Chapter 363: Sinister Black Ant

Hell.

After stepping through the gates of Hell, H'el found himself atop a structure made of white blocks, looking down at a deep blue ground covered in uneven, jumbled blocks. Although they seemed orderly, they also appeared chaotic.

The sky was a dark red, emitting an unsettling aura, like a crimson curtain threatening to close in, suffocating the surroundings with an oppressive atmosphere. The horizon appeared endless, a void filled with discomfort and emptiness.

"It's already begun."

H'el furrowed his brows, a hint of confusion flickering in his eyes. The effects of being struck by the monk and having his name altered were starting to manifest within him. He felt as if someone was erasing his past memories, like a hand wiping away his life with an eraser.

His ancient past, memories floating in the darkness, were gradually fading away. He could no longer recall his previous life.

The erasure reached the time of his rebirth on Krypton—his struggles against Jor-El, his exile into space, his journey through other worlds, his return to save the 700,000 people of Kandor City, and his battles at the center of the universe, on Earth, with the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians, and the Olympian gods. All of it replayed swiftly in his mind, only to disappear, leaving him with nothing but a furrowed brow as he buried these memories deep within the Shikai Universe, hoping to restore them someday.

Everything was wiped clean from his mind.

H'el no longer existed.

"I am Black Ant!"

His mind was now empty, with no understanding of how he ended up here, what had transpired, or why his name was Black Ant—but the name felt right. He sensed a void within himself, an emptiness that left him feeling hollow.

He knew he must have had a past, a past filled with purpose and ambition, but now there was nothing.

However, not everything was lost. His experience and skills in manipulating the Shikai Universe remained, though he was unaware of how to use them.

"I have no past. What happened to my past?"

Black Ant still had a desire to learn and explore, driving him to uncover the truth about himself and his surroundings. He looked up at the dark red sky of Hell and the uneven white block structures below, feeling the fearful gazes hidden within the buildings.

Descending from the crimson sky, he landed on one of the white block structures. Between these structures, there were flawless blue roads, hard underfoot.

He turned and noticed many fearful gazes peeking from the crevices in the walls. Some figures, reduced to near mindless zombies, wandered aimlessly, their spirits nearly broken.

Black Ant approached an old, terrified man who shrank in fear as he drew near.

"What is this place?" he asked calmly.

The atmosphere here was oppressive, like a cage. Black Ant felt constricted, as if bound from within.

This sensation was far from pleasant.

Black Ant observed the man before him, who was now trembling in terror, unable to answer. He frowned slightly.

This was far from normal.

Everyone around him seemed strange.

Suddenly, there was a noise.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

A massive creature emerged from the crevices between the white buildings, its breath heavy and labored. It had a skull-like face, missing a jaw, with glowing yellow eyes. Its body was dark and muscular, its chest exposed down to the bones, and its abdomen hollow, connected only by a thick spine.

As soon as it appeared, it began grabbing nearby people, shoving them into its mouth. Though it lacked a jaw, it would rub its prey against its upper teeth until they were shredded, causing excruciating pain and fear, before swallowing them whole.

"It's a Hell Gatekeeper! Ah... Ah!!! Help me! Save me!" one man cried out as the Hell Gatekeeper snatched him up, his limbs flailing in terror as he was lifted toward the creature's mouth.

"Hell Gatekeeper?" Black Ant muttered, a mysterious black and elegant Zanpakuto materializing in his right hand. With a casual slash through the air, he released a massive white crescent-shaped energy blade that tore through the Hell Gatekeeper's large body, slicing it in half. The people it had captured fell to the ground, gasping for breath as though they were trying to inhale all the air in the world at once.

"What's going on here?" Black Ant asked, "Tell me, or I'll throw you into the mouth of a Hell Gatekeeper."

He looked around at the terrified, mindless figures who could barely speak, except for the man who had just screamed. He seemed to be the only one with any sense left.

"This is Hell! They are the Hell Gatekeepers! They're here to torment us!" The man, still trembling, tried to flee, but was quickly snatched up by another Hell Gatekeeper, screaming as he was ground against its teeth before being swallowed.

"Hell?"

How did I end up in Hell?

The name alone suggests it's not a good place.

Black Ant tilted his head in confusion, unable to fathom why he was here.

Maybe I did something unforgivable before losing my memories.

Otherwise, why would I be in Hell?

"Seems I was quite the villain," Black Ant mused, nodding to himself. If he was a villain before losing his memories, he might as well continue living freely, following his desires.

The greatest evil he could think of was to do as he pleased.

Around him, more Hell Gatekeepers, angered by the death of their companion, began to converge, their yellow eyes glowing as they moved toward Black Ant from all directions.

°°°

Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!

Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction

I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.