My great thanks toTodaBruh, who kindly chose to use some of his free time to be my beta reader!
The Hunter's Dream.
"Hey, mom, dad." Sherry greeted with a warm smile, before looking with some hesitation at the Goddesses present.
Azathoth looked at Sherry with curiosity, her golden eyes glinting with interest.
"Ah, so this is your surrogate, beloved. I can feel the potential in her soul… though for now, she seems more interested in staying mostly human." she mused.
"She's happy that way." I said simply, with Azathoth nodding in understanding.
"Hey. Quite the interesting group you've got there, my King." Yog said with a grin, looking with fascination at my wives and Hunters.
Tatsumaki stepped forward, her eyes glowing with power, narrowed thoughtfully as she looked at the Eldritch Goddesses before her.
Behind her, Fubuki stiffened, before groaning to herself and visibly resisting the urge to facepalm.
Tatsumaki's gaze met Azathoth's, both women staring at each other for a long moment before Azathoth smiled. "It's a rare day that I meet a mortal as powerful as you… You could put quite a few Eldritch Gods to shame, you know?"
Tatsumaki smirked, crossing her arms beneath her large bust with a look of satisfaction.
"Heh. You're the creator or Reality, huh? The power in your eyes… I'd like to fight you one day. See what you're really capable of."
Azathoth wasn't the only one left blinking by those words, though my wives merely reacted with amusement…
Well, Claire began gathering money from Jill and Chris, so I suspected some betting had been involved there.
Also, Fubuki was now officially facepalming, and muttering to herself about "suicidal, insane sister."
"Are you sure? Most people are… well, kind of scared of me, to be honest." Azathoth replied, looking a bit confused.
Tatsumaki merely scoffed, sending her a sharp smirk.
"I regularly fight him-" she pointed at me "-without issue. Sure, I haven't won yet, but I'm not so weak I can't at least do my best to put up a struggle."
Her face twisted, but she grudgingly spoke the next words anyway.
"I'm not stupid enough to think I can take you on if you fight seriously… But that's not what I'm after anyway. You can learn a lot from just watching someone fight, even when they are holding back."
Her smirk returned. "So, what do you say? Up for it?"
Azathoth glanced at me with a faintly bewildered expression, and I just shrugged and smiled.
"I'll watch over that fight, no way I'm missing that." I said cheerfully, which only made Tatsumaki's grin grow… And Fubuki quietly despair even harder in the background.
Also, it'll let me intervene if something goes wrong. I did remember what happened to the extra-dimensional woman who challenged Azathoth to an arm-wrestling contest, after all…
Azathoth blinked, then looked back at Tatsumaki with a smile. "Sure. I'd like to see what one of my beloved's wives can do, after all."
Tatsumaki sent her one last fierce grin, before looking back at me.
"So, you're going with that plan of yours after all… Gotta admit, I don't know much about creating life like that, but…" she hesitated slightly, before she sent me a wide grin. "I know that you'll put on a show that will awe all of Reality!"
I smiled gently at her. I could tell that she was worried and unhappy about not being able to help me as much as she wanted, since her powers over Entropy didn't really go well with creation, so she wanted to put on a confident front for my sake, trying to show how much she had faith in me.
"Thanks, Tatsumaki." I told her with an earnest smile that turned her cheeks slightly pink.
"So, it's the big day, huh?" mused Claire, after she was done pocketting her betting money. "It's still strange to think that you're about to create what is essentially an entire species, just like that… But I guess that's what happens when you marry a god. The man you love is just going to do ridiculous things like that."
She sent me a thumbs up. "Way to go, lover boy!" she said cheerfully.
I snorted. "Thanks, Claire." I said wryly, much to her amusement.
"Still… to see the birth of an entire species…" Rebecca said with no small amount of awe, shaking her head slightly before looking at me with wide green eyes full of emotions.
"Thank you for letting us all see this, Aeon. I… Thank you." she whispered with emotions.
I gave her a gentle smile. "We're very far from that mansion full of monsters, huh?"
She snorted, before smiling warmly at me. "You changed my life beyond anything I could have ever imagined… But I never regretted it. Not one bit."
"Awww." Shub whispered to herself, a smile on her face. "That's adorable."
Rebecca flushed at the words, superhuman hearing easily picking up the words, even as Yog sent a complicated look at Shub before looking away.
The Summer twins came up next, the silver-eyed one visibly more nervous than her sister.
She glanced at Azathoth, unsure how to feel or act around the literal creator of existence.
"Relax." I told her. "She doesn't bite." I smirked. "Not unless you ask for it."
Summer blushed, her twin grinning in amusement, while Azathoth sent me an amused look, though I could also see a layer of gratitude for cutting the tension as I did.
"It's easy for you to say, you're a god yourself." Summer mumbled.
"And you didn't react too nervously when we first met." I pointed out.
"I had almost died, I really wasn't in the best mindset at the time!" Summer exclaimed, before biting her lip. "Also, you aren't the literal creator of everything!"
"It's fine." Azathoth said gently, stepping forward and smiling softly at Summer. "Beloved told me about you and your world. I just want you to know that, before me being a goddess and you a mortal, we are simply two women who love the same man. Ultimately, what matters to us both is that the one we love is happy, no?"
Summer hesitated, but her twin laughed and grinned at her. "Come on, sis, it's no different than talking with Oedon or Lucy. They're goddesses too, after all. And besides, look at it this way: we're definitely going to get to know each other a lot better sooner rather than later!" she said cheerfully.
Summer blinked her silver eyes at her in confusion about the last part-
"After all, it's only a matter of time before Aeon has us all in a foursome, or even in a full-blown orgy!" the blue-eyed Summer finished with a wide smirk.
"Sis!"
Her twin flushed, crying out in shock, even as I started laughing loudly.
Azathoth blinked, before snickering softly. "That's certainly one way to break barriers between us." she admitted with amusement.
The blue-eyed Summer smirked at Azathoth. "I'm sorry, my lady, but I'm afraid our barriers have both been taken a long time ago… unless you use magic to turn us into virgins again? You Eldritch Gods like virgins, right?" she teased.
The silver-eyed Summer's jaw dropped, even as I began to laugh even harder.
Even Azathoth blinked in surprise, before she began giggling, golden eyes glinting with amusement… and some mischievousness.
"That sounds like a fantastic idea to me!" She declared haughtily, before grinning. "As the creator-deity of Reality, I demand tribute, and your nubile, virgin forms will do just fine!"
"Oh no…" the silver-eyed Summer groaned with her blushing face in her hands. "Of course the creator-deity of Reality is a lustful troll, she fell in love with Aeon after all…"
"I see nothing wrong with this entire conversation." I declared.
"Me neither." the blue-eyed Summer agreed with a smirk, before suddenly turning serious.
"However, I do have a question of utmost importance." she said solemnly.
Azathoth raised an eyebrow.
"And that is?"
Summer's blue eyes shone with mischief. "Do we need to be bound when presenting our naked selves to you, or do you prefer doing the bondage part with your tentacles only?"
Her twin began screaming in her hands, even her ears turning red.
"This is not how I expected this meeting to go!" she whined.
Azathoth tilted her head, carefully looking over both women like someone checking out a cut of meat, before nodding in approval. "Naked and bound will do fine indeed, tribal marking can be applied beforehand to your naked bodies if you want. It's traditional, after all."
Azathoth and the blue-eyed Summer stared at each other for a moment, before collapsing into a giggling fit at the same time.
I shook my head with a smile, happy to see my wives, old and new, getting along.
The blue-eyed Summer was a lot less confident than she outwardly portrayed herself as, but her faith in me gave her the strength to fake it until she made it.
And by the look of things, her little exchange with Azathoth had let her relax fully… while also making sure her twin wouldn't have time to be stressed when she was too busy being embarrassed, instead.
I looked around, seeing several groups having formed, with Sherry and Oedon talking with Shub, Lucy and Yog being together, Jill, Rebecca and Chris talking with Kass, and HUNK staying, as expected, all by his lonesome.
Honestly, I almost considered not inviting him despite him being a Hunter, since I knew he really wasn't one for socialization and enjoying grand displays of power, but it would have felt wrong to not have him here.
He was one of my Hunters after all, if the most professional one.
Not that we didn't "bond" though. Especially as he did relax slightly over the years.
… Still very little luck getting him to not wear a gas mask around strangers, though.
I did consider inviting Saitama here too, but, well…
"You want me towhat?" Saitama exclaimed in surprise.
"I was just curious if you wanted to be present when I created an entire species to help me protect Reality." I said with a shrug, my eyes fixed on the TV as Saitama and I played a fighting game…
Which, funnily enough, Saitama was just horrible at, as proven by the way I won yet another round.
My friend growled at his loss, before frowning at me.
"I mean, I appreciate the offer, dude, but… It feels kind of weird to literally observe you become a father, you know? Well, again I mean, since there's Sherry."
I froze, before groaning. "Fuck man, you just had to make it weird. I swear, if you start making jokes about me giving birth-"
"Hell no!" he recoiled, face scrunched up at the very thought. "But you gotta admit, it's just…"
I snorted. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Don't worry about it."
I looked back at the TV, where my character was cheering in victory. "Wanna go for another round? I'll use only two fingers to win this time."
Saitama's eyes gained a gleam of pure fiery determination. "You're on!"
We played again.
Two minutes later, the game announced my victory, much to my laughter and Saitama's scream of frustration.
So yeah, that didn't pan out. Though Saitama still ended up gifting me a "Best father in the world" mug as a gift, which cost him a bit under 800 yen… or 5$, basically.
I wasn't sure whether to facepalm over the literal 5$ gift, or laugh at how very like Saitama this was to give someone a 5$ gift for creating an entire species…
I paused, my attention caught as I saw Yidhra staring at Alex Mercer and his sister, a storm of emotion flashing through her face.
Moving quickly, I got to her before Nyarlathotep could, the red-eyed goddess pouting at me for ruining her fun at poking Yidhra' issues where they hurt most, before winking at me and happily going to Yog and Lucy, the look on her face making it clear that she was going to try and get up to some form of mischief while she could.
Still, that was a problem for later. For now, I smiled at Yidhra, who jerked slightly at finally noticing my presence.
"My King, I-" she stammered, before I interrupted her kindly.
"Go talk to him. He's gruff, but not unkind."
She stiffened, looking away. "I…"
I put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle smile. "I know that you've been seeking companionship for a long time. There's nothing wrong with that. And honestly, Alex could use some of his own, too. So come on, I'll introduce you to him and his sister."
Yidhra looked up at me with a storm of emotions in her eyes, before she visibly squared her shoulders and let out a long breath.
"Yes, my King. And… thank you."
Giving her another kind smile, I gently led her with a hand on her back towards the Mercer siblings, looking a bit awkward by themselves… Or at least Dana was, Alex had just crossed his arms and was glaring at everything around him.
Despite his outward expression however, I could tell he was keenly observing and listening to everything, his emotions making it clear he was very curious about learning more of the Goddesses in charge of Reality.
"Alex, Dana!" I shouted, getting their attention.
Alex merely nodded at me, though Dana smiled awkwardly.
"Hey, Aeon- Err, I mean, your majesty…" she stammered, quite visibly unsure how to take my new status.
"Aeon will do." I said with amusement. "We're all friends, after all."
I waved at Yidhra, who was doing her best to try to not show how nervous she was right now. "And speaking of friends, I would like to introduce you to a new friend of mine: Yidhra, The Dream Witch, an Outer Goddess with a certain amount of authority on the Eldritch Cults on Earth… And someone rather interested in meeting you, Alex, because of her own unique nature." I explained.
Alex and Dana blinked, then looked curiously at the goddess, who smiled back at them as cheerfully as she could while trying to handle her nervousness.
"Her nature?" asked Alex Mercer, his gray eyes looking at the goddess with a measure of curiosity and confusion.
"I…" Yidhra swallowed, then pushed on. "I'm not like most Eldritch Gods. I live, grow and become more by consuming lifeforms." she explained, Dana's eyes widening while Alex stiffened for a second, the look in his eyes sharpening. "I gain their memories, abilities and more, growing more powerful and more knowledgeable with every consumption, though it can be a very slow process. As it is, it took a long time for me to even gain awareness… As far as I can tell, Earth had very little life when I first… came to be, much lessintelligentlife."
"That's-!" Dana exclaimed, looking rather stunned at the implications of Yidhra's age.
Even Alex blinked in shock, before looking at the goddess with interest.
"You're older than the dinosaurs?" he asked, sounding rather impressed.
Yidhra smiled a bit shyly at him. "I don't have many memories of that time, but… yes."
"Well, damn." he muttered, his usually cold eyes staring at the goddess with some awe. "To live that long…" he trailed off, being wise enough to understand the cost of that. "Ah. It's not easy, is it?" he muttered sympathetically.
"... Not always, no." Yidhra admitted. "Especially when one of my first clear memories was of waking up being studied like a lab rat by the Elder Things…"
Dana's jaw dropped, and Alex froze, a storm flashing through his eyes at those words before he, slowly, unclenched his suddenly clenched fists.
"You were experimented on…" he muttered, face dark.
Yidhra grimaced, before smiling wryly. "They didn't know what I was for a long time. Still, this was… not the most pleasant part of my life."
"That's horrible…" Dana whispered in horrified sympathy. "To gain awareness only to be used as a lab rat, that's…"
She glanced at her brother, who stared at Yidhra for a long moment, before glancing at me.
"Did you tell her my past?" he questioned.
I shook my head. "It's not my story to tell."
Alex stared at me for a moment, then nodded in thanks.
I smiled at the Mercer, before glancing at Yidhra. "I think I'll let you three talk things out, I imagine that you have a lot you'd like to know about each other. If you'll excuse me."
Alex waved me off, his attention quite clearly focused on the goddess before him, while Yidhra herself sent me a grateful look before turning back towards the Mercer.
Satisfied that their first meeting was going well, I walked away.
The Elder Things had not been the worst monsters, so Yidhra's stay in their labs had not been as traumatic as it could have been. Especially once they learned of her nature, as sheer self-preservation, the desire to not harm such a fascinating test subject and the fear of angering the Eldritch Pantheon had ensured that the Elder Things had played… nice, so to speak, in their efforts to study Yidhra.
Still, a lab rat was a lab rat, so she probably had some stories to share that the Mercer would not like hearing.
From a pragmatic point of view however, those stories would gain her Alex and his sister's sympathy, allowing the foundation of a long-term relationship to be born between all three… and from there, it would be Yidhra's decision to go for something more than friendship with Alex or not.
It would be manipulative if Yidhra had planned it like that, but Iknewshe didn't, though I suspected my True Self might have subtly moved things along… Or maybe not. Sometimes, things really do work out without the need for any background intervention.
Well, either way, I wanted to let those three talk for a while before moving things along, so I looked around to see who I wanted to check up on.
After a moment, I decided to go see the group made up of Rebecca, Jill, Chris and Kass. Considering that Kass was a Goddess of Diseases, those four were no doubt having quite the talk.
Though the lack of violence was, if nothing else, a good indication that things hadn't gone badly so far.
Kass noticed me coming first, the goddess nodding respectfully at me.
"My Lord."
My Hunters turned towards me, smiling and nodding in greetings.
"So, how is your talk with the goddess of Diseases?" I asked with some humor in my voice.
"Fascinating!" Rebecca replied cheerfully. "I had expected many things, but not…" she trailed off, looking a bit awkward, though Jill merely snorted.
"We expected someone we might want to punch in the face." she said dryly.
Kass blinked. "I'm suddenly very glad that our talk went well…" she muttered.
"To give some details," Chris spoke up, a smile on his lips. "We expected a deity that would, for example, stand against medicine and healing."
"Except it's if anything, the opposite!" Rebecca said cheerfully, green eyes shining with interest. "Kass actually approves of medicine, as it ultimately strengthens life, forces evolution, and more!"
Kass shrugged. "Diseases are a part of life, and it's in the nature of life to face challenges and evolve to surpass them. Moreover-" she glanced towards where Alex Mercer was. "Some diseases can only exist thanks to mortals actively messing around."
That made the three people from RE!Earth grimaces at the same time, thoroughly well-aware of the truth behind that statement.
Rebecca still shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "Still, it's a strange thing to meet a goddess of diseases supporting medicine, but I'm far from unhappy about it."
"It's enlightened self-interest." Kass joked. "The more advanced a civilization, the more people and vectors of diseases exist. So why wouldn't I support knowledge and population growth?"
Chris snorted. "Somehow, I didn't expect divine enlightenment to be likethis."
Then he glanced my way and started chuckling. "Then again, based on previous experience with the divine, perhaps I should have."
"Oi." I deadpanned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
My Hunters merely smirked at me, the traitorous little shits.
Shaking my head in amusement, I waved them off. "Well, I'll leave you to your divine enlightenment, then. I'll go talk to a few more people before we get started."
Looking around, I stopped and blinked at seeing Claire and Nyarlathotep, of all people, talking to one another.
Walking towards them, it didn't take me long to see that they had apparently became fast friends.
"You're one cold-blooded bitch, aren't you?" Claire told Nyarly, glaring at her.
Nyarly, predictably, merely smirked widely at her. "Come now, little mortal! Thanks to our beloved Lord and King, we're now both right and proper harem sluts! We both are eager to jump up and down his dick, there's no need to be so angry about the truth!"
Claire's gaze turned flat.
Nyarly's smile only grew. "Now now, don't look at me like that. I can make it up to you later! Ever had a goddess between your legs? A far more experienced one than Oedon and Lucy? I can show realms of pleasure that you can scarcely imagine…"
Her red eyes shone with cruelty. "Or, perhaps you'd prefer being the one to kneel and suck, instead? I'm sure our Lord does that to you often, with a mouth like yours… That sharp tongue of yours must be a delight around his cock."
Claire bristled. "You-"
Narly gave her a sharp, smug smirk. "You humans never look so good than when you are on your knees, anyway. Why do you think so many Gods bother with your kind? It's not for your virtues, that's for damn sure."
Yep, definitely the best of friends.
Walking behind Nyarly, I karate-chopped her on top of the head, making her flinch instinctively.
"Bad goddess." I deadpanned. "Be nice, you're going to spend the rest of eternity with her, after all."
Nyarly turned towards me, her pouty expression melting away in the face of my dry look in favor of a wicked smirk.
"It's not my fault that she's so easy to rile up! Besides, I love redheads. So fiery, I always wonder how long it'll take before they break. The way they glare at you…" she shuddered happily. "The only thing better is the moment they break and that fire is snuffed out like a candle!"
"Aeon." Claire said flatly.
"Work in progress." I deadpanned back at her, before looking back at the Crawling Chaos.
I stared at her… and then smirked.
"If you don't behave, I'll trap you in a timeline of My Little Poney for an entire year, helpless to do anything violently. Not even mean words will leave your mouth!"
The Crawling Chaos, terror of countless galaxies, one of the most feared beings in all of existence, promptly recoiled and blanched in such horror that she visibly swayed on her feet.
Claire blinked, and then threw her head back with a startled laugh so strong that she almost folded herself in half from laughing too hard, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"T-That's-! You-!" Nyarly actuallystammered, looking at me like I was an Eldritch abomination. Ironic, to say the least. "You wouldn't!"
I leaned forward, a wicked smirk on my lips.
"Try me."
Claire howled in laughter in the background, even as Nyarly took one look at me and almost turned green in disgust and horror when she saw I wasn't joking.
The Crawling Chaos shuddered violently, looking like she was going to be sick. "I'll be good!" she said firmly. "By all the stars, I'll be good, I promise."
I grinned, patting her head like a child. Her cheeks turned red at the humiliation, and she glared at me…
Even as a part of her enjoyed herself immensely.
Heh.Masochists.
"Now be a good girl or Daddy will bring the scary, horriblefluffstraight to you, you hear?" I said with all the overbearing condescension I could muster, Claire still howling in laughter in the background. It didn't look like she was going to stop anytime soon, either.
The Crawling Chaos glared at me with the burning fury of a thousand multiverses' worth of fury, which would utterly terrify over 99.99% of the population of all existence.
I merely gave her a cheeky grin and walked away, whistling carelessly to myself.
Of course… Nyarly's fury was a lot less terrifying when I knew this outcome- or something like it- was exactly what she had wanted out of this from the start.
She was the Crawling Chaos, after all. She knew quite well how my lovers would react to her… But by setting up this whole thing where I humiliated her with ease, turned her powerless with an absurd threat, not only would Claire no longer fear her, but the story would spread and my other mortal lovers wouldn't distrust her as much either.
Also, shewasa masochist. Something like was actually a twisted form of pleasure for her.
I still promised myself to do something nice for her, though. It was the least I could do after she went to the trouble of setting this up to help me out.
Even if that "something nice" would probably involve chains, whips and her happily screaming in pleasure and pain as I go full sadistic dom on her.
Well, again:Masochists. To each their own, I wasn't one to judge. Not on this, at least.
Looking around again, I hummed in thought, before deciding that it was time to get to business.
My wives and friends met with the local Eldritch Goddesses, Yidhra met Alex Mercer, and everything was ready. There was little reason to delay things any more.
Nodding to myself, I spoke up, my voice carrying loudly outwards.
"Everyone!" I called out, all conversations coming to a stop as everybody turned towards me.
I smiled. "Now that we've all met and mingled a bit, I think we should get the main event going. So if you would all please follow me?"
Turning, I lead everybody to the part of the Hunter's Dream where the Great Tree was.
I paused slightly at the sight of it, old memories surfacing, but I pushed on and kept moving towards the opposite side of the Great Tree, where the Hunter's Dream faded out into an empty sky, clouds rolling below the floating mass where the mansion and its ground was, with the night sky shining with stars above.
Satisfied that the view would fit, I turned around, seeing everyone arrayed before me in a half circle, with Azathoth and Oedon standing closest to me.
I looked at everyone, meeting their gazes as the weight of the moment began to settle.
More than ever before, what I was going to do would be the ultimate proof of my rise as a God. I was going to create my own species, my own Angels equivalents, who would help me rule the Omniverse.
In war and peace, in the support of good against evil, for the future of all reality, in the name of a Dream called Eternity, of a hope called Paradise…
Me creating these beings would mark a change, both in my life and across Reality itself. The rise of a new power, willing to stand and fight for a brighter tomorrow for all.
My eyes met Oedon's, her red eyes shining with pride and love, a gentle smile on her lips that made me feel on top of the world more than any amount of divine power ever could.
I looked at Azathoth, her own golden eyes shining with love and anticipation, eager to see how I would reshape her creation, eager to spend eternity with me making the most beautiful piece of art called Reality we could ever shape into existence.
Lucy, Rebecca, Jill, Chris, Claire, more and more, gods and mortals alike, all of them looking at me with hope and love or respect in their eyes.
Even HUNK, behind his gas mask, looked at me with a certain amount of hope- the same hope that only two men who have known the bloodiest of battlefields could share. The hope that one day, there would be no more battlefield to fight on. No more horrors to confront.
No more wars to fight, where we could finally lay down our weapons, never again to take them back. A final monster killed, a final gunshot, to herald the end of the war to end all war.
I smiled.
"It is my greatest belief… that life is beautiful. That Reality itself is full of wonders. That, no matter how long you live, no matter how many things you experience in life, there will always be more beauty, more joy, more wondrous moments of happiness left to discover."
I took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the flowers of the Hunter's Dream, before exhaling with contentment.
"I did not expect to become the Ruler of Creation… But it is a responsibility I will take on gladly. As an omniscient God, I know better than most the sheer weight of that which I willingly shoulder, here and now. Despite that… I am happy to take on such a burden. For I have long chosen to dedicate my life to the preservation of all the wonders of existence. Whether they may be lifeless forms of beauty, such as the radiance of the cosmos…"
I looked at everyone gathered before me with a warm smile.
"... or the wonders born from the shining light of the souls of living beings, all of these deserve to be protected, cherished, and cared for so that their beauty would shine at their brightest for all to see, and for all Eternity. Unfortunately, where there is beauty, there is also horror. Where there is good, there is also evil. Where there are Dreams, there are also Nightmares. And that is why I must rely on more than myself, to ensure the continued prosperity of Creation. I need friends, who will stand by my side and advise me. I need allies, ready to stand by my side whenever necessary. And I need subordinates, to carry out my will across the stars."
I turned around, facing the vast expenses of an infinite sky.
"And that is why, on this day, as I prepare myself to fully endorse the responsibilities of being the Ruler of Creation, I must first ensure that I have everything I need to protect the path to Paradise that I wish to create. So with that being said…"
I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.
For this moment, I needed to let go of my limitations… and become the God I was in Truth.
"AMARANTH: THE PATH TO PERFECTION."
I opened myeyes.
Behind me, many of the people gathered let out gasps of shock and awe as I took my True Form, but I did not focus on that.
Instead… I became one with Reality itself.
I heard the ticking of the clock, as Time marched on ever onwards.
I felt the fabric of Space, extending into infinity.
The beauty of Chaos, and the cold logic of Order.
The warm beginning of Life, and the soothing embrace of Death.
Fate and Destiny intertwined with Free Will, giving birth to Good and Evil.
Dream and Reality became one before me, an illusion called existence beautiful beyond anything else in its sheer vastness and complexity.
And I… was in charge of all of it. From the most microscopic elements to the greatest, all ultimately answered to me.
It was exhilarating.
It was crushing.
And, above all, it was awe inspiring.
For a second (or was it an eternity?) I stood immobile, contemplating it all.
And then, finally, I moved.
Reality was a garden full of beauty, and it fell upon me to see that garden prosper beyond anything it had ever known.
But I could not do it alone… and so, I needed to create.
Taking hold of the very fabric of Reality, I began calling upon parts of it, uplifting them in a divine symphony of Creation.
I sang of Beauty, and Paradise. I sang of Duty, and Responsibility. I sang of Eternity, and the wonders and horrors it possessed.
I sang a call for help, in the name of all that was good. I sang a call of companionship, as I shouldered the burden of Existence.
I could have commanded obedience, for I had the Authority… But I did not. Here and now, I merely asked. A simple request, from one who loved Creation as a whole more than any others, who loved the woman who birthed it and wanted her to be eternally happy and proud of her miracle called the Omniverse.
I was not a perfect being. I did not promise perfection… I did not promise that I could guarantee the happiness of all.
But that is exactly why I asked for help out of Existence itself. Because together, we could one day reach Perfection. One day, together, we would carve a path to[Paradise].
And from that song, seven beings began to appear.
Born from Creation itself, shaped by my song, beings made of the very fabric of Reality began taking shape before me.
With the Cosmos itself reflecting within their bodies, the first of them looked at me with an eye made of Starlight, and an eye made of pure Void.
Rwandelux, the Aeon of Light and Darkness, stared at me with all the burning passion of the stars… and all the cold certainty of the Void. Bright stars of different colors appeared and then vanished within the Void of his body, an ever-shifting pattern of starlight and consuming darkness.
The second Aeon formed next, the ticking of clocks echoing in my mind as Space and Time converged into a singular form.
Zaldroct, Aeon of Space and Time, looked at me with eyes reflecting the full depths of Eternity and Infinity, the lives and death of universes but a blink of an eye before the Aeon incarnating the true nature of Endlessness.
A third Aeon began appearing next, a woman with all the love of Life, and the wisdom of Death. A line of pure starlight upon her face served as a warm, loving smile as she stared at me, ready to bring forth the first or deliver the second at my will.
Pyhgmi, the Aeon of Life and Death, stood before with her hands folded before her, eager to serve as the arbiter between the living and the dead.
The next Aeon was heralded by the implacable will of Destiny, the unyielding weight of Fate, and the cold logic of Order… and the carefree laughter of Chaos and Free Will, giving all with the will to stand and rise the power to seize their own future.
Amnique, the Aeon of Destiny/Order and Free Will/Chaos, gave me a solemn bow reflecting his acknowledgement of the heavy burden he has willingly taken… before sending me a cheeky wink and a grin from under his hood, with the same delighted happiness that I felt when I stood before Saitama and I witnessed another prove himself beyond the will of even the mightiest of gods.
The fifth Aeon came into existence with the soothing warmth of love and forgiveness… and the burning sensation of hate and cruelty. Good and Evil, necessary components of Free Will, gathered together into a perfect whole for the sake of all of Existence.
Uldatrex, the Aeon of Good and Evil, tasked with ensuring that the second would never overcome the first, stood before me in tattered robes obscuring his form, looking much like a weary traveler that had endured a perilous journey, but who stood with the unyielding determination to arrive home and see the end of his path, along with the peace it would grant him.
Our gaze met, and for a moment I saw myself back in Yharnam, standing covered in blood, both my own and that of my enemies, weapon in hand, weary from battles but my back straight and unyielding in my determination to keep moving ever forward.
The Aeon nodded, a solemn oath sworn between us- to press ever onwards, against all the horrors that Reality can throw at us, in the name of reaching that ever-distant dream called Paradise.
The sixth Aeon appeared with the sounds of pages turning, the smell of old books, and the calm focus of meditation… Along with the feeling of something being hidden, the tragedy of lost knowledge, and the tantalizing shadows of mysteries.
Sydnotra, the Aeon of Knowledge and Ignorance, stood before covered head to toe in heavy robes, her hands gloved and her face hidden behind a mask. She looked at me before bowing, deep respect clear to see even as her movements subtly showed hints of mischievousness, hiding a more free-spirited personality behind a facade of stern discipline. Whispers echoed around her, offering maddening hints of secrets beyond the knowledge of even the majority of the Gods in existence.
And finally, the seventh Aeon appeared in a wave of magical and scientific symbols and words of power, exuding the raw power and potential of magic and the science combined into a greater whole to such heights that the difference between both could scarcely be recognized anymore.
Altryxna, the Aeon of Science/Technology and Magic, stood before me with a small smile, the air around her shimmering with countless colors from her magic, while mathematical formulas came in and out of existence all around her. Visions of acts of magic beyond mortal imaginations combined with visions of the most advanced civilizations across all of Time and Space, showing off the power of her combined Domains to those who looked into her eyes.
Each of them shone with power enough to make even multiverses look small and insignificant, as their Authorities spread further and further across the Omniverse the longer they exist. One day, in the same fashion as I will become one with all of Reality, so would they- if still limited by the bounds of their given concepts.
Originally meant to be my generals in a potential war against the Eldritch Pantheon, they would instead serve as administrators of the Omniverse, ensuring the eternal smooth running of Reality itself.
Though if necessary, they could easily serve as generals anyway if the need ever arose for it. With their power combined, even the mightiest Outer Gods working together would find themselves challenged…
Well, Azathoth excepted, naturally.
All of them were connected to my True Self at all times, information exchanged faster than thought itself as my Will was made clear to all of them, across the breadth of Space and Time and beyond.
And with the birth of my Pleromas, my Archangels equivalent, it was time to create their subordinate legions.
Focusing, I created acubeof pure ever-shifting light between my hands, Omniversal Concepts gathering within it as I infused it with my power and Will.
Once I was satisfied, I released the cube,POWERflowing out into the Hunter's Dream as countless quintillions of lesser Aeons of different kinds came into existence.
The servants of Rwandelux came first, theOthaosesappearing across the endless skies behind their Pleroma before floating in the air, their bodies rippling with shifting patterns of Eldritch light and darkness.
The servants of Zaldroct came second, theBythosflashing into existence in cracking moments of Space and Time, their humanoid forms of constantly shifting clouds and mist moving unnaturally through the sky, as if they were distincts from the normal flow of Time.
Third were the servants of Phygmi, theAkhanas, their bodies being a swirling mass resembling a giant eye, which seems vaporous but is solid and slimy to the touch. They have four gray arms and a fifth tail-like appendage.
Fourth were the servants of Amnique, theTheletos, possessing crystalline bodies with four flexible limbs, each splitting at the elbow into two three-fingered forearms. They are all around five feet tall, and their crystalline form is ever shifting to the eye, light reflecting in unnatural ways to the human eye across their bodies.
Fifth are the servants of Uldatrex, theLipikas, resembling featureless humanoids with four forearms per arm that each split off at the elbow and an eye on each palm, clad in a black cloak. Lipikas stand about 4 meters tall, almost twice the size of my human form.
Sixth are the servants of Sydnotra, theAgnoias, resembling roiling columns of fog and shadow which never obscure each other. Despite this vaporous appearance, they are not insubstantial, and they can compress their forms. They stand on three clawed feet and can fly with a thought. An agnoia's eyes drift across its bodies moving about in a blink, making it very difficult to surprise them, and allowing them to keenly detect magical auras. Their three clawed, pale arms are spread radially around their torso. Finally, most Agnoias are around 5 meters tall.
And finally, the servants of Altryxna, theSynesis, look like hourglass-shaped creatures made of stellar dust, with two three-fingered arms protruding from each end.
All seven legions of my new servants and their Plemoras stand before me, ready to spread out across the Omniverse to do my Will. The weakest of them can destroy planets, making even the least amongst them mightier than many gods.
Of course, such legions would have been the bare minimum required to wage war against the Eldritch Pantheon, so I had no choice but to make them as strong as I could.
Even now, I still preferred to be cautious. Each and every single one of them were linked to both their Plemora commander and my True Self, allowing for the instantaneous transmission of information and, if necessary, power.
Theoretically, it should be impossible for even the mightiest of gods to break the bonds between me and even the least of my servants, since to try would be to fight against my True Self. They could still die and fall in battle, but much like my Hunters, I could bring them back easily.
An immortal, powerful, knowledgeable army linked to my True Self at all times. An army powerful enough to potentially overcome even the might of the Eldritch Pantheon and its Kingdom… now created in the name of peace and prosperity.
I could freely admit that it was a relief beyond words that I did not have to send my newly created people to war… Even if I would have done so, if necessary.
For a long moment, I stared at my creations. My people, born from my desire to bring paradise not just to myself, but as many people as I could. My Dream, of truly incarnating my name- of truly being Eternal.
My Aeons, my Gods of the Stars, each of them as least powerful enough to destroy worlds, the greatest amongst them powerful enough to obliterate countless multiverses with ease.
The part of me that was a paranoid bastard shuddered at how many ways this could go wrong.
The rest of me glowed with pride and joy over my creations.
However, I wasn't quite done. There was one last thing to do.
As the God-king of Creation, I needed a weapon worthy of leading my people. The weapons of a mortal Hunter just weren't good enough anymore. I neededmore.
Opening my Inventory, I withdrew two weapons: The Holy Moonlight Sword of Ludwig, and the Burial Blade of Gehrman.
Staring at them, I created a paradox, and brought two identical copies of the weapons into existence. By any and all metric of recognition, the duplicates might as well be the real things.
Putting the original back in my Inventory, I focused on the duplicates… and used a Skill I gained when I ascended to godhood the second time, as a Living God.
Alchemy. Not mere chemistry or potion making, but something far greater. Something far more connected to the fabric of Reality, empowered by metaphysical ideas and concepts.
Holding the two weapons before me, I conceptually, metaphysically merged them together, while pouring my own power and Will into the mix as the stabilizing agent.
All of my Authorities, all of my Power, all of my Divinity combined with the weapon of a Hero… and the weapon of a Godslayer.
Light and Darkness, Life and Death, Hope and Despair, Order and Chaos, Dreams and Reality, more and more…
I poured more and more concepts, ideas, hopes and power into the mix. This was the embodiment of my oath to Reality. The physical evidence of my hopes for the future. The weapon I would use to ensure that my Dreams would become Reality.
Power enough to eclipse all but Azathoth shone before me, and I felt myself become ever greater in reply to the sheer amount of power I was exuding today. The more I strained my limits, the more I grew, and I hadn't pushed so far since my fight against Saitama.
Reality itself bent and broke around the ever-shifting mass of power before me, as the very fabric of Reality failed to contain my latest creation. It shone brighter than any stars, brighter than any Big Bang, a light so bright that it outshine any other in all of the Omniverse' history- except perhaps for the birth of the White God in Heaven.
Staring at this embodiment of all of my Hopes and Dreams, I couldn't help but be awed at its beauty… and I knew what to name it.
"Come forth, and answer my call… Damelone (Faithful Dream)."
The light shone ever brighter-
Before forming into the shape of a gently smilingwoman.
"My Lord." she greeted me, bowing deeply.
Extending my right hand towards her, her smile grew and placed one of her hands in mine…
And a moment later, I was holding a sword in the shape of Ludwig's blade, except that inside of a shining green blade powered by Moonlight, mine looked like an open window into the depths of the cosmos, swirling galaxies shining their lights within the length of my new sword. No longer was it the Holy Moonlight Blade, now it was a blade powered by the infinite cosmos itself… a Holy Starlight blade, whose' light would shine even in the darkest depths of the Void.
A Faithful Dream that I would never lose sight of, to guide me on the path to Paradise… To guide all of Reality towards it, one day.
I looked up, smiling warmly as I took in the sight of my legions, and raised my new sword high, its form glowing with power beyond that of any other weapon in existence.
"Together…"I spoke with the Authority of the God-King that I now was, my voice echoing for all to hear."In the name of a brighter tomorrow… Let us claim Eternity!"
Azathoth stared, wide-eyed, as her beloved raised his new sword high, quintillions of voices screaming as one in the name and glory of their god, each of those voices powerful enough to give pause to a Great Old One at the veryleast.
"This is…" Shub whispered in awe, the younger goddess even more awe-struck than Azathoth herself. She could understand why- Reality has not seen such a display of power in ages. The only thing that couldhopeto rival it was the birth of the God in Heaven's legions of Angels, and the only thing that could outmatch it was the birth of Creation itself.
It was a show of power whose' consequences could already be felt across the omniverse, as Azathoth could feel the various Higher and Lower Realms react to it.
The Heavenly Realms roared in approval and legions of heavenly spirits were already running around announcing the creation of new legions standing for Law and Order against all the forces of Evil.
Pantheons of Gods began preparations and quickly threw their own parties in the honor of the new God-King of Reality, a decision admittedly born as much from genuine joy at the news of the event that just took place, as it was in desire to not anger the deity powerful enough to stand at the side of Azathoth herself as the closest thing to an equal she ever had.
Elysium was a cacophony of songs and dances, as the Chaotic Good Realm exulted in the new forms of Cosmic life as was their way: by throwing the biggest party possible, wine and songs and dances mixing together with the joyful laughter of all within the realm.
More Neutral but still Lawful dimensions, such as Axis, held their own celebrations, as they all recognized the events taking place as the rightful show of Authority of the new God-King of Existence.
Of course, not all realms took to the events as joyfully as the Higher Realms.
Hell reacted with their own parties and celebrations… But this was more out of cold respect for the sheer power shown, and the unquestionable fact that Azathoth's new King was someone worthy of being wary of. In private, the real reaction of the Devils was to begin preparing for a major shift in the balance of power in Existence, as a new player had made his entrance to the grand stage that was Reality… and Hell would either profit from it, or fight it with all its cunning and power.
Abaddon, Evil Neutral Realm of the Deamons under the Fourth Horsemen of the Apocalypse, actually threw a far more genuine celebration… but this was because of who had created the Four Horsemen in the first place: Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos.
As a result, the Lower Realm was technically part of the Eldritch Kingdom, though of course the details were more… complicated.
Overall, the entire Realm was a place of punishment and purification for the souls of Evil mortals, who could nonetheless hope to be reborn eventually… After they had suffered enough to wipe their accumulated bad Karma clean.
There were a lot of mortals somewhat confused on how and why the Crawling Chaos would create such aneutralRealm despite all its evils, but it was actually very simple: Nyarlathotep was loyal to Azathoth, and by creating this realm Nyarlathotep could both bring suffering to countless mortal souls… while ensuring they were given the chance to try again and become something better, and thus actively help Reality in her own way like that.
The end result was that Abaddon was the less actively "Evil" of the Lower Realms, as they focused exclusively on the suffering and punishment of mortal souls with bad karma.
And finally, last but not least… was the Abyss.
Where Hell reacted to her beloved's actions with outwards cold respect and inner ambitions, and Abaddon with the respect due to a God who understood the need for punishment to be delivered unto evil mortals, the Abyss was, by its very nature, the more violent in its reaction.
Quite simply put, they all collectively roared in hatred and spat mockery towards the Heavens. Countless spontaneous acts of violence erupted across the Abyss, and the Demons of the realm entered a frenzy where they killed, raped, tortured and worse with glee, as if to further show their sheer contempt for the new God.
The entire Abyss became filled with the screams of the living and the dead, as the usually chaotic realm actually united for a time to show exactly what they thought of her beloved's actions.
A part of Azathoth had to hold herself back from smashing her way into the Abyss, and showing all within exactly howshefelt about their reaction to her beloved's show of power.
It's hardly like anyone wouldmissthe damn place.
But she, grudgingly, decided to hold her peace for now. She didn't want to turn a day of joy in the honor of her beloved into a day remembered for her slaughter of an entire Realm… no matter how justified it may be.
There would be time for expressing her displeasure with the Abyss and its inhabitants later. For now, she smiled as all around her those present for this day that shall be forever remembered talked amongst themselves with awe over the show of power of her beloved.
Even Azathoth herself couldn't help but be impressed, after all. The power Aeon had unleashed was well on the same level as the one he unleashed against Saitama, if not even greater. His new sword, especially, would by itself earn him the fear and respect of every pantheon in existence.
She could feel the power it radiated… The countless concepts intertwined to make it. But what truly made her feel awe…
Were the core concepts of the sword.
[Paradise/Utopia.]
Not Paradise for a few. Not Paradise for just the righteous. Nor, for that matter, for just mortals.
It was the promise of [Paradise] for all of Reality. For every soul, mortal, immortal and Divine.
And in a way, that sword… It was a promise. Not just to himself, but toAzathothas well.
A promise to stand by her side for Eternity. A promise to always be there for her, to always support her forevermore. A promise that, together-
They would always, always behappy.
Paradise itself. That was her beloved's sworn oath to her, and to her entire Creation. An Eternity of bliss, joy and wonders. Of love and happiness.
It was an impossible promise… by a god who didn'tcare, and wanted to offer her perfection anyway, promising to strive evermore to offer it to her.
Azathoth felt a tear of joy roll down her right cheek, golden eyes gleaming with love and awe.
Azathoth had promised Aeon everything that was hers when she claimed him as her king… and now he was doing much the same right back to her through his latest creation.
She felt an ethereal hand over her face, infinite gentleness wiping the tear away with comforting feelings of[Love-Joy-Eternity/Oath.]that made her close her eyes and smile as she leaned against her beloved's touch.
[Oath.]she whispered back, accepting his promise and making her own.[Eternity.]
[Eternity.]the ethereal voice of her Beloved sent back with firm[Agreement/Oath.]
Azathoth's smile widened, a second tear rolling down her other cheek.
She might not be literally dancing on starlight like she did when she first met Aeon…
But right now, she had never felt more like a Queen in all of her life.
Looking at her beloved, standing tall and proud before his creations, Azathoth couldn't help but speak one last word.
After all… she had never understood the concept more than here and now.
And so she spoke, a whisper that nonetheless carried across the omniverse with the Will of its Creator-
"[Paradise/Utopia.]"
A.N: Alright! Here is the next chapter in which we continue the events of Love Azathoth!
At long last, the chapter in which Aeon really goes all out as a God. Aeon's forces are more or less what the Aeons of Pathfinders are like, except a lot more powerful, constantly connected to each other and True!Aeon, and they are actual people, though they do have a very inhuman view of existence, being Eldritch beings intrinsically connected to conceptual forces.
We also have Yidhra meeting Alex Mercer, which is a plot point that will slowly develop in the background.
I did consider Saitama showing up, but I both felt he wouldn't really care about what Aeon got up to as a god as long as his friend was happy, and secondly, I want the meeting between him and Azathoth to be its own thing, rather than part of a greater scene.
As for the seven Plemoras, the Archangels equivalent of Aeon, they'll be people we'll see in settings where Aeon has to act as a God a lot. They'll serve as support characters that'll do things for him while he focuses on matters requiring his personal attention, much like Lucy serves as CEO of Insight Corp. in the previous worlds.
Also, a little anecdote about Uldatrex, the Aeon of Good and Evil: I based his appearance and part of his personality on Clint Eastwood of all people, specifically in his role as the "Stranger" in western cowboy movies. Someone with a past, who has seen some shit, but who still tries to do good along the way.
Thus the ragged clothes, rugged appearance and general "Old Traveller" vibes.
Pygmhi, on the other hand, is obviously inspired in personality with Death of the Endless, though there will be differences considering that Aeon created her.
As for Damelone, Aeon's new sword, she's essentially to Aeon what Fi is to Link. A sword who doubles as a trusty companion, though her personality will be different from Fi.
She'll serve as a symbol of power for Aeon too, since she's powerful enough to give anyone short of Yog-Sothoth trouble by herself.
Though as Azathoth herself noted, she's also a promise to both Aeon himself, Azathoth, and the entire Omniverse- there's a reason that Aeon translated her name as "Faithful Dream."
And yes, she does look like a certain Raiden Shogun. Considering her canonical interest in "Eternity" and the fan arts of her pulling a sword out of her body, it fit far too much for me not to use her looks.
Still, with all that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, we get into the Aftermath, as a new Power begins to settle into place within the Omniverse as Aeon starts confronting Evil in the local reality…