The Void Wolf

Ira used his Reality Separation ability once more. His body changed into the shape of a humanoid made out of black mist while his eyes shined bright yellow. Without hesitating, he plunged his hands into the soil and the ground trembled violently in response.

Thousands of black hands rose up from the ground and ripped through their targets without a single shred of resistance. Be it, Angel or Mortal, they couldn’t resist it nor run from it. The hands moved as if they had a mind of their own and destroyed whatever they touched.

“Aaah!”

“Help! Lord Harith, please!”

“Gods have mercy!”

Harith ascended to the sky as he watched the mortals die in droves.

“Damn it!” Harith cursed. He flew directly toward Ira with a golden spear in hand.

He was so focused on stopping Ira he didn’t notice Rythar who was showing more caution. Rythar increased his altitude so that he was out of range of the black hands and watched on to gain an understanding of his opponent's abilities.

Harith moved closer to Ira when the latter suddenly looked up. He removed one of his hands and pointed it at Harith before squeezing his palm shut. At the same time, a massive handmade entirely of darkness appeared from the sky and closed Harith in.

“No! Lord Rythar!” Just like the mortals, Harith called out to a stronger power but Rythar had no mind to save him.

After the giant hand closed around Harith, it dissipated, leaving nothing behind. Ira suddenly stood up and lifted his hands into the air. A black bubble enclosed the Underground City and another formed around the earthen tower his children were on. Only when they were fully shielded did he slam his hands down. A deafening shock rang out as the canyon collapsed, taking a countless amount of enemy lives with it.

The most frightening thing about the shifting lands was not the size of the destruction, but the fact that Ira wasn’t finished. He stepped forward and vanished. He didn’t teleport, but his speed transcended the Mortal Realm and even went beyond that.

“...Impossible,” Rythar mumbled. Ira’s movement was a quick blur, even to the eyes of a God.

Down below, Ira’s semi-corporeal body consumed everything. It was as if he was a walking abyss, pulling everything into himself.

No one could let out a single scream as they were compressed and devoured. In fact, they wouldn’t have been able to realize they were dead in the first place. He teleported to the areas most populated by enemies and destroyed them without much effort. He began to slow down and his form became visible once again.

Spending his time destroying the Tartarus and using Reality Separation soon after began to take its toll. There weren’t many soldiers of the Unified Army left when he looked around, at least, not when compared to their original numbers. Maybe, a few hundred thousand were left at the most. That was the scale of destruction that was brought on by Ira.

“Still too many.” Ira’s distorted voice was heard everywhere. He decided to finish as many as he could since he still had Rythar to deal with.

Ira pushed his Reality Separation once again and a shadow was cast over the entire battlefield. He slowly spread his hands out bringing about a bone-chilling feeling in those who were watching him.

“Stop him!”

The remainder of the Angels began pouring down attacks, brilliantly shining golden projectiles fell toward him but were absorbed by his body.

Ira ignored them and moved to clasp his hands shut. It was a movement that seemed as the weight of the world was distributed on his limbs as he was extremely languid with his movements. The air stirred violently and the world darkened ever so slightly. Cracks in space appeared in Ira’s vicinity, letting out streaks of white static. Then, as his hands grew ever closer, the entire world seemed to enter a state of slowness. Where seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. Ira brought his hands together and everything went black. An aftershock that was more intense than the Storm Wall came and death followed right behind it. The canyon was a scene of complete devastation as everything within a few dozen miles of it was upturned.

At the center of it all, Ira stood in a crater the size of a small city. Several small mountains were formed at the edges of the crater due to how much of the ground was rearranged from his attack.

The black mist that made up Ira’s body faded away, revealing his normal form.

“Ah,” Ira exclaimed quietly as he fell to his knees, taking huge breaths all the while.

The protection he placed over the Underground City went away, allowing his children to spot him from afar.

“Dad!” Raveria jumped down from the dirt platform that Rythar made and decelerated as she got closer to the ground.

Valeryn, on the other hand, drew the Paradox Blade and cut through space, bringing his brother with him.

They all arrived in front of Ira near the same time and rushed toward him, leaping onto his body.

“Woah!” Ira said with an exhausted laugh. “Easy.”

“Dad!”

“Father!”

“Dad!”

Ira was all smiles until he realized something was wrong.

“What are all of you doing out here?” Ira asked.

“We...We helped with the fight,” Raveria confessed under her Father’s gaze.

The smile on Ira’s face vanished as he looked at his children.

“And your Mother?” Ira questioned Raveria and Valeryn.

“She was hurt but it wasn’t serious. The Dark Elves are protecting her.” Raveria reassured Ira.

“And your Mother?” Ira asked Zephyr.

As finished speaking, a streak of lightning landed in front of him, revealing Rhys.

“You let them fight?”

Rhys nodded her head solemnly.

Ira let out a deep sigh, not knowing whether or not it was the wrong or right decision. He didn't want to expose his children to danger but hiding them from it could have even worse effects.

“Aren’t you forgetting about me, Avarus?” Rythar descended from the sky interrupting the reunion.

“No, I just wanted to rest a little.” Ira let out a chuckle as he looked at Rythar who managed to put on airs even though his army was all but annihilated.

“Your power was magnificent but I can tell it came at a cost. You’re weak now and I doubt you’ll be able to do the same thing twice.” Rythar showed a confident expression. The sacrifice of millions of soldiers and thousands of Angels became worth it if Ira was severely weakened.

“I’m not weak…” Ira gently pushed his children toward Rhys before giving her a meaningful nod.

“I’m just tired, that’s all.” Ira lowered his body and then leaped into the air.

Rythar reacted in an instant, leaping out of his golden throne while leaving Randolph’s sword behind. He was the God of Might and as such, he believed that he would win against Ira in a matter of physical strength.

The two of them traded punches and went flying back at the same time. Rythar landed on his feet while Ira crashed into the ground with a tumble.

“Ah, you managed to leave a scratch. I have to say, without that peculiar ability you’re quite disappointing.” Rythar smirked as he dusted off his scraped armor.

Ira climbed to his feet and spat out a clump of blood while shaking his head. “The feeling’s mutual. You’re a bit weaker than I thought a God would be.”

Rythar sneered, his body began to emit a golden light. “Then, I’d best correct that impression, Avarus.”

He rushed forward, closing the distance between the two of them in a moment before slamming his fist into Ira’s chest. Ira went tumbling across the expanse of the flattened ground like a stone skimmed across a pond. He tried to stand up once again, but Rythar didn’t give him a moment of rest. He drove his foot into Ira’s side, kicking him into the air before jumping after him. He grasped Ira’s legs and threw him toward the ground at a high speed. Ira crashed into the ground and Rythar came right after him landing a brutal stomp on Ira’s chest. The impact traveled into the ears of his children and made them wince.

“Dad!” Raveria tried to move but Rhys grabbed her shoulder and stopped her.

“If you grovel now, I may just spare your filthy litter of beasts.” Rythar glanced at Ira’s children with a victorious smile.

“Yeah, I was right…” Ira mumbled as blood spilled out of his mouth.

“About what? Did you realize that going up against the Divine only brings you suffering?” Rythar looked down at him with a questioning gaze.

“No, it’s just that...” Ira smiled. “You’re still as weak as I thought.”

Ira laughed energetically. The sigil around his wrist began to fade away though Rythar didn’t notice it.

“Oh? Who’s foot is it that is pressing you into the ground?” Rythar remained unmoved by Ira’s taunting.

“I think I’ll kill your bastards first, Avarus.” Rythar was about to lift his foot but Ira grabbed it. “Wha-”

Before Rythar even knew what was going on he was sent flying away. When he landed the sound of a loud explosion reverberated while a cloud dust expanded out from the point of impact.

Ira climbed to his feet and exhaled. Releasing the Sigil gave him the exhilarating feeling of freedom. Even so, he kept himself from getting lost in it. It was more important to prevent himself from ascending which took a great deal of concentration. An aura of black mist formed around Ira’s body.

If Ira did ascend to the Divine Realm he would be at least on the level of a lower God. And all the power that came with that was now released into the Mortal Realm.

With just his physical strength alone, Ira’s current state would’ve allowed him to kill the Behemoth without difficulty.

“What did I tell you?!” Ira shouted with a laugh. He then leaped into the air again and arrived in front of Rythar.

“Avarus!” Rythar screamed with rage. He ripped his armor off revealing a muscle-bound body that was fitting for the God of Might.

Before he could make another move, Ira’s fist slammed into his jaw causing him to slide a backward.

Rythar touched his cheek and found that blood stained his fingers. He let out an animalistic grunt and charged forward.

The two clashed once again but this time it seemed to be an even contest as Ira managed to withstand a few strikes while returning a few of his own.

The thousands of soldiers of the Unified Army who survived Ira’s initial attack crawled out from the dirt or from under piles of rock only to see the fight. The one who introduced himself as a God didn’t perform as expected. Ira’s raw strength seemed to equal Rythar who had divine power supporting him. Loud shockwaves reverberated as the two continued their battle.

Rythar threw a powerful jab but Ira caught his hand and sent a counter punch toward Rythar’s stomach but his hand was grabbed. They entered a standoff where the one who was stronger would be the victor. A ravine formed underneath them as they struggled.

“Avarus!” Rythar growled. His eyes began to glow with a golden light and his body began to increase in size until he stood a foot taller than Ira.

“What happened to the fancy words?” Ira raised his foot and kicked Rythar in the chest while leaping backward.

“I’ll kill you!” Rythar absorbed more divine energy and a divine glow covered his entire body. As he finished his threat, Rythar grabbed a nearby boulder and flung it toward Ira’s children.

Ira immediately intercepted it, catching it in his palm. Before he could toss it away, Rythar came flying behind it and smashed it apart, catching Ira with his guard down and sending him flying. Ira easily recovered but suddenly had a thought.

“Rhys, can you distract him for me?” Ira's whisper was carried with the wind before being transmitted to Rhys’ ears. She nodded once and called down a lightning strike directly where Rythar stood.

“You!” Rythar turned toward Rhys and the others before stomping toward them.

Rhys waved her hands and threw lightning bolts at the approaching God but they seemed to bounce off of his body.

“Ryn! Zeph!” Raveria shouted as she zoomed forward. She moved at an impossible speed as she circled around Rythar.

“Damned brat!” Rythar tried to get his hands around her but she managed to stay one step ahead.

“Careful, Ravi,” Ira mumbled to himself. He was worried but he had a better chance of getting rid of Rythar if he had a few moments. Black mist coalesced around his left arm. Wiry tendrils of darkness began to grow out of his forearm which caused Ira to flinch as if it was painful.

While Rythar was distracted, Valeryn approached with the black saber in his hand. He swung it with beautiful form causing a ripple to travel through the air and hit Rythar directly. A long line of blood was drawn across Rythar’s chest which only increased his anger.

His eyes turned toward Valeryn with the intention of dishing out punishment when Raveria kicked him in the back. Of course, even if she accelerated her body to its limit it would barely cause Rythar to flinch. Then again, she wasn’t trying to attack, she used the moment to push herself back and out of the way of Zephyr’s attack.

Valeryn cut a hole in space and fell backward into it with Raveria jumping soon after. Rythar let out a roar as he tried to stop them but only grabbed empty air. He looked at them in the distance to see three children sneering at him.

“Look up you dummy!” Zephyr couldn’t hold it and pointed to the sky.

Rythar looked up only to see dozens of meteorites falling toward him. He crossed his arms and braced for the immediate bombardment. A fiery explosion rang out as the meteorites hit obscuring his body entirely.

Rhys didn’t relax and tapped Valeryn on the shoulder.

“Hm?” Valeryn tilted his head.

Rhys mouthed a few words but Valeryn remained unable to understand.

“She asked if you could take us back to the Underground City? It’s too dangerous.” Zephyr was easily able to tell what his mother was saying and communicated it earnestly.

“Damn you all! You mortal filth!” Rythar’s voice bellowed. “These weak and annoying pests! We were right to raise a barrier between the two realms! You disgusting mortals were nothing more than an eyesore!”

Those who survived Ira’s assault were dumbfounded as Rythar continued to go on.

“I don’t need to stomach this anymore!” Rythar emerged unscathed but the fact that three children managed to distract him infuriated him more than anything.

“That’s right.” Rythar’s voice became calm. “I’ll just wipe all of you out.”

His moment of rage made him forget that as a God who possessed a vessel in the Mortal Realm he had control over certain things. If he willed it, he could raise mountains and shift tides.

He lifted his hands into the air and columns of lava came shooting out of the ground sending fire raining down below. A few erupted near Raveria but she reacted quickly, she waved her hands and froze them in place by altering time. And while she managed to keep the area around her safe, thousands more came pouring out of the ground.

At the same time, Ira maneuvered through the field of lava that suddenly emerged and went straight for Rythar.

Rythar noticed Ira approaching from afar and made a move to counter-attack. Dozens of walls of lava emerged to slow Ira down while Rythar channeled his divine power.

“Come, Avarus!” A golden halo formed over Rythar’s head.

As Ira broke through the lava wall, the two exchanged blows once more but Ira was the clear victor. His hand was buried deep within Rythar’s chest but, strangely enough, it didn’t emerge from the other side.

“What?!” Genuine fear could be heard in Rythar’s voice as he stared at Ira’s hand. “No! What are you doing?!”

Ira smiled and began to pull his hand out while Rythar let out a piercing scream. The heavens seemed to share his anguish as the entire world trembled and the golden light in the sky flashed violently.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Rythar clawed at Ira’s chest and tore his flesh apart but Ira remained steadfast. The only thing that changed was his expression. His smile widened with viciousness and his eyes shined with pure excitement.

“You know…” Ira started as his hand was almost free of Rythar’s chest.

“Please! I beg you! Stop!” Rythar wailed like an infant, hoping a shred of mercy would manifest itself as a quick death.

“I always wanted to eat a God.” Ira laughed before he ripped his hand back, pulling a golden light that shined brighter than the sun from Rythar’s chest.

Ira’s darkened palm began shaking wildly as the power with the light was far too much for him to hold. Black tendrils grew out of his hands and tried to cover the light that put up its own resistance.

“...No.” Rythar’s face held a hollow look as his body went was pushed away by waves of golden light.

Ira held onto his left hand and tried to contain the force within the golden light but that proved too difficult. He fell to the ground as if his body was being pressed down by a mountain. Cracks spread from the ground under him and spread hundreds of feet while the golden light above him outlined his body. At that moment, it looked as if the Mortal Realm had become sentient and chose to challenge him as its first action.

“You...can’t...have...this...back…” Ira spoke through gritted teeth as he pulled the golden light toward his mouth. He opened his mouth and somehow devoured the mass of golden light.

A blinding radiance covered his body and his consciousness fled from him.

…

Ira opened his eyes abruptly only to find that he was drifting among the cosmos. A beautiful array of stars lay in front of him. But he didn’t get distracted which allowed him to realize he was moving. Drifting naked among the stars like he was inside of a dream. It was an amazing sight that would cause most to under

No, he wasn’t moving, something was pulling him toward it and he realized that.

‘Ascension!’ Ira shouted inside of his mind. His first thought was to resist as he still needed time before he went to fight the Gods. If he left at the current moment, his family might’ve thought he died. Not only that, he wasn't sure how quickly he could return.

Ira looked at his hand and rebranded the sigil but it wasn’t enough. He added more inscriptions to the sigil in order to repress his own power and it wasn’t until black markings stained his left arm from wrist to shoulder did something happen.

“Why is it that you resist fate, child?” A voice without a discernible gender entered Ira’s mind. “Why is it that you resist the laws of the world? What is it that drives you to do so?”

A humanoid made out of light appeared in front of Ira.

‘What are you?’ Ira replied with a question of his own.

“Do you know who imposes the laws of the two realms? Why are the Gods unable to do as they please? I am the one who has maintained the balance since the beginning. That is until you, and the one who granted you power emerged,” The light said. “I’ve answered your query now it is time for you to do the same. Why have you resisted for so long?”

There was no emotion in the voice of the being who spoke. It reflected the indifference that came from time eroding away all sense of emotion.

Ira thought for a few moments. About all the decisions he made and how the led him to his current point. A choice made in anger, at his parents and at his own death that pushed him forward. And then the desire to protect the lives he created so they would never end up like him. It drew a smile from him, a pure smile that made him seem innocent.

‘Why shouldn’t I? The world you said you balanced is kind of unfair so all I can do is fight. Isn’t that the natural order of things? So, I’ll keep resisting and fight until I kill enough of those Gods that they’ll leave me alone and I don’t have to worry about anything else.’ Ira spoke confidently.

After a long silence flowed between them, the light spoke. “You may be right. I too have fought to maintain a balance that has long since shifted by the ones on each side of it. The ones you call Gods have long since turned their back on the mortals they were supposed to guide and indulged in their thirst for even greater power. And the mortals have proven themselves unable to maintain peace without bloodshed or the interference of the Gods who’ve all but abandoned them. If you wish to fight I will not stop you, child. Maybe your actions will result in a restoration of what once was.”

‘Good to hear.’ Ira grinned.

“But be aware that if there comes a time where either of the two realms is in danger of being destroyed due to your actions, I will not hesitate to remove you.”

With those parting words, the light sent Ira back to the Mortal Realm.