Beyond The Impossible

Olympus, 28.000 light-years from Earth

Zeus is known for his fiery temperament, but it’s largely the legacy of his younger days: he’s been unchallenged for so long that he’s not really worried about much.

Which makes what Noriko Null spot in his unnaturally bright blue eyes worrying.

<You’re afraid of this Baal guy, aren’t you?>

<Don’t be ridiculous! He may be powerful, yes, but doesn’t represent a treat to me.> the god quickly dismisses the idea.

<Maybe not physically. But I agree with Noriko, Father, you are acting strange. Even stranger than your usual behavior.> Athena concurs.

Zeus hesitates before continuing. He doesn’t have a lot of experience asking for help… when you’re the most powerful member of your pantheon and one of the powerhouses of the entire universe, there isn’t a lot that others can do for you.

<C’mon Zeus. You can trust us.> Vesta pleads.

<I don’t understand Baal.> Zeus finally admits.

<What does that even mean?> Noriko wonders.

<Every god has something that makes him tick. Lust, power, pleasure… well these cover most of them, honestly, but gods really aren’t that complicated to figure out.>

<I resent that.> Athena replies.

<He’s not wrong.> Noriko adds.

<Hey!> Vesta protests.

<He’s not wrong in general.> Noriko corrects herself.

<That’s fair.> Vesta shrugs.

<But Baal… everything he cares about is to create suffering and pain. And I don’t understand what he gets out of it.>

<That’s it? C’mon Zeus, you have sadists in your own family! Ares was your son, for Christ’s sake!> Noriko exclaims.

<And he got pleasure out of it, yes. Not power like Baal does.>

<You’re not one to speak in metaphors, father.> Athena comments.

<I’m not. Baal is attuned to the existence of pain. As long as there is suffering, Baal is able to rebuild himself from total annihilation.>

<That’s… not how divine powers work.> Athena notes.

<It’s not. Except for Baal.> Zeus replies.

<Uh. And you’ve verified this independently? Or is it just something that Ball told you?> Noriko asks, her silver eyes shining.

<You think he’s lying?> Vesta asks.

<I make it a personal policy not to take at face value the word of evil gods.>

<Even if he was lying on how he achieved this power, Baal’s regenerative abilities are true. The last time we faced each other I had Poseidon, Hades and Ra by my side. The cataclysm we unleashed destroyed the Astrid, Virellin and Krathun Galaxies and completely annihilated Baal. He fully resurrected in a matter of minutes.>

<I’ve never heard of these galaxies.> Athena admits.

<This happened long before you were born.> Zeus tells her.

<This sounds like something you should take to the Nine Gods, or whatever they are calling themselves now. They have us outgunned.> Vesta suggests.

<You don’t defeat Baal through strength. You stall him until he loses interest. As a Primordial, his mood swings can take eons… hopefully he won’t bother us for another million or so years.>

<You don’t trust your peers.> Noriko deduces.

<Would you trust them? Besides, nobody has ever been in a rush to face Baal.>

<I can see why. But you’re asking us to travel to the Dark Galaxy to fight him, and that’s obviously a trap. I need time to prepare this.> Noriko says.

<Your Majesty? A word in private, if you don’t mind?> Athena asks, raising her hand.

Just the fact that she used the honorific instead of her name tells Noriko she’s up to no good.

She nods, with the goddess and the former protégé walking out of the room.

<Are you sure this is a wise decision?> Athena asks.

<As the resident expert, I’m sure you have an opinion on the subject.>

<The Empire just survived an intergalactic war and an internal struggle. Not to mention your Null Zone has recently been attacked: this could be a coordinated scheme to get you away from Olympus for a new debilitating strike.>

<I won’t ask how you know about the Null Zone… for now. But what do you want me to do, sit this one out!? You heard Zeus, if we don’t respond to Baal’s gauntlet he’ll straight up destroy this Galaxy.>

<It’s a bluff. Baal has had the capability to destroy us for as long as Olympus has existed. All he cares about is pain, which he won’t be able to inflict if the Galaxy is no more.>

<So you’d have me do nothing?>

<Exactly.>

<But this guy’s a psycho! Who knows what kind of atrocities he’s been carrying over in his galaxy for literally billions of years. The universe will be a better place without him.>

<Absolutely. But that is also not your concern.>

<Are you saying I should sit this one out because it doesn’t immediately benefit Olympus?>

<Yes. That is exactly what I’m saying, Noriko. You are the Mortal Co-Empress of this galaxy, not of the whole universe.>

<I don’t care. As long as I have the resources to take down a monster like Baal, I won’t back down. And as my vassal, I expect you to follow my orders on this.>

<Absolutely, that was never in question. But if I may make my argument…>

<You may not. I have made my final decision: we will take the fight to Baal.>

<As you wish, Your Majesty.> Athena formally bows.

 

Hell, 163,000 light-years from Earth

One of Torn’s favorite activities is meditating next to the chasm that runs all the way down to the planet’s interior, exposing the mixture of Blood energy and magma.

Balancing on the sharp edges of Blood sword that emerge from the ground, he can feel Hell’s power fluctuate as its energies fluctuate within each and every Demon.

There’s always something boiling at the core of the planet, the remnants of ancient energies that even the extended life of a Demon struggles to understand.

He doesn’t presume to fully comprehend Hell, but one thing is certain: it’s angry at something.

The magma rises, earthquakes propagate throughout the planet, and volcanoes release enough clouds of sulfuric acid to temporarily obscure the tapestry of fire that envelops Hell.

He’s heard legends of this, whispered thorough the night: that while Hell fears no god… there is one it absolutely hates.

 

The Empyrean, outside the universe

Kari Zel doesn’t exactly love being here: the place is just a glass structure surrounded by endless white-hot energy, and the company is as annoying as they come.

But as a duplicate of the original Kari, she knows her duty is to keep an eye on the last remnant of Heaven.

For the past thirty minutes she’s been staring at the three treasures that Noriko keeps here: the Shadow Mirror, the Tablet of Destinies and the Soul of Kronos.

She could swear the last one is staring back at her.

Siduri approaches her, fascinated by Kari’s behavior.

<Are you considering using the weapons of the Usurpers, emissary of Null?>

<The thought of using the Tablet to make a wish has crossed my mind, of course. But if Noriko hasn’t figured out a way to make a wish that doesn’t backfire, especially since the Tablet has only one left, I’m not going to risk it. What about you? You’ve had the Tablet for millions, if not billions of years. The thought must have crossed your mind!>

<Celestial beings cannot use the technology of the Usurpers. But if we could, I would defer the decision to the Celestial Galaxy.>

<You really trust that… guy? Thing? I’m not so sure what the Celestial Galaxy even is.>

<It is the sum of all thoughts of the celestial beings that inhabit the stars.>

<Yeah, sure, that clears it up. So it’s your god?>

<Nothing so small. The Celestial Galaxy is the highest form of intelligence ever…> Siduri stops, turning towards the walls of white fire.

Something dark has appeared within it. A shadow figure that advances, a dark cloak in the vague shape of a man accompanied by a horrible buzzing sound.

Reading Siduri’s body language is always difficult, both because of how alien she is and because she doesn’t have a face. But Kari could swear she’s repulsed by what just walked into the Empyrean.

<So this is what’s left of Heaven. A waste of space if I’ve ever seen one.> the creature says, with a voice that makes Kari’s spine crawl.

<You are not welcome here, Baal, yes? Return to your…> Siduri tries to argue, but the cloaked figure is too fast for her. His fist, a skeletal hand covered in a swarm of flies, punches through Siduri’s head and rips it off her shoulders.

<Stay where you are! What do you think you’re doing!?> Kari asks, activating her 10K rise to multiply her strength by a factor of ten thousand.

Although considering that she has seen Siduri shrug the assault of multiple war goddesses, she knows it’s just for her own comfort.

<How do I hate these celestial creatures. Did you know they don’t feel pain? In fact, they don’t even understand the concept. Despite my attempts to teach them.>

Siduri rebuilds herself, only for a large number of flies to be vomited from under the gods’ cloak. They infiltrate beneath her metallic skin, eating her from the inside out as fast as she reconstructs her physical body.

<But your kind? I know you well. Your people have given me great joy.> he tells Kari, turning towards her.

<You asked for it, creep!> she shouts, punching in the face.

All this accomplishes is making her hand sting like she doused it with acid, and knocking off the cloak… revealing a skull held together by the flies inside it.

<We’ve met before, remember? The first time you felt pure despair.> Baal tells her, staring at her with empty sockets of his disgusting skull. A stare that pierces her soul.

 

Inside Kari’s mind

You’re five years old. All you have seen your entire life is a filthy cage, sometimes shared with your mother. Not today.

Her mother is on the other side of the cage, chained to a wall. Being whipped to death by one of Demeter’s Oracles.

<Don’t look, Kari, don’t look. Mommy loves you.> she tells her, and the child covers her eyes.

The young Kari managed to avoid witnessing this gruesome death. But now skeletal hands push her head against the bars of the cage, and flies force her to open her eyes.

<Such delicious pain. Such delightful despair. Mortals can’t truly appreciate the symphony of hopelessness, but one can try.>

 

The Empyrean

Baal pulls up his cloak again. Kari is on the floor in fetal position, and Siduri is continuously rotting from the inside. The primordial god walks up to the display of trophies, taking into his hands the Shadow Mirror and the Tablet of Destinies.

The light contained inside the lantern holding the Soul of Kronos flickers in defiance.

<Not today, old adversary. There are steps I need to take before I face you again.>

Baal moves towards the walls of white energy, taking one good look at the two people who just experienced a fraction of his power.

<Ladies. Thanks for the fun.> Baal salutes them, disappearing back in his own realm.