novelnext The Clash of Calamities
The Clash of Calamities
The air, saturated with a static that made one's teeth vibrate, carried not only the smell of ozone and ash; it carried the history of a foretold end.(¡¡¡SHRRRRRR-VROOOOM-KRRRR-SHHHHH!!!)
In the infinite fabric of the multiverses, where realities are born and die like bubbles in a cosmic ocean, there exist seven absolute constants known as the Seven Demon Ladies of Sin.
(—— KHIIIIIII-BOOMMM... ¡ZHYYYYYYYY! ——)
Although grouped under the same rank, each of them represented a distinct Calamity, like a force of nature that recognized no borders or origins; the worlds that saw them born within the complex tapestry of time usually ended up reduced to dust or erased from the narrative itself.
(¡¡GWA-RHAAMMM... FHOOOOOOOOM!! — —)
Each one, despite having been something different at some point, saw their stories cut short and their fates subverted upon coming into contact with ██████████, turning them into existences beyond all logic that left tragedy in their wake.
(¡¡FRRR-BOOOOOMSHHH!!)
Nevertheless, it was possible to identify them by two symbols that each Demon Lady carried with her.
(¡¡¡VROOOOOOO-GZZZZZZZT-TCH-TCH-TCH!!!)
The first were the Crowns they wore upon their heads, which represented their respective sovereignty.
(¡ZAS-PAM!!!)
And the second was their Named Weaponry.
(¡¡KRA-AAAA-CK!! — ¡¡KRA-TA-TA-TA!!)
There were seven weapons in total for each Calamity, which each sovereign wielded with natural ease.
(¡¡SHHHHHIIIIIIIII—KRA-KOOOOM!!)
However, oblivious to such things, focusing their attention on the obstacle before them in the present of the Virtual Dimension universe, the clashes between Lethe’s rusted sapphire vines and Raina’s psionic magma explosions resonated with a rhythmic fury.
(¡¡VRRRR-UUUUUMMMMMMM!!)
And in the midst of that dance of destruction, where the clash of forces reached a level where matter no longer fragmented, but instead surrendered to the pressure...
(Why...?)
Lethe’s figure remained suspended with a terrifying inertia.
(... Why hasn't it disappeared yet?)
There was no effort in her movements, no trace of strategy in her somnolent gaze; in fact, among the Seven Demon Ladies of Sin, Sloth was unanimously considered the most dangerous as time progressed.
(¡¡FSSSSHHHHH-RRRUUUMMM!!)
Her lethality did not lie in action, but in the inevitability of her presence.
(¡¡¡SHUUUUJJJJJJJJJJ!!!)
Lethe did not need to move, act, or even be conscious of her surroundings to bring the end to everything around her.
(... She... is annoying...)
From her own body and the very essence of her existence sprouted a limitless tide of rusted sapphire vines.
(¡¡BRRRRR-UUUUUHHHHHH!!)
They were whips of a necrotic botany that unfurled like exposed nerves of reality, moving with an organic yet relentless fluidity.
"Where do you think you're looking?"
Nevertheless, despite that, Raina launched herself like an incandescent comet, her fists wrapped in a plasma that distorted light by condensing a level of energy so extreme it could resist erosion, ready to strike head-on once more in a direct clash.
"... Don't be a nuisance."
However, upon approaching to a certain point...
(¡¡¡CRRAAAKKK-FSHHH!!!)
... Her advance was repelled by a wall of necrotic vegetation which, in turn, counterattacked, creating distance between the two.
"Tsk!"
As if that weren't enough to fuel Raina's frustration, at the epicenter, Lethe’s figure remained suspended, her gaze lost and her shoulders slumped, appearing indifferent to everything.
(... As long as that woman exists... I cannot sleep...)
Or at least, that was how it appeared on the surface.
(¡¡CRRR-CRRR-CRRRK!!)
She did not need intent.
(¡¡¡BOOOOOMMMMM-CRRRASHHHH!!!)
She did not need to move, nor think, nor even be conscious of the fire that sought to consume her.
(¡¡¡CRRRRAAAAAKKKK-BOOOOOOMMMM!!!)
Instead, she only needed to exist.
"That ivy is the problem...!"
As a result, the vines writhed with predatory agility, intercepting every one of Raina's psionic bursts.
(¡¡¡BRRRRRRAAAAAMMMM-KKKABUUUMM!!!)
Upon the slightest contact, the matter of the debris and the very concepts that composed the opposing materials began to wither, weakening until they crumbled into a grayish dust that fed the void.
(VRRRR-CLAAAAASHHHHH-BOOOM)
It was a cycle of perfect death: every time something was degraded by the touch of the Lethe, the vines grew with renewed vigor, multiplying their reach and thickness at a rate that defied the eye.
(This is the worst! Not only do I have to focus on that woman, but I also have to be careful to prevent her from erasing the world... For now, at least, until I triangulate the coordinates I need.)
Because of that, Raina was forced to strike frantically in every possible way, without rest, tearing away masses of ivy that flew off like severed limbs to limit its continuous expansion.
(¡¡¡SHRRR-RRRRAAASSS-CRASHHH!!!)
Nevertheless, despite that, there was no victory in the damage.
(¡¡¡FSHHHHHUUUUU-BOOOMMMM!!!)
As long as a single fiber of ivy remained intact in the void, the rest of the tide would return with unimaginable speed, regenerating the forest of thorns before the flames had even finished echoing.
(... That woman... Since I arrived... I feel pressure in my mind... I’m starting to remember...)
Yet despite that, Lethe’s face, usually a mask of absolute lethargy, began to twitch into a grimace of faint irritation.
"... These feelings... I don't like them..."
The passive effect of Raina’s presence created a feedback loop where every form of hatred and rage generated even more, acting like an infection that forced her psyche to awaken.
"Why... Why do you refuse... to disappear...?"
Because of that, in response to this internal agitation, the tide of vines ceased its slow expansion and became a storm of whips at imperceptible speeds, tearing through space with a hiss that fractured the air.
(¡¡¡KKKRAAAKKK-FSHHHHHHHH!!!)
Consequently, with no other choice, Raina was forced to block every onslaught with psionic barriers that vibrated violently.
"I should be asking you that!"
But thanks to that, her frustration grew more and more like a forest fire.
"Why are you standing in my way?!"
Raina was an existence that fed on fury, on hatred, and on any form of aggression directed toward her or emanating from her own being.
(¡¡¡RRRUUUMMM-FSHHHHHUUUU!!!)
However, she did not limit herself to aggression or negative emotions directed at her; instead, her mere presence generated such emotions in others, which she proceeded to absorb and channel, limitlessly expanding her psychic range of influence that generated more and more energy.
"If you want to sleep so badly...!"
Therefore, with a gaze that grew increasingly cold and focused, Raina extended her hands toward the ruined horizon without looking away from her target.
(¡¡¡VROOOOOOO-GZZZZZZZT-TCH-TCH-TCH!!!)
And utilizing her telekinesis with an authority that made the earth's crust creak, she ripped entire mountains from their roots, dragging them at supersonic speeds across the wounded firmament.
"Then I’ll send you to sleep!"
Following her words, the colossal masses of earth and stone were compressed in parallel, reduced by Raina's gravitational pressure until they became small spheres of unbearable density.
(¡¡¡BRRRRR-PUMMMMM-SHHHHHHH!!!)
Immediately, she imbued them with crimson flames, converting the projectiles into compressed magma bullets that whistled with a note of death.
(¡¡¡KABUUUUUUMMMMM-ZSSSSSS!!!)
Having analyzed the regeneration rate and the degradation effects of the ivy as the battle progressed, Raina fired, choosing to wipe out the source of the vines with a single strike at a speed that allowed no time for reaction.
(¡¡¡DGGGG-BOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!)
Thanks to this, the spheres pierced through the dense network of rusted sapphire, puncturing the necrotic biomass before it could react or degrade the concept of the attack quickly enough.
(¡¡¡ZUUUUU-TAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!)
As a result, the incandescent projectiles did not stop and, with surgical precision, tore through Lethe’s body.
(¡¡SHHHHHIIIIIIIII—KRA-KOOOOM!!)
Generating a clean impact that erased Lethe’s delicate figure before colliding against the tsunami of ivy and vanishing.
"... I want nothing from you."
Nevertheless...
(STIIIISHHHH)
From within the tangle of necrotic vegetation that still drifted in the void, Lethe’s figure began to sprout once more.
".... You annoy me... You won't let me sleep... And you even failed to kill me..."
The rusted sapphire fibers intertwined with terrifying ease, reconstructing her skin, her dress, and her icy gaze in a matter of moments, returning to existence as if the previous impact had never occurred.
"I feel the same about you for standing in the way of my plans and trying to ruin my only desire."
On the other hand, Raina, her eyes fixed on the regeneration, immediately understood the futilidad of her attack.
(So as long as a single vine remains, she will return...)
As long as a single wisp of ivy stood, the Lady of Sloth would return infinitely.
(¡ZASSS-ZASSS-ZASSS!)
But without giving her time to process the frustration, a series of thorns emerged from the air behind her, seeking to impale her with the speed of lightning.
(¡¡¡¡¡BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!)
However, with a violent twist, Raina evaded the incessant attack, propelling herself upward and gaining elevation at a dizzying speed, becoming a point of crimson light ascending through the firmament.
".... She... must... disappear..."
In contrast, Lethe, fully restored and without a single scratch on her countenance, directed her gaze upward.
"... If I recall... she did... something like... that...?"
After observing Raina’s actions, a spark of mechanical comprehension crossed her eyes.
(¡¡¡SHRRRR-SHRRRR-SHRRRR-SHRRRR!!!)
In an attempt to mimic the scale of her rival's attack, though without truly understanding the passion or the effort behind it, Lethe raised her right hand toward the sky.
(¡¡¡FSHHH-ZASSS-ZASSS-ZASSS-ZASSS!!!)
Instantly, an unimaginable quantity of vines sprouted from nowhere, intertwining with one another in a macroscopic choreography.
(¡¡¡CRRR-CRRR-SHUUUAAAJJJJJ!!!)
In this way, a colossal net was formed that began to blanket the sky—a dome of thorns and sapphire rising like a solid tsunami, intending to capture and suffocate Raina in the heights.
"... You will not escape."
Thus, the firmament itself seemed to be sealed by a web of absolute degradation.
"Escape?"
... Nevertheless.
(¡¡¡TRRRR-SHRRRR-SHRRRR-CLACK!!!)
Raina, seeing the horizon close beneath her feet, did not back down.
"It is you who will not escape."
And from the highest point of the firmament, she raised her left hand, claiming her right over the stars.
(¡¡¡TSUUUUU-PUMMMMMMMMMM!!!) (¡¡¡VRRRR-BOOOOOMMMMM-ZSSS!!!) (¡¡¡DUMMMMM-SHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!) (¡¡¡KRAAAA-TAAAAANNNNNNNN!!!) (¡¡¡¡¡BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!)
Responding to her telekinetic call, they were drawn down like a shower of descending meteors, piercing through the clouds of static in a solid trajectory.
"... That is... absurd..."
(¡¡¡¡¡ZSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!) (¡¡¡FSHHH-TRRRR-ZASSS-ZASSS!!!) (¡¡¡CRRAAAK-SWISH-SWISH-SWISH!!!) (¡¡¡¡¡SHRRRRRAAAAAAASSSSSSS!!!!!)
In this manner, with a roar, both attacks collided once more.