SWNOVELXO Fragment of the Universe
Charlotte is truly a monster, even if there a lot of openings... they are all traps set by her.
Mitsuki is hesitant to fight Charlotte... especially with her mind growing duller. Entropy... it betrayed her and is now trying to take over her body.
"Your left.", Charlotte spoke.
Instinctively, Mitsuki looked to her left— and Charlotte appeared on her right, punching her right in the side.
Mitsuki was knocked flying and flung far away.
"Above.", she heard her voice again.
Mitsuki cannot help but look up, only for Charlotte to punch her from below.
She caught Mitsuki's collar, throwing her down to the ground. More cracks began to appear on her body, showing the universe beneath...
She clenched her teeth, "Black Hole Revolution!!", and swung her spear at Charlotte.
Anything the tip of the spear touched disappeared... this would kill Charlotte instantly. But because it is Charlotte...
"H-How...?", she looks at the girl in crystal with shock and awe.
Charlotte was holding the edge of the blade, casually blocking an unblockable attack.
"God Slayer, my gal. They are the highest quality of bullshit.", she yanked the spear, pulling Mitsuki closer, "I have three God Slayers in my possession, and I am wearing one of them."
"The ability to turn anything into God Slayers... I hope you aren't easily~ broken."
And again, Charlotte punched her in the face... shattering the left side, revealing the full window to the universe.
"Charlotte... what did you do?", Mitsuki was scared, her remaining eye shaking.
Charlotte did not answer, she only stared with a crazed smile.
"Looks like I don't need to wait for sunrise...", she muttered under her breath.
Mitsuki, with ragged breath, knew that she could not do anything against Charlotte. Especially when the girl can manipulate her thoughts with just her words alone.
"Really~ I could beat you for the rest of the night and you would still fulfill the win condition.", Charlotte shrugged, "That's what you get for not trying to become stronger, even though you have the power of the universe by your side."
'Tch... she knows.'
"What... are you talking about...", Mitsuki frowned, she asked both Entropy and Charlotte. All this time... she was in the dark...
Not answering, Charlotte proceeded to appear right in front of Mitsuki and kicked her in the stomach.
She can feel things beginning to shatter... her mind is slowly crumbling... bit by bit...
"I will take over from here..."
Mitsuki closed her eyes, her entire face crumbled... and the rest of her body followed soon. Now her body is a shape, a window to a small glimpse of the universe. Her clothes shattered, showing the world what she had become.
Then... that thing grabbed the spear and stabbed herself with it...
What came out from the other side was not a spearhead, but a centipede... coiling around the body.
Then it took the weapon out... it became a jagged katana, bearing the texture of the night sky.
=0=0=
"You are... my enemy.", it spoke to me.
I cannot feel Mitsuki anymore, her consciousness was suppressed entirely... good, the plan is going along nicely.
"When you called Mitsuki your enemy... those words were pointed at me.", it chose to adopt a neutral tone, "Why am I your enemy? Why are you my enemy?"
"So you don't know anything."
This one is dumber than I thought, I must've force it to factory reset. But the power it holds... is of a similar level to an Eldritch God...
"I don't know what I am supposed to be...", it stare at the night sky, "But I know where I must go... the tendrils, can you see them?"
"It is almost one minute, you have to attack me, or else the Game of Hope with kill Mitsuki.", I remind it.
"Oh.", it swung it's sword—
!!!
I found myself five meters away from where I was... there was a deep cut in the ground. It was almost instant.
Hehahahaha!! This is dangerous!!
I smiled, charging my gauntlets and greaves with True Spark, "Good, now we have more time. Let's start with introductions. I am Charlotte Silvi, the Records of Mankind."
"Mitsuki calls me Entropy, but that is not my name...", it think for a second, "I do not have a name..."
I smiled, this is fun and dangerous at the same time!! Hehahaha!! My heart is beating so fast it might burst out of my chest!! Hehahaha!!
"Then would you like me to give you a name?", I appeared behind and gave it a volley of punches in seconds.
888 punches... my gauntlets broke and were replaced by new ones in an instant, again and again, each one hit like a bullet train!!. This new power made my crystals stronger and more durable, they are practically unbreakable if not for Ars Goetia!! Increasing their power in exchange for all the durability.
Like in zero gravity, that thing floated in the air, balancing itself, and landed. I could see it staggered a bit... it took that much damage and could stand? Hehahaha~ this should be fun...
"I would rather Mitsuki give me a name more than you, but she is asleep... so you have to do better.", it readied for a thrust.
—I dodged to the side, avoiding the long-range beam of darkness, "Hmm... then how about..."
I look at the centipede coiling around its body, bearing the same star texture.
"Hoshimukade?", it means Star Centipede.
"Hoshimukade... that is good enough...", even without eyes, I can feel it staring at me, "I am Hoshimukade, the Blade of Entropy."
Holding the sword with two hands— huh? I was moved back, and that thing was in the same spot I was.
Hah... well, let's beat the shit out of Hoshimukade!!
"Hysteria.", time began to slow down for me.
Putting my left foot forward and my right foot back. I ready a punch, forming a spearhead made of layers upon layers of crystal... all have the power of
"Overdrive!", the blood in my veins began to speed up, coursing through my body until pink steam seeps out of my body. My perception of time got even slower until Hoshimukade's movement was practically still.
Hehaha~ without pain nullification, I might've collapsed from my blood literally boiling!!
My muscles tensed up, ready to snap from all the adrenaline in my body!!
"CLIMAX!!", and time completely froze!! No! I was moving faster than time itself!
Using my right foot, I launched myself forward— and punched that thing in the chest!!!
Layer by layer, the crystal broke as it made contact with the so-called Blade of Entropy.
And as time resumed, all of the crystal layers were gone, and my hand... it went all the way through the thing's chest.
The centipede tried to bite my arm, but once it made contact with Ars Goetia, even just a bit, it reeled back in pain after hearing the heartbeats.
Hoshimukade is no exception, it just stood there, unmoving. The heartbeats carry the cries of the Demons used to weave the coat, as a fragment of the universe... it hears them even louder, not to mention the millions of drugs it's experiencing.
Then I kicked it away.
Using the chance I dispelled Euphoria.
"I am Charlotte Silvi, Dreamer of Madness!", my hair began to dye a lavender shade and Euphoric Crystals began to break.
"Souls of the Void, Spirits of Infinity."
I took hold of my mind, condensing the madness that should plague my mind~ hehahaha!!
"Truth and Lies at the Crossroad of Reality! Let us bathe in the Illusion of our Minds!!"
My eyes turned into a soft shade of lavender, but soon...
"Cast onto the World a Falsehood."
...bandages covered my eyes, taking away my vision... as I don't need to see the world through reality.
"Let my Delusion be the Reality!"
And everything changed for a brief moment, filled with a world made of chalk...
"This is My Madness!!"
For ten seconds, I am the World. For ten seconds, only my world exists. For ten seconds, the true Reality was insignificant.
And I snapped my finger.
"Reduce the power of the Records of Cosmos by a factor of eight billion."
The power of human's will crashed upon the fragment of the universe— to which it...
—slashed the very concept of human's will with its sword. But it seemed tired after just one attack, as my demand touched it for only a tiny bit.
Hehahahaha~ I will show you how dominating the Power of Humanity is...
I snapped my finger, summoning Ouroboros Omniscia, Prydwen in its shield form, and Quirinus to me.
And just like that, ten seconds passed and Delusion ended. Let the ball keep rolling!!
"My name is Charlotte Silvi!!", I smiled, letting Reverie leak out of the jewel in my chest.
"Ruler of the World!"
A pitch black pool formed beneath me, to which I sunk into... embraced by the Imagination and Creativity of humanity...
"Souls of the Void, Spirits of Infinity."
All I see is darkness...
"The Bottomless Pool of Dreams and Aspirations... where all Ambition comes forth."
And I rose out of the Reverie, with my hair completely dyed black, only the shine of my hair remained. And my eyes reflect that of the abyss.
"The Wonders of Humanity are Beautiful..."
The Reverie swirls around me, forming a black scarf that flows even without the wind.
"Just as they are Horrific."
I smiled, creating a silver book floating next to me.
"This is... my Reverie."
Hmm... the hole in its chest had already recovered.
"What... did you do?", its voice was shaky, a bit ethereal with all of that reverb.
"Why the fuck would I spell it out for you~", I shrugged.
I grabbed the book and opened it, smiling even wider, "Let's see..."
"God Slayer.", I put in the keyword, throwing the book up to let it float around me.
This time Hoshimukade attacked first, it teleported behind me ready to swing. But... I don't need to dodge this attack.
I closed the book, "Incognito Zero."
A black tower shield appeared behind me, blocking the sword and—
BOOM!!
Reflecting the weight of the universe, the entire ground behind me was obliterated.
"London's Chime.", I parried an attack from my right side with a rapier. Taking the opportunity, I stabbed its chest, staggering it for a moment.
"Globe Theater!!", and I trapped both of us in a theater, where our performance must go on~
But that was all for naught as Hoshimukade swung its sword in a circular motion, destroying the entire theater. I let go of the rapier, letting it stab into the ground.
"Illusionary Stone Maze! Fifth Trial of Heracles!!", a bamboo scroll and a shovel appeared in my hands.
Throwing the scroll up, I sliced it with the shovel.
The terrain begins to change, the ground rumbles and pillars of stones begin to sprout. Mist came in, blocking its vision.
I touched Ouroboros Omniscia, pressing the first button, and opening up the missile launchers. Feeding it Reverie, and creating missiles.
"Fire."
Eighty-eight missiles launched into the sky, tracking the location of that thing. It passed through the newly formed stone pillars as they were illusions...
I can sense Hoshimukade slicing some of the missiles, and letting most hit it directly. Now it knows the pillars are fake.
Bam!!
Pfft!! Hehahaha!! It just ran straight into one!!
"Let me explain the rules of this place for you.", my voice rings everywhere, it cannot discern the origin, "Every pillar here are fake and real at the same time~"
Pulling the rapier out of the ground, I stabbed Hoshimukade in the back. As I was behind it~ when sounds become a trick, it is hard to know where I am.
With London's Chime lodged into its shoulder, a clock appeared beneath it, freezing it in place. Hm... the rapier is directly connected to the Clock Tower in London, I have two minutes before time runs out.
But that's enough!
I planted the shovel into the ground, dug up the ground and...
Grabbing Ouroboros Omniscia and Quirinus, I jumped up to a pillar, watching with glee as a river began to flood the place. Submerging that thing in water.
The conditions are set, and everything is ready for the strongest attack.
Planting down the coffin and Quirinus... uh... why did it stab into the pillar? The only things capable of interacting with the pillars are things with souls... Ouroboros Omniscia obviously can due to the battery, so does this mean Quirinus has a soul?
I shook my head. I'll leave that for later.
"Gáe Bolg.", a black spear partially dyed red appeared in my left hand, hmm... the handle wasn't that comfortable due to the Celtic knots all over the spear.
I threw the spear up, then I jumped and performed a backflip— kicking the spear's end.
When there is a flowing stream, launch the spear with a kick instead of a throw. Gáe Bolg will never miss its mark.
Unceremoniously, the spear stabbed right through the fragment of the universe. Then thorns began to spread out from its body, growing and growing...
Kuh!!
I coughed up some blood... Reverie is taking a toll on me. Tch, I guess this is enough fun.
I dispelled Reverie, to not let it wreck my internal organs any further. Seem like Hope cannot heal faster than the sludge consumed.
All the God Slayers I called collapsed, turning back into Reverie Sludge. They cannot hold their existence without Reverie supporting them, although they have their full power, bringing them out too hastily leads to this outcome.
My limit is still one item per use.
Same old coffin and lance combo. Prydwen is also here but I cannot use its ship form due to the damage I caused, it takes time to heal.
"How can... someone be so... overwhelming...?", Hoshimukade is on its last leg, needing support from that centipede.
"This is the power of humanity, the race born from this planet's cycle of misery and suffering. The madness of this planet alone... I don't think the universe will be able to bear.", I smiled, seeing that thing isn't trying to attack me anymore.
This is enough...
I thought about cycling through all my powers, to see what Gilgamesh did to them... seem like I don't need to at this point.
Opening the Game of Hope, testing the water with Euphoria, weakening it with Delusion, and damaging it with Reverie's God Slayers...
Now all I need is to split Mitsuki from it... and eliminate the fragment of the universe... even then, the durability is insane. Gáe Bolg was supposed to be a one-hit-kill attack.
Oh well... the condition had already been met.
"I am Charlotte Silvi."
Electricity began to spark once more.
"Arbiter of Righteousness."
Justice Mist began to gather around me, creating a single wing made of blades and gun barrels.
"Souls of the Void, Spirit of Infinity."
My eyes dialed to a deep blue color, they became more intense. Hehaha...
"Holding the Flag all stood under, The Veil to all Atrocity!"
Then my hair dyed a deep ocean blue completely. And I began to see it...
"Gather, the Ultimate cure for Evil!"
There is a white cross floating above Hoshimukade.
"The Hypocrisy we hide behind!!"
I touched my wing with Quirinus, condensing all of my Mist into it... and the lance glowed an ethereal white light.
"This is my Creed of Justice!!"
I smiled, pointing my lance at Hoshimukade.
With a smile, I proclaimed, "By the Rite of Steel and Gunpowder... I will bring Judgement upon you."