Empire Of Souls

By this point, both armies had long retreated far away from the area. Although the Dark Elven army had retreated and been almost completely routed, order had been restored. With the Spider Queen taking action herself, it was a simple matter to bring order once more to the army. They had suffered severe losses in the battle, but they still outnumbered Lenia"s army. They no longer held as much of an advantage as at the start of the battle though. They had lost a huge portion of their slave army and many of the feudal soldiers had also died or gone missing. 

This was a serious blow, but not entirely devastating as the Spider Queen"s army was mostly untouched with the exception of their Cuira.s.siers and Rangers. Their strength had been diminished, but they were acceptable losses for the Spider Queen since most that died were not her personal soldiers. The loss of the Cuira.s.siers and Rangers was vexing to her though. With this, she would need to personally step into battle to ensure a complete victory. She wasn"t willing to lose anymore of her army. 

Or at least, that was her intent, but a sudden feeling of dread overtook her. She turned her gaze to the distance and had just seen the lifeless being dodge an attack which she hadn"t even sensed coming. Even with the distance, she should have been able to sense something. However, the devastating attack was a complete surprise and even now she wasn"t able to see anything. The cloud of dust and debris wouldn"t normally obstruct her vision, but there was a powerful aura which was mixed in with the dust. She couldn"t see past this mysterious energy that clouded her sight and blocked her senses.

The lifeless being was completely on guard, but no more movement came from within the debris and dust. It too hadn"t sensed any movement until the last moment and it had almost been struck by the attack. It wouldn"t have even sensed the attack if not for feeling an intense dread and killing intent which felt as if it were drowning out the world. This was not something which could be explained in words.

"Who are you?"

The lifeless being asked mechanically. It didn"t truly feel fear as it wasn"t a being filled with life to begin with and was only a lifeless husk for the soul of a G.o.d to inhabit. Its death wouldn"t bring any real danger to the G.o.d using it as its vessel. This was the benefit of using such vessels, but there were also detriments to this. The G.o.d couldn"t truly descend upon the body of the golem like if it were a Saint. These golems were powerful in their own right, but not as powerful as a Saint which a G.o.d had personally descended upon.

The dust and debris and raging pure aura of power swirled violently, but soon the figure of the being which launched the surprise attack was now visible. Standing there with a look of disdain which seemed to look down upon the world was an exceedingly tall demonic looking being. Although it appeared demonic in appearance, the being"s beauty could not be understated. There was a strange bewitching, yet dangerous appeal to the being"s beauty. One would knowingly walk to their own destruction at her behest. Yet not one iota of kindness or empathy could be seen on her face. She was an embodiment of destruction, pure and unbridled.

"A traitorous sc.u.m no better than a parasite dares ask my name? How laughable."

Anathema then turned her sharp gaze upon the golem, her gaze peering beyond the mortal plane to peer at the true body of the one who was inhabiting the golem.

On the other end of her gaze, Moksha opened his eyes and smiled slightly, "So, it is you."

His words crossed the vast distance from beyond the mortal plane.

"Oh, you know me? Are you one of those pathetic degenerates crushed beneath my feet?"

Moksha chuckled, a light sound without much mirth, "You were one of those present at the destruction of my world. How could I forget, but at that time your appearance was quite different. A hideous monstrosity… I think that is the best way to describe you. I was just reflecting on the hypocrisy of your current appearance. Since when did beauty matter to a Daemon?"

When Moksha said the word "Daemon" he put extra emphasis on the word. It didn"t matter what appearance Anathema currently had, he knew at first sight who she was. He could never forget the Daemon and what they had done to his world, but strangely he wasn"t angry and his words were more sarcastic than biting.

Anathema took his words in stride, although his tone infuriated her.

"So that is what it was. Unfortunately, I do not make a habit of remembering the worlds returned to oblivion or the countless beings who have been turned to ash before me. I only know you for the stink that permeates your being. That stink of betrayal and degeneracy, that of you who call yourselves G.o.ds falsely. Tremble.. You should tremble. Do you think because you are in your domain that I can"t do anything to you?"

Anathema showed her vicious grin which was clearly that of a monster and not a mortal being. She stood proudly and defiantly as she glared at the golem, but in truth her eyes rested on Moksha who was planes away.

Moksha didn"t mind her threat and waved his hand calmly, "It is true that as I am now, I can"t do much to you. You are a fearsome Daemon after all, one blessed by the Creator, and I am just a lowly thief as you have said. We G.o.ds feed upon the children of the Creator, we who are his children as well, yet who have risen up in rebellion. Our very existence is built on the corpse of the one who we should worship. But is it truly that simple? Do you think the G.o.ds and angels could have risen up in revolt if it were not the will of our creator? Perhaps this is all just a game and we are all pieces on his gameboard. Have you ever considered this? No, you Daemon are all the same. You only see the mission you were programmed to carry out and nothing else. You believe your existence is somehow pure and holy. Yes, you hold yourselves up high, believing yourselves to be the only ones who were faithful to the creator, but I wonder… Are you Daemon truly "Chosen" as you believe… or are you all just trash that the Creator threw away?"

Anathema was now truly enraged. Her aura was growing stronger and it seemed as if she would lose her reason at any moment. The words that Moksha said were especially insulting, these were not words that were new. All of creation, all except the Daemon, often used these words to insult the Daemon. They began to believe that the Daemon were a failed product, a mistake. That destruction was never an intended result, but a whim of the Creator which had been cast aside. The Angels, protectors of the Law, had propagated this and were unwilling to accept the fate that had been awaiting them all along in the deepest recesses of existence. When the Daemon came to fulfill their role, what awaited them was rebellion and war. A war that had lasted for countless millennia. 

Anathema, who was losing her rationale, began to rage with power just at the cusp of what the mortal plane could contain.

"If you do this, you will fail your mission and you will endanger An-Namrud. Is that what you wish? I think if you fail this mission, your progenitor will not be pleased with you. Not in the slightest… Your actions will cause every G.o.d of the G.o.d Nexus to become aware of your presence. You are certainly powerful Anathema, but even you will die if you release your true form and power."

Moksha"s words were gentle and calm, he didn"t seem to fear Anathema"s reaction in the slightest. His words visibly calmed Anathema as she began to regain her reason. The thought of failing her mission made her realize she had almost made a huge mistake. She gritted her teeth and her aura decreased, returning to its previous state. 

She looked at Moksha strangely, "Why haven"t you revealed me to the other G.o.ds? You have the opportunity now, but you don"t? What are your intentions? You know what I am and yet you are still so calm?"

"I only wanted to play a little with these young ladies and test An-Namrud a bit. I have no intention of getting in your way. There are those who believe that I hate the Daemon for what they did to my world, but that is not true. Instead, I am grateful. It freed me from the stagnation and allowed me to see a whole new truth. It was what allowed me to move beyond the prison that had been fated for me. I look forward to what is to come. I wonder, what will he choose at that time? Your presence shows your confidence in the outcome, but I am curious, will it really go the way you hope? Hehehe... Farewell, until we meet again."

The golem that Moksha was using as a vessel jumped back and then sped off into the distance. It no longer concerned itself with the battle and just like that, calm had returned. However, it was only momentary. Anathema considered Moksha"s words and actions, but she couldn"t see through them. His actions went against common sense. As a G.o.d of the G.o.d Nexus, it was only natural that he would have revealed her and she would have been beset by many G.o.ds seeking to destroy her. Although she would certainly die, death was only a temporary state for one such as her. He didn"t do what she expected and instead left, just like that. 

"He knows more than he should…" Anathema mumbled under her breath.

Those thoughts were only momentary though and she suddenly gazed intently towards the palace in the distance on the back of an enormous spider the size of a mountain.

"Time to finish this little play." Anathema turned her deadly gaze towards the towering monster in the distance. Her eyes shone with a strange light and reflected within them was a barren and dreadful abyss.

In the distance, the spider that was as large as a mountain began to shake. When Anathema glared at it, it shook in fear, causing the palace to rock and sway. From within, the Spider Queen had already grown cautious from when Anathema had originally attacked. Now that she could see her clearly, a sense of ill foreboding overtook her. She had never seen a being like this woman who had caused the golem to flee. 

The Spider Queen was aware of what the golem was, although she wasn"t entirely certain of its origin. It had offered its aid and she had accepted on a whim, as what it had offered her was something she could not ignore. The support of a patron among the G.o.ds was an enticing offer that any demiG.o.d would consider seriously. It was difficult to ascend, so any advantage was crucial. It didn"t ask for anything in return either and was only offering to aid her in defeating her enemies. What need was there to turn down such a great thing? She wasn"t expecting the golem to flee however, and now standing there in the distance was a being that made her feel fear for the first time in her life.

"Wait right there, I am coming for you!"

The words of Anathema reached the Spider Queen as if she were standing directly in her presence and not in fact many miles away. It was a soft whisper that sounded as if it were being spoken directly into her ear. Anathema pushed off from the ground right as the words left her lips and she propelled herself through the sky, directly towards the mountainous spider in the distance. The Spider Queen stood up abruptly and was shocked to see the being flying directly towards her.

She trembled slightly, causing those in attendance to be shocked by her actions. They had no idea what was going on or why their queen would suddenly act like this. She was a G.o.ddess in their eyes and they worshipped her without question. This sudden action by her left them all bewildered.

"Quickly! Run! Get out of here now!" The Spider Queen screamed, shocking all her attendants even more. 

They were so shocked that none of them even moved and instead gazed at the Spider Queen with blank looks.

"I said get out of here now! Quickly!" She screamed once more, releasing her aura.

Her aura blasted many of them off their feet and they finally realized she was serious, but it was too late. The palace suddenly shook as if a mountain had collided with it causing the entire palace to explode into countless pieces from the impact.

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