Chapter 8
Showdown in the White Space
Coming to, I found myself back in White Space. Looking around the area, I noticed that two more structures had formed in the distance- one resembling Chaos Island and another resembling Radical Highway. Not only was Chaos Island's structure at the top of a mountain, but the purple muck had also spread even further. I also noticed that another black and dark red gear was in my hands and that the Sealing Device it was resonating with was on an island surrounded by the purple muck. "By now, you're probably wondering what the purple muck is. And its name is Corruption.", Fafnir's voice said. "Corruption? Not anything fancier?", I asked. "Yes, just Corruption.", Fafnir's voice replied. As I attempted to walk over to the island surrounded by Corruption, I noticed that my movements were getting slower and more sluggish. "Huh?", I thought. Suddenly a burst of red electricity from the Negative Speed Force welled up inside me, just barely giving me enough speed to run over to the Sealing Device. Noticing Space Colony ARK's structure in the distance, I wondered if the Corruption was also affecting the ARK as well. Shrugging, I walked over to the Sealing Device and offered up the black and dark red gear to it.
As the Sealing Device hatched, I once again saw a strange black mist erupt from the egg causing my eyes to briefly flash red. Strangely, however, I then felt a strange feeling consume me, causing me to scream in rage as the black mist consumed me. Suddenly, I then erupted from the mist, having transformed into a black ball with eleven black tentacles behind me with dark red tips. My head had curved down at the front and had 5 red eyes on each side, the head not being perfectly round. I now somewhat resembled a squid. "Now you have permanent access to the Doom Morph.", Fafnir's voice announced. Moving forward, I then saw strange purple spheres suddenly manifested in the air. Reaching out, I saw one of my tentacles grab one of the spheres as though it was completely solid; more startingly, I then easily reached out to another of the purple spheres very easily. Letting go, I then fell into the Corruption only to swim through it as easily as water. Swimming through the corruption leading to the mountain where Chaos Island's structure was, I then jumped into the air and landed on the ground, returning to my normal form. "Huh. Could be useful.", I said before entering Chaos Island's structure which was also a chalky white.
Entering Chaos Island, I said, "No, it can't be.". "What is it?", Fafnir's voice said. "I've been here before. At least I think I have.", I said, running forward. As I ran through the volcanic island, I noticed a large pool of Corruption on one of the structures; landing on it, I then automatically transformed into the Doom Morph. Swimming through the corruption, I noticed strange aliens with black and dark red skin standing around and staring into space. Leaping into the air, I returned back to my normal form and then unleashed a volley of Doom Spears that skewered the aliens easily. Landing on a rail, I then proceeded to grind on it only to reach solid ground again. Running forward, I then Black Doom's hologram appear. "Of course.", I groaned. "You really don't appreciate the amount of trouble I'm going to in order to train you so you can ascend as the Sovereign. Well, maybe this will finally tide you over!", Black Doom said as the island became distorted and transformed into (you guessed it) Radical Highway yet again. Noticing that the island had fused with the Doom Zone here, I found myself literally running down Knight's sword and across Giganto's arm. Jumping off of Giganto's head, I found myself riding of Wyvern's missiles, the missiles themselves erratically zigzagging through the city and then flying down Supreme's rifle. Finding myself floating in the air, I saw a distorted volcano erupting right before Wyvern flew up to me and swallowed me whole.
Suddenly, I then found myself back in the regular Chaos Island, the Doom Zone having disappeared. Running forward, I then found myself back in White Space, colour partially returning to Chaos Island's structure. "That's strange, though. The Chaos Island I remember was in Calaglia, which itself had been partially fused with Eldin and the Keves Castle Region.", I said. "And where did you go to Chaos Island before?", Fafnir's voice asked. "Well, that was when I was in Cyber Space. Maybe when the Chosen entered Cyber Space, it forcibly merged the Eldin region with Calaglia, Chaos Island and the Keves Castle Region from their memories.", I said. As a strange feeling came over me, Fafnir's voice asked, "Do you have an idea?". "A bad one.", I said, reentering Chaos Island's structure. Reentering Chaos Island itself, I saw strange being with miniature black holes for heads and crystals all over their bodies. "Ethereals? Here in Chaos Island?", I asked in confusion. "What are you thinking?", Fafnir's voice asked. "Ethereals can't exist outside of Hollows so why are they here in the Starfall Islands?", I asked. "Maybe it was a result of time and space going belly up after your failed attempt to stop the Chosen at Spear Pillar.", Fafnir's voice said. Running forward, I saw the gathered Ethereals attack only for me to counter them with a volley of Doom Spears; continuing on, I found myself running up a pathway made from solidified magma, finding myself in a strange clearing.
"OK, this doesn't feel right.", I said, summoning Gram. "Oh, it very much is.", Mash said as she walked into view with a vacant smile on her face. Feeling a strange sense of fear, I then said, "Why are you here? Last I checked, you were in that hotel within that giant Hollow.". "Oh, you know what that divine fleabag did. Besides, you need to kill it to get the closure you were so unfairly denied.", Mash said as she walked up to me. Noticing that she was covered in a nauseously bright aura, I asked, "So, did the Silent Core get you too?". "Oh, the Silent Core didn't 'get' anyone. You, though, you were corrupted by that filthy Infinity Core. If only Lady Salem didn't take you away when you were a baby, maybe you wouldn't be suffering like you are now.", Mash said. "But I thought the Silent Core only corrupts. The planet of Vestroia is proof enough of that.", I said. "Oh, that world wasn't strong enough to contain the raw power of the Perfect Core. Besides, the Infinity Core does all it can to corrupt and defile everything it touches and you're one of its victims too.", Mash said, tenderly looking into my eyes. As she leaned in for a kiss, I then found myself back in White Space, colour having fully returned to Chaos Island's structure. "Weird.", I said, dismissing Gram. Making my way over to Radical Highway's structure, I saw that it was separated from the rest of White Space by a very wide gap. "Yeah, I don't think I'm going to make that with the Doom Morph. Besides, there's no Corruption for me to swim through with the Doom Morph anyway.", I said. "There is one way, but you need that Doom Power.", Fafnir's voice said. "You mean Doom Wing, right?", I asked. Taking Fafnir's silence as a yes, I walked back to Chaos Island's structure to see Yuito in front of it. "Yuito? What are you doing here?", I asked. Turning to face me, Yuito smirked before saying, "Oh, you know why. I'm going to test how well you've evolved and to see if you really are ruthless enough to become the Sovereign!". "First, you want to me to become Sovereign and then you don't want me to do so. Make up your fucking mind already!", I said as Yuito leapt at me and unleashed a powerful slash of wind that I just managed to dodge.
Summoning Gram yet again, I retaliated by unleashing a razor sharp beam of darkness that Yuito countered by forming a thin barrier of air which dispelled the beam. Undeterred, I unleashed a violent onslaught that I chained into a Doom Blast that launched Yuito into the air; catching himself, Yuito created a legion of duplicates that I dispelled with a volley of Doom Spears. As I unleashed a projectile in the form of one of the Black Beast's heads, Yuito raised the white ground underneath him and imbued it with Corruption; I then unleashed the power of the Doom Morph and swam through the Corruption only to unleash a storm of darkness from which I unleashed even more Doom Spears, destroying the Corruption and sinking the raised platform back into the ground. Returning back to my normal form, I then unleashed an even angrier onslaught that Yuito just barely managed to keep up with before I spiked him back onto the ground. Preparing to kill, I then found myself back on the ground with Yuito nowhere to be seen. Dismissing Gram, I then found myself in front of a dark purple portal that seemed to be in an underground chamber infested with Corruption. Shrugging, I then walked through, wondering where it would take me.
The story continues in the next chapter.