My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 882: Chapter 883: No Gods Under The Heavens

Being a god was difficult, especially if it was not a path chosen for oneself.

Lazarak was born a god. He had no say in it. One moment he did not exist, and the next he simply was.

His nature came with him. He never chose to be good or evil, never chose which path to walk or which flaws to bear.

His nature decided. It was set in stone against his will.

This reminded him of Damon’s belief.

’We are not asked to be born’

Yet as he gazed upon the altars of war scattered across the land, Lazarak felt gratitude.

He was glad he had been born a peaceful god. He was thankful that his nature did not demand conquest or bloodshed.

Sometimes he wondered why the Goddess of Doom would create a god of peace in a world drowning in war.

Of all things, he was older. He was first.

Peace was older than war.

Lazarak hated how peace had become the justification for war.

He was tired. Deeply tired.

Why could the world not simply rest.

The problem was simple.

The solution was not.

The pillar.

“Are you already tired, traitor god.”

The voice of Seraph Null echoed through him.

The mass of darkness that formed Lazarak’s body had shrunk from the constant damage he had endured. Yet Seraph Null was no better. Of his nine wings, Lazarak had torn away five, leaving the lesser god with only four.

“You are faring no better. If anything, while I am not trying to kill you, you are trying very hard to kill me.”

Lazarak did not believe in taking lives. It was his way of remaining pure, untouched by war.

Far below them, the battle raged. Cries of pain. Screams of terror.

“You have disappointed your brother, traitor god. Then again, what could I expect from a weakling god.”

Seraph Null roared as his wings slammed into the mass of darkness, the shadow spreading across the sky.

The halo bound to his chained body radiated light, making him appear holy.

Lazarak stared at him.

“Disappointed him. I am the older sibling. I should be the one disappointed. Is he still a slave to war.”

Seraph Null’s wings strained as an astral wind tore free. Space fractured, spatial cracks tearing open as he ascended, dragging Lazarak higher with him until they reached the upper atmosphere, where a barrier separated the world from the void of stars beyond.

“War is his nature, as prison is mine. Your obsession with peace is yours. If he is a slave, then so are you.”

Lazarak split himself, darkness reshaping into a massive dragon, serpentine and vast, with two enormous wings. The dragon bit into Seraph Null’s wings.

Seraph Null raised his hand.

“Stop.”

Lazarak’s form slowed, as though unseen chains bound him. He tore free of the authority, but Seraph Null slashed downward, cleaving his wings. Darkness spilled from Lazarak’s body.

The black mass fell.

Godblood struck the world.

Where it rained, the land was forever ruined. Those touched by it collapsed, writhing as their bodies twisted, warped, and burst apart.

“Jahahaha.”

Seraph Null laughed.

“It can now be said that you killed them.”

Lazarak looked down as his darkness reformed.

Seraph Null rose higher, chains clinking together.

“You always say you do not kill, yet you are always complicit. Tell me, your rebellion. How many lives did you think were lost. You may not raise your hand personally, but that does not mean death does not follow you.”

Lazarak was silent.

Seraph Null’s wings beat slowly.

“You are a coward. Not because you refuse to kill, but because you let others do your dirty work. I have fought in countless battles. I have crossed many lines. But I can still stand and say that I, Seraph Null, have fought. And if I die, I will die with the dignity of a god who worshiped war.”

Chains formed triangular seals as he pointed at Lazarak.

“And then there is you. Look around you. This is all your fault. You cannot take a life, yet you still bring death. Is that not right, god of repose.”

Lazarak had no mouth, yet the words left a bitter taste.

“You are right. I am a coward. And all this death is on me.”

His form began to shift.

“I am a failure. I cannot protect anything. I am complicit. I have always known that. But it does not change what must be done. Perhaps I cannot act. But I no longer need to.”

His form condensed, reshaping into that of a man.

“I have seen those who will shape this world. Those who will make history. You may believe gods will rule forever, but this is mankind’s world. Down there, the children of man are carving their future.”

Lazarak was no longer needed.

He had seen Lyn and Sithara. Those two would change the world with their ideas and their genius. They would leave this lower realm and return to Aetherus. They would found a great city of knowledge and teach generations to come.

He had seen Damon.

No matter how many times he fell, he would rise and move forward.

He had seen Damon’s companions too.

Each of them was a star.

A single star shining within a vast abyss.

“You are watching too, aren’t you.”

Lazarak raised his hand. Massive chains of darkness ascended into the sky. When they passed beyond the firmament, they latched onto the heavens themselves.

Seraph Null froze.

“What is that. A spell.”

He stared at Lazarak.

“You cannot hope to defeat me with this.”

Lazarak grasped the chains bound to the heavens.

“The era of gods has ended, Seraph Null. We have entered the golden age of the mortal races.”

He pulled.

Terror flooded Seraph Null’s eyes as the heavens began to descend.

Lazarak’s cold voice echoed.

“I will bring down the heavens for mankind, so they may touch the clouds.”

“This is my spell.”

The heavens moved.

“No gods under the heavens”

The clouds, the sky itself, were dragged down toward the earth.