The Godsfall Chronicles

Book 7, Chapter 60 - dominance From the Past

Cloudhawk had stolen a fraction of the G.o.d King’s power through the Eye of Time . However, with the full breadth of his power he could only see an hour into the future . What’s more, merely trying risked serious injury . He could also see clearly an hour into the past, but that appeared to be the limit of what mortals could accomplish .

Seeing what this being was capable of… it was beyond all of Cloudhawk’s abilities to comprehend . The G.o.d King was able to have a talk with him from a thousand years in the past . In the same moment he defeated Belial with a single attack . There was no way to describe it other than surreal .

No wonder the Demon King lost . The powers of s.p.a.ce transcended location, but the powers of time had no restrictions . There was no question which one was stronger .  

Cloudhawk got his shock under control . There was no way around it, this was happening . He grit his teeth and resolved to face whatever came . “What is there for us to talk about?”

“Heh… although this is our first meeting, I have always known about you . ” The G.o.d King’s voice was calm . It did not sound particularly imperious or powerful . “You may not know it, but you are very special . ”

A strange feeling crept into Cloudhawk’s chest . It came with a thought . Was this creature really the King of the G.o.ds? He’d encountered a handful of G.o.ds so far and knew something about their way of thinking . They were emotionally indifferent, unified in thought and highly evolved in all aspects .

In many aspects, G.o.dly society could be likened to that of ants . But G.o.ds were only G.o.ds when they were part of the whole . When one attained individuality, they were no longer considered ‘G.o.dly . ’

That was the dooming quality that made them demons .

Already in their brief exchange, Cloudhawk knew this one was different . In mannerism and speech, the greatest of the G.o.ds sounded… ordinary . He could even hear the emotion in its voice . Nothing about the G.o.d King was like any of the other G.o.ds Cloudhawk had known .

“I know I’m special,” Cloudhawk replied .

“No . You were never told what truly makes you special . ” The G.o.d King stood on the other side of the mirror, its eyes piercing the veil of a thousand years to peer into Cloudhawk’s own . “This universe, with its countless wills and manifestations, has been searching for you over many eons . So many millions of civilizations have been birthed and faded into obscurity, until at last your very specific union of talent and blood . Your existence will shape the next cosmic era . That is why the Demon King chose you . ”

Cloudhawk was nothing but a speck in the eternal blackness that was the cosmos . When had he become so special? Special enough, the G.o.d King claimed, to shape the whole universe .

What was it trying to tell him? It was bulls.h.i.+t . Cloudhawk was no scholar, but he did know that their planet was one small marble among an infinite number . Humanity was just another civilization existing in the blink of a cosmic eye . In a word, insignificant . Cloudhawk was fully aware of this fact .

He didn’t believe it, but there was a smal tinge of pride at being so praised by a creature like the G.o.d King . After all, its will spanned a thousand years and defeated Belial with a thought .

“Do you imagine that the Demon King is the leader of the rebels? That Legion is a selfless guide? Your predecessor is the true old guard, sworn to stubborn ancient ways . He attempts to gain immortality through you . He cares nothing for the universal order or its destruction . And Legion? A vile thief, nothing more . A clown who aches for center stage . ”

Cloudhawk’s brows furrowed . What was this creature telling him?

“Cloudhawk . Your existence cannot be allowed . But nor was it an accident . ”

As these words hung between them a string of thoughts rushed through his mind . The G.o.d King’s words were pregnant with meaning . Was this all meant to be some campy reveal? That the Demon King had been the villain this whole time? That the G.o.d King was the savior of order?

What a f.u.c.king joke .

What was the point? Were they supposed to shake hands, forgive and forget? Horses.h.i.+t, Cloudhawk didn’t believe it for a second .

“Now let me see how much you’ve grown . ” As it spoke, the G.o.d King extended a finger toward the mirror . That bitter sense of danger washed over Cloudhawk and he knew the being was about to attack,

BOOM!

A burst of power that defied logic filled the chamber .  

Cloudhawk reacted, having learned by watching Belial’s misfortune . In an instant he teleported two hundred meters away while activating several dozen of his defensive relics . Over it all was his repulsion field .

A moment later, a surge of energy burst from the mirror . It tore right through Cloudhawk’s defenses, even the field . All of a sudden he found himself engulfed in a storm from which he could not escape . G.o.dslayer released thousands of lightning bolts to try and keep the attack at bay .

The two powers clashed . For a moment they were locked in a violent stalemate . But it was clear right away that a vast gulf existed between them . Cloudhawk was nowhere near the G.o.d King’s level .

From a thousand years in the past, the G.o.d King attacked Cloudhawk . Even though he was defending himself in the current time, the power of the G.o.d from a thousand years ago still had the upper hand . There was no question who the weaker of the two was .

Cloudhawk’s mental powers were waning quickly . The G.o.d King’s powers should be draining faster, but it was Cloudhawk who was reaching the point of collapse first . For ten minutes the deadlock persisted, a war between lightning and pure energy that warped s.p.a.ce around them . It brought Cloudhawk back to his early days against Arcturus Cloude and how helpless he felt .

It was laughable to think he could stand against the G.o.d King! He was outmatched . It was suicide!

When the G.o.d King came to his planet would there even be a need to fight? This monster could end him with a wave of his hand . With his ability to see through time, Cloudhawk didn’t have a chance .

From the corner of his eye, Cloudhawk saw cracks beginning to appear in the mirror . There were limits to what the G.o.d King could accomplish from a thousand years ago . Its deluge of power was too great for the mirror to support . Once it shattered the attack would cease .

Cloudhawk dug deep, releasing even more of his strength . Fire burned behind his eyes as psychic was summoned forth . At last the lightning broke pa.s.sed the storm of energy and spread through the chamber, disintegrating the manifestation of the G.o.d King’s power .

The mirror was a collection of fragments now, loosely held together .  

“I have given you sufficient time to grow . ” There was disappointment in its voice . “Unfortunately, this is all you can show me? There is no need to keep you . ”

The G.o.d King reached out with both hands .

Around Cloudhawk, the lake of liquid metal started to seethe . It gathered into six large orbs that were the focus of the G.o.d King’s power . With incredible speed, they shot toward Cloudhawk . He reacted by calling on G.o.dslayer’s lightning, tearing into the orbs one by one .

But they just drank up the lightning without issue . Like a clay ox thrown into the sea, the power dissolved into nothing .

A silvery fist launched from an orb . Cras.h.i.+ng into Cloudhawk’s body, the impact was deafening and bone-shattering . He staggered backward, only regaining his balance after a dozen steps . By then the orbs had surrounded him . What seemed like hundreds of those fists came cras.h.i.+ng down like machine gun fire . In their wake reality warped, struggling to maintain .

Cloudhawk felt like a frail child being attacked by an army of burly men . Only his G.o.d-like const.i.tution and defensive relics kept him alive .  

A hundred strikes . A thousand . Ten thousand! A hundred thousand . A million!

Cloudhawk lost count of how many blows he’d suffered . All he could see was protect himself, instinctively wrapping himself in what mental power he could summon . He was like a fragile leaf being battered by a hurricane, at risk of being torn apart any second .

Now he understood how insignificant he was in the face of his enemy . He was completely overcome, unable to fight back . Cloudhawk had thought he’d become so strong, but it was shown that he was nothing in the face of the G.o.d King .

No . He couldn’t lose . If he failed then his entire species was doomed to extinction . Every living thing on this planet would be erased by these so-called ‘G.o.ds!’

I can’t lose .

I CAN’T LOSE!

Cloudhawk let his anger and despair empower him, releasing his potential . Like crackling arrows the lightning reached out, destroying a large number of the encroaching fists . But just this small victory cost him, for a bone-deep fatigue washed through Cloudhawk’s body .

Darkness came and swallowed him up . Unconsciousness . If the G.o.d King attacked now, there was no one to save him .

Yet in a stroke of fortune the mirror reached its breaking point . The G.o.d King’s power was cut off, though from across s.p.a.ce and time it still could peer upon Cloudhawk’s p.r.o.ne form .

“A little better than expected . ” The cracks continued to reach through the mirror as the G.o.d King spoke, muttering to itself . “Pity . Not strong enough . How I wish you could live . How I wish you could defeat me, instead of die by my hand . ”

His mournful words echoed through the chamber as at last the mirror broke apart .

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