Interlude 1.5 (Part II)

(1st Saga - Greater Magius, The Balance)

- The Eternal Battlefield

“How’s it going back there?” Aeolus shouted behind himself, keeping his eyes fixed ahead.

“It’d be a whole lot nicer if either of you could give me a hand.”

Aether’s hands flew through the air, masterfully orchestrating a symphony of rapidly appearing and disappearing system windows.

[ Syncing World Zero System users with the Manaflow System… 78% Complete ]

“Like I said before, once this transfer is complete, there’ll be no going back.”

“That’s fine, but the observation scene out here… it’s about to become a lot more crowded, that’s for sure–”

“Lucky for us, I doubt any of them will be able to find us in this place if things get out of hand.”

Aether glanced around at the terrain surrounding him.

Even for a god who had seen more sights than humanity could across thousands of generations, the setting of The Eternal Battlefield was still baffling.

The edge of the horizon was off by just enough to be disorienting, appearing somewhat closer than it usually should, as if the land just suddenly dropped off in the distance.

The physical ground beneath them wasn’t necessarily solid, but instead seemed to be made of energy that formed itself only where there were things to be held up.

It was a place where there was ground to be stood on, yet a place where direction had no meaning.

A place where time itself had no meaning and could not be measured by any numerical standard.

After all, in the Realm of Possibility, what dictated the flow of ‘time’ was Possibility itself. The fulfillment of possible futures and crumbling of impossible ones– That was what defined the Realm of Possibility.

Even a god of his higher status had never dove directly into the Possibility in such a manner.

Meanwhile, Ares practically lived in these conditions, being able to command the very terrain itself as his weapons.

“Hey! We’ve got a situation out here.”

Ares’s booming voice immediately caught the attention of the other two gods.

“It’s one of them… Those guys that directly serve him.”

No names needed to be referenced for Aeolus and Aether to realize who Ares was talking about.

“You handle things back here. I’ll join him.”

Without waiting for a reply, Aeolus soared forth towards the front lines.

At the same time, Aether drew up a new system window before speaking directly into it.

[ Attention all combatants on The Eternal Battlefield! You heard Ares’s announcement! If your status isn’t equal to or greater than that of a god’s, withdraw for now! ]

Upon receiving this message, hordes of warriors that blanketed the battlefield vanished from sight, their images billowing away into nothingness like scattered ashes.

Yet, even with the massive opening in the gods’ ranks, the corrupted forces didn’t advance, for they too knew of the being that was to come.

[ An extremely powerful being is currently breaching the Realm of Possibility! ]

A warning that rattled even the minds of gods. A warning that not even Aether had any authority over. A warning that was more akin to the system’s cry for help as the very stability of World Zero’s reality was in danger.

[ Omen of The End, Khariem, has entered The Eternal Battlefield ]

“KHARIEM!!”

The veins on Ares’s face looked as if they were ready to pop.

With a swing of his arm, the ground beneath Ares ruptured into pure energy, briefly creating an opening that peered into the Realm of Possibility before closing up again.

The writhing energy condensed and elongated into a massive spear, which Ares promptly hurled at the intruder. 

“What a welcome party… Three whole gods… just for me!”

Crimson chains tore rifts in the ground and sky, gathering before Khariem’s body and effortlessly deflecting the spear.

“But I wonder… Just what is it about this world that demands all three of you to defend?”

“So it’s that guy again.”

Aeolus promptly landed beside Ares, the two of which were quickly joined by Aether.

“It’s done. World Zero is now in the hands of the Manaflow System, but with this place in the state that it is, we can no longer monitor it.”

“Well, let’s hope they know how to manage themselves then.”

“I’ve contacted a few… friends. All we can do now for that world is have faith in them.”

Aether’s wings unfolded as blades of shimmering golden light descended to surround his being.

{ Master of the Upper Sky, Light God Aether has released the full status of his < Title > }

“Sounds good to me! Let’s make sure they can give World Zero’s story a satisfactory ending then.”

Aeolus reached into the center of his chest and extracted what appeared to be the lower half of a katana.

“I’ve been itching to try this thing out again.”

[ Keeper of the Four Winds, Wind God Aeolus has invoked the authority of the Key of Creation < 50% > ]

“Enough talking.”

Ares plunged an arm into the ground, allowing the bright blue tendrils of energy seeping through to climb up towards his shoulder.

“Let the futures of tomorrow defend the realities of today.”

[ The Tainted Bloodlust, War God Ares has greatly amplified his status with the Possibilities of World Zero ]

“Oho! Very interesting…”

The chains around Khariem’s hovering body cracked like whips across the sky before gathering behind his back.

“I hope you all will entertain me~”

- Synoria, Snow Guild Headquarters | 1 year after the attack on Synoria Outlook

“Guildmaster! You need to take a look at this.”

Bright red lights swept across the room, accompanied by the shrill blare of an alarm.

Within moments, Setsuya arrived by the side of the woman who called out to him.

“So it’s him again… Can you estimate how long he’ll stay for?”

“We can’t be certain– We’ve never detected corrupted energy this intense before, but it’s certainly the same frequency as last time.”

“How fast can we get our troops out there?”

“The location is too remote. Even the people we’ve stationed in Synoria Outlook wouldn’t make it before the signal disappears.”

Setsuya stared at the screen, his eyes honing in on the pulsing dot situated between the Central District and Synoria Outlook.

“Tell Tenshi to send this message to the first set of coordinates,” he instructed while handing over a small folded piece of paper.

The woman quickly unfolded the paper.

“Is there supposed to be more to this message..?”

“Don’t worry about it. They’ll understand.”

She nodded and hurried out of the room, rushing down the hall before entering another, smaller room.

Beside the doorless doorway was a sign that read “Communications Center.”

Located directly adjacent to “Threat Detection and Response,” this room’s sole purpose was to send and receive messages, broadcasts, and everything else in a similar vein to and from the regions surrounding Synoria.

In previous years, a taskforce of horseback messengers would’ve made for faster communication compared to the still developing equipment of magetech.

However, World Zero’s ‘system update’ of the previous year led to the birth of one of the Snow Guild’s most influential members– one whose abilities revolutionized the guild’s messaging capabilities.

At the very center of the room was an elevated, circular platform surrounded by steps.

The rest of the room was rather cluttered, filled with desks, shelves, and seats positioned at odd angles that would’ve made them a hassle to actually use. All of this was not to mention the piles of papers and other unrelated items scattered atop each of the furnishings.

In comparison, the platform looked as if it were some sacred ground, acting as a barrier that kept the room’s clutter from the lone man that sat at its center.

Despite the cleanliness of the platform, the man himself carried a starkly contrasting appearance.

He wore a large white coat, like that of a scientist or researcher, yet its length was just a bit too long, making for an awkward appearance as it swept onto the floor around him. 

His turquoise hair was somewhat messy and tangled, flowing just past his shoulders, giving the impression that it wasn’t merely a fashion statement, but laziness that led him to style it in such a manner.

Yet, his dark eyes bore a knowing glint of capability and experience.

The woman approached the platform and handed the paper to that man.

“Another message, huh? Very well. Thank you for delivering this to me.”

As the woman left the room, his hands leapt into the air, swiftly swishing around him as his coat trailed behind.

“Now let’s see where I’m supposed to send this one…”

[ < Prelude Ability | Messenger (Lv. 3) > has been activated ]

“Aaand… Send!”

With his task completed, he chuckled to himself with the knowledge that he would continue to be an indispensable member of the Snow Guild.

He wasn’t quite sure how his future in this guild would play out, but one thing was certain.

Upon becoming World Zero’s Prelude to Hermes, he was granted a prophecy, one relayed to him by that very god himself through the system’s messages.

[ Your voice will find its meaning in the message of another’s song and pave the way towards a new era of Synoria as its omen, its savior, and its martyr ]

[ You have received a message ]

“Hah! You’re gonna have to be faster than that, Setsuya.”

“Looks like he wants us to take care of whatever it is we’re already headed towards.”

“Two birds with one stone then. How far is our target now?”

[ < Title Ability | Corruption Sense > is currently active ]

“We’ll be there in less than 30 seconds.”

“Good. Now show me everything you’ve learned from me!”

“I was already planning on it.”

“You ready, Seraphim?”

[ < Epic Title | Harmony of the Chosen and Forsaken > has met its activation requirements ]