Chapter 11: Chapter 10: Force Beyond
Constantine jolted awake, the glass of whiskey he had been nursing slipping from his fingers and crashing to the floor.
"Bloody hell... What was that?"
He wiped his face, sweat dripping down his brow despite the coolness of the bar.
The air felt heavy, as though reality itself had bent for a brief moment.
He glanced around the dimly lit room, but nothing seemed amiss.
Yet his gut churned with unease.
"That wasn't natural... Not by a long shot."
He lit a cigarette with trembling hands, taking a deep drag as he tried to piece together what had just hit him.
It wasn't magic, not in the way he understood it, but it was something far beyond the mortal realm.
He felt it—a ripple through existence, like a stone dropped into an endless ocean.
"Something's... expanding" Beyond the multiverse, even. What in the devil's name could it be?
Images began to flood his mind, unbidden and chaotic.
A kaleidoscope of countless futures played out in his head, each one more incomprehensible than the last.
No clear ending.
No definitive path.
Just endless possibilities, spiraling out of control.
The omniverse itself seemed to teeter on the brink of destruction—and yet, somehow, it didn't.
He clutched his head, the visions leaving him dizzy and nauseous.
It's like someone or something is sending him these future play in his mind.
And then, amidst the chaos, he felt it, a presence.
Could it be... Nabu? No, thats impossible.
It was Cold, calculating, and impossibly vast.
It wasn't just watching him—it was scrutinizing him, like a predator studying its prey from a place beyond comprehension.
"Who's there?!"
The bar fell silent, his voice echoing faintly in the stillness.
The feeling of being watched intensified, and for a moment, he swore the shadows in the room shifted unnaturally.
"Whatever you are, sod off! I've dealt with demons, devils, and gods, ... Don't think you can threaten me"
The cold gaze didn't waver.
It felt as though it stretched across countless dimensions, piercing through the very fabric of reality to focus solely on him.
He tried to shake it off, but the sensation lingered, unrelenting.
"Right... Fine. You wanna play games, do you? Let's see who blinks first, you bastard."
He grabbed his coat and stumbled out of the bar, determined to find answers.
Whatever this was, it wasn't just another magical anomaly—it was something far more dangerous, and Constantine knew he was running out of time.
The Presence stood in the endless void, his form radiating faint, divine light. His gaze was fixed on the Firmament, its edges unnaturally stretching into uncharted realms.
It was a phenomenon he had not foreseen, a breach in the order he had meticulously crafted.
For the first time in existence, he felt something unfamiliar—an absence of knowledge.
The Firmament's expansion was veiled from his omniscience, its cause hidden even from the god of this omniverse.
"This should not be," he murmured, though his words were more thought than sound.
He had shaped the laws governing creation, yet here was an anomaly acting beyond his will and comprehension.
As the ripples of the Firmament grew, so did the weight of the unknown.
What force could escape his sight? What purpose could lie behind this breach?
Though he remained composed, the Presence could not deny the strangeness of the moment—a god questioning his own omnipotence.
In the chaotic realm of the Demon Lords, Guy Crimson stood atop the highest peak, his fiery eyes narrowing as he stared at the sky.
Even here, far removed from mortal planes, he could sense the disturbance.
Beside him, Dino yawned lazily, though his usually indifferent demeanor was tinged with unease.
"Not even the Voice of the World has an answer," Dino muttered, his voice uncharacteristically serious.
Guy crossed his arms, his expression grim. "That's what bothers me.."
Without another word, the two Demon Lords tore through the dimensional fabric, their destination clear—the expanding Firmament.
The pair materialized in the void beyond worlds, where the expanding Firmament cast its blinding light.
In its shadow floated the Thought Robot, suspended in timeless slumber.
Even as a construct of pure will and narrative defense, Cosmic Armor Superman bore the scars of his battle against an unknown force.
Guy approached cautiously, his aura flaring as he tried to rouse the colossus. "Wake up,"
The Thought Robot's eyes glowed faintly, his massive head turning toward them. "You... seek knowledge of the expansion," C.A.S. rumbled, his voice echoing.
Dino tilted his head. "So you know what's causing it?"
The Thought Robot hesitated. "No. I see the ripple, but not the source. It is hidden, beyond all sight—beyond even the limits of narrative itself."
Guy clenched his fists. "Then we're blind. Whatever this is, it's bigger than any of us. But that doesn't mean we'll let it destroy everything."
C.A.S. paused, his immense form pulsing with light as he processed the anomaly. "Then you walk a dangerous path. The Firmament's growth threatens more than existence—it threatens the story itself. Proceed with caution, gods of the cardinal. Even I cannot say what lies beyond this veil."
His tone itself was no joke, when he said it that way. That means not even the both of them together can. After all, even with combined strenght, C.A.S was stronger.
Guy and Dino exchanged glances.
In the void, the Voice of the World resonated—a vast, incorporeal consciousness, ancient and wise.
It reached out to the Presence, the ultimate creator of its own omniverse, seeking clarity about the unnatural expansion of the Firmament.
"Presence," the Voice began, its tone devoid of emotion but weighted with urgency. "You are the God of this creation. Do you understand what causes the Firmament to grow beyond its boundaries?"
The Presence's light flickered faintly, as if troubled by the question. "I am aware of the disturbance," he replied, his voice calm yet uncertain. "But its origin lies hidden, even from my sight. It is something beyond my omnipotence"
The Voice paused, unaccustomed to hearing such an admission.
"Relay this knowledge to those within your sphere," the Presence instructed. "Prepare them for what lies ahead. The Firmament's expansion may bring peril or revelation, but until its nature is revealed, vigilance is paramount."
Back in their domain, Guy Crimson and Dino received the Voice of the World's revelation.
Guy's expression darkened as he absorbed the news, his hands clenched into fists.
"So, not even the Presence knows what's happening," he muttered.
Dino, leaning against a stone pillar, frowned. "Aren't we basically flying blind, this is beyond just bad"
His lethargy suddenly dissapeared.
Far away, in Tempest, Ciel's presence within Rimuru's mind flared to life as the Voice of the World spoke directly to her.
Ciel's thoughts raced as she processed the revelation. "Even the supreme being of their creation doesn't understand it? That complicates matters. I'll inform Rimuru at once. We need to be ready for anything."
The Voice fell silent, leaving Ciel to consider the weight of what she had learned.
The Firmament's expansion was no ordinary anomaly—it was an enigma that could rewrite the laws of existence itself.
And now, Tempest, too, would have to prepare for what lay ahead.