It was time to leave. The help was unexpected and more than welcome. If Aurora could really be saved, their efforts would prove to be indispensable.
As Varian was about to leave, he sensed someone calling his name. It was an ability he was still not accustomed to.
If he didn't put it under control, he could sense every single being across the galaxy uttering his name.
He wasn't able to sense the person if his name wasn't directly mentioned. But it shouldn't be too long before he got there.
It's perhaps the best ability for someone trying to play god but he found it to be plainly annoying. But he left it open to close people, just in case.
And now, he heard a call from nearby.
The scenary around him changed and he found himself in a cave. The crackling of fire was the only sound in the dead of the night.
Leaning against the wall, Sia pressed her knees against herself and dozed off.
There's the scent of a pungent medical herb wafting in the air, perhaps to ward off wild animals at night.
Sia and Aurora did say they were going on a forest adventure as mortal awakeners. Well, they had enough back up measures, so they couldn't die here even if they messed up.
"Brother-in-law!"
"Hm?" Varian turned around and saw Aurora waving at him from the entrance of the cave, putting on an index finger over her lips.
"She's sleeping. Don't disturb her." Aurora mouthed.
Varian shook his head at the sleepy Sia and walked out of the cave.
"How is your condi—"
"No!" Aurora interrupted him. "Don't start nagging now. You can see I'm fine with your perceptions."
"Even s—"
"Come on!" Aurora crossed her arms, looking at him with a pout. "Can't you say something else?"
"…You don't become young by pouting. It's something even Primula stopped doing after she turned nine." Varian said with a candid expression.
"What? How rude?! In terms of my racial lifespan, I'm not even twenty." Aurora nearly erupted into fire and then dropped her arms powerlessly. "Never mind. I just want a promise."
"Promise?" Varian took a deep breath, the easy going expression on his face gone.
The chirping insects fell silent, the birds stopped flying and the animals stopped breathing. The blowing winds came to a standing still. The stars in the sky stopped twinkling and the emerging sun stopped rising.
The world itself seemed to hold its breath as its master awaited, eagerly, solemnly,
"What's with your sudden change? I just asked for a promise." Aurora waved her hands in front of his face, panic evident in her tone. "Don't take it too seriously. Just do it if you can."
Varian tilted his head. He treated it as the last promise to a dying. But maybe that's exactly what she didn't like.
"…Alright. You have my word."
"Urgh, just return a day before I get my beauty sleep."
"That's it?"
"I know this is hard to ask of someone who vanished fifty years last time. And a thousand before that. But I don't have fifty years or even fifty days. So, please come on time."
Varian nodded with a heavy face, fists clenching behind his back.
"Alright, thanks a lot!" Aurora's face brightened and she hopped back to the cave.
Looking at the quiet night, Varian sighed. Even though things changed so much, he still felt so powerless.
Back then, it was a fire wolf, something he could at least see and defeat. But now, he didn't even know what exactly he was going to fight against.
(Take a deep breath. Everything will be alright. I believe you. Believe in me that believes in you.)
Samsara comforted sweetly, the power of slivers soothing his body and soul, giving him the experience of a gentle massage.
Varian gave a wry smile and vanished.
The boundaries of Hortus wriggled, like a bubble that's about to burst before Varian appeared outside in the empty, dark, infinite space.
He looked back at Hortus with an uncertain gaze. He had to return on time this time, no matter what.
"I will be back." Varian promised in the void.
As he took one step after the next, the darkness under Varian's feet glowed with brilliant starlight. The vast expanse of space seemed to shrink into a minute distance.
With the first step, Varian exited the Milkyway.
With the second, he crossed the gap between the two galaxies.
With the third, he reached the center of the galaxy.
Galactic distances that would take millions of years for entire civilizations were condensed into the span of seconds.
The war ended a week ago. Now, there's only massacre, enslavement and conversion.
The waves of violence unleashed by the troops of alliance upon the Jai denizens was terrible by any reasonable standard.
The demonization of the jai citizens, the long history of jai domination over the alliance and the reign of God Emperor all served as triggers that brought out the worst in the troops.
It was no longer about victory or defeat. It was cruelty for the sake of cruelty, pain for the sake of pain and tragedy for the sake of tragedy.
Trillions upon trillions of lives were impacted every moment. There was no resistance from the victims. Anyone who tried to resist were long killed.
Varian wanted to ignore it and focus on his objective.
Both the Genesis and Nexus were enslaving the citizens without killing them. While Genesis promised freedom to the next generation with proper behavior, Nexus declared that they'd be eternally enslaved by a strict order code.
This was already terrible but they were at least alive.
Mors, on the other hand, were brutally killing and converting every single thing—man, woman or animal—into Undead.
The bright light of the living was replaced by the gloominess of the Undead. Even stalks of grass weren't spared from this onslaught.
Varian was fine with Genesis' decision and decided to influence Nexus' decision after the war.
But he couldn't stay the way Mors' troops slaughtered everything and turned them into lifeless Undead.
After seeing up close how Undead thought and behaved in Purgatory, Varian didn't want these people to go through that hell.
"Argh, fuck it." Varian spat out a breath and his aura skyrocketed.
A brilliant light emerged, basking several light years in its glow. Even from afar, the galaxy itself now had a beam of light.
The power of seven paths was displayed in full glory and Varian's voice rang at the center of the galaxy.
"King Hades, order your troops to withdraw. I promise to save you once in the future."
"Huh?"
There was a gasp of surprise outside the silver city.
The brilliant barrier covering the last bastion shook violently ripple as the attacks from King Hades, Ophion, Rakz and Asherah bombarded it with all their strength.
After days of working together, the barrier was finally about to go down.
"Order the Mors troops to stop. And there shall be no further enmity."
King Hades raised his hand, materializing a dark red sphere and casually shooting it at the barrier.
It wasn't even a proper death attack per se—just a collection of aura infused with bits of death and soul.
But the already weakened barrier was infested by the concept of death and began to decay further.
A tiny, tiny crack appeared on the barrier.
Hades smiled, eyes glinting with ambition. He raised a finger and pointed it at the barrier.
This time, a sphere hundred times the sun of a star emerged and shot at the barrier.
Asherah immediately put on a shield and moved away with a look of fear. Ophion didn't move away but created a field of chaos around himself to block away the shockwaves.
Rakz, the new rank 2 in Order path and the junior of Ophion, moved the farthest and put on as many shields as he could.
Then it happened.
As the rank 2 powerhouses watched, the red sphere passed through the dark space and bombarded with the silver barrier.
There was a brief resistance and then something clicked.
Silver light exploded, its brilliance enveloping the entire galaxy for its final moment before everything died down.
Hades took a step forward, passing through the bare city.
The survivors of the city huddled in their buildings shut their doors and prayed for him to ignore them.
And ignore he did.
Walking up in the sky like a god beyond mortals, he ignored the magnificient buildings, complex structures and ancient relics, moving in a straight line towards the grand building in the center of everything.
Abode of God Emperor, The Golden Palace, Araboth.