They arrived so suddenly that Verdonia, Cindaros, and Trokota could not even detect them until the last second.
We are the apostles of the Godfather, Death Sword Firmament said. As the oldest, it had already learnt to speak. Godfather has ordered you three to maintain law and order in your worlds.
"What?!" Verdonia reacted. "Worlds aren't supposed to interfere in the lives of–"
Verdonia's words were cut short when Tyrant Firmament released its aura.
It washed over the worlds. The world Consciousness shuddered, feeling that the 'woman' before them could destroy them with a flick.
This universe isn't where you came from. Follow the rules of this place. Or else, Godfather will return you to the non-existence.
Verdonia and Trokota nodded.
They had never interfered in the lives of their inhabitants. Although they wanted to complain, they kept their mouth shut.
Cindaros, on the other hand, bowed.
"Please relay my thanks to the Godfather."
She seemed to be holding back her tears.
"My… children are alive… thank you..."
Don't worry, Death Sword Firmament said. The Godfather has heard you already.
Death Sword Firmament and Tyrant Firmament disappeared.
They returned to skies far above to make sure no one could see them again.
How was my performance! Death Sword returned to its cheery personality. I acted just as you asked.
"Yes, yes, good job," Neo said.
While he still couldn't enter the Cosmos, he could now send his voice inside without having to use Intent.
"You too Tyrant Firmament, good job."
After praising them both, he turned to Velkaria.
"And you… come out. We need to talk."
Velkaria realized what was going to happen. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to run.
She appeared in Neo's hand, being squeezed to death.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! It hurts you fucker! Don't you know you should treat ladies gently—Ow! Ow!"
"Godfather? Really?" Neo spat. "That was the only name you could come up with?"
"It's a good name!" Velkaria complained. "You revived them because you cared deeply for them! Doesn't that make you their Godfather–
"Ow! Okay, sorry, I just wanted to have some fun!"
Neo let go of Velkaria and shook his head.
As much as he wanted to punish her, he had a lot of things on his hands. He needed to train. Defeat Protectors, Great Disasters, and Tartarus. Create hs own Path of Ascension. Create a cycle of death and life in his Cosmos.
"By the way, why did you make the people in your Cosmos mortals?" Velkaria quetioned.
"I'm going to make them use the new Path of Ascneion I will create," Neo said, then added. "Elemental Path of Ascension and Awakener Pathof Ascension both have limits.
"To break those limits people are forced to steal Sacred Treasure from other worlds. I don't want a system like that in my Cosmos."
"Huh? Wha's a Path of Ascension?"
"You are fucking going to create…. You know what? I'm not even going to react anymore."
Velkaria floated down on his head and sat there as if it was her seat.
"What are you doing?"
"Holding tight so that I don't fall off when you fight the next Protectors."
Neo shook his head and entered the Zone 5.
Neo stepped through the dimensional gate and into Zone 5.
The air was thick. Not with energy or smoke, but with rusted metal and poison.
A heavy, grinding hum echoed from deep within the earth, as though the world itself was groaning under the weight of machines.
The sky above was orange, broken with cracks of lightning that danced between towers of black steel.
Gragnokh, the World of Iron Hell.
Neo walked through the road of broken gears and slag.
Rivers of molten metal ran beneath the bridges, and the buildings that lined the street had no windows—just towering monoliths of smoke and iron.
The stench of oil and blood mixed in the air.
Above, sirens wailed. Metal wings flapped. Drones circled him, scanning, then flew off toward the horizon.
He wasn't hiding. He didn't need to. He was already being watched.
Then came the voice, not from the air, but inside his skull.
"Intruder detected. Unauthorized biological organism detected in Sector Null."
The ground trembled. Pipes burst.
A factory to his left bent open like peeled fruit, and a figure emerged, walking out of the molten core.
A body forged from twisted flesh and jagged armor. Sparks danced along its limbs. Tubes slithered out from its back like tails.
Overlord Tharnox. The Ruler of Gragnokh.
"Welcome, outsider," Tharnox said. His voice was a chorus of broken machines. "What sort of enhancement would like today?
"We have recently developed a Mythiral Spine which increases reaction speed by 30%. Would you like to try it?"
Neo stared at Tharnox silently.
"Seems like you aren't here for business. What great tragedy."
Tharnox shook his head and raised a hand.
From the nearby towers, machines began to crawl out—spidery mechs, rolling constructs with blades for arms, hulking forms of fused humans and metal.
Their eyes glowed red.
Their limbs clicked and snapped.
Neo summoned the Death Sword.
One slash. A wave of death energy rippled outward. The frontline of metal beasts collapsed, twisted and corroded.
Tharnox didn't flinch.
He had no lack of minions.
He stomped the ground, and from beneath it, tentacles of steel burst upward, wrapping around Neo.
They tightened instantly, injecting something like rust into his limbs, but before they could, Neo vanished.
He reappeared behind Tharnox.
Tharnox blocked the blow with an arm that turned into a massive blade.
The impact echoed like thunder.
Neo's follow-up strike tore a line across Tharnox's shoulder.
But no blood flowed, only boiling oil.
They clashed again, and again.
'He has been strengthened by Tartarus, and the enhancement is far greater than what was used on Flamejaw.'
More machines poured in.
"O Blight of the Darkness, O Dweller of the Under.
Shadows surged behind him.
One by one, they emerged.
Tall, slender humanoid insects cloaked in smoke. Their carapace shimmered like glass.