Chapter 811: The Second War and the Ultimate Taboo

Chapter 811: Chapter 811: The Second War and the Ultimate Taboo

[The young human trained under the tutelage of the first Tyrant for centuries], Crul began. [To that young man, spurned by the world, the Tyrant became more than a master; he became a father figure, to the point of calling him "father." However, the heavens are jealous, and the Will of the One eventually discovered the hybrid’s whereabouts. Upon learning that such an abomination—a being defying cosmic order—remained alive, the spirit of the One unleashed its wrath to eradicate him. Primordial lightning descended like celestial dragons to erase his existence.]

Ethan listened in silence, imagining the cataclysmic storm above the skies of antiquity.

[The Tyrant knew his life was borrowed and that every day he breathed was a miracle. He accepted his fate with resignation. But the young human did not. The boy hated them all with every fiber of his soul: he hated the gods, the demons, the abyssal beings... even the Void beings who had never intervened in the war. But above all things, he hated the One. And what the consciousness of the cosmos failed to comprehend at that moment was that the Tyrant it had just executed was a weary shadow that no longer wished to fight... not because he couldn’t.]

"Resentment birthed a monster...", Ethan whispered.

[Indeed, Master], Crul confirmed. [In pursuit of vengeance, the human committed the ultimate taboo. Instead of resorting to the method of the ancient realms—violating innocent women of various races to sire hybrids—he made the most insane choice of all: he channeled and fused the energies of every attribute directly within his body.]

Crul paused briefly before chanting an ancient proverb of the higher realms:

"Calamities are the sum of every deed, Born of noble cause or wicked greed; When balance breaks, the shadows weep, And even heavens harvest what they reap."

[Completely destroying his humanity and being reborn as an entity of absolute power, the young man proclaimed himself the new One], Crul continued. [Such sacrilege awakened the full consciousness of the original One, which deployed its power across creation until it found him. Thinking that crushing a transfigured human would be child’s play, the spirit of the One confined him within its divine realm... but it never anticipated the ferocity of the counterattack.]

The air around Ethan trembled slightly as the narration reached its climax.

[The young human fought with unprecedented brutality, mortally wounding the spirit of the One. The collision between both entities unleashed the Second Great War of Creation, destroying entire galaxies and driving almost every race in the universe to the brink of extinction. Cornered and brought to the edge of destruction, the spirit of the One went mad with rage; it decided to erase all of creation and start anew, unleashing cataclysmic forces without restraint. It sought to destroy everything, but especially humanity... for its two worst afflictions had stemmed from them.]

Suddenly, Crul fell into a prolonged silence.

Ethan paused at the edge of the vast subterranean chamber and furrowed his brow.

"And what happened?" asked Ethan.

[No one knows for certain, Master], Crul answered after a few seconds, breaking the tension. [Lord Amethyst uncovered all of this while traveling the edges of creation, gathering fragments of the primeval truth. But not even he could find further records regarding the exact outcome. No one knows what became of the spirit of the One or the human. However... there is one final sacred text that Lord Amethyst managed to salvage from the primeval ruins.]

Ethan held his breath as Crul cited the final inscription:

"On the final day of the struggle, using the fleeting strength he had left, the new One tore the fabric of creation, sealing Middle Earth far beyond the reach of the other realms. Sacrificing his life, he burned his entire existence to raise a barrier that no one—neither gods nor demons—could ever breach, preventing the fury of the true One from raining down upon mortals."

"So this planet we live on is Middle Earth?" asked Ethan, letting out a low whistle.

[Indeed it is], answered Crul. [This place is not an ordinary planet like the ones mortals know; it is a dimensional plane so colossal that it is nearly infinite. That is why the separation from the higher realms is so staggering. Beings from the other side cannot cross freely. Even the will of the Dao and of the One are suppressed when trying to pierce through the barrier.]

Ethan clenched his fists, feeling a shiver down his spine as he imagined the scale of such a feat.

"Incredible...", Ethan whispered. "What kind of power does it take to fight the heavens themselves and come so close to defeating them?"

[No one knows for certain], said Crul. [The records were erased from creation within the higher realms, though more fragments must remain hidden within this Middle Earth. However, everything in this universe has two sides. Thanks to the barrier raised by the new One, we are safe from divine wrath, but the ambient spiritual energy on this side is faint. It cannot sustain many powerful beings at once. That is why the cultivators of this plane are always desperately seeking a way to ascend; to them, rather than a sanctuary of preservation, this place has become a prison from which they cannot escape.]

Ethan furrowed his brow.

"A prison?" asked Ethan.

[Precisely], continued Crul. [Though that was not the new One’s intention. He did not seek to lock in the inhabitants of Middle Earth, but rather to keep out the invaders. That is why native beings of this plane can venture to the higher realms with a few hardships, but it is not impossible. On the other hand, for the beings above to descend, they must be willing to pay an astronomical price... though, of course, there are always exceptions.]

"Such as?" asked Ethan.

[Higher beings can send their newborn offspring to this side before the world’s consciousness recognizes them as entities of the higher plane], Crul explained. [Or the strongest among them can project their spiritual avatars to descend. There are even those who manage to dig miniature tunnels through the cracks in the barrier to send emissaries. As long as these invaders do not unleash a power beyond what is permitted in this realm, the barrier will not intervene. But if they dare to breach that threshold... let’s say the barrier acts as a second One and obliterates them with its full might in the blink of an eye.]

Crul paused, hovering closer to Ethan’s ear.