My great thanks to TodaBruh, who kindly chose to use some of his free time to be my beta reader!
The Void, city of Null, capital of the Void Empire.
"-and thus, we have secured the support of everyone except the High Priest, Kha'Zix and Cho'gath." explained Sherry to Kassadin and Kai'sa. "Though in the case of the first, that's more because we cannot do anything about it, as that request is… a bit beyond us."
"Or rather, it'll be up to Aeon to get those two to show up." remarked Tatsumaki with a shrug.
"I see… so that's what he asked for…" muttered Kassadin. "I knew that Malhazar was plotting something, but to ask for the return of our patron Goddesses… That is no small task. The goddesses'... passion for one another is the stuff of legend, whether in love or anger. Even coming close to them at all is a perilous prospect for the vast majority of the other Gods themselves."
"Yes, and Malhazar is certainly leaving himself an out, by also mentioning that both of our Goddesses need to be in support of the Eldritch King's plan." pointed out Kai'sa.
Kassadin nodded gravely. "There is that. If the goddesses were to publicly disagree with the King… I can only guess at the consequences, but it wouldn't be pretty."
"I am confident that my father and Azathoth can work things out." calmly replied Sherry. "And when they succeed, then every faithful in the Void Empire will pledge themselves to my dad's cause."
"Yes. To go to war with the Abyss." mused Kassadin, his voice tinged with disapproval.
"You've got a problem with that?" bluntly questioned Tatsumaki, her green eyes narrowing.
Kassadin scowled. "I do not approve of war. And no matter how you look at it, the King is the one pushing for total war here. Countless lives will be lost as the result of his desire to burn that particular Void Viper's nest."
"Father! We're talking about war against literal demons!" exclaimed Kai'sa with a frown aimed at her father. "No matter the circumstances, such a war can only ever be righteous!"
"Righteous?" Kassadin repeated, scoffing. "Ask that of the countless innocents who will die in the fire of this war! Of the countless poor souls who will lose their homes, their worlds, and perhaps their entire species in the conflict to come! When the dead will pile up in mountains so high as to eclipse the heavens themselves, go ask those damned souls if they believe in this so-called 'righteousness' you preach of!"
"And what of those who suffer even now under the demons' cruelty?" Kai'sa shot back, the sheer passion in her voice making it clear as to how strongly she believed in this. "Are we to ignore those who suffer right now as simple 'acceptable losses'? Do they not deserve salvation from the horrors they must endure, too?"
The tired look on Kassadin's face made it clear it wasn't the first time they had argued about this, or heard those same words.
"You wish to avoid cruelty by starting a war that will unleash more horrors than Reality has ever seen! Of course I sympathize with those poor souls suffering in the Abyss, but you do not comprehend the sheer scale of the war to come!" he shot back.
"I understand perfectly well that I would rather choose to fight for a better reality, rather than accept a cruel one!" Kai'sa shot back with venom in her voice.
"To see reality burn for the sake of saving it is folly!" Kassadin snapped back at her.
"And yet innocent people will burn all the same if we do not act!" Kai'sa growled right back. "The demons will not stop, will never stop! It is in the very nature of the Abyss to hunger for Chaos and Evil!"
Sherry and Tatsumaki shared an awkward look, having been all but forgotten by the two arguing leaders of the Pro-peace faction…
Though it was pretty clear that Kai'sa' desire for peace was far less total than that of her father.
They glanced around, looking at the faces of the subordinates of the two leaders of the Pro-peace faction who began to mutter and argue amongst themselves, invisible lines being drawn as those who supported a war against the Abyss argued with those who were in full support of utmost pacifism.
"Lady Kai'sa is right, there is much to gain from joining the war against the Abyss!"
"Our people would suffer tremendously for such a war! The Abyss is no mere petty kingdom!"
"A great Alliance is being forged by the King of the Eldritch! To not join it will see the Void Empire shamed forever and branded as cowards for eternity!"
"You speak of glory, but how many corpses will we have to pay that glory with?! Lord Kassadin is right, a war will not benefit us!"
"Fool! Think of the trade deals we could make if we join the Alliance! There are tremendous fortunes to be made in joining the war! Our people will prosper like never before!"
"What fortunes would we gain, if we're all too dead to enjoy them?!
"Fool!"
"Coward!"
"Imbecile!"
"Idiot!"
"Damn… that escalated quickly." muttered Tatsumaki, staring in some surprise at the assembled Lords and Ladies suddenly shouting at each other with vitriol in their every word.
"We knew that they were less united than they appeared to be, but still, it's not pretty to behold." agreed Sherry, frowning at the chaotic sight before her, the voices of everybody only growing louder by the minute.
"So what are we supposed to do about all of this?" asked Tatsumaki, waving a hand towards all the loudly arguing assembled leaders of the political party originally meant to be their strongest supporters.
Sherry stared at the scene for a long moment, then sighed.
"We tell them to stop being a bunch of idiots and work together." she declared.
And with those words she stepped forward and clapped her hands.
BANG!*
Everybody jumped as a sound equal to a small explosion echoed, the magic that Sherry called upon ensuring that everyone had finally stopped arguing to turn towards her.
Satisfied, Sherry put on her most charming smile.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I understand that you all have strong opinions on the subject matter, but I personally believe that it would be quite easy for you all to work together."
"And how do you suggest we go about that, lady Starlight?" questioned Kassadin, his expression clearly showing some doubts about the possibility of a peaceful agreement happening between everybody gathered.
"Quite simply, actually. All you have to do is play to your respective strengths." Calmly answered Sherry.
The assembled leaders blinked, and Sherry smiled, before glancing at Kai'sa.
"Tell me, I presume that you and those who agree with you have no issues with fighting the hordes of the Abyss?"
"We do not." firmly answered Kai'sa, to the equally firm and proud nods of those siding with her, and the scowls and angry muttering of those against her.
Sherry nodded, and turned towards Kassadin. "And I presume that you would rather spend all of your efforts ensuring that the people of the Empire are free to prosper and live their lives like normal?"
"Correct." firmly answered Kassadin. "Above all else, providing all that our people need is paramount."
"Well then, why not work together to do both?" pointed Sherry. "Those supporting lady Kai'sa can focus on creating and maintaining the armed forces tasked with safeguarding the Void Empire from any demonic threats. Meanwhile, those supporting lord Kassadin can focus on ensuring that the economy and well-being of the Void Empire and its people are not put at stake by the war."
Sherry spread her arms open, a friendly smile on her face.
"The war will happen, everybody knows that. And the Void Empire will take part, if only because the people largely support the idea. Am I wrong?" She questioned those supporting Lord Kassadin, and while a lot of people grumbled, nobody could disagree. To do otherwise would be to willingly blind themselves to the facts, after all. "Therefore, the question isn't whether or not the Void Empire will join the war, it's how to best ensure that you and your people will suffer the least from it. And for that, I see no reason that you cannot work together. One side can focus all their efforts in safeguarding the Empire from invasion, and the other can focus on safeguarding its continuous prosperity."
Everyone fell silent, staring at her for a long moment, before Kassadin and his daughter turned to look at each other.
"I… suppose that, as long as you focus on protecting the Void Empire from any threats rather than go blindly charging into the Abyss, such an arrangement would be… acceptable." slowly agreed Kassadin, sounding like every word pained him to say.
Kai'sa scowled and crossed her arms, but grudgingly nodded.
"I can't argue that someone needs to keep our homes safe. Sending troops in the Abyss is one thing, but the demons won't stay on the defensive. I'm… not happy about having to stay behind when others will go out on the frontlines, but… keeping our people safe from demonic incursion is an important task…" she reluctantly replied.
The two glanced at each other, then immediately looked away, similar scowls on their faces while crossing their arms over their chests.
Someone in the room snorted in laughter at the sight, and the tension broke, everyone relaxing and muttering how to go about the arrangement.
Sherry nodded with a satisfied grin and stepped back to where Tatsumaki was, looking at her with an impressed look.
"I'm surprised that you actually managed to convince them of anything." she remarked.
Sherry shrugged slightly. "Kassadin was worried for his daughter, same with many of those supporting him towards those they cherished. By making it so that their loved ones will be staying in the Void Empire and as a defensive task force, their worries have been mostly negated. Not completely, but enough that they can find common ground and negotiate things."
Tatsumaki grunted. "Still feel cowardly to me. They're not the only ones with loved ones at risk, but they are certainly those screeching the loudest about it."
Sherry smirked. "Would you think the same if Fubuki told you she wanted to join the vanguard force attacking the Abyss once the war started?"
Tatsumaki suddenly tensed, her eyes narrowing and glowing with power at the mere thought of her beloved sister going into that Infernal Realm, fighting for her life day after day.
Slowly, ever so slowly she relaxed and let out a long breath.
"Touché." remarked Tatsumaki, a deep frown on her face and a troubled look in her eyes.
"Well, either way we've managed to heal the rift between them for the time being." remarked Sherry. "Hopefully, it'll stay that way. If we have to choose, there is no other choice for us than to support Kai'sa and her people, as they'll be far more useful to us with the war in the horizon, but that would almost certainly turn Kassadin and his people against us, and there are a lot of powerful, influential individuals in his group. Making political enemies out of them would be… sub-optimal."
Tatsumaki groaned softly, her shoulder drooping a little.
"Politics. Oh, how I hate it all." she grumbled.
Sherry chuckled and patted her shoulder.
"Look on the bright side, we're almost done. All that's left are Kha'zix and Cho'Gath, and the latter will be dealt with in a fight, by the look of things." she comforted her.
Tatsumaki perked up, as expected, a gleam of eager anticipation flashing in her green eyes.
"Right, that one. It's about time I kick his bug ass for what he said to me! Oooh, I can't wait." she grinned.
"Soon, Tatsumaki. Soon." Sherry promised.
Coming out of the meeting with the Pro-Peace faction, their surroundings were that of one of the richest districts of the capital. Many of the leaders of the faction were rich and influential individuals, and it showed in the choice of location of their headquarters.
Here, every street was kept perfectly clean, the houses and buildings were all of high quality, and the people passing by were almost all quite visibly of no small amount of wealth.
While there weren't as many religious buildings dotting the landscape as in the actual religious district, there was still an appreciable amount visible, and all of them were perfectly maintained and very richly decorated.
Which made it all the more of a contrast when compared to their next destination.
Hidden in plain sight, towards the middle of the city, was an unassuming dark building officially marked as a simple administrative office for the government. Supposedly, that building was meant to hold records such as the name of every citizen of the Capital, along with a number of various documents, all administrative in nature.
Few people ever came in or out of that building, and those who did were as unassuming as the building itself. It was a place so utterly, completely normal that most people don't ever bother giving it a second glance.
What rumors came out of the place was that the most fascinating thing to have ever happened there was that one time when one of the people working there came to work with a suit ever so slightly lighter in color than normal, following an incident with their washing machine.
Why, the sheer scandal of it kept the neighborhood busy talking about it for an entire month!
So needless to say, the sight of the two envoys of the King of the Eldritch casually entering said building, and not coming out of it for a while, would have sent everyone living nearby into a flurry of paranoia and theory-crafting about what exactly was going with the place…
If, that is, the many, many layers of defenses, magic and otherwise, that was covering the entire city district hadn't carefully made sure that nobody would recognize, much less pay attention to either women.
"So, we meet again, envoys of the King." hissed Kha'Zix at the sight of the two of them, waiting patiently in a waiting room for the master of the place to come greet them.
Sherry gave him an amused smile. "This location isn't exactly the easiest to find."
"And yet, here you are." buzzed the spymaster of the Empress, his insectoid eyes fixed on both women at once in a way that no human could replicate. "Very well then. This meeting was anticipated, especially as you took no efforts to conceal your work in the rest of the capital so far. Speak then, of the offer you would give me to support the King's plan."
Sherry summoned a dataslate in her hand, offering it to him, and the spymaster quickly took it and began reading through it.
For a few minutes, absolute silence reigned, even if both Sherry and Tatsumaki could feel how tense everyone was in the building. Quite clearly, even if their coming had been anticipated, they still weren't used to outsiders casually showing up in what was supposed to be one of the best-kept secrets of the Empire.
Tatsumaki even sent a few amused, almost challenging looks towards where she could feel hundreds of mages, psychics and more keeping spells and powers aimed at them both, ready to unleash a barrage of attacks at the slightest hint of danger.
Then, suddenly, Kha'Zix paused, his eyes staring transfixed at the screen of the dataslate.
"This last offer…" he began slowly, almost hesitantly.
"It's genuine." calmly replied Sherry.
"I see." he hissed, his voice turning into a hiss of delight, his body shuddering in eager anticipation… before his self-control kicked in and he relaxed.
"Very well then. We have a deal." he firmly declared, nodding at Sherry.
"Just like that?" questioned Tatsumaki.
Kha'Zix' eyes flickered towards the dataslate. "Yes."
And then he turned and walked away.
"Feel free to depart. I have work to do." he shouted back to them before disappearing from sight.
"Well that was easy." Bluntly said Tatsumaki.
Sherry chuckled. "Dad made him an offer he knew that Kha'Zix wouldn't, and perhaps couldn't, refuse. Kha'Zix is an extremely dangerous being… but that's also his weakness. He's a hunter through and through, caring more about the challenge of the hunt and the joy of the kill over everything else, and what else could a hunter such as him wish for more… than worthy prey to hunt?"
Leaving the meeting room where he had met the envoys of the King of the Eldritch, Kha'Zix quickly made his way towards a specific part of the Headquarters of the spy organization of the Empire. Countless secrets abounded in these buildings, some which would see wars started if they were ever discovered, but the specific room he sought was by all indications a perfectly mundane break room.
Five minutes of disarming the dozens of deadly traps in the seemingly normal room later, a wall slid open, and Kha'Zix moved towards the teleportation circle on the ground of the revealed antichamber.
A flash of light later, and he now began moving through the corridors of the Imperial palace, idly keeping an eye on everyone he came across for anything worthy of note.
Thankfully, there was nothing worthy of concern to note. His impressive senses told him at least three different janitor rooms had been used by lovers to copulate in peace where nobody could see or hear them (which was about the usual numbers he expected by now), some low-level contreband trade was still going strong, as expected, but nothing significant had been sold, and of course there were all the usual politicking, backstabbing and other plots that he always expected to find within the halls of the Imperial palace.
Still, overall, everyone was keeping their heads down. Even the known spies were seemingly diligently doing the work expected of them for their station.
Satisfied that the Empress had nothing to worry about in her own home, he swiftly made his way to her personal quarters, waited for the guards to announce him, and then entered once the Empress gave her permission.
Kneeling before her once he had entered, he also respectfully bowed his head.
"My Empress. As expected, the envoys came to me with their proposal. I took the liberty of accepting, as nothing within the terms offered went against what we had deemed beyond acceptable."
With that said, he offered the dataslate to his Empress, who took it and quickly began reading through it.
For several minutes, not a sound could be heard, and the only thing that moved within the room was the Empress' fingers and eyes as she read through the documents.
Then she paused, and Kha'Zix suppressed a shudder at the way she suddenly let out an amused, dark chuckle.
"Well, now, what have We here?" she mused, her lips curling into a knowing, coldly amused smile. "An offer for you to become a trainer for all Hunters of the Dream serving the King, with a guarantee of True Resurrection at any time you might die against those trainee Hunters."
Kha'Zix bowed his head. As expected, she knew exactly what convinced him to agree to the terms offered.
"My Empress-"
"Peace, Kha'Zix. We are not displeased." she continued with that same coldly amused tone. "If anything, that such an offer has been made as the very last of the list only shows how perfectly well the King knows you, and how to use you for his own gains."
Kha'Zix bowed his head lower, for he was well aware of the fact that he had one, major weakness: he craved the thrill of a true hunt. The excitement of hunting dangerous prey, the risk of becoming the prey rather than the hunter, the delight in overcoming a deadly prey and slaying it, or even to feast on the flesh of those he had vanquished…
He lived for those moments, and while he thoroughly enjoyed the more intellectual challenges offered by his position as spymaster, he could never deny that the delight he felt at a hunt was what motivated him most of all.
And the possibility of facing the Hunters of the Dream, the immortals, personal killers of the King of the Eldritch, individuals that he would have personally trained…
Oh, his blood rushed through his veins at the very thought of it!
"We are pleased, my spymaster." continued the Empress, still with the same small, cold smile on her lips, and a predatory look in her eyes. "You will be able to see for yourself and assess the strength of the King's Hunters in person, and interact with some of the inner circle of the Eldritch Kingdom itself. Yes, We are very, very pleased indeed."
"Surely the king knows of the consequences of giving me such a position?" he pointed out.
"Oh, without a doubt." she calmly replied. "As ever, this is both an offer and a threat. The King is showing his willingness to work with and trust Us… While at the same time, he is letting his personal killers learn how you think, act, fight. If the King ever sees it necessary to take secret actions against my rule, having his personal band of killers be well-acquainted with my spymaster's strengths and weaknesses will help him achieve whatever he seeks to do much more easily."
Despite himself, Kha'Zix felt a chill go down his body at the words. "If he ever becomes an enemy, I will be the first to die."
"Yes." agreed the Empress, her flat voice stating it as a fact. Then a smile crossed her lips, though her eyes remained cold and pitiless as she stared at him.
"Are you afraid, Kha'Zix?" she asked with a mild voice.
"I live to serve, my Empress. My life is yours." he quickly replied.
"That was not the question I asked." she told him, her already cold voice turning ever so slightly colder.
Kha'Zix hesitated, unsure of what exactly she wanted to hear.
"I would… caution against making an enemy of the King, my empress." he said slowly, cautiously, and with a great deal of care. "I must admit that the thought of facing him as an enemy… unnerves me."
The Empress stared at him in silence, saying nothing for a few moments and making Kha'Zix call on every bit of his self-control to not show how afraid he was that his next words might be his last, but eventually that same, cold smile than before reappeared on her lips.
"Good. I would have thought you a fool if you weren't afraid of the King, and I have no use for fools." she bluntly declared.
Kha'Zix paused. "My lady?" he asked, surprised.
The Empress scoffed slightly, turning away and coming to rest before a window showing the vastness of the Inner palace in front of her.
"The King rules the Eldritch by the will of Azathoth, Kha'Zix." she told him coldly. "And whoever controls the Queen controls Reality itself. The King could be a powerless mortal, and he'd still be the most dangerous man in the entire omniverse. As it is? There can be no victory in a conflict against him. Not only does his power, personal and diplomatic, ensure that any war would be doomed to fail, but most importantly his willingness to start a war against the Abyss show his willingness to make use of that power, no matter the consequences in lives lost."
Kha'Zix considered that for a moment.
"So we show ourselves useful."
The Empress nodded. "So We show that the Void Empire is an asset to his plans, and Ourselves useful tools to see his ambitions made reality. He can afford to have you train his Hunters, learn their strengths and weaknesses, because quite simply, if We ever use what you learn against him and his, We would swiftly pay the price of Our folly. Still…"
Her smile returned, her eyes gleaming in anticipation.
"That does not mean We can't make use of what we will learn to boost Our own capabilities. Knowledge is power, after all…"
Tatsumaki glanced around, Sherry at her side, as they made their way through the military district of the Capital of the Void Empire.
By now, they were well used to the local architecture and culture, but it still was rather impressive to see how many soldiers and guns were absolutely everywhere in this district.
Anti-air batteries were pointing at the sky in seemingly every available rooftops, every streets had rows of soldiers patrolling with eagle-eyed stares of hardened veterans, and to their senses the entire district shone with a multitude of defensive spells which would consume hostile magic or even the very life-force of any enemies trying to attack this place.
"I'll give the bug this much, this place is built like a fortress." Tatsumaki grudgingly praised, her training with Aeon allowing her to recognize the various overlapping fields of fire for soldiers, along with the way that snipers would have a field day hiding in every corner of this place.
"Several fortresses." corrected Sherry. "There are actually no less than a dozen different fortresses across the entire district, capable of covering each other with artillery barrage, on top of all the military barracks, fields for tanks and various warmachines, military academies and more."
She pointed out towards the sky.
"And far above are Star Forts, multi-kilometers large behemoths of techno-sorcerous might capable of unleashing powerful orbital bombardment on the ground, or fight off assaults from the air. To say nothing of all the military starships and more also hanging above our heads."
Tatsumaki grunted. "And what of that damn bug? Hiding in the center of all this?"
"Well, I wouldn't say he's hiding from anything." mused Sherry. "But essentially yes, his own fortress is obviously right at the center of all the others, surrounded by nothing but large mine fields, bunkers, and other military defensive structures. An army trying to force their way there is in for a world of hurt."
"Well, we're not here for his toy soldiers, we are here for him." bluntly said Tatsumaki. "So how about we just fly there quickly? I really want to start smashing his face in already."
"If we tried that, we'd absolutely end up getting shot!" exclaimed Sherry.
Tatsumaki crossed her arms with a scowl.
"Bah, like it would actually hurt either of us." she replied dismissively.
Sherry let out a sigh. "No, Tatsumaki, you shouldn't go and give an entire empire's army a bad case of inferiority complex by standing there smugly while they try ineffectively to harm you with their guns. Especially when the political situation is tense as it is."
Tatsumaki looked amused for a second, before shaking her head. "Fine. Then how are we supposed to actually see that damn bug? What, are we supposed to actually ask politely?" she said sarcastically.
Sherry stared at her.
Tatsumaki stared back.
"There is no fucking way this will work." she said flatly.
"Lord Cho'Gath will see you now." declared the insectoid guard standing in front of the office of the Void Empire's military leader, less than an hour later, after being politely escorted by a honor guard of a dozen local soldiers who acted as guide once they explained who they were and who they were here to see.
"I can't fucking believe it actually worked." grumbled Tatsumaki with a petulant scowl, while Sherry tried to not appear too smug.
"Sometimes, you'd be surprised what you can achieve by just asking politely." remarked Sherry with amusement.
"That sounds like something your dad would say." muttered Tatsumaki.
"That's because it is." replied Sherry with a grin.
"Whatever. Just let me at that damn bug so that we can finish this." the green-haired esper grumbled.
Entering the office of the leader of the armies of the Void Empire, the first thing they saw was the trophies.
Skulls of all kinds, shapes and sizes leered at them from seemingly every corner, and there was little doubt that each and every single one of them had been killed by Cho'Gath by himself.
The insectoid commander was clearly not that happy to see them, though he did bow his head ever so slightly in respect towards Sherry.
"Lady Starlight. I was wondering when you would inevitably come to me, since you have done the rounds of every other leader of the Void Empire."
Tatsumaki scowled at being deliberately ignored, but managed to hold back a scathing remark, knowing that her time to get revenge was soon approaching.
Sherry, meanwhile, merely smiled warmly at him.
"The Void capital is a fascinating place,n and we were eager to see all of its many wonders. Military firepower has its own beauty, but I will freely admit my father would be the one most respectful of all that we had witnessed on our journey here."
A glimmer of pride shone in the eyes of Cho'Gath. "Indeed. The Empire's military tradition is older than entire galaxies, and we have always worked hard to ensure the continuous protection of our people from any who would dare threaten us. Even hostile Gods would think twice before challenging the might of our mortal armies!"
"And my father is well aware of it." praised Sherry, well aware that it was a rare military leader who was not proud of his armies, and not above buttering him up a bit to make things easier for her. "Indeed, it is that very impressive military might that is the reason for our presence today."
Cho'Gath stared at her. "I am not that peace-loving coward Kassadin, Lady Starlight. If you want something, just be blunt about it. I won't waste my time talking things out for hours on end just to get anything done."
Sherry paused, then sent him a long look, her eyes shining bright red for a second.
It was incredibly subtle, but Cho'Gath stiffened at the sight, a hint of unease appearing in his emotions before being ruthlessly crushed by sheer willpower.
"Very well." finally declared Sherry. "Then allow me to be blunt. You and Tatsumaki will fight. If you win, you will be free to try and convince the people of the Void Empire to crusade unrestrained. But, if you lose, you will support the agreement presented before the Empress, like every other leader of the Imperial Court will. Is that acceptable?"
Cho'Gath stared at her, then glanced at Tatsumaki with a deliberately dismissive look.
"You're putting your hopes on this one? I see you spoke the truth when you said your father was the one interested in military matters. This will be a quick, easy victory for me." he arrogantly declared.
"Oh yeah?!" shouted Tatsumaki, her control finally snapping and an aura of green-black power covering her. "Come on, try and say that again, I dare you!"
Cho'Gath scoffed derisively. "No self-control, either. I almost feel bad about what's about to happen to you."
Turning away in a deliberately dismissive move that made Tatsumaki go red with anger, he turned back towards Sherry.
"Very well then. If you wish to give me an easy victory, I will gladly accept."
Sherry smiled serenely. "Good. Then, how about we make it a very public event, since you're so confident in your victory? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, after all."
"Ah! So be it!" Cho'Gath laughed loudly. "We shall make the preparations! Fear not, Lady Starlight, the entire Empire will see the power of its military leader! They will know that the Void Empire stands as one of the Great Powers of the Omniverse!"
Sherry's eyes gleamed with amusement.
"As you say, Lord Cho'Gath. Then we shall eagerly await your summon for the day of the fight."
"I'm going to crush you like the bug you are." hissed Tatsumaki.
"Spare me the theatrics, they will not save you." Cho'Gath shot back.
"Come now, there is no need for that." sternly said Sherry to the two, before turning towards Tatsumaki. "Seriously, I thought you had better self-control. If you do not want to embarrass Aeon, you really need to get a grip."
Tatsumaki scoffed and crossed her arms, looking away in a huff.
"You have my sympathies, Lady Starlight. Incompetent subordinates who don't know their places are a bane to achieving anything." Commiserated Cho'Gath, before he once again bowed his head.
"The fight will be upheld soon. I already have the appropriate place in mind for it. So with that said, other matters require my attention. Have a good day, my Lady."
"You as well, Lord Cho'Gath." Sherry sent a warm smile his way, then sent a more cold look at Tatsumaki indicating that she needed to follow her, before they both left the office.
Once they were out of the fortress and away from prying eyes, Sherry smiled.
"I think he bought it."
Tatsumaki scoffed. "Bah. He expected a loose cannon, and seemingly got exactly what he wanted. He didn't even bother too, how did Aeon put it? Ah, 'look underneath the underneath.'"
Sherry nodded. "How much of an advantage you will have at the start of the fight by making him think that you are weaker and less smart than you truly are remains to be seen, but there's no reason not to balance the odds in our favor. If nothing else, it'll be a good lesson for him about the dangers of expectations."
Tatsumaki frowned. "You really think he's capable of winning against me in the first place?"
"If you don't take him seriously from the start, or make a mistake? Possibly." Sherry replied. "Do not underestimate him. My own instincts tell me he's a lot more dangerous than you might think."
"Fine." grumbled Tatsumaki, through her eyes were thoughtful and calculating. "I'll be careful."
"You better be." Sherry remarked with a teasing smile. "Aeon will never let you live it down if you get beaten by a literal overgrown bug."
Tatsumaki paled slightly. "Oh, he absolutely would never let it go." Her expression hardened, as if she was about to walk straight into Hell itself. "Okay, now I have to win."
"That's the spirit!" cheerfully said Sherry.
It had taken a week for everything to be prepared.
With much fanfare, the announcement of a duel between Lady Tatsumaki Starlight, wife of the new King of the Eldritch, and Lord Cho'Gath, Commander-in-Chief of all armed forces of the Void Empire, came out like a lightning bolt through the Great Powers of the Omniverse.
It wasn't every day that people as powerful as those fought, much less in a public duel like this. As a result, people from far and wide of all species, religions and origins came in droves despite the suddenness of the situation to see this one in a lifetime event.
Devils and Angels grudgingly stayed peaceful, while countless Azatas threw parties after parties in anticipation of the upcoming spectacle. Representatives of Axis, Realm of Order, had come in official capacity, while members of the Maelstrom, Realm of Chaos, came and went as their kind were known to do.
Even the mortal Empires sent representatives, such as one Tifa lockhart of the Grand Empire, the second greatest known nation in existence, if still far smaller than the Eldritch Kingdom. A champion of those within the Empire affiliated with the Heavenly Realm of Nirvana, she was one of the deadliest hand-to-hand fighters in the omniverse.
The fight itself will take place in a grand arena specifically prepared for this event, the arena itself being a demi-plane contained within the arena for the exact purpose of ensuring that such powerful fighters wouldn't risk endangering everybody by the shockwaves of their battle.
In the stands, billions of people were cheering, ready to be blown away by what promised to be one of the greatest battles of their lives. This event was a demonstration of power, both on the part of the Void Empire and of the Eldritch Kingdom, and whoever would emerge victorious would claim immense respect and prestige for it.
And in the VIP stands, the Empress and her Court stared at the spectacle going on with a feeling of anticipation, while those representatives of the various factions gathered here today talked amongst themselves about the upcoming fight.
"So you believe that Lady Starlight will win this battle?" questioned Mephistopheles, representative of Asmodeus, with a raised eyebrow towards his interlocutor.
"Indeed. No offense is intended towards Lord Cho'Gath, of course, but I have been informed that Lady Starlight is a hero of great power and renown in her homeworld." replied Arazni, representative of Iomedae.
"The power of a hero of a singular world is doubtfully enough to match that of the military leader of the Void Empire. The Empire is much bigger, and far more powerful, than any mere mortal world." The Devil shot back.
"But she is no regular hero, is she?" said Arazni with a grin. "She is one of the wives of King Aeon. And from what I know, you are one of the few who met him. Tell me, as one more familiar with him, do you believe he would let one of his wives be anything except extremely powerful?"
Mephistopheles fell silent for a second, before replying "The personal power of the King does not necessarily equal that of his wives. It would be a mistake to believe otherwise by default."
Despite his words, his second of hesitation was not missed, and Arazni's smile grew. Few were those who had any direct contact with the Eldritch King yet, so the fact that the mere mention of him caused someone like Mephistopheles, who did meet him once, to hesitate had… interesting implications.
Not far, Tifa Lockart was in a conversation with Kai'sa, the two women having quickly warmed up with each other upon meeting.
"So Lady Tatsumaki Starlight is a powerful psychic?" asked Tifa.
"That's what I was told, yes." confirmed Kai'sa. "How powerful, however, I have no idea. Sherry did not tell me anything beyond the fact that she was supremely confident in Tatsumaki's victory. On the other hand, Lord Cho'Gath is not the leader of our military for nothing."
"Then I suppose we will have to see for ourselves how this fight will go." calmly said Tifa. She smiled. "This would be far less interesting if we already knew who was going to win from the start!"
Kai'sa laughed. "I can't argue with that!"
"Speaking of the Eldritch however, I do not think I've seen either of the Ladies Starlight as of yet…" Tifa trailed off, looking around curiously.
"Tatsumaki will appear directly inside of the arena once the time for the fight has come." explained Kai'sa. "As for Sherry, she mentioned that she would only arrive soon before the fighting started, as she had to wait to bring a few people here."
"Oh? Any ideas who she was talking about?" Tifa questioned with a raised eyebrow, her interest piqued.
Kai'sa crossed her arms over her chest, a thoughtful frown on her face.
"I do know she intends to bring her boyfriend and Tatsumaki's sister, though she also mentioned they won't be the only people that will be here from her side of things…"
"Hm. Well, I look forward to meeting them, everyone is very curious to learn more about those people who the King knows personally, after all. There are still so many unknown where he is concerned…" Tifa remarked.
Kai'sa chuckled. "That, to be fair, is true for most of the Eldritch Pantheon. Our Gods have many secrets, and few are known to us mere mortals."
"Doesn't that trouble you? To not know so much about your gods?" asked Tifa.
"Not really. The Gods have lived for eons, even if everything was known about them, most people would die before being able to learn even a fraction of their history. That isn't to say it's not important to try and understand our Gods better, of course!" quickly said Kai'sa with a raised hand. "But the simple fact of things is that the Gods are so much greater than us that it's rather pointless to try and seek perfect understanding. And ultimately, as mortals and worshippers, our way is not to question, but to obey and ensure what orders we receive from our Gods are obeyed and carried out without issues."
"I suppose…" Tifa mused hesitantly. "As someone affiliated with Nirvana, knowledge and enlightenment are some of the primary driving forces for someone like me, so the idea of purposefully choosing not to be curious and seek answers is… strange."
"Well-" Kai'sa was cut off as new people arrived, one of which she easily recognized. "Oh, look Sherry is here!"
They all turned at the sound of her voice, and indeed Sherry was coming forward, a bald man with a strangely rounded head by her side and a tall, black-haired, green-eyes woman a bit behind.
"Empress Bel'veth." respectfully said Sherry, bowing her head a little towards the Empress. "May I introduce you to my boyfriend, Saitama, and Tatsumaki's sister, Fubuki?"
"Be welcome within the Void Empire as guests, Saitama and Fubuki." replied the Empress, her voice polite if, as ever, devoid of any warmth. "We hope that you will enjoy your stay within Our lands."
"It is an honor to be here." quickly said Fubuki, quickly enough that Saitama had to close his mouth in a snap when he was about to say something. "Thank you for welcoming us here today."
"Of course." calmly said the Empress. "This day will bring great changes to the Empire. It is Our joy to have as many witnesses for it as possible."
A few more back and forth, and the trio quickly made their way to their own seats.
"Do you have tea?" asked Saitama to a server as he sat.
"They've got the local equivalents." said Sherry. "I can give you some suggestions, if you want."
"Thanks, Sherry."
"I can't help but remark that there are still empty seats." Said Mephistopheles towards the Empress. Are we expecting more guests?"
"A few." the Empress replied, a look of anticipation in her eyes. "They should arrive momentarily, have no fears."
Mephistopheles hummed in thought. "They must be important, to have their seats right around yours." he nodded towards the seating arrangement, the fact that the people missing having their seats literally all around the Empress being quite visible now that everyone else was here.
"They are." simply answered the Empress, seemingly almost amused by something.
Meanwhile, Kai'sa had marched towards the three new arrivals with a smile, Tifa just behind her. "Hey, Sherry!" she shouted happily, waving at the blonde woman.
"Hey, Kai'sa!" cheerfully waved Sherry back. "Good to see you again! And who's your friend?"
"This is Tifa Lockhart of the Grand Empire. She's here as one of their representatives today." she explained.
"It's a pleasure to meet you!" warmly said Tifa, shaking Sherry's hands with a smile, her red eyes meeting Sherry's own red eyes with a glimmer of amusement.
"Oh, it's rare to meet someone with natural red eyes like yours!" Sherry cheerfully said. "Mine used to be blue, but they shift to red when I'm not suppressing the divine blood I have from my parents."
"Well, they look good on you." kindly remarked Tifa, and Sherry beamed happily at those words. "Thank you!"
Then Sherry waved towards Saitama and Fubuki. "As you might have heard, this is my boyfriend, Saitama-" the bald man sent them a quick wave. "-and Fubuki."
"It's a pleasure to meet you both." politely said Fubuki, shaking their hands as well.
"The pleasure is ours." warmly replied Tifa. "I heard that your sister was a renowned hero where she comes from, I'm looking forward to seeing her in action!"
"Actually, both of us are pro heroes too." said Fubuki with pride while indicating herself and Saitama.
"Oh wow, really?" Tifa's eyes widened, before they turned excited. "That's incredible! I'd love to hear what that's like if you have the time."
Fubiki's smile widened, her green eyes gleaming. "Well, I'm always happy to make new friends…"
"Well, that didn't take long." mused Sherry with amusement, muttering something about the… Blizzard group?
"So, when will the fighting start-" began Saitama, before he paused.
In fact, everybody froze around the entire Void Empire… if not beyond.
Power.
That was the only thought on everyone's mind.
Pure, mind-boggling large amounts of raw power suddenly flooded everyone's minds, down to their very soul.
A presence so large, so gigantic that it made the combined might of almost everyone gathered look near insignificant suddenly appear, causing almost everyone to stop moving, almost to stop breathing and thinking altogether-
And then the pressure faded, and it became clear that it wasn't just one mind-bogglingly large presence that had appeared and that was effortlessly making everyone feel like insects.
For, not far from where the Empress stood, new arrivals had suddenly appeared.
And everyone in the VIP stands stared in frozen shock at the people gathered here, except for Saitama, who let out a soft snort before casually taking a sip of his tea.
"Show off." he muttered in amusement.
Mephistopheles, however, stood frozen stiff in his seat, his red skin looking suspiciously paler than before as his eyes never left the man standing in front.
Meanwhile, Aeon, the Good Hunter, a pitch-black cane in his right hand with a small glass ball on top containing a star and a black hole perpetually orbiting each other gently tapping on the ground, stood tall with a wide grin on his face, the god surrounded by Azathoth, Oedon, and two nearly identical black-haired women whose features resembled Azathoth.
"Greetings, everyone." he declared, his voice carrying far and clear, raw power echoing in his every word. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you all."
An hour ago, the Hunter's Dream.
I stared at Damelone.
Damelone stared back, her expression blank.
I sloooooowly raised an eyebrow.
Damelone kept staring.
I tilted my head on the left, still keeping an eyebrow raised.
Damelone's lips wobbled, but she stubbornly said nothing.
I grinned cheekily at her.
Her blank expression promptly shattered, and she looked away, crossing her arms under her chest with a pouty expression and a faint blush.
"Do you need something, Damelone?" I finally asked with amusement.
She fidgeted slightly, her blush growing, but stubbornly stayed silent.
Finally, I sighed, rubbing my nose with one hand.
"Damelone, good communication is important when wanting others to know your feelings. And no, staring blankly at them does not, in fact, count as 'good communication'."
The look she gave me all but screamed that, as her wielder and creator, that wasn't the answer she wanted.
I groaned, before sighing.
"Look, I already apologized for not taking you with me when I fought all of Abaddon. I even explained why it needed to be done like that, as personal strength was the most important thing to show off in that fight, and wielding you might have made some daemons believe I need a sword to be dangerous, which is not something I want anyone to believe. They might do foolish things otherwise."
Damelone pouted harder, looking at me with teary eyes.
I deadpanned at my cheeky sword.
"Who exactly corrupted you into learning puppy dog eyes?"
"Claire." she shamelessly replied with a hint of amusement.
"Of course." I said dryly.
I shook my head. "Look, I get it, you want to be with me. But bringing a weapon as powerful as you for what is meant to be a friendly event is really going way too far."
"I am meant to be your sword, my wielder." she argued. "How can I be that when you refuse to have me accompany you, in battle and beyond?"
"That's not-" I cut myself off, holding back a groan.
"I can't be seen obviously bringing a weapon like you around, Damelone. People showing up at a friendly event with the divine equivalent to a WMD at their waist do not inspire confiance!" I argued.
"Barely even created and already abandoned." pouted Damelone sadly. "Oh, how cruel is my wielder!"
I held back another groan. I could see where she was coming from, really, but I couldn't just-!
Just…
Hm.
"... I may have an idea." I finally said.
She perked up. "Indeed?"
I gave her a considering look. "You can shapeshift into anything… So why not go with a cane?"
She blinked. "A cane?"
I nodded. "It's not too rare for rich, powerful people to have a cane, not to help them walk but for prestige and a more… refined look. And canes were used as weapons in Yharnam. So why not disguise yourself as a cane for me to wield wherever I need to go? You can shapeshift back if it's ever needed. It's either that, or you can stay hidden in my Inventory when I go out of the Hunter's Dream."
She frowned, before nodding slowly. "It's… acceptable. I would prefer staying by your side in a proper scabbard, but it'll do."
"Good." I said in relief.
"Are you done arguing with your sword, dear Aeon?" came the amused voice of Oedon, and I turned to glare at the peanut gallery consisting of Oedon and Azathoth, both goddesses having watched the entire exchange with clear amusement and the occasional giggles.
"Yes." I said dryly. "As a matter of fact, I have."
"Good." replied Oedon with a satisfied nod. "If you had continued to neglect the poor dear, I would have been very cross with you."
"I didn't-!"
"He did." interjected Damelone with an over exaggerated expression of sorrow. "My creator is a cruel, cruel god, creating life, giving it purpose and not allowing it to do as my duty requires of me."
I looked up to the heavens above in exasperation. "Why are all of my children cheeky brats? What did I do to deserve that?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about, my creator." Damelone declared with an innocent expression. "We have been created in your image, after all. Are we not as you intended us to be?"
I gave her a look so flat it could give wet dreams to flat earthers theorists, while doggedly ignoring the giggling from my treasonous wife and lover watching on the side.
Then I shook my head and gave Damelone a more serious look. "Alright, let's do this."
I extended my hand towards her, and her mirth suddenly disappeared, her expression firming as she glowed.
A second later, I now had a pitch-black cane in my hand, something resembling a crystal snow globe at the top holding an eternally dancing in the Void a Star and Black hole in perfect orbit to ensure the star wouldn't be eaten by the Black hole while forever orbiting it.
I could feel the power within it, a fraction of what the true form of Damelone could casually release, though even now she was easily outputting enough energy to make any god beneath universe-level of power sweat at the mere sight of her.
I nodded approvingly. "It'll do."
"Then shall we go, beloved? Oh, I'm so looking forward to our first public event together!" almost squealed Azathoth, clasping her hands together in front of her chest with a beaming smile.
Then she wilted slightly. "Oh, and you'll get to meet my twin daughters… Please don't be too harsh on us all, I really had no idea how parenting worked when I first had them, nobody did!" she whined softly, looking ashamed and insecure.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine, I promise." I told her with a warm smile.
"He's right, dear Aza. I am sure that they are both wonderful girls!" kindly added Oedon.
"I hope that they'll behave… at least for a little while…" muttered worriedly Azathoth, before she took a deep breath and gently slapped her cheeks with a fake bright smile. "Right! Let's do this!"
"That's the spirit!" I said cheerfully.
I turned, opening a portal straight into the deepest parts of the Void, crossing through to see-
"Wow!"
I barely avoided a blast of Anti-matter powerful enough to wipe out a quintillion galaxies in a second, before ducking beneath a second blast of Anti-energy just as strong as the first.
Azathoth crossed through, took one look at the situation, and promptly put her face in her hands with a groan of despair.
"Nooooooo…" she whined to herself. "They're already throwing random attacks at my beloved without even noticing our presence!"
"I mean… good battle instincts, at least?" I praised weakly, before grimacing at the second groan of despair coming from a despondent-looking Aza.
Oedon meanwhile, took one look at the two distant Eldritch Goddesses, looking like maddening, ever-shifting clouds of pitch-black darkness and mist of cosmic scales, currently duking it out by unleashing billions of terrifyingly powerful blast of Anti-matter and Anti-energy against one another and everything around them, and her expression shifted ever-so-slightly towards the "Mom does not approve" look.
"I see that you were not exaggerating the situation, dear Aza." Oedon said calmly, her mere presence rising to annihilate any of those galaxy-destroying blasts coming her way like so much smoke in the wind. "They haven't even noticed our arrivals. Worse-" her expression darkened ever so slightly again, going ever closer to that Maternal Look of Disapproval mothers everywhere had. "They have not noticed you, their own mother, and come to greet you… or cease their infighting."
Aza's hands were now a mass of tentacles covering half her face from view, a muffled moan of embarrassment still coming out of her mouth.
"Dear Aeon, if you would?" Oedon asked while turning towards me, and I nodded.
"Right then. Time to introduce myself to the family." I said.
So naturally, I did the most appropriate thing that could be done here and now.
I created a second body, teleported, and proceeded to dope-slap both goddesses at the same time so hard they instantly shifted into human forms, holding their heads and squealing in shock.
Then, before they could react, both of my bodies reached out to one of their ears, twisted it painfully, and I began dragging both goddesses towards Azathoth and Oedon.
""Ah! Ah! Ouch! Aie!"" they squealed pitifully, both goddesses casually releasing enough power to annihilate a million universes instantly, and yet my only reaction was to look at them with a flat, unimpressed look.
"Your mother is waiting. You really need to do better than that, girls." I said sternly, before bringing up the two sniffling, pouting goddesses to a halt before a blankly staring Azathoth, who had stopped covering her face at some point in order to better stare at me manhandling her daughters into obedience. I released their ears after that, returning to one body only and leaving the two to rub their sore, red ears with even more pouty expressions.
"Nicely done, dear Aeon." praised Oedon with a warm, loving look towards me.
"Thanks, dear." I grinned.
Then the two goddesses finally noticed Azathoth, and blinked as one.
""Mom?!"" they exclaimed. ""What are you doing here?!""
They paused and turned towards each other, scowls on their faces.
"I asked first!"
"No, I did!"
"I most certainly did it first!"
"You-"
"Girls!" sharply declared Oedon, her voice and expression that of absolute Motherly Disapproval, both girls instantly stiffening and freezing in place with bewildered yet fearful looks towards my wife, as if confused why they felt danger but unable to escape the feeling of encroaching doom hanging over their heads.
Oedon kept the stare of Motherly Disapproval going for a few seconds more, before nodding once in satisfaction.
"Your mother is here to introduce me and Aeon to you two. As your mother has fallen in love with my husband and vice–versa, we are now family, and I expect you to behave accordingly." she declared in a tone of voice leaving no choice but to obey.
The two girls blinked, seemingly still utterly bewildered, before their eyes widened.
"Mother?! You've found yourself a husband, after all these years? Oh, we're so happy!" they exclaimed as one, squealing in delight.
Aza gave them a slightly wry, but mostly happy look, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Yes, that's right. Aeon, my beloved, is a powerful Outer God in his own right… As you've seen for yourselves." she finished, unable to hide some dry humor at the end.
The two goddesses turned towards me, and instantly raised a hand towards their sore ears, flinching slightly.
"New Daddy is scary when angry." they muttered.
"Then maybe you shouldn't embarrass your mother, hm?" questioned Oedon with a sweet smile that barely hid the sharpness in it, and the twins shuddered and looked away.
"New step-mommy is scary too!" they whimpered.
"Only to bad children." calmly replied Oedon. "And I'm sure that, with our aid, you will be very good ones."
"Speaking of aid, I understand that you two have some… difficulties in your relationship?" I asked.
""It's her fault-!"" instantly replied both goddesses, pointing at each other with rage-
"Ahem!" sharply said Oedon, both goddesses once again freezing in place instantly.
The smile she gave them both next was infinitely kind, gentle, and equally hard as steel.
"Don't worry, girls. Me and Aeon have a lot of experiences in romantic relationships, and we will gladly assist in ensuring that you two have a healthy, happy relationship!" she happily declared.
The twin goddesses frantically nodded their heads, looking ready to swear to anything to both protect their ears and avoid another Motherly Look of Disapproval.
"I can't believe how well behaved they are." muttered Aza in a daze. "Usually they'd be back to fighting right now."
"When was the last time you raised your voice against them? Or was in any way stern with them?" I asked, genuinely curious.
Aza opened her mouth-
And froze.
I stared at her in silence.
Aza kept staring blankly forward, her mouth open.
"Aza?" I finally asked.
"... Shh, I'm trying to remember."
"Aza…" I muttered disapprovingly.
The Queen-Goddess of all of Creation flushed, squirming weakly under my gaze.
"I'm sure it happened! … At some point!"
"Aza!"
"Wah! Please don't look at me like that, I'm sorry, I'm sorry please don't be disappointed in meeee!"
A.N: Alright! Here is the next chapter in which we continue the events of Love Azathoth!
The Void Arc is nearing its end. Another two, maybe three chapters at most, and we'll move on to properly interacting with the various Gods of the setting, Eldritch and regular.
It will also be when I'll introduce some known characters like Frieren, or some of the characters from Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.
Speaking of, this chapter introduces Tifa Lockhart! As I mentioned before, I won't do the FF7 games, both because they are incredibly long and because all the remake games aren't even out yet. Thus, several FF7 characters will appear in this setting, including Tifa and Aerith. And hey, it gives me known characters to do some world building with!
Also, we've finally met the two other daughters of Azathoth! Who… Well, let's just say that not having been properly raised, ever, had some consequences. Despite their age, their sheer lack of emotional experience/growth means that they act a lot like animals acting on instincts, fighting when angry, fucking when happy. They can be mature and smart in the right circumstances, but their lack of emotional maturity is a major issue for them. Thankfully, Aeon and Oedon are now on the case! Funnily enough, both of them dealing with the antics of ISIS' soldiers means that they are very well used to dealing with overgrown children…
And finally, I leave you with Azathoth: My Eldritch Queen–Goddess can't be this cute! Edition.
Still, with all that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, more Aeon and co., while Tatsumaki gets to throw hands with a giant bug!