106 Omega?
***Asheim, Central Tower, Basement***
I press forward with grim determination while the barrier of my opponents steadily grows weaker. I am sure that I could have done this in a smarter way. And more sneaky.
But by waging my power of against theirs in a final battle, I hope to harden my resolve for what's to come.
The biggest hurdle is already taken. I killed my first son and his fiancee in cold blood. Even if they were influenced by the Calamity, it was no easy action.
Right after the alarm, I went to Chimera and took control of the central core of my palace. It has a reasonably smart A.I. too. But unlike Warden, Palace is under my direct control. He isn't able to refuse my commands.
Afterwards I channelled the mana of the entire planet through me. Ever since the incident with the crystal core of my flying fortress, I trained myself. That event made me realize that there are no limits for gods.
Most gods tend to forget that they are using just their own power when they awaken. They are awed by their sheer force.
But there is still more. After you get control of your own power as a god you can still aim for something higher. Controlling the power which doesn't belong to you. The raw natural energy that's provided by planets and stars.
Once you get rid of the walls within your mind, you realize that there are no limits. A mind is power. Why shouldn't it be able to influence and shape any other power with enough training?
I must admit that using the mana of Chimera had some unhappy side effects. Like blowing up the entire planet. But at least that little test warned me of the possible dangers. Asheim shouldn't blow up before I have set everything into motion.
Mother's face was pretty aghast when she entered the room with Palace's crystal core. Maybe I should have told her that I love her before the end? No. I can't loose my determination. I have set my mind on doing this.
"Angrod! Have you lost your mind?" Chiffre snaps at me.
"No. I am perfectly sane. I just decided to wage my willpower against the multiverse. I will tip the balance and kill the observers until just I remain. Then... if there is just one observer left, the multiverse may bend to his desires." I take another step and a few cracks appear in their barrier.
"You are mad! Didn't you say that you don't know for sure what will happen if there are not enough observers!" Miruliru starts to double her efforts.
"That's why I called it a gamble. But I have a hunch that the multiverse is trying to please it's observers with a reality that's appealing for them. Unfortunately it's impossible to incorporate the wishes of everyone into the same reality. So I hope that if there is just one being left..... it will be able to realize everything it wishes for." That's my hope.
"Even if it works! What crazy universe will you dream up! It's impossible to control your wishes. You are opening the box of Pandora!" Zanders answers me with a shocked expression.
"Unfortunately you are right. But! I am a soul-mage. I meditated and thought for very long about this aspect. I searched my mind and my soul. There is just one thing I wish for. To be together with my family. In this reality. And without the Calamity." Now he will ask if that includes everyone else.
"And what of the others! What will you get by only wishing for your family!" -Miruliru
I smile. "I don't know. But I wish for them to be happy. I guess that's not possible without some other people and a little excitement."
Even my former guards join the ambassadors efforts to strengthen the barrier now. I guess they aren't happy with an uncertain future either. But it shouldn't matter. The crystal core in my hand holds the power of an entire world and more.
It's the central piece of my palace. It did nothing but gather mana for a very long time. Together with the distorted time inside Chimera's void zone it counts up to quite some power.
Suddenly someone grabs my shoulder. I turn and see that Carne got up again. He gives me a winning smile.
"You forgot....gah...."
His expression turns shocked while he incinerates completely in a flash of light from one moment to the next. I look sadly at the remnants of ash which were once my friend.
"CARNE!" Miruliru screams. "What happened?" Chiffre gives me a shocked expression.
"He switched his power with mine for a mere moment. But he wasn't able to control my power...." I give the barrier a final push and it shatters.
Miruliru jumps at me but I wipe her out of the air with my staff while I walk forward. Carne was the only one with a reasonable chance against me. If he had been able to control my current power.... I guess the multiverse doesn't have that much determination after all.
A guard tries his luck but one of my smaller crystals brings him an unfortunate end.
Chiffre unleashes a shock-wave of power against me which actually stops me for a second in my tracks. Commendable. I will have to ask him how that was possible if we see each other again.
With a wave of my hand I raise the gravity within the area dramatically and everyone is sent to their knees. So I walk forward without further hindrances. At the door to the central chamber I stop for a second.
"Angrod!"
I turn around and see Celes crawling towards me with a pained expression.
"You don't need to do this. We can solve this together! I am happy as long as we have each other!" She raises her hand towards me.
You are surely trying really hard to test me. But my decision is made. I turn and step through the opening door. Beyond it is the big crystal core of Asheim. So I raise my hand and Palace flies up to fuse with it. So that's done.
~Connection established. The core is under control.~
"Raise the space and time barrier around this room. And prepare the wave-front." I tighten my hand around my staff.
~Done.~
Suddenly everything turns silent, as my special barrier is erected. It will protect me from the end by separating this room into it's own little universe. There won't be any possible interaction with the outside any more.
But first it has to become fully active. Before it locks down completely, it has to emit the wave-front. I especially created this magic to wipe out most of the multiverse. Once the critical limit is achieved, the multiverse should collapse on its own.
The wave-front is an adaptation of my own soul magic. Just with the difference that this version will have a self replicating effect. That's why I was always afraid of sharing my magic. It's actually just a little step from the red maelstrom towards the wave-front.
Like a wave inside a pond, it will spread into every direction and obliterate everything. While doing that, it will be fed by the very own energy it unleashes by breaking down even the smallest atom into the most basic components. Not even the black hole and the Calamity will be spared.
I turn around and realize that Celes actually crawled till the entrance where the new barrier stopped her. She is pressing a hand against it while tears run down her cheeks.
While smiling I bend down and touch the barrier from the other side. "Don't worry. We will see each other again soon."
"Palace. Activate the wave-front and completely activate the barrier as soon as you are ready."
~Affirmative.~
I kneel down and hold both my hands against the barrier while smiling at Celes. Yeah. "I won't take long my love." It just happens that the multiverse has to end in order for something new to begin. Something without soul eating monsters.
Then the other side turns black and I stare out into an endless black nothingness.
~The wave-front has been sent. We are disconnected from the rest of the multiverse.~
"That was pretty anticlimactic. Huh?"
~It had the expected effect. There should be nothing left in existence behind the wave-front. So it would be strange if there could be anything of interest observed.~
I nod. "So the multiverse should have collapsed by now. Can you confirm it by reconnecting us with the multiverse?"
~Reconnecting.~
The black nothingness turns into a white plane. And on the other side of the barrier, I see a demon.
"Hi. So we meet again."
