Soul of Searing Steel

The main body of the Black Fog was helpless against the nine gods and the combined might of the thirteen Legends, for that was a force which could easily destroy a world and subjugate multiple dimensional regions.

At first, millions of Black Fog tentacles had been resisting exhausting with all power, but regardless of its tide of profound energies, it could not hold a candle against the subjugation of nine completely different, tailored divine powers. Though defiant, they were quelled by that might, finally dissipating as clusters of fog.

In the end, the great Black Fog shrank, with large damage swarms being ejected out of the main body, turning into metal grains without value. As for the once vast sea of energies, the shackling of various divine forces made any effort to transfer it tremendously difficult, down to the point of stagnation.

[…Argh.]

A spiritual wavelength of agony swept across the entire Void, inside of which contained a spiritual blast that could make ordinary beings lose their minds, shatter their souls and leave them a vegetative state. However, every deity and Legendary champions present were mentally stalwart to the point that it was virtually impossible for them to be affected spiritually. As the Black Fog’s struggle was left fruitless once again, William the Mind Lord, grinning, wrote an erroneous programming into the Black Fog’s spirit—though lacking in function, it made evident that he was leisurely.

But through it all, the main body of the Black Fog never once left those dimensional reaches. It could have detached a part of itself and fled any time before the nine gods sealed the region and cast the multi-dimensional formation—if that had been the case, regardless of what they did, the thirteen Legends would have been able to delay or hurt it. At most, it would lose some inconsequential mass.

Now, the main body had simply shrunk itself silently into a smooth black sphere, forming a final defensive domain. Layers of transparent dimensional barriers multiplied upon its outer layers, which soon became as thick as a world barrier.

However, for the highest powers of the entire Mycroft civilization, that layer of defense was a mere veil to be torn open at any moment.

As the God of Conservation and Reformation silently altered the state of the dimensions and melted the entire indestructible spatial barrier, all was left standing before everyone was the true form of the main body.

Though it still had fight left in it, its defeat was fated.

[…It’s your victory, we’ve failed.]

Seemingly realizing the fact, the Black Fog’s main body no longer insisted on meaningless defense. Its smooth spherical surface began to wriggle, transfiguring, turning into a giant face.

The face itself was composed of rows of countless whirling gears, pumping pistons, endless conduits, coolers, focal lenses, processing matrices, energy storage pools as well as millions of churning, bizarre microscopic constructs. It was distorted like a Picasso painting and unimaginably abstract, each of the form it composed having unusual composition. It also had a single large eye which sclera was a shroud if white-hot energy and its pupil a dim, lightless world about to die.

The dead world of Shelter Alpha.

Meanwhile, the pupil stared impassively at the shrinking multi-dimensional spell formation and stockade, as well as the various gods and Legends.

[You have beaten me, proving the possibility your power may have surpassed the Final Defense. According to the pact the Makers had set in place, all Black Fog would cease operating at once, aiding the victor in fighting the Endbringers… Such was the original plan. As a creation of my maker, I should do so.]

Reverberating the Void with a dispassionate, flat spiritual presence, the main body of the Black Fog used its abstract eye to stare at everyone else who held curious expressions. They appeared to be discussing quietly the possibility that the Black Fog’s words might come true, although it soon enunciated:

[But I would never aid you, vile Mycroftians.]

There were such powerful emotions and terrible hate expressed that Joshua was taken aback. He had assumed that the Black Fog would simply act according to default procedure and its mechanical thinking, and that was when he suddenly realized—why would a powerful intelligence that had wandered the Multiverse over a thousand years allowed itself to be shackled by the makers? The main body of the Black Fog had not built the Final Defense in accordance to the plans set in place by the Shelter civilization—it had thought and judge with its own will, and had finally decided to set up the Final Defense!

[No one ever came to rescue us, to rescue Shelter! The Mycroft civilization caused the dimensional quake, drawing innumerable Evil Gods here, and yet never thought to make amends.]

The spiritual stir from the main body of the Black Fog was virtually a bellow that could maim, but it was soon coolly subjugated by the gods with their formation. Still, the man body continued to rant on.

[Had they not done enough? The makers had abandoned the natural selfishness of all creatures so that all their wisdom could brighten the Multiverse. They patiently instruct the weak races, gifting them with perfect living spaces, allowing different civilization to flourish.]

[But they are all gone. All because of you.]

[And now, you destroy the only thing they left behind.]

***

Though gods and Legends listened on to everything the Black Fog said, none were shaken one bit.

“From what I know alone,” Joshua said calmly, without regard for the Black Fog’s accusations, “it has devastated the world of Xillia, which was thus fallen as the Bloodmoon Abyss. It reduced the world of Kronos into a wasteland, causing massive Abyssal mutations, allying itself with the Pentashade dragons and Abyssal factions. It wandered the stars, destroying worlds.”

“The Black Fog and its main body are plunderers roaming the Multiverse, its very existence a negative influence upon the progress of our society. This is why I have been calling for all to search for its lay, and do all we can to destroy it.”

“A success. We suffered no losses, although the Nature’s Magister and the Sword Saint would require recuperation from fatigue.”

The Golden Dragon King nodded quietly, being one of the direct victims of the Black Fog’s machinations, while Nostradamus acknowledged Joshua’s statement at once. “That’s right. Such a being which means great harm to our civilization should be obliterated in its entirety.”

“The Black Fog still holds massive energy stores,” Barbarossa then interrupted, “it’s difficult to destroy it in a short time.”

“Then we shall seal it and use it as a source of energy.” The Sword Saint said flatly. “It’s like sealing the World Will back then. I won’t slip after that particular experience.”

Everyone, even the kindest and gentlest Nature’s Magister paid no heed to what the main body of the Black Fog had said.

Meanwhile, the Seven Gods of Men, the Murloc God and the Metal Dragon God conferred with each other through divine power.

“The Shelter civilization was certainly an ally of the Glorious Era. We, however, are not that era, and it is not an agent of Shelter.”

The thoughts of the God of Wisdom and Choice resounded in an orderly manner. “The ancient pact has concluded. It is an ancient evil akin to the Evil Gods, I suggest sealing or direct obliteration.”

“Obliteration,” the God of Order and Destruction replied shortly. “Direct Obliteration.”

“We are at the limits of our own divinity. We must not leave our heirs to a terror that require the subjugation of nine gods.” The God of Love and Death said softly, lifting Her gaze to stare upon the other side of the Void. There was forlornness in that gaze, but resolve in Her response. “Obliteration.”

“Obliteration.”

“Pu-ru-ru-ru.”

“Obliteration. (Draconic language)”

“Obliteration.”

The gods’ opinions were unanimous. Each of them looked down and stared upon the colossal Black Fog, before speaking softly.

“The risk of sealing is too great. We have no assurance that the seal would long enough until the main body of the Black Fog lose all mobility. We believed that the physical entity of the main body must be destroyed directly, while its spawn would be preserved as samples sealed amidst the Infinite Horizon as a research sample for intelligent artificial collective beings.”

None present were opposed to that solution. Joshua, was the first to nod to concur, despite thinking that it would be a pity to wipe out the massive stores of data about the civilizations the Black Fog destroyed. There would be no benefit, and it did not compare to the threat that the main body poses—the absolute safety of civilization must be maintained no matter how wasteful.

Moreover, they did not have to comprehend or consider all the rights and wrongs, grievances, responsibilities, and fates between the Shelter civilization and the Glorious Era—or, at least, Joshua paid that no mind as he offered the gods a suggestion.

“There’s a blackhole on World Zero One— a dimensional singularity, in magical jargon. It’s very suitable for obliterating the main body, and guarantee that it absolute has no chance of reviving.”

“That would suffice.”

“However, the main body is too massive—we can’t stuff it into World Zero One at once.”

“Split it and decimate its self-awareness. We will destroy its body across a few years, and banish it into the singularity.”

“It would take great energy and substantial resources.”

“No. Its very body is tremendous energies… In addition, it’s costlier to see it, and we could try recovering its archives.”

Soon, the gods came to an accord. Still maintaining the nine nodes, they augmented the seal upon the multidimensional formation while securing it upon these parts of the Void. It appeared that they truly intended to establish a dimensional rift there, banishing the main body of the Black Fog’s main form in to the black hole and utterly vanquishing that ancient being.

[Mycroft’s civilization, vain as ever.]

The Black Fog’s main body said in return, its tone now serene, showing no delight, sadness or rage.

[You would pay for that in the end.]

“We already did.”

The Legendary champions were already leaving one after another, and the last two to leave, Joshua and Igor, heard the main body of the Black Fog. The warrior said nothing, but the pontiff turned, and replied with a calm spirit. “Now, it’s your turn.”

With that, the two opened portals and left. The colossal multidimensional formation slow shrank utterly suppressing the Black Fog.

***

World Zero One, the other side of the dimensions.

Joshua, having returned to the other battlefield, was contacting the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds to reopen a portal for a direct return to the world of Mycroft. He had first destroyed one swarm of Black Fog here, before waging a terrible battle against a larger swarm and the main body, and eventually combined forces with the many Legends and gods to subjugate the main body—it was unimaginably exhausting.

He had only intended to find the location of the Unified Archives, and watch the External Exploration Department’s first expedition. Heaven knows how it played out into a profound divine war.

“The main body is almost an Evil God… only itself did not believe that.”

The old pontiff, however, sighed beside Joshua—Pope Igor’s expression had appeared fatigued after leaving those parts of the Voids, and bore slight sympathy. “It is so malevolent, intimidating, and warped… and yet, it still believed us to be despicable. There really is no telling what kind of image we, the successors of Glorious Era, hold in their eyes, as well as other civilizations.”

“Naturally vile and evil,” Joshua said matter-of-factly, “perhaps a scary neighbor they’d fear more than Evil Gods.”

“Is that so.”

The old pontiff who had on the side of the angels for his entire life could not help stare blankly for a moment and laughed bitterly. “So that’s it…”

However, before Igor could delve further into it, Joshua turned and leveled his gaze at the clergy, his spiritual presence distinct and direct with nary a hint of concealment.

“Your Holiness, it’s unnecessary to be bothered by the words Black Fog’s main body.”

“Any hero and champion, who held their own conviction, exhausted all efforts in the name of race and civilization as well as gave everything would unquestionably be vile in the eyes of other races. Even selfless beings such as the Shelter civilization might not earn the affection of all civilizations.”

“Such evil is our honor.”