Escape [P3Final]

The surrounding Celestial's felt their spirits lift, they could finally see hope. The freedom from this nightmare laid just before them.

Lord Zhao carefully flew into the crack, the violet light faintly growing brighter by the second. It was a tight fit as his throne world grinded along what looked to be the barrier walls. After twenty minutes, the light from the Violet star had become bright enough to illuminate the surroundings.

"That's odd.." Celestial Qiao frowned as he inspected the barrier wall as the Throne world maintained it's flying speed. The barrier seemed to pass by in a blur yet that wasn't a problem for his sharp, inquisitive eyes. Under the light, it revealed that the wall was a pristine white like jade and smoother than any surface he had seen.

"What did you discover?" Celestial Lingqi asked curiously. She had regained her beautiful refined appearance with neatly combed hair, her makeup redone and a fresh new dress colored green with golden frills.

Celestial Qiao lifted a truck sized boulder and threw it effortlessly at the barrier wall causing an explosion of dust, it left no visible mark on the barrier. With a look of confusion he cupped his chin and muttered something under his breath.

"Celestial Qiao?" Celestial Lingqi tilted her head.

"The barrier is solid." Celestial Qiao responded.

Celestial Lingqi processed the thought before blurting. "You're saying it's material is solid!? Not a barrier made of energy?"

Celestial Qiao nodded gravely.

Celestial Lingqi gasped as she remarked fearfully. "How is that possible!? A energy barrier of that size would require countless celestials to pour all their energies just to maintain it for a breath while for the barrier to be solid one would need the mass of several heavenly continents... an impossible feat!"

"I see the Violet star. We're almost out!"

Both Celestial Qiao and Celestial Lingqi heard Celestial Xue's excited shout. Looking forwards they could see a massive star glowing with an intense purple light hovering at the edge of an opening that extended for countless miles. Outside the opening they could barely see the darkness of space and the myriad sea of stars which populated it.

"This is the final stretch!" Lord Zhao grinned hopefully as he increased the speed of his Throne world.

Passing the scolding hot Violet star which had bathed the continent of Nraka in it's light for many years, they finally escaped from the barrier with gleeful shouts.

The happy cheers were however quickly silenced. All Celestial's were staring upwards, their eyes completely focused on a certain thing which attracted their gazes like magnets.

Celestial Qiao's teeth were chattering as if he had caught the worst of colds, Celestial Xue and Celestial Lingqi had both collapsed weakly in each other's embrace. Celestial Yi let out a weak cough before sitting down and closing his eyes, even Celestial Bing had come out as tears of blood fell from her pale eyes.

There was one thing in common with them all and that was the pure despair and hopelessness radiating from their changing expressions.

"We were never close at all. There was never any hope.. of escape.. " Lord Zhao sighed as the light in his eyes flickered and gradually disappeared.

Above them was a cosmic sized being, it looked to be a statue as it was human in shape yet it had the unfeeling coldness of an inanimate object. Lines were oriented along it's various joints as if it had been built piece by piece by some omnipotent craftsman.

The Jade statue depicted a woman of unworldly beauty with her eyes closed and peaceful expression on her face, the wings on her back that stretched outwards longer than any known galaxy and the wings on her head arched upwards like a valkyrie's crown, so large she was that it made the monstrous titanic beings they saw before look like tiny ants.

Below them were her hands which had enclosed the continent of Nraka in her palms like one would a butterfly, what they had escaped from wasn't some almighty barrier but just a tiny gap in her fingers..

There was a rumbling the caused the space to ripple and tear. The Celestial's turned their gazes downwards and saw the jade statue closing the gap between her fingers crushing the Violet star until it exploded in a brilliant supernova, though it was easily snuffed out by the statue's almighty fingers.

"Trying to escape?"

A woman's voice echoed in their minds causing them to shudder.

The jade statue's eyes opened, golden light spilling forth from them illuminating the entire void.

"There is no esc- eh!?" The woman's voice sounded surprised.

"WHO DARES SNATCH MY SOULS!" An enraged roar echoed throughout the void. A tear in space appeared before the jade statue as two bony hands reached out and pulled the tear wider.

Lord Zhao's eyes lit up. He recognized the voice, a benevolent savior had come! Not wasting this god-sent opportunity, he poured every last inch of vitality he could muster into his throne world causing it to light up like a small star.

Hope returned to the despairing Celestials. They didn't know what was happening but they all felt that an opportunity for escape had come.

The Celestials all watched excitedly as space began to bend around the Throne world.

A look of pity was seen glittering in Lord Zhao's eyes as he stared at the bony being coming out of the space tear.

"Thank you for your sacrifice King Diyu." He whispered gratefully.

In the next moment Lord Zhao's Throne World turned into a thin streak of light that disappeared into the vast darkness of space.

Diyu opened the tear just enough for his body to fit through, all around him trillions of his death soldiers poured through like a great flood. It was an vast and powerful army, one strong enough to threaten any of the dominant races of the universe.

After finally squeezing through the spacial tear, he sighed tiredly; going from one dimension to another is incredibly taxing even for him.

As he looked around curiously, he expected to see his army ripping the culprits to pieces and delivering their traitorous souls to him for their awaiting punishment but there was nothing at all.

It was strangely quiet as he noticed all his soldiers hovering silently in space, all of which were shivering uncontrollably, their gazes all locked onto one thing.

Looking upwards his courageous heart nearly leapt out of his chest, the void he had for a face rippled violently; though if he had a proper face it would certainly be showing an expression of extreme shock.

The Jade statue's succulent lips curved into smirk.

"I did.." A heavenly voice echoed in Diyu's mind making him break out into a cold sweat.

"Uhh.. um.." Diyu stuttered as he stared at the enormous statue, the power he sensed from it shook his soul.

Even though he was the king of the underworld, overseer of the dead and powerful beyond measure he felt that just a single cough from the statue would annihilate his entire existence.

"If you want souls.. I'll give you souls."

"Huh?" Diyu's face rippled in confusion.

"The souls of two universes which shall be used to power my breath cannon." The statue's smirk grew as it spread it's wings wide.

"What!?" Diyu backed up in alarm as he gathered all the power he could.

Two beams of light left the statue's wings and tore dimensions striking two distant planes.

"Ah!" Diyu held his head painfully, the screams of innumerable souls resounded in his ears. Looking at the two beams, countless souls traveled through them and into the jade statue like an endless river.

When the screams stopped, the beams of light disappeared. The jade statue opened its mouth towards Diyu and his army and from within the darkest depths of it's throat, there pulsed a gargantuan mass of golden light.

Feeling his inevitable end approaching, Diyu spat out a glob of black spit which corroded the space around it and glared at the statue before him.

"So be it!" He roared desperately. He was the proud and mighty king of the underworld! He had existed since life began! He will not cower in fear, no.. he shall fight to the last breath!

Around him his vast army had already turned into dust from the power emanating from the colossal statue. Standing his ground defiantly with his cape fluttering behind him, he gathered the essence of all his might into his fist.

"I don't know who you are...but you're one.. big.. bitch!!" Diyu cackled madly.

"HYAAH!!!" Punching forwards, a black light exploded forth from his fist forming a giant black dragon. With a wag of it's tail, it flew straight towards the statue's open mouth with godly speed.

"Your precious souls are here, take them!" The statue's gaping mouth opened wider stretching beyond it's natural limits, from her mouth golden light burst forth with unfathomable force behind it.

"OBLITERATE!!" The female voice resounded in Diyu's mind like a thundering roar.

Golden light instantly bathed everything in its blinding brilliance, the black dragon didn't even last a second before it perished into nothing.

"ARRHHH!" With arms wide open, Diyu embraced the statue's galaxy shattering beam. His form began to crumble away as the golden light intruded upon his underworld that laid beyond the spatial crack behind him wiping it from existence.

As the golden light died down, the Jade statue came back into view. It looked down at where Diyu once stood and harrumphed loudly shaking the surrounding space.

A satisfied voice came from the frighteningly powerful statue. "Not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth, only death awaits.."

The statue looked to where Lord Zhao and the Celestials had disappeared and snorted softly before closing its eyes.