Banished to the Abyss After Defying the Author-Chapter 23: The Name Behind the Salvation

Noah stood between them, blood still trailing faintly from the corners of his eyes.

Nakula stepped forward first. A soft green glow gathered around his hands. The light wrapped around Noah’s face, cooling the burn behind his vision. The red haze thinned. The world steadied.

Noah blinked once.

Better.

He looked at both of them.

"Now," he said quietly, "tell me how you know each other. And Karna, what do you mean by killing the Great God?"

Nakula answered first.

"Let me tell you," he said, voice clipped. "Karna is my brother. But he’s not one of the five princes."

His jaw tightened.

"He is a betrayer."

The word hung in the air like an accusation with weight behind it. Nakula’s gaze held anger and disgust in equal measure.

Karna sighed, eyes on the ground for a brief second.

"Think of me however you want," he said. "But we have to kill that Great God. He’s already arrived in the kingdom."

Noah’s gaze sharpened.

"Wait. What do you mean the Great God already arrived? Who is this Great God, and how do you know?"

Nakula scoffed. "Even if you know he arrived, why should I help you?"

Noah’s eyes flicked toward him with slight annoyance.

Karna lifted his hand. "I have proof. I have reason."

Noah looked at him. "What reason? Tell me. Tell us."

Nakula took a deep breath. "If you really have a reason, then I will listen."

Karna gave a small smile. "Thanks."

Noah cut in before they could continue. "We’ll discuss this. But first, why did you attack me?"

Karna bowed immediately.

"I’m sorry. I thought you were the Great God. But you’re not."

He straightened.

"So, can I tell you my proof and reason now?"

Noah looked at him, slightly annoyed. "Yeah, yeah. Tell me."

Great God. What a title that would be.

The thought crossed his mind unbidden. His lips twitched faintly.

Karna began murmuring an incantation under his breath. The air thickened. A stone tablet materialized between his palms, ancient and cracked, its surface etched with faded runes.

He caught it and offered it forward.

"Read this. It will tell you the true nature of that Great God."

Noah took it.

The first line glowed faintly as he traced it.

Humans are the closest creation to gods; gods are closest to beings once human.

His brow furrowed.

The words tugged at something buried. His memories surfaced slowly, fragments that he couldn’t quite grasp.

He read the second line.

Salvation shall arrive as invasion, and invasion shall be worshipped as salvation.

He rubbed his head. He knew this. He had given this prophecy to a certain being once, but he couldn’t remember who.

The last line burned brighter.

When the Great becomes the Worst, and the Giver becomes the Destroyer—O Great God.

The world around him seemed to dull.

Memory clicked into place.

His eyes widened slightly.

Nakula frowned. "It’s just some fake tablet that people who hate our beliefs made. Noah, don’t believe him."

Noah looked at him with shock.

Nakula took a step back. "What? Why are you so shocked?"

Noah sighed and took a deep breath.

"Well, I guess I know who this Great God is."

Both Karna and Nakula spoke at the same time.

"Who is the Great God? Tell me!"

They looked at each other.

Then both stepped slightly away.

Noah sighed.

"It’s Chaos."

Silence.

Both of them stared, shocked by the word.

Nakula’s voice wavered slightly. "Chaos? That ’chaos’ that happens daily in the market or the palace?"

Karna sighed. "I don’t think Noah is talking about that ’chaos.’"

Noah exhaled. "I’m not talking about that ’chaos.’ I’m talking about the Chaos that is the reason for the formation of all physical world existence."

Both of them froze.

Nakula’s voice shook. "What do you mean by ’the reason for the foundation of all physical worlds?’ What does that even mean?"

Karna looked at him carefully. "So you’re telling me this Chaos is the reason everything has physical form?"

Noah nodded.

He bent down and grabbed a stone from the cracked field.

"Think of this stone like a shell."

He crushed it in his palm.

It broke into fine dust, the fragments mixing with the soil.

"When the physical shell is destroyed, the soul is released toward the shell maker. That is Chaos. Just like this stone, crushed, the sand mixing with other sands."

He let the grains fall.

Both of them stood in shocked silence.

Then the sky began to darken.

Noah sighed internally.

Is Dragonforce really accelerating the events? Making Chaos’s entry faster?

He couldn’t sense Dragonforce directly, but he’d grown used to this kind of interference.

Noah turned sharply to Nakula.

"Go. Bring your entire army from Kurugshetra. And bring every weapon from your treasury."

Nakula didn’t hesitate. He nodded once and sprinted toward the city.

Noah looked at Karna.

"Take rest now. You’ll need to use your full power attack."

Karna nodded.

Noah turned toward the kingdom.

Then froze.

Nyx.

He’d forgotten about Nyx.

His chest tightened.

He ran.

Full speed.

The false sky of the Titaine world spread apart above him as he moved. Fractures widened, revealing the real sky beneath, darker and more oppressive just like happened in Sofail world.

Kurugshetra trembled.

People screamed in the streets, running in every direction, pushing each other. Soldiers rushed to form defensive lines, their faces pale.

Noah reached the palace in seconds.

He sprinted to his chamber.

The maid from earlier lay near the corridor, her body mutilated beyond recognition. Guards were scattered across the floor, lifeless.

Noah’s eyes scanned the room.

Blood.

Nyx’s paw prints, streaked in red.

They led toward the wall, then vanished.

"Nyx!" he shouted. "Where are you?"

A faint sound came from the closed room.

Noah moved instantly, forcing the door open.

Nyx stood inside, trembling.

Blood streaked his flank, but none of it his own.

Noah crossed the distance and pulled him close, wrapping his arms around the unicorn’s neck.

"Are you okay?"

He began searching him frantically, checking for wounds.

Nyx looked at him with wide, fearful eyes.

He opened his mouth as if to say something.

"Don’t say anything," Noah cut him off gently. "It’s okay. Just calm down. I’m here."

Nyx leaned into him.

For a moment, Noah didn’t move.

Then the thought intruded again.

This feeling. Worry about someone. I felt it again.

I felt it for Victoria first. Now for Nyx.

Really, this feeling is annoying.

He exhaled slowly, his hand still resting on Nyx’s mane.

The air felt heavier now.

Thicker.

And beneath Nyx’s dark coat, something pulsed faintly.

A deeper darkness than before.

Noah’s gaze sharpened.

It’s just because of the curse. I’ll fix it tomorrow.

Outside, the sky cracked wider.

And somewhere above Kurugshetra, something vast was beginning to descend.