Bro, I'm not an Undead!-Chapter 1673: Stone Hub of Taboos (1)
Kenno, Red Rage, Ferex, Weaver, and Araeyn appeared in the Null Remnant, surrounding Souran and her Doom Knight on all sides.
The Arch-Lich would have frowned if she could. The dense pressure of Null Life Essence in this realm alone was already disgusting, but there was something else. If she wasn’t in a precarious situation, she would have been intrigued. No Lich would pass up on the chance to learn more about other Existential Parallels.
The entire Null Remnant was covered in gravel – slopes upon slopes of grey that did not allow purchase for anything living. It was a sombre marvel.
But there were also great statues littered all over the Remnant, some buried in the gravel, some floating oddly in the sky, and some sitting over the surface with grace. They were made of different kinds of ores, most of them precious-looking. The details engraved into each were phenomenal; they depicted beings of all shapes and sizes, all of them with an air of formidability and regality – as though they’d been modelled after kings of all humanoid and inhumanoid shapes.
But there was no order to the statues, as beautiful and immaculate as they looked. Most of them were broken, battered, and weathered. It diminished their prestige substantially, which, indeed, was the entire purpose behind this Null Remnant.
Araeyn and Weaver knew.
The Stone Hub of Taboos was a Null Remnant where all forms of veneration towards previous Authorities of the Null Verse were disposed of by the present Authorities.
Indeed, within the territories of the Authorities, many depictions were built in order to mark the territory of an Authority, and statues happened to be the most common form of venerable illustration.
...But these depictions weren’t solely for acknowledging who ruled a particular quadrant of the Null Verse. Most depictions were ’blessed’ by the respective Authority so that invading enemies – those who didn’t care about the Dominions of Authorities – would be warded away from an Authority’s loyal subjects. Indeed, specific powers were imbued into these depictions that could kill or maim enemies. Some of them were still active.
Succeeding Authorities, especially in the olden days, would remove the depictions left behind by their predecessors, building their own, or leaving their territories bare.
For the more knowledgeable among these successors, the Cabbaline Chalice of Exceedance and Exodus was the prime tool to use to get rid of them, Weaver knew. There was a significance to that – to all of it.
Araeyn was quick to make his move. As the Authority of Dimensions, he was free to take control of realms like this that had been rejected by powers from the Null Verse. Everything within the Stone Hub of Tattoos was his to control. Before the tension of the moment had yet to shoot up, he made a great floating statue made of something that looked like quartz, drop onto the Doom Knight faster than it could react.
Indeed, within the Null Remnants, the Apostle was a match for Divines when it came to perception and reaction!
Souran scoffed. As Weaver, Red Rage, Ferex, and Kenno slinked into formation, she thought deeply about what to do in this situation. She had two solutions for her current predicament, but they wouldn’t necessarily salvage her from this place. They were both risky.
’In the end, the best solution draws from my desires – from you!’ she thought, and her sockets flared with a scorching flame. She lanced Kenno with a greedy look.
The Unlimited Star shuddered at the attention. He’d sensed the Lich’s sudden, obscene yearning for him earlier, but now it seemed to have grown. What did she want from him exactly? It had to do with his new powers for sure.
"Let it rain, Araeyn!" Red Rage commanded.
Araeyn hesitated only for a second, perhaps to grumble about being given an order, and then he dropped seven thousand giant statues down on Souran. They fell in a manner that resembled the effect Kenno’s new ability, Impel, impressed: they flew in an instant, as though they’d warped.
Souran was quick enough to dodge each of the statues, but only just. Araeyn’s precision was incredible. Even when the Arch-Lich warped, he anticipated where she would be and dropped hundreds of statues there. He made sure the presence of Null Life in each was potent enough to at least be a problem for the Arch-Lich if it came into contact with her.
Yet still, the rapid-fire attack was good enough for buying time, and not much else. Hence...
’Araeyn, might I be bold in noting that despite your command over this Null Remnant, you do not have access to the intricate abilities emblazoned in each of the statues?’
Araeyn’s face crinkled when Weaver’s voice sounded in his head. Worse yet, the Nulliergrapher was right. In all the Null Remnants Araeyn was yet able to warp into, he didn’t have access to everything, especially the more intrinsic characteristics that brought out the true value within a Null Remnant. But that wasn’t because there was some innate restriction he had to abide by. He was simply missing the strength to do so.
"What of it?" Araeyn hissed.
’There are at least two statues I sensed that possess traces of Focused Null Life Ota. If we work together, I can siphon that power, and it would help us – all of us Apostles – beyond the scope of just this battle,’ said the Nulliergrapher. ’Would that interest you?’
Araeyn’s face turned ugly. He hated how smug Weaver sounded. The answer was already clear.
Right then, the Doom Knight Araeyn squashed before, sent the statue that had fallen on it flying upwards. It then erupted with an outrageous torrent of Undeath energy, as though furious.
Araeyn witnessed the scene and sighed, exasperated.
"...Fine."
At the same time, Weaver was speaking with Kenno.
The Unlimited Star was following Souran’s movements. She had her sights on him, so he made sure he knew exactly where she was at all times.
"Kenno. Don’t hesitate to abuse every facet of your armour. Use as many Aggrantes as you can. Warp as much as you want. No matter what, I will resupply your armour with Null Life Essence," the Nulliergrapher encouraged.
Kenno was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed. "Got it."
Ferex flashed by his side, standing upright, his body an outline of obscurity with barely a humanoid form and stark, glowing claws. He looked horrifying. He must have been just as driven as Kenno, given how he growled like a mindless beast.
"Don’t disappoint," said Red Rage from the skies, his cape rippling. He was the one to send Ferex to pair up with the Unlimited Star. "You two have the highest chance of dealing any meaningful damage against that thing. Don’t hold back, even if you bleed out your life."
That worked for Kenno. He was willing to do just that and more.
...And perhaps Souran sensed that from him. She laughed just as she’d done when he blasted her with Impel earlier. She zoomed towards him, evading the statues. Her Undeath energy spiraled out of control.
"Your life energy is flaring, smoking like wood lit afire! You’re calling to me, little cretin! Is this what it looks like when a mortal with godlike potential starts burning through their powers! Show me! I know you’re just shy of touching upon it – upon Elkhesh!"
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[Author’s Note]
Eklhesh is an aspect of the |Greater Cosmic Law| that controls space and distance.
