Power of Runes-Chapter 378: Tension and inevitability

The world held its breath as the Devil emerged from the Abyssal Gates, his eerie smile stretching across his face, sharp and unnatural, as if mocking the very concept of life and hope.

The air itself seemed to shiver under his presence, thickening with malice.

But that was only the beginning. The darkness behind him shimmered and twisted like living smoke, and one by one, more Abyssals poured out. Each step they took seemed to devour the light around them, their hunched forms moving with a hunger that made the earth tremble.

Their forms were almost identical, yet horrifying. Skin darker than the deepest midnight, and eyes that shone crimson red, empty of any iris, reflecting nothing but hunger.

Corruption oozed from every part of their bodies, a smoky shadow that hung around them like a living cloak, making it clear that these creatures were born to devour and destroy.

-Grrrrrrrhhhh...

-Rruuuuummmm...

-Hhhrrrrrnnn...

-Uuuuggggrrrr...

-Mmmrrrrrraaa...

-Rrrrrruuuhhh...

They poured out of the gates like predators starved for eons, drawn to the feast that lay before them. Their growls spread far and wide, not as sound alone, but as a dark presence that filled every corner, curling into the hearts of all who stood against them, demanding fear.

The ground quaked under their advance, and every heartbeat in the army seemed to fall into the same rhythm of dread. Time slowed, each second stretched, as the sheer weight of their numbers became impossible to ignore.

Then a Commander of the Heavenly Army rose into the air, his aura heavy with the presence of a Celestial, radiating power that sharpened the Angels around him, steadying their hearts and fueling their courage.

He did not speak. He did not gesture. He simply stared at the Devil, studying the twisted smile and the terrible calm in his eyes.

The Devil sensed the gaze and turned toward him, the darkness in his expression deepening as if feeding off the attention, challenging the very resolve of those who dared to meet him.

The Celestial tore his eyes away, focusing on the endless tide of Abyssals. He knew these were only the lowest-ranked among their kind, their individual powers uneven, yet their sheer numbers made them a deadly force.

With a voice that cut through the thick, tense air like a blade, he issued a single command. Simple, but so potent it awakened the fire that had slept in the hearts of Angels for countless ages.

"My warriors, DRIVE BACK THE ABYSS!!! KILL!!!"

""""KILL!!!""""

A roar erupted from every Angel, a sound born from the depths of their souls, centuries of slumbering fury breaking free in one unified voice.

They launched into the air, wings unfurling like blazing shields of light, their bodies burning with righteous fury, and they crashed into the Abyssals like living meteors, unstoppable and merciless.

The clash tore the air apart.

-BOOM!!!

Screams tore through the sky, a perverse symphony that echoed across the land. The clash of weapons and claws rang out continuously, each impact sending tremors through the ground. The light from the heavens fell like judgment, searing Abyssals instantly, leaving trails of smoke and ash in their wake.

The fallen Abyssals spilled their corrupted blood onto the earth, each drop poisoning the soil, siphoning life, and spreading decay wherever it touched. Every strike, every movement carried weight and consequence, and yet, the Angels pressed forward, unwavering, their fury matching the threat before them.

Silence fell among the watchers.

Transcendents, high-ranking Angels, the Devil, even the Whisperer, watched the war unfold before them. Some stared with grim resolve, Some burned with suppressed fury, struggling to contain the urge to strike. Some watched with quiet, growing amusement while some held a solemn gaze, aware of the stakes and the cost.

The world seemed to hold its breath once again, waiting to see whether the light of the heavens could truly stand against the endless darkness pouring through the gates.

***

Looks like I will not be able to keep my promise to keep this world safe from harm...

Whisperer watched the war between the Heavens and the Abyss unfold across Akumia, the world he had devoted his life to protecting. The land, once full of light and life, now trembled under the clash of divine light and shadowed corruption.

Every scream, every strike of power, every flash of light reminded him of his helplessness. All his careful planning, all the years of preparing for this moment, seemed to unravel before his eyes.

Anger and frustration burned within him, but there was nothing he could do. Every instinct to act, to intervene was blocked by the cruel reality of his chains. He could only watch as the battle raged, powerless.

His gaze softened as a memory rose unbidden, the words of someone long gone, whose trust had shaped his life and defined his purpose.

[Protect the world, this is our home. The task is heavy, but I believe no one is more suited for it than you. You are the only one I entrust this task, Arthur.]

Those words had guided him through every hardship, every battle, and every loss. They had taught him the cost of responsibility, the burden of hope, and the quiet strength of standing alone.

Now, seeing Akumia on the verge of falling apart, the weight of that promise pressed down on him more heavily than ever.

Tears fell silently, unnoticed even by him, carrying grief, frustration, and love for the people he could not reach.

Slowly, Whisperer, the old Arthur, steadied himself. Lifting the unconscious Amelia into his arms, he felt the fragile weight of the hope she represented.

He scanned the battlefield one last time. His eyes lingered on the captured Saints, the chaos, the fire, light and shadow tearing the sky apart, and the Devil watching it all with that same eerie smile.

Turning away from the chaos, he vanished, leaving only his quiet muttering behind.

"Fate is cruel and absolute... I can only hope that, if fate allows, you all live a good life."

Even as he disappeared, the weight of his promise lingered in the air, a silent testament to the man who carried the hopes of Akumia on his shoulders, unbroken yet burdened beyond measure.

***

While no one seemed to have witnessed the shackled guardian of the world vanish without a trace, there was one thing that everyone felt, the instability of the world.

The ground trembled faintly, the skies shimmered with unnatural ripples, and even the air seemed heavier, as if the world itself were struggling to hold together under the strain.

For one, the world, whose limit was only up to Saint rank, was not powerful enough to bear the burden of two realm gates and powers beyond what it could endure.

The immense energies collided within the world, sending vibrations through the land and causing faint cracks to appear on distant mountains and floating islands alike.

"The World is falling apart."

Elizabeth muttered, her words echoing in the minds of everyone whose focus had been solely to protect the world. The weight of her statement pressed on them as if they could feel the land itself weakening beneath their feet, and the urgency of the moment sharpened every thought, every heartbeat.

Just when she was about to take some drastic steps, whether to forcefully separate the continents from the world to save its people or to attempt something even more extreme, a voice suddenly echoed throughout the endless void, the world, and the space surrounding them.

It carried an unusual calm, as if it existed outside the chaos of mortal world.

"Oh dear, looks like I am little late."

The words seemed to freeze everyone on the battlefield. Angels, their wings mid-flap, stopped in motion. Abyssals, mid-charge, halted as if the ground itself had betrayed them.

Even the Devil’s unsettling smile vanished, replaced by a neutral expression that seemed unreadable. For a brief, tense moment, the war itself seemed to pause, as if the world had stopped to listen.

There was no one physically present all around them, yet the voice had echoed from every direction, filling the battlefield, the skies above, and even the air between them, as if it existed everywhere at once.

Only a few high-ranking Angels and some members of the upper management of the Transcendent Circle recognized it immediately.

It was the Transcendent Eternal Supreme.

Yet he was nowhere to be seen.

In truth, he was not on the battlefield at all. He had used his powers to send his voice across the battlefield from wherever he was. That voice alone was enough to stop everything.

It carried so much force that the world of Akumia itself trembled under it, moving toward a path of destruction from which there might be no return.

Then another voice echoed filled with arrogant and detachment, carrying a presence that shook the very foundation of the world.

"Retreat."

The surface of Akumia cracked visibly under its resonance, fissures spreading across continents, floating islands trembling, and the space itself warped. Weaker beings coughed blood, struggling to stay upright, overwhelmed by injuries they had barely endured moments before.

The voice of the Transcendent Eternal Supreme had already caused pain that was hard to resist, but the Heavenly Eternal Supreme’s voice broke everyone’s limits.

Even the strongest faltered, some collapsing entirely, and many barely managed to hold themselves together.

This was the true voice of their main bodies.

Rather than using incarnations, which required time, and immense energy to create, they had chosen to project only their voices.

Their voice could travel far and wide without the consequence of physically descending.

Earlier, the Rune had agitated them enough that they had sent forth their incarnations, but in this moment, using only their voice was the safest and strongest option.

Even as the Angels slowly regained mobility and began retreating, injured from the overwhelming force of the two Supreme voices, none dared to speak, none dared to complain.

The Devil watched, calm and eerily detached, his eyes following every retreating Angel.

As the forces withdrew, he lifted his gaze to the sky, his raspy voice slicing through the tension and plunging the battlefield into complete silence.

"To think the Supremes would lower themselves to interfere in such low level battles... My eyes must be betraying me..."

His voice, filled with contempt was heard by everyone, making everyone freeze.

***

A/N: Today (18th Feb, 2026)

We’re having the Power of Runes Quiz on the Discord server along with a live Q&A session with the author, which is me.

Yes, you can finally question my decisions directly.

There are prizes involved as well.

The event starts at 10:00 PM IST, which is about one to two hours after this Chapter goes live.

If you’re free, drop by. Let’s see who actually remembers the details.