BOOK 2/56 - TIER 0

• Editor: Connor Higdon.

_


Skin sizzled, boiled, and burst open as organs and blood blew out in fiery destruction, an effect suffered by the already dead creatures subject to divine fury. It was a macabre scene of slaughter as golden beams swept through the hordes like a scythe through a wheat field. Unending death.

The cleaver of death that raced through the ranks of Monsters, cutting and blowing many up without pause, was uncaring to each monster hit. No matter the size, each one fell just like the last. It wasn't even that the beams were trying to burn the creatures, It was more that divinity was trying to purify the creatures. But each one was so Unholy that it was purifying their very existence.

Hildelith clapped and a shockwave shattered the teeming hordes, blowing many back. The closer ones who bore the brunt of the shockwave were torn to shreds.

Her fist shot out in punches that blew heads and bodies to pieces as divinity buffed and energized her body. Hildelith moved a step forward and shot through the ranks of netherlings spraying blood and gore all over the icy domain.

Divinity was her blood, it flowed through her. Unlike other beings who had to take essence from the world, Hildelith created divine essence herself. She created all the essence that her universe needed. Which meant even as she buffed her cells there was still more divinity getting produced.

The energy empowering her was so great, it formed a force around her that did what she'd been seeking. Natural flight. The force itself propelled her forward as she moved. She couldn't enjoy the sensation of flying without wings though, as the macabre nature of the environment and the hazy fog of energy that clouded her brain stopped her. Her mind was too scattered to ask questions she normally would have in this situation.

Fortunately, with each attack the fog in her mind faded.

Even as she realized the events going on around her, Hildelith still instinctively knew how to send yet another blast of condensed divine beams ahead of her. Her leg whipped out aiming to kick an ice fiend back to another group of fiends only for it to blast apart. Stunned, she missed the one landing on her back.

The thing scratched and clawed at her skin but its claws broke and its fangs shattered.

Hilde's head tilted to the side as her curiosity increased. Grabbing the thing off her, she leaped up and flung it into the masses down below. The force pouring from her body as she buffed herself more and more kept her airborne.

The hordes were unending. The ground was a mess with bodies, blood, gore, and ash. Shattered terrains of ice and melted spots where the water beneath the ice was revealed were filled with the corpses of broken creatures.

Yet the creatures came.

'And people think only undead are untiring.' Whilst dodging and kicking the jumping creatures to oblivion, she noted that she was just lucky to have kept killing them even with whatever she had done to herself.

"What exactly did I do?". Curious, she scanned herself bringing up a box.


[?????? - Self Buff]
This buff is unknown. By continuously packing each of your cells with your divinity you have elevated yourself in power. Your God body can only sustain this buff for thirty minutes.

[Would you like to name this buff?]


"So I'm over-buffing myself. My cells are getting filled up with my divine energy and getting stronger. " She frowned. " Yeah that makes no sense." She released a beam of energy shredding a group of netherlings.

"If my cells could do that, no, if anyone's cells could do that, with all the energy in our bodies that we have access to, at infinite amounts right now, why don't we just grow stronger? Why do we need the experience to level up?"

The answer wasn't coming. But Hildelith refused to let this one slide. This was an answer she had to know now, not later because the game wouldn't say.

Instinctively she propelled herself up and away from the hordes, rising higher as she aimed for the hill she had noted before. This time she ascended to the tip of it.

Her goal was simple.

If she could use will to appraise others. Then why not herself?'. Lotus style in the air she shut her eyes, her ears listening for the approaching beasts while her mind flooded her will and intent into her body.

It was easier said than done. Especially with half her focus on it and the other on the still-attacking creatures. Sighing, she withdrew her mind.

"Shield". Aether flowed around her and a flicker of static buzzed around her as confirmation of a shield being created. Half her senses could detect a faint white ball around her.

With that out of the way, she drew all her focus into her body. This time she went about it differently. First, she created an orb of divine purity on her palm, next she wrapped her will around it. Imagine a hook firmly gripped into the orb. She thought.

Next, she pulled the orb back into her while making sure to ride it with her will.

Like this, I should be able to see into my body. Before while healing myself I could only sense or feel the different parts or cells in the way. Now I should be able to see them too.

She found out she was right.

It was magnificent. It was unlike seeing the cavern with her DOME RUNES.

Here Hildelith found her insides. She could zoom in to see her heart, her lungs, and every other part of her physical being.

She found her brain an even more fascinating place. The entire brain was bright gold, wisps of silver floating up from all over it. At the center was a white light, not as bright as the gold and not as all-encompassing as the first two colors but spread enough to cover the center of the brain. There were more colors spread about at different locations but she couldn't pinpoint where one ended and another started, creating a cluster hue of colors.

She noted that the golden light represented the extent of the mind, and the silver wisps were essences of will released by her mind. The white light was her imagination which helped to use and shape whatever she needed her will to be.

"Fascinating. I would have to get a god and cut it open to..".Hilde froze at her words. Shaking herself she went back to what she was doing.

Her eyes went down to her body. There she found what she came for.

Her cells could be described as just prison cells. Each one was a cubicle or room. Every single one was filled with thick energy that the walls of the cell absorbed each time her body enacted an activity.

The rate of consumption was fast. Hildelith watched mesmerized as the energy was pulled into the cell walls. That was where she noted the new phenomena that answered her questions.

The cell walls were like sponges that soaked up the energy held within the cell. Going from shriveled to bloated. Then shriveling once more as the energy was used up or evicted outside their storage.

Even as she watched, she had to wonder why the cells didn't make the use of the energy permanent. Hilde knew she was missing something.

"But what? Is the eviction of the energy why it’s called a buff" Sighing she left the cells and headed up back to her head to check her eyes.

There she frowned.

The cells around her optic nerves were destabilized and charring. The compressed energy beams of the divine purity were destroying her eyes each time she let loose a beam even as the divine energy there healed it.

It was like a cycle of birth and destruction. Destroy and repair.

Yet Hilde noted a difference in her eye cells. She would have missed it if not for the differences among some of the cells. While some were weaker others were firmer.

Studying them she realized these were the cells that were in the direct path of the compressed beams. Getting overwhelmed, destroyed, and then fixed by the energy held in their storages.

It didn't make sense. In the other parts of her body, the divine energy was flowing in, getting burned up to buff her and flowing out of the cells without affecting them. It was just a buff, a sponge soaking up water and releasing it to return to its former form.

"What was different here?".

The more she accessed the more she got confused. It made no sense.

Hilde decided to try something.

Slowly she willed energy to flow again and compressed them. The compressed energy tore through her body like a vice, searing through the nerves and organs, muscles and veins. Cartilages and blood vessels.


*****


A horde of beasts attacked the bright glowing white shield that protected a female who hovered lotus-style above the tip of the cliff. Each beast ran up along the other, pouncing on the shield as they attacked it fiercely.

A few miles away hovered a being. Wings covered in flakes of black ice flapped at intervals keeping her airborne. All-deep red eyes pierced the environment and focused on the scene of gruesome butchery that was Hildelith's challenge.

Long red and black hair fell to her narrow waist, and arms that had four white bone joints piercing out and upwards from the wrist to her elbows hung at her sides. Four tails lashed about in the wind while her human-like face glared.

Her beauty could only be described as dangerous and never innocent.
Four horns pointed up from her head. The only dressing on her skin was a black metal padded with animal fur wrapped around her breasts and connected to the thigh shorts that hung from her hips by a thick but thin chain.

The Winter Deviless frowned as she assessed the damage done to her territory. All she wished was to drop in and crush the invader.

Yet she had to reign in her desire. The cold while it robbed her of all emotions and fear didn't take her common sense. Something that gave off such pressure and aura wasn't to be dealt with lightly. Plus she could see it barely moved yet her hordes had died in the hundreds already.

While she didn't know what the invader was doing, a sixth sense told her that she needed to move now.

At the hill, a strange shudder escaped the female goddess floating there, golden blood streaming out her lips and eyes. The various intelligent beasts that had been sending in the horde of lesser intelligent ones to break the shield smiled, believing that the attack on her shield was getting to her body.

One such intelligent thing, an eight feet Arachne deviless, made various clicking sounds sending even more of its children forward to hasten the thing's death before the lair ruler arrived.

The others seeing this also gave the same order. Their thoughts were to attack at once.

Up in the stream of beautiful lights, a familiar gray-eyed male chuckled. Unlike the others, he neither floated nor possessed wings to hover. Instead, he stood in the air like it was solid ground. His eyes while not unchanged held a spark of light, like a cage trapping a storm. He watched from that distance focused on the shivering goddess.

"Just a bit more. You're almost there," he smirked with glee before shaking himself. Doesn't being joyful at her pain make me like that Old sadistic Devil. He frowned at the thought before shivering in turn.

"No, I'm more overjoyed with the coming results" He nodded quickly assuring himself that he was no freak.

His frown vanished as he agreed with his thoughts.

Feeling something in the air Cole looked to the far west, his gaze zeroing in on the Devilless.

"A perfect specimen for testing, maybe. Hopefully she is swayed". he decided after a brief examination. Disregarding the being he looked down on the subject of his interest.

"Ah. How far you have come. From a fainting lass, to a glorified goddess about to breach a tier. And how low I'll fall. A court mage. How quaint" he chuckled to himself.

"Me, a court mage. " he laughed louder in amusement, his shoulders shaking as his head fell back with his hair unbothered by the wind. Tears stung his eyes.

"Ah, Callisto must be having quite the fun from this". He frowned a bit before he looked down at Hildelith again.

"And the lass ignores and delays the knowledge and my quest." he rubbed his jaw, his smile unfazed. Shrugging he waved it off.

"No matter. What will be, will be. And nothing will avoid it. At her own time. Hopefully it won't be too late by then". He paused, sighed, and shook his head.

"Who am I kidding? It will be late. I'll just have to watch the show and wonder how she handles it. If it's her I'm sure she will do just fine. The others..." Cole shook his head.

"Damn. It's gonna be bloody and..." he halted as a ripple spread in the air. Focusing on the scene below he noted that a wave had blasted out of the goddess and knocked back all the beasts around her. The shield had shut down.

"Hmmm. What...oh. She did it. Guess it's all done here." With a nod, the gray-eyed boy was gone.


****


Hildelith thought her wings breaking against the ice was painful. There was always something to denounce former conclusions though.

The pain racking her insides was horrific. Her mind and will were barely able to hold on to her inner body as her focus wavered.

She had to imagine herself holding on tight.

Her cells burned and shriveled then healed. Her muscles slackened like she was being drained of life force and then normalized.

She had sent the full brunt the energy of her divine blood gushing from her veins into her bones, cells, organs, watching with laser focus as her bones charred and then healed. With each attempt, she noted the difference.

She saw why the cells absorbed and remained unchanged. But the damaged ones got better and stronger.

The cells that absorbed energy remained unchanged simply doing their duty of absorbing and releasing. But when damaged, the cells learned. Using the provided energy they adapted and made an improved cell wall for themselves increasing their capabilities.

This increased not just their defensive measures but also increased their storage capabilities and absorption and energy retention rate. It was maddening to see.

"I could totally create something from this". her mind was all over the place. Plans itching to form, pain trying to break her focus and mind learning from the process.

It was halfway through all these that something changed. Feeling her mind-stretching and getting enveloped as well as the influx of information Hilde rushed up to her mind to see and note the process.

It was amazing to watch.

The golden light was getting denser, and the silver wisps generated became like particles of starlight. The white light of her imagination spread even more. It was like she just realized even more ways to use divine energy.

The divine energy within her body became faster and smoother. It felt like she had been slow before and dragging a heavy block of stone around. Now it was light as a feather and very malleable.

The pain subsided as more energy not controlled by her will flooded her insides and rushed around her body coating the damaged cells. The energy flooded into storage filling it to the brim before the rest rushed off to run laps around every inch of her body.

The energy roamed for seconds at a speed that made a mockery of her control.

The divinity rushed from all corners of her body before arriving at her heart. Hilde, for the first time, focused on the organ. It was like any normal heart, yet it beat slowly, like a lazy machine without energy. ‘I did think gods wouldn't have organs. Guess I was wrong.’

The divinity rushed around the organ, revolving and cleansing it while burning and healing. Hilde lost focus, it was a sharp pain that she couldn't fight.

Her will was unlatched from her insides and she found her eyes opening to the outside.

Blood covered her from head to toe. Dark congealed golden liquid rolled off her and formed a puddle on the ground. Before she could assess the damage done to herself her body locked up, her face pointing up as if the strings of a puppet were cut.

The radiant golden beam of her eyes, that had been dulling in the past minutes of the hordes attacking, flared up.

A crisp sound of something shattering within her was heard as light spilled from her mouth, nose, skin, fingers, even her hair turned to light.

Then a line of notifications appeared in her vision.


[TIER 0 SHACKLES BROKEN]
[EXISTENTIAL CORE FORMED - BEYONDER]
[EXISTENTIAL SKILL GAINED - AUM]
[GENERAL SKILL - GOD FORM -> STAR TITAN]

[YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR MILESTONE CHALLENGE]

[Leave dungeon - Will end the battle and send you to an alternate zone where you can stabilize your gains]
[Complete lair - Stabilization will be put on hold till needed]


She blinked wondering what to choose only to halt as another prompt flashed into her mind.


[ONE-SPARK HAS SWALLOWED SKILL - AUM]


She blinked.

She blinked again.

"What the HELL!!!" Her scream echoed. The creatures around her were forgotten.

"You finally do something that's not spark splitting and it's to steal my skill!" she shouted at the screen visible only to her mental sight.

Her palms vibrated from frustration. While she hadn't seen the description of the skill it was certain that a skill gotten from an existential core should be very strong.

Hilde shuddered in annoyance.


[ONE-SPARK REGURGITATING SKILL - AUM]


Hilde's anger transformed into confusion. Was the thing confused?

'Wait regurgitate. The system makes it sound like a living thing.' Hide paused. 'It's not a living thing is it?' she shuddered at the thought of another entity that was not Akasha living within her. Thinking of it she realized she had a lot of Entities living within her.

While she wanted to pull up her status the sound of cracking alerted her. The golden film keeping her separate from the horde was filled with cracks. Soon it would shatter.

'Guess I shouldn't let all this exp go to waste. ' she looked around at the horde of beasts.

First, she brought up the AUM skill.


[AUM] - [Existential Skill]
The vibration of the primordial sound in tandem with the creation of the universe. This vibration exists around and within everyone in whatever creation or universe. The humming of energy has existed long before life existed. That sound became the vibration of all creation as the universe was created out of the cosmic intelligent vibration, the ever-present sound of Om.

Effect 1 - The vibration of the universe rattles all who hear and feel it down to their very atoms, separating and tearing apart all bonded structures.

Effect 2 - Layered with the one-spark this skill also carries a destabilizing effect]


That was just the surface information though. The more concrete details filtered into her now stronger mind. The Creator goddess exhaled before a bright smile bloomed on her face.

'Still, I wonder if One-spark just regurgitated it due to my annoyance or if it intended to improve the skill a bit.

Regardless, the goddess floated down with a confident expression on her face. She could already feel her body leaving its former buffed peak. She quickly brought back the system's former question about completing or leaving the dungeon. Choosing to stay, the system pumped her mind with more notifications. Notifications that she couldn't focus on as the shield finally shattered right as her feet touched the ground and her buff ended.

Now back to her normal state, though she felt stronger than before the buff, she raised a palm as the line of creatures neared her.

"Let's test that skill". She muttered licking her lips.

Hilde shut her eyes as she concentrated. She spread out her will, but instead of doing anything like flinging the creatures away or something like that. She searched for something else.

Something she wouldn't have known or even detected before. Now she could see it, she could hear it. She could even feel it. Flowing through her and around her.

It was a skill that could affect her as much as it did others if not careful.

Om. The vibration of the universe. It surrounded her and flowed in her. She saw it, static-like energy without color and form. It traveled even within these creatures and around in all directions.

Her head tilted up as she noted it, filling the skies and everything. It was more abundant around the red star of the Winter realm.

"Marvelous" she whispered. The wind blew her golden locks of hair softly. Her now gleaming blue eyes were entranced by the sight. It was like everything was paused. The creatures were already just a breath from her, a shield of will surrounding her and cutting off the Om from around her.

Her will was connected to the Om now, every last strand of it. Something she found would have been very hard if not for her currently improved self.

She hurriedly isolated the rest of the winter realm from the Om she had in her grasp.

It was a beautiful sight. Even with the sense of foreboding that was gradually rising.


*****


The Arachne devil felt the tingles on its several legs. Its eyes twitched open and close. A sure sign of danger it had learned was its body's instinctive way of warning it.

Things had been going well. The being had been vomiting and bleeding golden revolting ichor. It felt like if it could gain some of that blood and managed to change it, then maybe it would gain some advantages.

He shivered. But he wasn't the only one. Beside him, the red serpent-like deviling hissed defensively as it slithered back and forth. It was evident it felt apprehensive.

Something had changed after the shockwave erupted from the being in the shield. It didn't understand. It wanted to run, had to run.

Danger. Danger. It felt danger.

Each one of these intelligent creatures felt the burn of something in them and around them. Unable to understand, it only bothered them more.

The serpent and the Arachne turned to flee only to see something that halted their race. Their beasts had reached the invader.

A screech of triumph accompanied by an excited weird skittering about on the spot was made by the Arachne. Then came the hiss of the Serpentine and several growls and cries of victory from the several intelligent beasts.

A three-armed Imp, two to the left and one to the right with one eye on its forehead, grinned savagely as it cracked its seven-finger knuckles.

With the invader dead the next challenge was getting to the blood and the corpse. While impossible to gain a full body,as everyone would be rearing at a chance to gain power from such a fierce foe, if they were fast and strong enough, then gaining the power to beat the others and maybe enough to even overthrow the lair ruler could be possible.

The Imp wasn't the only one with such thoughts. Not that any of the intelligent beasts there were able to act on these thoughts..

The Imp turned as a soft vibration moved from the distance. The ground didn't shake, the air didn't move, and there was no rumble or sound.

It just felt a vibration slip past its skin. Then it felt it rip into him. Right through its insides and force it apart. The last thing it saw was the serpent burst into gore, right before the cold touch of the nether claimed its soul.


*****


Arayat had never been so terrified in her life. The goddess bleeding had been the prime moment to deal with this entity that dared to cause such a massacre in her lair.

While death was not something she frowned at, one at such a level would have undermined her authority. While she had no concern over the lowly worms that schemed and connived for her throne an outside eye was worrisome.

She had held back though, when she saw the assaulting beasts and the shield fail. The heavily injured goddess couldn't survive.

Arayat just had to make sure none of the schemers gained advantages from it.

Yet nothing she had expected happened.

One moment she was wondering which of her generals to send down, and the next the hordes were gone. Not gone, just no longer whole, completely gored into nothing but blood and organ parts.

Arayat felt the urge to heave for the first time in the thousand years since her birth.

Her hands trembled as fear rattled her.

Just two more steps and she would have been just like them. If the range of whatever had attacked even extended beyond the last of them an inch she would have been dead.

Arayat found herself stumbling back just a step, her invincibility spell canceled from her lack of focus.

"Oh, there's one more. I didn't see you there". a voice spoke. Its owner was far away but Arayat swore it sounded close to her.

" Oh well. Die".

"Please wait." Arayat found herself on her knees without a hint of a fight.

"Please spare me." She begged. Without even waiting for a reply she sent out a quick contract.

"Slave contract? I'd never believe a Deviless would be so scared as to offer herself up for slavery." the voice announced, sounding more confused than amused.

Arayat didn't dare look up for fear of getting erased.

"I'm not as strong as other Devils and Devilless. I'm just a few thousand years old. If you killed me I'd die and while I might get avenged that would do nothing for me since I'd still be dead".

"Hmmm. That is quite true. So you feel your pride is not worth your life?".

Arayat had to grit her teeth before replying, remembering the being had destroyed a horde of lesser beings without moving. While she didn't understand or know how, she knew she didn't want to test it out.

"Yes. I didn't become the Lair mother because of my pride but my instincts."

"And if I refuse and still end you, doesn't that mean your instincts are false?" the voice sounded puzzled.

"No, I'm in danger. My instincts warn me. It doesn't mean I get to escape the danger or not. It gives me the chance to plan, fight or run." she made herself sound as confident as possible. Who knew what kind of slave this being liked.

"I've never had a slave before. This could be troublesome. I don't like the idea either, but killing you would bring a bad taste to my mouth. I'm not evil. Hmmmh" the being seemed to contemplate

Arayat blanched. Who knew her chances of living could be besmirched by something as trivial as being good to a fault? The irony. Feeling rushed to make sure she gave the lady, it was most certainly a lady, the option to let her live while not being sad about it she quickly withdrew and re-offered a new contract.

"Oh. That's different. Dangerous and bold but better. "

"I simply want to live, maam. If the slave contract or this pleases you please spare me." Arayat bowed even lower while on her knees, head touching the ground.