Chapter 273: Hallowed Be Thy Name

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What manner of puny earth God would Terros be if his arrival wasn't announced and accompanied by the quivering of an entire planet? The coliseum was but a speck of dust in comparison to the entirety of Sheryashka and Terros' rise from the core of the planet, with which he'd fully integrated, was a monumental occasion that was felt domain wide. A surge of tremors rattled all life and the vibration of the ground underfoot hummed in their very souls as a sinking feeling rose in their hearts. It felt as though everything beneath them had become treacherous and merely standing was an afront to Terro's existence. The floors all around the world suddenly felt smoother, less solid, and far less sturdy as though it had betrayed the feet of all humans everywhere. Whether or not this planet could even be considered a foothold anymore was debatable as it was closer to the body of a living creature. The fate of everything residing on top of Terro's new form was his to decide and, should he not be lenient, countless creatures would sink below the mud never to be seen again, burned to a crisp down at the planet's core, or buried in dirt for sake of fossilisation. Corpses would become nutrients for Terros or resources for his followers in years to come, that was nature of defying or opposing the earth giant. Picking a fight with the entity that housed your harvests and enabled almost all civilisations throughout the dimension was not wise and his gradual ascent from the earth inspired reverence, worship, and gratitude among all with common sense. There was a reason Terros was a widely revered God and it took no longer than a mere few seconds in his presence to understand the scope, magnitude, and necessity of his existence.

As Terros breached through the surface of the coliseum floor it became apparent his body was going to be too large for this venue. For a while, the spectators considered fleeing to a safer spot but Terros was in full control of his own immensity and shifted things around such that his body formed around the coliseum without raising or damaging it. Clumps of tough rock were growing out of the ground like unbreakable pillars that joined together to form a colossal golem who's body was still enlarging even now that it was taller the coliseum. Terros' upper half was free and exposed to the fresh air but there was no traditional 'lower half' as, right now, that was essentially just the entirety of the planet. His golem core had merged with the centre of the planet and he'd completely taken over as he loomed above the coliseum with his rounded head in the clouds. He could shift into any manner of shapes but, as this was his first appearance, he chose to stick to something more comprehensible and standard.

A bulky upper body with a circular, rocky head and one giant black eye in the middle.

Much like the smaller golems Ares had scrapped against before, Bricky and Rocky, every segment of rock chunks were joined together by thick, shadowy tentacle limbs that were un-interactable. All golems were a core, or sometimes multiple like Terros' true body up in the realm of Gods, with extending tendrils that could scoop up their respective element and / or affiliated object with magnetic ease. The rocks on Terros' body were more akin to a shield / weapon he could deploy wherever and whenever he wanted and he would not sustain damage even if it was all destroyed. He could sink his shadowy tendrils into the earth and have them reappear across the entire globe at a moment's notice, raising up the earth to form a carapace in whichever shape he deemed appropriate. A giant stone snake? A mud alligator that could swim through terrain? An unstoppable charging bull? Everything and anything was possible as long as he remained connected to a planet's core. That wasn't to say he was useless without one available to him, however, as his own cores doubled down as one which is what made him unique. His real body, with his real cores, could turn itself into a small domain on the spot by just hunkering down. All the surrounding, magnetised earth would fold into place and create a small utopia out of his earthen body. Wherever there was land Terros could roam freely and effectively teleport between landmasses. Even without an abundance of planets, however, he effectively became a monumental star ship of planets that floated through space without pause, unstoppable and indomitable. Plus creating earth out of thin air was a breeze so wherever Terros went, so too did the foundation for all living things. He could breathe life into a new domain simply by piling empty planets into it and watching as civilisations were built by those who flocked to them.

Birds had perched atop Terros' abdomen as his head now breached the planet's atmosphere, hanging over every animal within his grasp. The sheer size of his upper body dwarfed the entirety of Central Land and even expanded over a few nearby countries too, casting a shadow over an entire continent. To stare down Terros required enough will power to remain unphased in the face of a crashing planet, hurtling towards you from above the stars. He was no mere meteor, he was the embodiment of all things solid and was fundamentally unbreakable. The very air cracked, mimicking the sound of broken earth while an unpleasant sensation of feeling drowned inside a mud tsunami washed over Ares. Those who were on Terros' side would feel the abundance of earth and nature. Their ears were washed out by the soothing whooshing of a waterfall while their bodies sprouted small, refreshing flowers from the backs of their palms. Small animals chirped in the back of their brain and all manner of earthy and meaty flavours rolled over the tongue, solving hunger permanently so long as Terros existed. To each follower a personal paradise all unto themself, harvested off the bounties of infinite earth.

For Terros' foes, the mud wave sensation was but a start. Foul smelling minerals clogged the senses, the feeling of worms and cockroaches crawling over skin was amplified to a disgusting level, and the taste of a mouthful of plague-ridden dirt lined the underneath of Ares' tongue. The ground at his feet, and no-one else's, was unsteady, shaky, and unstable. It could give way at any moment and form a small canyon of which he would fall through on his journey into the darkest depths of this planet, never to return. The ground was creeping around his ankles, looking to swallow him whole while nearby rockets rattled in place, ready to spring forth and pelt him to death by poking holes in his skull. An assault from all angles was inevitable if he dared remain in Terros' realm, one that would result in his carcass being fed to wild animals to continue the natural cycle of life. Terros facilitated an eternal continuity, one that was safe from harm and evil. He was impenetrable and the homes he provided invulnerable to all dangers. This was the God of earth in his true form... Somewhat. This current Terros was still lacking in many ways, due to Mako's limited cultivation, and yet his imposing nature felt unburdened by such a menial issue.

Ares, however, could tell the difference. It's not that Terros wasn't an astounding existence, far from it, it's just that he'd met a God in their truest form before and so this felt... Cheap? Terros' rocky aura felt more like plastic, watered down so as not to blow the minds of all lower beings or cause passive destruction to all nearby solar systems. Ares could feel the restraints in place due to his pre-existing familiarity with Godhood and he actually felt a tinge of pity. Terros' majesty was constrained and, while the spectators knew no better and could just watch on in stunned awe, it must have been rather hard on Terros to feel so puny comparatively to his real body. Ares knew this feeling all too well after finally having experienced Garmr and so he could empathise with the God of earth. Empathise but not go out of his way to bend over for! No matter how Terros was struggling to cope with his weakened self, Ares wasn't going to take it easy on him and just let him have a win out of sympathy. He was ready and waiting to summon Astraeus who was likely watching this whole event unfold on the side-lines in the void. He was nosy and could tell his time to shine was coming up so now it was just a matter of timing. When would be the optimal moment to summon him and below Terros out of the water? Ares knew it wasn't right now, at least. God summons could only launch so many attacks before having to fade away back to their respective selves so forcing Terros to use one first was a good strategy. The only risk here was that Terros would attack and leave Ares unable to react in time but he felt confident his Omniscience could turn the tide and prevent an ambush. His chant was going to be long but seeing Terros' attack before he'd even finished launching it would do Ares wonders and so he wasn't timid in the face of the God staring down at him, rather combative if anything.

Due to his limited time here in this gargantuan golem body, Terros' gravely and booming voice chanted an art without giving the spectators a chance to catch up with what was happening. A God had literally been spawned in front of their very eyes and most had been previously unaware such a being even existed. This was eye opening and some people had collapsed in awe or shock in and around Central Land. Their dumbstruck open jaws were irrelevant, however, as Terros' art came thundering out of his makeshift head's eyeball which also doubled as a mouth to emit sound through, sort of like a spherical speaker. "Mud Maiden."

What, like an iron maiden? Ares mused in his head as he looked left and right in preparation for the upcoming attack. As it turned out, his assumption was completely correct as two coffin shaped walls of mud were forming underneath the earth currently. Ares was the only that could see it thanks to his Omniscience but he was already wincing at the thing before it had even fully completed. Each half of the coffin was about three times the height of the coliseum and they were both filled to the brim with pointy stalactites that could run through flesh with the greatest of ease. This was an iron maiden that could eviscerate and entire country, turning it into a jumbled, bloodied mess of architecture, human remains, and shredded earth. Bundles of islands sized dirt and rivers of blood would come tumbling out of the mud maiden after it was shut and that was merely the leakage.

Thankfully Terros' current attempt at this art was considerably smaller due to the aforementioned limitations so it was only big enough to cover the entirety of this city... Only... No matter how you looked at it, this was a massive attack. If various denizens of Vraizon weren't here right now, and Ares was long gone as well, this art would be enough to singlehandedly wipe out this entire city and leave nothing but crimson stained rubble in its wake. The fact that Mako could do this once every month, and maybe one other attack of this calibre, was insanity. Having the protection of a God was not a small boon evidently and Ares was glad to have earned one's favour right now. He had no idea how on earth he would stop this without Astraeus. His best bet would have been relying on the Primordial Blade's Timeline Splice but that had already been used once this match and so things would have had to go drastically different up until now. Thankfully Ares didn't need to concern himself with this what if scenario as he had how own summon in his back pocket despite Ignizz being a stupid and lazy lizard.

Anyway, as for how this attack would currently work, the Mud Maiden would rise up and close in on the arena. The spectators weren't in danger, however, and neither was the structure of this coliseum as Terros had enough control over his earthen attack to manipulate it and stretch it around things he wanted to keep safe from harm. Earth was solid but before Terros' all-encompassing mastery and control it was naught more than playdough in his hands. Shielding the coliseum and those within it was a menial task although he couldn't change the fact that they would be entrapped in the darkness of the Mud Maiden for a short while, that was simply unavoidable. Terros' was launching a wide scale attack against a single individual so it was only natural the surroundings would be at least partially involved regardless of whether he aimed at them or not. Some land would be torn up and the city was going to tremble before his might, that was par the course for an attack of this scale, but the number of issues overall would be minor when considering how much power he was swinging around.

This all just went to shoe how immaculate Terros' control was that he could launch an attack like this and pick out a single person amongst a crowd of countless thousands throughout the city. And it was necessary too as the Training Field could not encompass everything Terros was fully. His body was poking out of the Field and his art was far too large to be constrained within it so none of the runes were applying to him. He was such an incredible existence that a Training Field of near perfect quality, for the standards of a lower realm, simply could not fathom a deity like Terros or function alongside him. If Ares died to the Mud Maiden, the Training Field would still protect him but anything outside the Field was subject to Terros' mood and potential wrath and there was nothing to be done about it despite him originating from inside the Field. Training Fields had an upper limit but it was extraordinarily hard to exceed it and so seeing such an example first hand was a rarity, something the people spectating this match would maybe even never see again. Not that they'd want to as the implication was that a devastating existence or art was being unleashed upon the world and the cataclysmic nature of whatever ensued was something best not seen up close.

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Once again the earth shook but it wasn't quite as devastatingly nauseous-inducing as previously. Unlike when Terros rose from the ground, this time it was merely two massive slabs of hollow mud that shot up high into the sky. Ares had seen these forming underground but he was only really coming to terms with how tall they were now that they were freed from their dirt prison. The base of the two walls started rolling over the floor and closing in on Ares to shut him within the Maiden and pierce him to death but he made no effort to run or hide. He had no real way out. Even escaping into the void wouldn't save him as this attack looked powerful enough to rend space and create a tear in reality. Any attack that packed enough power was capable of sneaking into the void to chase Ares if directed to do as such. Escaping to the void was a neat trick against enemies less powerful than Ares, or large scale attacks that weren't guided, but in most situations dodging normally or blocking was the superior option. Not that he was going to do either right now, he was just waiting for the perfect moment to start summoning Astraeus. He could do it now but if he held on a little longer then Astraeus would block the attack with his body as he was summoned.

This approach was better than summoning him early and having him blast the Mud Maiden to smithereens because it would give Terros less time to react to what was happening and who it was that had just been summoned. It was a small difference but Ares wanted to really push an advantage here and so every second counted. This wasn't like the Genesis vs Blade fight earlier, there was no 'even' odds to speak of and Ares would find an advantage here by the time this was all said and done. To that end this was the correct decision. Besides, Astraeus could hack it. Making him take the brunt of the attack head on was basically nothing to him and he would be able to defend himself as he arrived within this reality regardless. It was with this in mind that Ares watched the walls come closing in alongside the spectators who were starting to panic they were going to get dragged into this mess. Some of the smarter audience members, who were aware this would not affect them due ot the expert control over the art that was on display, were calmly watching Ares strafe around and stare at the incoming art, wondering if he had a means with which to escape this predicament. That giant golem wasn't going anywhere even if the art was blocked or dodged so these experts were hoping Ares had a similar trick up his sleeve and, when he started his own long chant tied to the summoning pillar, they got an answer and it was in the affirmative. Ares had really stretched the wait out a bit but he could no longer hold it back as the Mud Maiden was starting to pick up the pace and close in on the coliseum. Normally it would dig up all the earth in its path and create a small landslide but Terros weaved it over the land and prevented such a disaster. Ares appreciated Terros not destroying large chunks of this city as he had a lot of plans here! As payback, Ares would show this big ol' boulder someone he, and most of his fellow Gods, had never seen before. It wasn't exactly going to be a cordial visit but it would be one worth remembering for Terros at least!

Ares clicked his fingers and the resulting soundwave became visible as it was frozen in space and time, perpetually emitting a crack noise like that of shattering glass at a low frequency. It was simultaneously horrid and soothing to listen to. Oddly satisfying and excessively agitating as it grated on people's nerves. It was a sound they'd heard before, were hearing currently, and would keep hearing forever wherever they were; it appeared to be that pervasive in everyone' conscience. Under that noise, well hidden but not undetectable, was a constant series of short beeps at regular intervals and the small humming of active wires. Ares began his chant, revealing to all who exactly it was he was summoning. Make and Terros paid a lot of attention to this but were mistakenly already assuming it was the sound pillar's deity due to the duality of the noise as that was something very much within the realm of their expertise. What they didn't realise was that the noise was actually the sound of a dying star overlapped with the creation of a new one which was far more suitable for the entity being summoned considering all dimensions, planets, and stars were under his watch. He saw the rise and fall of countless astral entities and would continue to do so for as long time permitted him to. 

"I Call On Thee, O' Purveyor Of Worlds And Keeper Of Stars. Come Forth, Lord Of Planetary Rule And Dimensional Guardianship, Astraeus!"

"ASTRAEUS?!" Terros' booming voice rolled over the entirety of Central land as now it was his turn to be shaken to his core. The deity that had eluded most of the Gods and a being that far outranked and outclassed them all. He was as mythic as he was mysterious, single handedly holding back an assault on all of existence by thwarting Xhilihx time and time again in an unreachable realm. Terros connected the dots and understood that Astraeus was located in the void and Ares had gained access to it at some point. This shouldn't have been too surprising as even Mako had his own 'void' of sorts he could freely explore. Naturally there was no Astraeus in it but it was where he found that strange hand... Anyway, Astraeus was undoubtedly the only 'person' who could exist beyond space due to his overwhelming affinity with it allowing him to create enough around him constantly and keep himself safe. Still, to be doing that, all the while nurturing however many millions of dimensions and fighting off an interdimensional horror, a beast from beyond that wanted to consume everything with no hesitation, was astoundingly impressive.

Astraeus was frequently the God who's name was on everyone's lips, even those who typically never showed any form of respect, as he was quite literally everyone's senior. His time spent as a God was probably longer than everyone's else's combined and that was seriously no joke as some of the other Gods were considered ancient by even normal cultivator standards. Long story short, Terros was bewildered at the prospect of coming face to face with such a grand existence. He believed he would reign superior over any foe Ares called upon but, as it turned out, he'd underestimated the rat bastard once again... Why was Ares always one step ahead?! Mako was not going to live an easy life if he obsessed over this annoying kid...

Terros braced himself as best he could for what was going to be a harsh smackdown. He was painfully aware he stood no chance, all he could try and do now was either launch a sneak attack at Ares, which was a laughable suggestion in the face of the all-seeing Astraeus, or he could give it his all to defend Mako from the oncoming attacks. The latter was the blatantly better choice so he started piecing together his strongest defensive art he could muster right now. Terros would go down here without fail but he could at least minimise the damage to Mako... Although he wasn't confident he could prevent any harm from befalling him at all, Mako was just going to have take some damage here and there was no two ways about it... But maybe that was ok? Terros didn't really know what other tricks Ares could possibly have up his sleeve to deal with the final art Mako had up his. They would both be injured and on the cusp of losing but Mako's final art would turn the tide for the final time and the win would go to the stubborn elf. Terros didn't need to beat Astraeus, thank God, so he was more than willing to sacrifice himself for the cause and do what he could... Although he had to admit his entire body was shaking in fear right now. Not that it needed admitting to, the entire planet was vibrating gently as a result of his change in emotions.

As for mako, he'd heard of Astraeus but didn't quite fully grasp yet just how vast the difference was between any other God and him. Mako assumed it was like pitting two fundamental champions against each other, sort of like this match. It had been relatively even and blow for blow... It wasn't even remotely the same. It was more like throwing a random mental accumulation realm cultivator up against Ares when he was in a bad mood. It just wasn't going to end well at all no matter how you tried spinning it. Mako's faith in his rocky buddy was cute and all but it was entirely misplaced and he would come to understand that very soon. The elf watched on as Ares slowly disappeared behind the shutting mud walls and into darkness. A small, blackish purple hole appeared above and behind Ares just before he disappeared from everyone's view, a hole that let out countless sparks of the same colour as it grew bigger and bigger. It was going to unveil Astraeus in secrecy but he would come barrelling out of the Mud Maiden and proceed to wreak havoc in a way that was simply majestic. Terros had barely had his five minutes of fame but it was already over as his time to shine was about to get cut short. There was a new top dog in town and his name was Astraeus.