Chapter 161: Chains

Bethel actually hurled stars at them, literally summoning celestial bodies from the far corners of the cosmos and hurtling them directly into the barrier, within an instant at that, and those stars were almost as colossal as the Sun. It was genuinely astounding that Bethel was able to achieve such a feat, despite not being a God. The sheer finesse and power of his attack stood out the most, for he may be King of Angels with all the uniqueness and characteristics, but there were still heights he couldn’t scale, actions he couldn’t perform, replications he couldn’t achieve, all until he ascended to the Sequence 0 of the Door Pathway. And yet, here he was, performing one of those very feats right before their eyes.

And this meant one thing, and one thing onlythe worst, the most devastating possible outcome: Bethel was in the throes of ascension into Godhood. His authorities were nearly reaching the hallowed level of divine. In fact, this didn’t surprise Aucuses as much as he hoped. After all, the final, climactic step of the Apotheosis Ritual for becoming the Door was to return to their home, an ultimate anchor that would forever hold them fast in their ever-wandering existence.

In that moment of enlightenment, Aucuses was flooded with a profound understanding of the Mother Goddess of Depravity’s sinister intentions: should corrupted Bethel find his way back to Earth, completing the final, fateful step of his Apotheosis Ritual and ascending to Godhood, not only would the Mother Goddess hold dominion over the Door Pathway, but She would also have Bethel as an unbreakable anchor to breach the weakened barrier and descend into Earth unabated. Even if Aucuses and Amanises managed to seal Bethel away, it was but a fleeting respite, a mere delay in the inevitable. In a future where the Lord of Mysteries would inevitably come into being, Bethel would have to be set free, providing countless opportunities for the Mother Goddess to manipulate, to shape, and to descend. It was a diabolically perfect scenario for Her, no matter the outcome.

With a sudden surge of haunting realisation, as the dashing star unfurled its brilliance before him, he beheld the twisted, blasphemous mouths of the Crimson Moon. They seemed to lift, ever so subtly, in a mocking dance, as if She could grasp his innermost musings, as if She derived amusement from their feeble, hopeless, futile resistance.

Aucuses ignored Her. With his actions and thoughts moving at light speed, he turned away from Her to meet the dark and veiled eyes of Amanises, which held a touch of realization as well. He didn’t know how much of Her intentions Amanises managed to deduce, but what mattered most now was stopping Bethel from ever reaching Earth. They could worry about the future afterwards as everything was hanging on the axis, even more than they initially considered.

A shared understanding surged between them in an instant; their bond ran deep enough that intentions were crystal clear, needing no words. A single glance and they leaped into action.

In perfect sync, the Evernight Goddess and Eternal Blazing Sun raised their hands together. From her ebony-furred hands, the previously dormant fog burst forth, swiftly shrouding everything in sight, including Bethel and the twin stars he’d summoned. That fog embodied the very essence of the Darkness Pathway, coiling around everything it touched in the comforting embrace of Concealment.

In tandem, the Eternal Blazing Sun, his hands poised before the hurtling stars, radiated a fervent luminescence that mirrored the impending cataclysmmere meters from their celestial forms. He tapped into the Calamity Authority bestowed upon him by the Tyrant Pathway, letting it surge forth onto the plummeting stars. Instantly, the space itself seemed to throb with his power, and an intense heat emanated from his mythical form. The once-massive stars now shimmered with an unstable brilliance, teetering on the edge of a cataclysmic detonation that threatened to consume the Solar System and all the surrounding star systems, reducing everything within to basic atoms.New novel chapters are published on

But Aucuses couldn’t allow it. Right on the heels of invoking Calamity Authority, he wielded his Order Authority, deftly manipulating the chaotic energy surges from the collapsing stars. His will manipulating them to converge and focus solely on Bethel.

Meanwhile, the ominous dark fog of Evernight continued its relentless advance, swallowing their surroundings, devouring collapsing stars. The sole entity untouched was Bethel, desperately striving to escape yet ruthlessly restrained by the Evernight Goddess. Each attempt to open a door for teleportation, to reach Earth or anywhere else, was cruelly thwarted by her authority of Misfortune, rendering his chances of success tragically abyssal, or by her authority of Negativity, turning the space into a maelstrom almost beyond his control. The thick fog drew nearer, pulsating and resonating, akin to the voracious maw of a cosmic beast, poised to engulf him.

It became painfully evident that Bethel’s prior attack had been a mere diversion, a fleeting moment to keep the Gods occupied, allowing him a chance to slip past them and reach Earth in one swift move. It might have succeeded if he weren’t facing the Evernight Goddess and the Eternal Blazing Sun, who operated with seamless coordination, amplifying their already formidable powers to corner Bethel entirely.

Bethel abandoned attempts at teleportation, now focusing on confronting the encroaching dark, foreboding fog. His crimson eyes ignited into a brilliant silver blaze, irises transforming into a silver Serpentdevouring its own tail. He extended his hand, poised to tear the fabric between him and the looming fog. Meanwhile, a fraction of his attention remained fixed on Aucuses, apparent in the subtle tension when the stars he hurled froze and grew unstable. Another unrelated authority blossomed around Bethel, signaling a countermeasure against Aucuses

Yet Aucuses, swift as ever, outpaced both Bethel and Amanises. He channeled all the power and energy of supernovas toward Bethel, ensuring he alone bore the full brunt of it.

In response, the Darkness withdrew completely, recoiling as if repulsed by the corrupting light. Just then, a thunderous voice boomed forth from the encompassing Darkness, resonating from every conceivable direction, pulsating with fury and revulsion. “I am the Sun!” the voice thundered, a declaration imbued with a terrifying intensity that sent Golden streaks slashing through the Darkness. “Burn, pretender!”

Bethel’s brilliance was instantly snuffed out, replaced by a searing conflagration of white, a cleansing fire that consumed him from the inside out, setting his very soul ablaze. He let out a wail, a shriek of unadulterated torment, a sound that curdled the blood. Yet he refused to succumb, for the crimson curtain dulled the purifying blaze of the Sun, his searing, liquefying eyes straining towards the streaks of molten gold, his scorched mouth contorting into a macabre grin as his lips moved. “Degeneration..”

From behind Bethel, the crimson curtain unfurled, revealing an eerie upside-down cross manifesting on its surface.

“Replication is forbidden here!” The thundering voice boomed once more, carrying the same unyielding force, a command imbued with Order and Law. The streaks of Gold within the encompassing Darkness grew even more pronounced and dense.

The nascent upside-down cross promptly disintegrated, the curtain enveloping Bethel once more. With Darkness suppressing his spatial dominion and Gold thwarting his replication abilities, he was now more constrained than ever. Still, the crimson shroud offered a glimmer of support.

Yet, the resounding voice showed no inclination to afford him any further opportunities. “Space rejects your dominion!”

“Reality itself repels your existence!”

“Escape is but an illusion!”

One by one, these decrees were imposed upon Bethel, encasing him in unseen yet unyielding chains, until he cowered and trembled weakly on the darkened ground. As if these agonising laws weren’t sufficient, obsidian, foreboding chains extended from the Darkness, hoisting and ensnaring him amidst the very heart of the abyss.

To combat the malevolent influence of the bloody curtain coursing through Bethel, a mirage of twinkling stars and a radiant golden sun materialised above him, twirling upon themselves and casting their luminous rays downward, bearing the essence of purification and serenity.

In the end, Bethel floated still, his head hung low, and his hand splayed wide, his legs pressed togetherall tightly bound in chains, both metaphysical and literal. His form was utterly broken and shattered, marred and scarred, corrupted and twisted.

Finally, Mr. Door had been decisively suppressed and sealed by the Eternal Blazing Sun and the Evernight Goddess.

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A/N: I know there wasn’t really much of a fight. It was just Bethel being smashed and demolished by Aucuses and Amanises. But considering Aucuses is already a dual-pathway God here, Amanises holds the Moon Authority as well, to a considerable extent. They are the strongest Gods in the world now, right with the True Creator. So Bethel hadn’t really had much going for him from the very beginning, other than the Crimson Curtain. Hope you liked it, regardless!