The sharp laughter rang out as Atropos gestured for Apollo to come over.
'Predetermined fate's master is naturally fake, and that 'Sun of Apollo' is merely talk. In truth, in Atropos's eyes, if Apollo were to take this step, it could very well entangle him with some old relics from bygone days.
But that was of no concern to her, what would become of Apollo was a matter far into the unknown future, but without the Sun for even a single day in the Mortal Realm, countless lives would perish as a result.
Having just been born to a fate riddled with holes, Atropos could only borrow against the future to patch up the present problems.
As for future matters, they would be dealt with in the future. At least for now, let her catch a breath and put an end to this worldwide disaster.
In the absolute void, a speck of bright light bobbed up and down. Azure light coiled around it, gently undulating, bringing with it a slight tide.
In the cold void of darkness, a shadow hastened toward the direction of the world, and the closer it got, the greater the power that surrounded her became.
Extreme movement turned into extreme stillness; Nyx's figure suddenly came to a halt.
Although her power far exceeded that of the gods compared to the pull of the world's force, it was Nyx who ended up coming later despite acting earlier. However, it wasn't such matters that halted her, but the darkness sprawling before her.
Her voice was mild, Nyx looked at her old neighbor.
She knew why he had come, for unlike the Spirit Realm, which was self-contained with the outer world's connections not deep, the Land of Eternal Night without its mistress was inevitably a bit different from usual.
If she only moved within the reach of the power of Chaos, this difference wouldn't show. If it were average deities, likewise, they wouldn't notice the difference; if it had been another time, this subtle change wouldn't be noticeable, but this time was different.
Erebus, who had been her neighbor for millions of years, had always deeply perceived the changes in the Land of Eternal Night. And the birth of the Fates had inevitably brought changes to Nyx's Tri-phased Incarnation.
"Indeed, Nyx, after all, as a Primordial Deity of Chaos, your sudden retreat roused a bit of my curiosity."
Erebus's gaze moved past Nyx, looking behind her.
The void was cold and silent, the sense of existence growing fainter the further outward one went. However, for Erebus, this scene wasn't unfamiliar.
Once, he had also followed some kind of connection all the way outward, eventually discovering the remnants of the Nine Realms, which were also the origin of this disaster. Thinking of this, Erebus couldn't help but remind:
"I don't know what you've found, but Nyx, look at the world now."
"That Outer God... He's far more terrifying than any other being we've encountered before. He's the first, but no one knows if He will be the last."
"Heh, you care about that?"
With a cold laugh, under the ever-changing veil, Nyx's eyes carried a hint of mockery.
"At least on this matter, the Divine King has a greater sense of responsibility than you."
"He's becoming more and more bound to the present world, while you, I'm afraid, are just the opposite,"
Without any further thoughts to express, Nyx's figure moved again. She directly breached the darkness before her and then headed towards the world.
Just as Erebus could perceive the changes in the Land of Eternal Night, Nyx had been paying some attention to what he had done.
The underground world adjacent to the Underworld, the newly born race of Wisdom, the powerful individuals with an aura similar to that of an Outer God, and the Realm of Lightless with its occasional special turmoil...
Did he care about the world? He only cared about his own unspeakable plans.
An anomaly such as the Flesh-Mother Tree that was out of the ordinary was already enough to make him wary, and naturally, Erebus did not wish for another to come—unless it was after his plans were successful.
But clearly, although Nyx did not know what he was scheming, she had no intention of cooperating. Whatever you do is your business, but what I do is none of your concern.
A shadow swept through the void and drifted down into the night beneath the world, leaving only Erebus standing alone in space.
"...It seems there are no problems, Nyx, you're still so gullible,"
Shaking his head with a smile, Erebus turned to look in the direction of the world, not knowing what outcome he had obtained.
He indeed did not wish for more variables, but that was not something he or Nyx could influence. If there really was another thing there similar to the remnants of the Nine Realms, no matter the outcome, it would be a struggle between worlds.
"The only one who can probably intervene at this point is the Outsider."
Staring in the direction of the Chaos World, a dark red hue had already stained a substantial area in Erebus's view.
With Niflheim at its core and the small worlds around it as protective wings, numerous red dots were scattered across the entire world. And until not long ago, they had all been gathered in that sealed-off world, with no hint to be seen.
And the source of all this—the wooden twig that had once caught him off-guard and pierced his palm.
"Does your strength never exhaust? Or is it that at your stage, as long as you can infect and assimilate enough beings, your power will actually grow?"
Taking a deep breath, Erebus could only hope that the present world would at least be more effective this time, and not allow the other to take even greater actions in the third era.
Gazing in silence, the Lord of Darkness felt some regret. He should have paid more attention to It; otherwise, today's outcomes wouldn't have arisen. However, amidst his contemplation, he did not notice another stream of light wrapped in space-time gliding by his side—other than Nyx's.
Of course, even if he had noticed this one, he probably couldn't have detected it...
As if replaying a moment from billions of years before, the stream of light crashed directly into the Chaos World, and an utterly ordinary body seemed to be about to take form.
Some force had severed his connection with all external things, whether it be Fates or anything else. Perhaps for the Chaos World itself, this severance was not useful, but indeed he could fool everything else—
Perhaps by coincidence, or perhaps due to some attraction, this stream of light wrapped in the force of space-time was influenced by the residual unrest of space-time in the final process of entry.
The warping of time was also reflected upon him; his time was 'slowed down.'
It might be a few hundred years or even a thousand, but when he truly arrived in this world, it probably would not be tomorrow.