to fight Ereshkigal. Just rest a couple more days.>

<I am the goddess of war and sex, Null. Doing nothing is NOT how I regain my power! I will kill or lay with someone before the day is over!> Inanna vows, and the ship’s lights flicker as its Negative Engine suddenly goes offline.

<You want to meet my sister? I will bring you to her!> she promises; black clothes suddenly grows over her porcelain white skin, and she teleports in front of the ship.

<What’s she doing?> Gilgamesh wonders.

<What I didn’t want her to do: make a shortcut.> Noriko explains, watching the sensors go crazy.

On the viewscreen, Inanna seems to be grabbing something invisible. Gravity goes crazy as she folds space itself, ripping a hole through the space-time continuum through sheer brute strength.

Irkalla Galaxy, 100 million light-years from Earth

The rest of the Vanguard gets on the bridge, with Quantum yawning and Kari Zel finishing dressing up by tucking her shirt into her pants.

<What is that?> Quantum asks, pointing at the planet visible on the viewscreen: even if it’s the side facing its sun, it’s still too dark to distinguish any landmass.

<That is Kur, the capital world of Ereshkigal’s realm. I’ve been there once, and it looks like it hasn’t changed a bit.> Gilgamesh recounts.

<It looks… glum.> Vesta describes it, but her choice of words is incredibly charitable.

<There has to be some difference, Gilgamesh. According to the sensors, we’re orbiting a red giant star on the verge of going nova… a star can’t stay like this for a million years.> Noriko points out.

<Kur’s sun has been on the verge of death for billions of years. Ereshkigal keeps it that way; she says she likes the atmosphere.> Gilgamesh remembers.

<It is a nice view.> Torn comments, drawing some perplexed stares from his teammates.

<What? It reminds me of home.> the Demon shrugs.

The Valley of Lamentations, Kur

The valley is a desert the size of a continent, without a single mountain or even a hill: just a sterile stretch of arid land under a red sky. Despite the abundance of light, it’s freezing cold.

A new source of light breaks the monotony, anticipating the teleportation of Noriko Null on the surface. Protected by her Survival Field, she has to wait a couple of second before another flash teleports the rest of the Vanguard and Gilgamesh on the planet.

<Doesn’t look like they were expecting us.> Noriko points out, not hiding her disappointment.

<What’s the idea with teleporting first? That was an unnecessary risk.> Kari Zel points it out, and noticing the subtle smirk on Noriko’s face she adds:

<Nori, you didn’t teleport yourself first just because you didn’t want me to be the first of us to set foot in a new galaxy again, didn’t you?>

<I didn’t think we were keeping score.> Noriko lies.

<Should I do some recon?> Quantum offers.

<Don’t. The planet is not a safe place; don’t you feel why she chose this point?> Torn asks.

<I thought this was where Inanna went, but I don’t see her.> Quantum replies.

<It’s the only place I could find not saturated by Ichor. There are whole oceans of the stuff on this world; it’s everywhere.> Noriko explains.

<Okay, so we’re on a planet filled with dark evil ooze. Care to explain why you thought this would be a good idea? Are we going to fight Ereshkigal?> Quantum asks.

<Not if I can help it. First we need to find JESUS CHRIST!!!> Noriko yells when something grabs her leg. She instinctively reacts by drawing her Genius Gun and shooting at the arm that just emerged from the ground; the kinetic blast pierces through the flesh, but the creature still rises.

An emaciated corpse emerges from the desert, but before it can be ripped to shreds by Blood swords and fireballs Gilgamesh rushes in to protect him.

<Wait! I know him, don’t shoot!> he pleads.

<The living these days. No respect for the… Gilgamesh, is that you?> the corpse asks, rebuilding its destroyed limb and patting the demigod on the back. His voice is a deeply grating wheeze.

<Nergal, you old buzzard! How have you been?>

<Still dead, still married. Friends of yours, Gil?>

<They’re the ones who freed me from my exile. Noriko Null and her Vanguard: Kari Zel, Quantum, Torn and Vesta. Everyone, this is Nergal, Irkalla’s king consort.> Gilgamesh explains.

<Consort as in “Ereshkigal’s husband”?> Noriko asks, raising an eyebrow. And then recoiling when Nergal gets uncomfortably close. He doesn’t smell like a corpse, but his presence is just as creepy.

<I’m sorry I stepped on your, uhm, grave. But don’t come any closer.> she tells him.

<I sense death around you. The kind of fragrance that only spilling the blood of gods leaves. And your friend… only Hell brings so much cold anger in one’s soul.> Nergal says looking at Torn, only to then turn towards Vesta.

<You are a long way from Olympus, young maiden. Your kind is not welcomed here.> he adds, before turning towards Quantum and Kari.

<I don’t know these two.> he shrugs.

<We’re here to see your wife.> Vesta interrupts his ramblings.

<Willingly? By Death, why would you ever want to!?> he asks, sincerely shocked.

<Nergal, please. We’re here for important business.> Gilgamesh tells him.

<Ah, I see. You have finally decided to die, Gil? About time!> Nergal replies excitedly, holding out a hand to conjure up a weird-looking mace with the head of a lion.

He swings it to create a portal, and slowly stumbles through it.

<Now what?>

<We follow, I suppose.> Noriko shrugs, entering the portal as well.

<Sure, let’s follow the zombie god into the unknown, what could possibly go wrong?> Quantum comments, but still follows anyway.

The Throne of Darkness, on top of the Tower of Pain

What lies beyond the portal is more or less what Noriko expected to find.

Ereshkigal sits on a throne of skulls, her legs crossed. Inanna is lounging on the much smaller throne of bones next to it, clearly intended for Nergal given its size.

The room is situated on top of an enormous tower that oversees an ocean of Ichor, a dark pool of pitch black liquid that boils and struggles against itself almost as much as the countless masses of people immerged on it are fighting for their lives to avoid drowning.

And stretched before the two thrones is a web of Ichor holding up Hermes. His blood is spilling into the ocean, with daggers of Ichor piercing his flesh and preventing it from healing.

<Null. What a delightful surprise.> Ereshkigal greets her. Nergal stumbles towards her until he’s close enough to be grabbed; his arm almost pops out of the socket as she pulls him closer, and the beautiful goddess with skin darkest than the blackest night kisses the decaying corpse.

<I think I might throw up.> Kari comments under her breath.

<I figured that since you didn’t have the courage to attack me directly, I might as well finish this war myself.> Noriko threatens her.

<Careful. Don’t get too cocky.> Vesta warns her.

<War? You are confusing me with my sister, Null. I don’t deal with war. I deal in death.>

<So what do you call your alliance with Hades and Poseidon?>

<Getting rid of the competition.>

<You never intended to win this war, didn’t you? You just pushed them into attacking me, knowing they would self-destruct.> Noriko realizes.

<It was either that or your defeat. A win-win for me, wouldn’t you say? Not to mention, my sister’s spar with Hades gave me a more valuable prize… your Final Abyss. A formidable weapon.>

<If you truly knew how to use it, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.> Noriko deduces.

<Well said. But I can afford to be patient: I have eternity to perfect it, against your paltry decades of a lifespan. Decades you can waste trying to finish a war I’m not interest in… unless my sister wants to have a go with you.> Ereshkigal suggests.

<I’m good. I finally had some great fights thanks to her. I have to respect that.> Inanna replies.

<You never intended to respect our alliance, did you Inanna?> Noriko calls her out.

<All is fair in love and war, and I am a goddess of both. I thought you’d be smart enough to know.>

<You’re right, I guess I should’ve thought of that… oh, wait, I just remembered: I did.> Noriko adds, pressing a button on her N-watch.

And a second later, something breaks into the atmosphere: a projectile shot from the N01-Ragnarok, directly at the sea of Ichor. It barely makes a splash.

<Was that supposed to be something?> Ereshkigal mocks her.

<I don’t know. Why don’t you ask your subjects?> Noriko asks, her silver eyes shining.

Ereshkigal glances at the bodies drowning in Ichor, then does a double take once she notices that they’re no longer struggling to survive… because the Ichor is retracting.

<What did you just do!?> Ereshkigal shouts, suddenly standing up from her throne.

<I just released a chemical agent that stops Ichor from interacting with biological matter. It wasn’t too difficult, I just had to spice up something a little girl I know dreamed up.>

<Oh, that’s not good.> Nergal comments nervously, trying to sneak away.

Ereshkigal, on the other hand, seems furious: her red eyes light up, and the tower reacts to her anger by shaking like it was hit by an earthquake.

<You… DARE to come into my home… and bring RELIEF to my subjects!?>

<Hey, you know, everything’s fair in war, right?>

<I will kill you for this.> Ereshkigal coldly promises.

<Wouldn’t be the first time. C’mon, death… let’s dance.> Noriko replies, drawing her guns.