Chapter Text
Asia Argento; the blonde-haired, green-eyed, former Church nun turned heretic and Sacred Gear wielder, was awoken the next morning by the sound of never-ending drums. Or at least, that was what it sounded like to her in her sleep-addled state, but the volume, intensity, and overall decibel-level of the thunderous booms increased immensely as she began to stir, and her eyes widened in horror as the thought of a thunderstorm outside began to make her feel frightened.
As childish as it was, she was still afraid of thunderstorms; though once she sat up slightly and verified there was no thunder or lightning outside she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, wondering if she imagined the whole thing. She was about to set her head back down in her makeshift pillow when the events of last night caught up with her and her eyes widened with something other than fear; her eyes locking on Eesheer's sleeping form while listening to him snore lightly with a serene, peaceful look on his face as he slept the early morning hours away.
She immediately smiled while blushing; the realization that she'd just spent most of the night sleeping in the same bed as a man catching up with her, but rather than feel embarrassed or uncomfortable over the situation, she was amazed to discover she felt right at home using Eesheer as her own personal pillow. And even compared to the magic and wonder of those glowing feather pillows lying unused at the head of their bed; she knew Eesheer's muscular pectorals were matchless in the fundamental comfort they provided her sleeping head.
With that in mind, she yawned cutely and placed her head back on his chest in order to fall back to sleep; only for her to scream at the top of her lungs as the drumbeats from before transitioned into a sound akin to a billion bazookas firing all at once. Her screams also woke Eesheer as he immediately flew up from his bed and knocked Asia- who had reared backwards slightly due to the fright that was making her heart pound like crazy- the rest of the way off the bed, taking the comforters down with her as she became an unwitting hostage in her own makeshift prison of blankets.
She didn't notice the way Eesheer's stance took on that of a battle-hardened soldier fully anticipating an attack upon being awoken in such an abrupt and terrifying manner- a soldier who had fought in a war bigger than the three factions or even God would ever know-, or the way his eyes shone with equal parts relief and concern when he realized there was no attack coming and caught sight of her trapped in her blankets on the floor over the other side of the bed; she was too busy trying to stop herself from having an early-morning heart attack.
"Asia, you okay? Why'd you scream like that, was it because you fell off the bed while sleeping or something? You scared the life out of me a thousand times over." He asked her, and though his tone was calm his underlying undertone was that of someone who had clearly been preparing for case scenarios worse than Asia could ever fathom. Asia didn't notice any of these signs that there was more to Eesheer's initial response than he was telling her; she was still too in shock by what she just heard and how impossibly loud it had been.
"What… was that?! That noise?! It sounded like someone was shooting at us with… machine guns!" Asia asked him in a terrified squeak; the fact she had any idea whatsoever what a machine gun was surprising to Eesheer; though his infinite number of brains were already quickly deducing the source of Asia's rude awakening. He couldn't help but smile when he realized what Asia's mysterious noise was; given his omni senses he would've easily heard such a sound long before it reached Asia's very human ears, even while sleeping as deeply as he was.
However, it was a noise he lived with his entire existence as both a ZOF Master and a Supreme Omnidony respectively so of course he was going to dismiss it at this point; though he should've figured it would give Asia quite a scare once she became aware of it during his unguarded moments of deep sleep. He couldn't help smiling endearingly and reassuringly at her; even when scared out of her mind Asia still managed to be cute as can be, and the way she squeaked out the term machine gun; like it was something deplorable yet scary, was just too f*cking adorable for words, or as the Japanese called it… kawaii.
"Um, yeah, about that Asia; that was my hmm, how to put this delicately. That was my hearts, err, heart." He corrected himself midway through his second sentence; not sure how much of his ineffable anatomy or infinite complexities of his genetic and overall makeup Asia would understand. Saying he had an infinite number of hearts, brains, prostate glands, and testicl*s; all operating at Supreme Omnidony levels of efficiency and amplifying his intellect, emotional capacity, libido, etc. boundlessly beyond that of any and all other Omnivastant Entities was not exactly something one brought up in a casual conversation with the girl they were beginning to harbor an attraction towards. Saying he had an infinitely vast central nervous system, or lungs with an infinite air capacity, or that his entire inner body was infinitely huger than he appeared on the outside and was belied in every way by his perfectly humanlike outward appearance was likewise a series of red flags to rise this early in their friendship.
"Your heart?!" She repeated in a stupor, her questioning tone as obvious as the dubious look on her face. She was still in shock, and unable to wrap her head around the idea that something as mundane as a person's heartbeat could make such a terrifying racket. She knew Eesheer was special and unique, that much was apparent from the moment she met him; just how accepting he was of her healing powers on principle was enough to prove that he was more than he appeared, but something like this was going to take some getting used to.
He nodded in affirmation, before elaborating further. "You know I'm superfast right? Well, that applies to every aspect of my existence including my heartbeat; normally it's not so bad, but when I'm particularly excited or aroused while sleeping then it can begin to race at quite a ways beyond its usual pace. My metabolism and healing factor are likewise equally accelerated; along with my ability to adapt and evolve to any environment and even enemy attacks. Thankfully, this same principle does not apply to my aging process; if anything my body clock is pretty much slowed to a crawl, maybe even stopped altogether."
Asia merely nodded, still not getting up from her tangled web of blankets on the floor as her brain processed this information about Eesheer and filed it away for later reference. At least now she understood what she had heard and why it was so loud; it was hard to think about a heartbeat that loud or that fast being normal for him though, and it was an understandably shocking thing to wake up to in the morning.
Eesheer had the good grace to flush sheepishly. "I'm sorry Asia; I've lived this way my entire life and wasn't thinking. I didn't even think about how you might react if you heard my ticker ticking in such a way; the thought never even crossed my mind as something to worry or think about." He apologized to her in a sincere tone, and it was his guilty, remorseful eyes that finally got her to get over her initial shock. She could tell it was eating him up more than he cared to admit; the fact that he'd frightened her so without meaning to. It meant a lot to her that he would be so concerned for her wellbeing.
She shook her head to get rid of the final vestiges of her shock, and threw him a dazzling smile that was 100 percent genuine; already putting this situation behind her. "It's okay, it was just surprising and initially really scary; that's all. I'm just relieved that it wasn't actually gunfire." She admitted cheerily as another thing he mentioned caused her to pause.
"Wait, you're saying you were born this way?" She asked him, and to her surprise he looked at her confusedly.
"Yeah I was, but is that really all that surprising in the grand scheme of things Asia? Or, is that not a common thing? What about your healing powers? How long have you had them?" He answered while asking her a question of his own.
"I've had them since I was little, and I guess they were inside me all along, but they didn't show up until I was already a little girl." Asia answered him in return for his honest response; deciding there should be as few secrets between them as possible, especially if Eesheer was letting her tag along with him wherever it was he was going.
It was a sort of unspoken agreement between them not to pry about one another's past unless they offered the information voluntarily; he hadn't questioned it when Asia revealed her Twilight Healing with that boy with the scraped knee, and she had opted to blindly trust him when he revealed his own powers, or when he promised her he'd take care of the Fallen Angels attempting to steal her Sacred Gear. She hadn't questioned the hows or the why's any more than he did, and they simply accepted one another completely out of hand. They trusted each other implicitly without even having to ask one another to do so; they trusted unconditionally, but the time was fast approaching when they both had to come clean with each other, and they both knew it to.
"So… what now, what do we do now?" Asia awkwardly wondered as the two of them stood there; the blonde and busty nun getting up from her tangle of blankets at long last and standing over the side of the bed opposite his. If she was expecting him to have some sort of plan on what happened next, or what he had planned for his day; then she was about to be disappointed.
"Honestly, no clue… it was a spur of the moment thing to offer to let you come with me, and most of my days don't consist of me doing much, well… at least not as of late." He admitted, though thankfully Asia didn't seem dejected about this revelation; if anything she seemed relieved that he was as unsure as she was. Honestly, she didn't have anywhere else to go; so whatever Eesheer wanted them to do next, she was willing to support him.
"Hey, since you're free from whatever those Fallen Angels had planned for you at that church; why don't we hang out today?" Eesheer finally suggested when it looked like she wasn't going to offer any ideas of her own. Asia's eyes widened slightly with surprise as her emerald gaze looked on his own amber eyes; before a rosy blush dusted her cheeks and she smiled at him with blinding beauty.
"Sure." She responded all-too happily, her eyes closing with a smile that was so Anime perfect that every one of Eesheer's uncountably infinite hearts took notice and banged in his chest in response to her overwhelming sweetness; though thankfully this time she didn't hear them. With that planned the two of them were about to get ready to face the day when Eesheer decided to speed things along. With a wave of his hand, a sudden burst of magic in the air had Asia standing shocked in her instantly, freshly clean nun outfit with her hair and body perfectly immaculate as though she had taken a really cleansing shower, and her teeth were a sparkling pearly white as though she had spent a lifetime brushing properly with floss, mouthwash, and everything else a perfectly healthy mouth could ever need.
She turned to Eesheer with a questioning look, seeing him in his normal attire with the ridiculous looking face on his tee-shirt and the green trench coat; which looked better on him than she thought possible. He caught her look and smiled a troublemaker's half smile. "I just figured I'd save us both a bit of time and get the morning rituals out of the way in an instant; magic can be extremely useful, and I have a lot of it." He admitted in a slightly co*cky tone; though that was lost on Asia as she could only continue to gaze at him in awestruck wonder, which would ultimately serve to bolster his ego.
"That's amazing, I can't wait to see more of what you can do Eesheer!" Asia exclaimed with such naked honesty that the most cynical, mistrustful man on Earth wouldn't have questioned her sincerity. Eesheer honestly felt much more flattered by her response than he would've liked to feel; since there was a limit to how much flattery he felt he deserved, especially with certain decisions he'd made in the ancient past.
"I'm glad you feel that way; I only hope I can continue to perpetuate your childlike awe and wonder. True belief in magic and in a higher presence such as God is rare to come by Asia and infinitely more precious than all the magic and all the otherwise meaningless power in existence. I would give anything to never see that look of utter amazement leave your eyes; not even for a second." Eesheer replied to her in an earnest tone that held an underlying fathomless weight to it; a hidden, perfectly concealed one the ordinary eye couldn't see. Asia was as oblivious to the full impact of his words as he could've hoped; which was just as well really, though the way she blushed and smiled in response to him made his hearts fit to burst from his chest like they wanted to revolt.
XXX
"Um, excuse me Eesheer, but are there any forks and knives around?" Asia asked him in an uncertain tone as the two of them found a fast-food restaurant that sold fries and hamburgers; having decided to grab lunch there together. He tried to tell himself it was not a date, at least not officially, but his hearts couldn't stop banging in his chest at a million lightyears per second, quite literally.
"Well, here in Japan it's more common for them to use chopsticks than forks, knives, and spoons, but that's part of the reason why I brought us here. Hamburgers and French Fries can be eaten with just your hands, so you wouldn't have to try and fumble with the chopsticks." Eesheer explained patiently; wondering how much of a sheltered life his new friend had to have leaded if she didn't know how to eat a simple hamburger.
Asia looked surprised by this, the thought of eating something with her bare hands both shocking and intriguing her. "Really! That's how you do it?!" She exclaimed questioningly, and Eesheer nodded once more in affirmation; finding her reaction both hilarious and adorable as he chuckled.
"Then I better wash my hands." She added after a split-second of internal deliberation; going into her purse which she carried with her at all times and bringing out a small vial of holy water. Eesheer arched an eyebrow at this; the thought of how someone like Issei or any of Gremory's devils would react in this situation compared to him making him repress another urge to laugh. Eesheer wasn't even fazed when she let a few drops of the purifying, untainted water fall onto her hands and rubbed them all over as though it were hand sanitizer. Though, considering the remarkable properties of holy water and other such things in this world compared too most others; he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
Eesheer was more or less aware of the fact that along with her Holy Bible; Asia kept her most treasured belongings in her purse, and she seemed to travel light. A quick check via his all-seeing eyes revealed much more about her innate character and the small cross in the form of a rosary, the vial of holy water, and her much treasured holy bible made it obvious she was a very strong believer in this universe's version of the Biblical God. She didn't have any money or much of any other worldly possessions other than the clothes she had with her; which were in the suitcase they decided to leave behind at the Occult Research Club for the time being, figuring Rias wouldn't mind so long as they kept it somewhere out of everybody's way. Eesheer was planning on creating a pocketed version of the Super Omega Omnisphere for Asia to use at her leisure and maybe even spoil her a little; he could more than afford to anyways, especially since he had unlimited funds in every currency.
Now that Asia had gotten the hand-washing out of the way; Eesheer waited patiently while she decided to say her prayers for the meal. "Dear Lord, thank you for this bountiful food, and for giving me this opportunity to eat this food so lovingly prepared by the people employed in this restaurant." She whispered in a worshipful tone as Eesheer sweat dropped slightly; no doubt aware of the fact that the people working here barely needed five minutes on the grill or over the deep fryer to prepare these meals for them. But, it made Asia happy, and even if she was unintentionally laying it on a bit thick; he couldn't help but smile at how strongly she believed in the presence of her God.
It made the idea of having to tell her what he sensed regarding this universe's God all the more difficult, and he was not looking forward to having that conversation with her, but he knew he would have to eventually. He also knew she would be crushed by the weight of that revelation, and decided now was not the time to bring it up as he brought his hamburger up from the tray and made to instruct Asia in the ways of fast-food eating. Inhuman though he was he was the best expert on human cuisine out of all his fellow LCBC Counterparts, something ALCBC once referred to as him being the very best at all of the most useless things.
"Okay, so you literally just hold the hamburger up to your mouth like this with both of your hands, and take a big bite… like this!" Eesheer demonstrated while doing exactly as he described and biting off a big enough chunk of the hamburger to bloat his cheeks slightly. Asia watched in wonder as he chewed exactly thirty-seven times before swallowing it down with a satisfied smile; licking his lips in pure delight.
"Say what you will about Earth's version of humanity, but this planet's cuisine is pretty much second to none." He remarked casually, and loudly enough for people in the other booths to hear them as many of them turned to look at him like he'd grown a second head. Asia stared at him curiously; intrigued by what that comment could mean but deciding to hold off on prying him for now and instead opting to emulate his example as she too took a bite out of the grilled piece of delicious meat.
Her eyes shot wide open as her taste buds were assaulted by a bombardment of overpoweringly delightful blends of flavors; the likes of which she'd never known before due to growing up in the Church's orphanage and learning to live off the bare necessities. Even when she was a saint, the nuns had strictly prohibited her from indulging; saying that she was only to eat the bland, uninteresting meals they cooked for her every day. Sure, they were nutritionally sound and had helped her grow up in a healthy manner, but the food was about as unappealing as it could get.
This hamburger however, tasted absolutely wonderful; the lettuce provided an added crunch while the tomatoes flooded their juices inside of her mouth with as much reckless abandon as the meat patty itself. The myriad of different condiments and the sauce she had chosen likewise provided a perfect mix of flavors; the whole thing coming together to make her every taste bud explode with pure happiness.
"You look like you enjoyed that." Eesheer observed astutely, and Asia nodded while swallowing and taking another, equally heavenly bite.
"You have no idea; I was told my entire life that I could survive on the love of God alone, and while I do believe that, this is… wonderful. Thank you Eesheer, thank you so much!" Asia reverently expressed her gratitude towards him, and Eesheer couldn't help but flush the color of crimson.
"It's really not that big of a deal Asia, but I'm glad it made you happy nonetheless." He replied, once again modestly brushing off her thanks and praise.
"Well, it's a big deal to me." Asia told him before deciding to try the fries; grabbing one in between her thumb and index finger and tentatively biting a piece of the end as the saltiness and crunchy-fried potato flavor was equally as pleasurable. Within seconds she was eating with a gusto that surprised Eesheer; all but stuffing her face full of handfuls of fries at a time and taking bites out of her hamburger almost as large as his own. She was done seconds after him; having eaten at the same pace but with smaller mouthfuls at a time.
To say she looked ecstatic was an understatement, and Eesheer gave a warm smile even as he wondered what kind of a lonely, sheltered life Asia had growing up. He didn't know who told her she could survive on the love of God alone, but any God who would so strongly detest the idea of his servants indulging themselves and having fun was not a God Eesheer was keen on being allies or friends with. He knew how backwards and archaic some representations of the Biblical God could be, and how corrupt the churches on most versions of Earth had the potential to be; so it came as no surprise that Asia hadn't been living much of a great life up until this point. Just seeing how unbelievably happy she was at something as simple as a fast food restaurant meal was indication enough of how poorly her standards of living had been before they met.
He was dragged out of his reverie by Asia looking through the window to the colorful building across the street. "Eesheer, um, I can't read Japanese; what's that place?" She asked him curiously as Eesheer's omni-linguistic mind automatically translated the Japanese writing into the Source Dialect of the ZOF itself; the primary language of his people.
It was the untranslatable language of the Supreme Omnidonae which Eesheer had only been able to read, write, or speak since becoming one of them, and a language that made the Word of God look like absolutely nothing in comparison; though there were lesser, Super Omega Omnisphere and Omega Omnisphere variations of the Source Dialect that he had been able to read in his former existence as a ZOF Master as well. He instinctively retranslated them into a dialect that wouldn't shatter Asia's mind and the ZOF itself with every word spoken; then relayed it to her in the Queen's English.
"It's a game center." He explained simply; Asia's fascinatingly questioning glance as she continued staring at it giving Eesheer an idea.
"Hey, I know… let's go there next." He suggested, and with their meal paid for and eaten he grabbed Asia's hand across the table and led her out of the restaurant. Asia blushed at the unexpected contact; though she wouldn't deny it felt good to have her small hands enclosed in the warmth of his much bigger ones. In fact, his hands were so warm they were feverish; almost hot to the touch and at least several degrees higher than was normal for a human.
He maintained a respectable but reasonable pace; Asia jogging slightly in an effort to keep up with them as the two of them entered the game center and were bombarded by the sounds of countless video game noises and of people laughing and having a good time. The first thing Asia did was run straight at one of those arcade-style games with the claw; which held a series of stuffed animals that suspiciously resembled the Pokémon Raichu, and the way her eyes lit up and her mouth spread in a wide smile brought a smile to Eesheer as well in turn. He could tell instantly that she wanted one of those creatures desperately.
"Eesheer look, this is Ratchu-kun! There are a lot of them!" Asia exclaimed in a shaky but still manageable use of the Japanese language; making Eesheer snort with mirth.
'Yep… definitely a Pikachu or Raichu rip-off.' Eesheer commented inside his own head; sweat dropping at the unexpected cross-dimensional reference, though he quickly got over it when he saw Asia pressing her face against the glass while staring longingly at the toy.
He grinned at her in a teasing way while arching his eyebrows. "You want one of them, don't you?" He chuckled in a friendly way; though it seemed his words made her extremely embarrassed as she shook her head stubbornly in the negative.
"N-No!" She protested weakly, halfheartedly, so poor in her attempts to insist she didn't want it that a preschooler could've seen through the lie. Still, Eesheer was having too much fun not to tease her a little bit.
"Well then, I guess there's no reason for me to play the game and catch you one; it's a shame really… I'm actually really good at these games and most certainly could've got you one, but if you don't want Ratchu then…" Eesheer paused and turned around to make like he was walking away; only to grin in triumph when Asia grabbed his arm from behind and halted his forward momentum.
"No, I… I want him, and I would like to take you up on that offer." Asia admitted under her breath; clearly embarrassed about confiding it as Eesheer turned around to smile at her.
"Trust me Asia you don't need to treat this as a guilty pleasure; not with me around. Just leave it to me alright." He reassuringly whispered back to her. A few seconds later, and he had kept his promise; having won her one of the Ratchu toys on the very first try at this game… having won it before literally thousands of times in his impossibly long life.
Appaneesty LCBC had honestly questioned how many countless hours Eesheer spent mastering all aspects of human entertainment; video games, Anime, arcade and casino games, sports of all kinds, and a myriad of other hobbies were just some of the habits he adopted from the mortals, granting him an enhanced ZOF Master's Hyper Competence in pretty much all manner of useless things and skills.
Asia was glowing radiantly as she held her precious Ratchu lovingly in her arms, and beamed at Eesheer with absolute gratitude. "Thank you so much Eesheer! I'll treasure and care for it forever!" She exclaimed thankfully, and Eesheer chuckled. That good deed hadn't even come close to scratching his wallet, and even if it somehow had he still would've done it. He placed his wallet back into his dimensionally expanded pants pocket; the enchantments on said wallet allowing it to automatically conjure money in whatever currency was needed by Eesheer at any given time or place. He literally had everything, and could spoil Asia in ways she couldn't even begin to fathom, but the fact she so appreciated such a small gesture made his countless hearts soar.
"No problem Asia; I'm happy that you're happy." He responded in a sincere tone. "If you want more of those little guys; I'd be more than happy to grab them for you." He added, but he wasn't too surprised when Asia shook her head.
"There's no need. This Ratchu is the best present created due to our encounter today! I want to treasure that more than anything!" She exclaimed with painful amounts of reverence as Eesheer's eyes darkened unnoticeably. This girl was far too good for the kind of world he lived in; then again, he'd seen some of his fellow ZOF Masters accomplish unbelievably feats of kindness in his time. He'd have to see where this thing between him and Asia led before making any rash decisions, but if she continued to see him as she did now even after he told her all the things he's done; he seriously considered deifying her as someone like him.
Keeping his newfound Supreme Omnidony status under wraps for now seemed appropriate though; his intuition was seldom if ever wrong and it was telling him that revealing his upgraded Godhood status was not a good idea at this point. He may not have been as smart as Appaneesty or Lee Wong's LCBC Counterpart, but he thought pretty quickly on his feet and he had good instincts.
"Asia you… you are too kind to be real." Eesheer remarked while beaming dazzlingly at her, and Asia blushed while clutching Ratchu closer to her ample chest.
"Uh… um, eh… thank you, very much." She stammered shyly, and Eesheer laughed before noticing another thing they could both try out.
"A photo booth; how about we take one together, to further commemorate our time here together?" Eesheer suggested while pointing it out to her, and Asia stared at it as Anime question heads appeared above her head.
"A photo booth, what does it do?" She wondered, and Eesheer launched into an immediate explanation.
"It's a booth closed off from the outside where couples and close friends can have their picture taken together in the same shot. Some people like to do funny or cute poses or make goofy faces; others just smile, it really depends on the person or couple really. I figured this way; we both would have something to remember our time here together by." He said while rubbing his finger along his cheek in a flustered manner.
"C-Couples?!" Asia repeated in a stammering tone; her face and neck blazing with the color crimson as Eesheer's own embarrassment caught him to, and he sought to rectify that oversight on his part.
"Well, couples and lovers do use it but they're not the only ones; like I said; close friends and family can sometimes have their pictures taken together as well." He explained hurriedly, trying to ignore the rising heat in his face and calm his racing hearts to a more reasonable gait.
'This is f*cking stupid; I never got this flustered with Amber! Why the hell am I, the LCBC2 Counterpart of Eesheer himself, suddenly behaving like a prepubescent mortal boy with a crush on his childhood bestie?!' Eesheer howled in internal protest and annoyance; hating the effect Asia was already having on him and loving it at the same time. Images of Amber continued to haunt his mind's eye; making him feel like he was betraying her very memory just by thinking of another woman in such a way.
'That's just it though, she's not coming back; there's no resurrection capacity on my end that can restore her from what took her. I have to move on; I have to live for the sake of everyone I lost, otherwise it was truly all for nothing. They would've died for nothing, so I have to live the most fantastic life I can because they'll never be able to.' Eesheer kept repeating this mantra in his head over and over; praying to the highest Supreme Omnidony that he might actually believe his own words one day. In the meantime however, he would have to keep running, and having someone like Asia who was as keen to get away as he was would come in handy as well. He was rubbish living on his own; he needed a companion, and he needed to stop dwelling on the past like this because there was no point.
Given that this hurricane of thoughts and emotions occurred inside Eesheer in the span of a Planck Instant; Asia was oblivious to the whole thing and he was already composed by time she noticed any change in his movements or stance. He was surprised by what she said next.
"I-I would like to try that!" She announced, still looking embarrassed but also surprisingly determined. Eesheer couldn't help but wonder if her resolve to see things through would him would crack when he told her the brutal truth about his past. Despite his horrifying memories choosing the most inconvenient time to pester him; he managed a grin and took her hand.
"So would I." he whispered to her; the both of them about to step into the booth together when someone else interrupted them.
"Whoa, this outfit of yours is really cute!" Another girl squealed as she and a friend of hers approached them; Asia's eyes widening as the Supreme Omnidony merely listened. He saw the girl's choice of attire and arched an eyebrow; noticing a girl at the information counter explaining about cosplay and how one could have their picture taken in style. Clearly, the girl gushing over Asia was under the distinct impression Eesheer's blonde-haired friend was in a nun cosplay outfit.
"I want to wear this next!" The strange girl said suddenly, moving to grab hold of Asia's outfit as she squeaked in protest but didn't make much of an effort to stop them. "You have been wearing this outfit the entire time! Shouldn't it be someone else's turn?!" The overzealous girl insistently questioned Asia as the poor excommunicated nun tried and failed to put up a fuss; her meekness a detriment to her efforts to hold onto her precious garment. Eesheer realized he'd have to speak up for her when it didn't look like she was going to manage any words on her own, and stepped suddenly between them; cutting off the girl's grip on Asia's nun clothes.
"My friend here is too soft-spoken so I'll say it for her; she's not wearing cosplay and is an actual nun from the church. So I'll kindly thank you two not to rile her up." Eesheer told them both in a firm but not unfriendly tone. Asia flashed him a grateful look while the cosplaying girl and her friend looked like children being scolded; scuffing their shoes while muttering out an awkward apology to Asia.
"We're sorry, it's just your outfit is so cute and looked like some kind of nun cosplay; we didn't know you were actually from the church." The girl apologized, and Asia responded with an understanding smile.
"That's okay; I'm honestly flattered you guys think my outfit is cute." She replied forgivingly, and Eesheer chuckled at the situation as both girls exchanged a smile before deciding to invite Asia along for a quick change of clothes.
"Hey, I've got an idea; why don't you come with us and we'll help you pick out a special cosplay outfit for the photo booth? Not that your current attire isn't totes adorable but I bet your boyfriend here would enjoy a change of pace." The girl suggested as her friend nodded gleefully in agreement and Eesheer and Asia blushed.
"Um… we're not really a couple." Eesheer clumsily insisted; surprised he managed to utter anything coherent with how much his embarrassment was getting to him today. Seriously, Asia was going to be the death of him someday… he could just see it.
Asia was about to deny it as well but paused when she heard Eesheer say it first; surprised to find herself feeling somewhat hurt by his admission. She didn't know him super well yet, but he was fun to be around and like she told Rias, she felt an inexplicable connection to him that bordered on metaphysical. Akeno had joked about them being reincarnated soulmates, but Asia found herself wondering if Rias's queen had actually been onto something.
The girl continued gazing at them in a skeptical tone; not buying it for a second before she and her friend decided as one to cart Asia away… disappearing behind a long curtain that functioned as a changing center for the various types of cosplay outfits.
Eesheer merely stood there and waited; refusing to let his mind wander lest he drudge up more memories of his ancient past, but also trying not to venture too close to dangerous territory such as the fact that Asia was most likely completely nude behind that curtain as the girls continued having her try on outfits.
It was hard enough not to use his omni-vision all-seeing eyes to scope Asia out; she was undeniably tempting his Supreme Omnidony lust in a way it had never been tempted before, and while he was going to need to find some form of release sooner or later he wanted to get to know Asia better.
'Don't focus on her obvious nudity behind that curtain; think about something like… ooh, hot dogs are nice, with maybe some melted cheese on top. And damn, if that new Pokémon Let's Go for the Nintendo Switch ain't all kinds of f*cking awesome; sadly, this universe doesn't seem to have any sort of concept of Pokémon sans the indirect reference to the Pikachu evolutionary line via that Ratchu toy. Oh man, Amber would probably laugh her ass of at me right now if she knew how hard I was trying to rein in my libido right now; then she'd probably give me the most killer rimjob to take the edge off, she was kinky and fun like that.' Eesheer reflected inwardly, and despite the painful memories of her passing he had to smile; honestly, he'd had a lot of good times with her and his fellow LCBC Counterparts.
He'd had Inaccessible Cardinal sets of eternities of fun and adventure with them, and even though they were gone and recreated along with the Super Omega Omnisphere, and even though they were strangers to him now… he somehow knew he was going to be okay as long as he had friends like Asia. It probably wasn't all that fair or explainable to pin all his hopes of happiness on her like that, but he couldn't help it for some reason; just being near her was beginning to give him a sense of peace, something he hadn't had in a very, very long time.
And even without the ESIT speeding things along; he could instantly tell she was one of the kindest souls he'd ever met and was fun to be around also, if a bit soft spoken and tentative for his tastes. He'd need to try and bring out the best in her if he could manage it, and hoped she would be able to do the same for him in exchange. A bond like theirs- however budding it was currently- wasn't just a permanent emotional and obligate symbiosis… it was a promise his people made.
"Ah- that's actual blonde hair!" Squealed the voice of the girl from earlier; dragging Eesheer from his daydream as he heard Asia squeaking with a start and saw the curtain start to rustle slightly as the activity behind there got more hectic.
"Take it off! Take it off!" He heard another female voice exclaim excitedly; most likely the voice of the first girl's friend as she encouraged Asia in a hyper-active tone. His boundlessly augmented senses picked up on Asia hurriedly stripping and every individual movement of her body and shuffle of her clothes; managing to hold himself back as the urge to peak on Asia's nudity and whack it right then and there became overwhelming. Eesheer shook his head with amused exasperation; it'd been way too damn long and after he and Asia were finished for the day he might look for a more X-rated kind of excitement after she was asleep and he was free for the night. Clearly, it'd been too long if he was this f*cking horny over the mere thought of his new female friend being naked behind a curtain.
"Yah, so cute!" The first girl squealed again, and so the exchange of gushing and fond praises of Asia's clearly stunning figure and beauty continued, and Eesheer continued to wait while writhing in torturous sexual frustration.
"Try wearing this and see! I'm sure your 'not boyfriend' will love it!" The second girl said, the way she emphasized his lack of boyfriend status conveying her disbelief of his claim earlier in the most overt way possible. He heard Asia squeak again, but what surprised him was that she didn't protest, and if the shuffling of clothes snaking over one's body was any indicator; then she was obviously going along with this willingly.
"Kawaii! You're so cute! It suits you! It suits you!" Girl number one exclaimed as Eesheer's eyebrows furrowed.
"What the hell are those three doing?" He questioned under his breath; said breath hitching and catching in his throat when Asia finally emerged from behind the curtains. Her nun attire was replaced by an outfit comprised of a white top which was split vertically along her midriff in a triangular shape; exposing a bit of her sexy stomach along with the very short shorts she was sporting, which had a very obvious outline of her panties protruding from it. There was a pair of fairy-like wings or appendages on the back of her shirt and catlike ears on either side of her head. All and all, it was one of the most adorably sexy sights Eesheer had ever seen, and he was amazed Asia looked as bashful and unsure as she did as he continued to drink her in.
"Um, how does it look Eesheer; do I look okay?" She asked him in a shy tone, one which resulted in the aforementioned Supreme Omnidony staring at her in stunned disbelief.
"How can you even ask me that Asia?! Do you not even realize how beautiful you are, or how unbelievably sexy you look in that cosplay?!" He exclaimed questioningly; never having been one to beat around the bush and upfront about what he was thinking and feeling to the point of coming across as indelicate or embarrassing. Asia's eyes widened in response to his words, her face and entire body flushing countless different shades of red as she processed the enormity of his statement.
"Beautiful? Sexy?" She repeated his words in a dazed voice; not computing them as words that applied to her but recovering quickly as she threw him a shy but genuine smile.
"Eesheer… thank you." She whispered lovingly, and Eesheer nodded once he recovered from the surprise his own outburst had distilled into him.
"You're welcome Asia; I don't know what kind of life you've led up until this point to make you think you weren't beautiful, but I can personally guarantee you that from my perspective, you have nothing to worry about in the looks category. No matter your outfit or your attire, you're beautiful; so don't ever forget that alright? That being said, your outfit looks amazing; if I were Issei or some other male devil I'd probably be done in by a single strike right about now." He responded in a low, husky tone that bordered on a growl; the tone sending an inexplicable thrill through Asia's body as he sensed her reaction and reined himself in for now.
Remembering that they were here for a reason, Eesheer took Asia's hand just as he had done in the restaurant, and guide her into the nearby photo booth. A few seconds and flashes of light later, and they both had a set of photos to keep forever more; Eesheer cherishing the last one most of all, as Asia had really gotten into the spirit of things and aimed a peace sign and an adorable wink at the camera. Little did Asia know that Eesheer had used his powers to keep his set of photos forever intact and free from fading over time; wanting to always remember this moment between them even after Asia was long gone.
Mortals were amazing and fun to be around, and their limited perspectives and understanding of his infinite complexities grounded him in a way few others could manage. But their finite lifespans would always be one of the things he didn't care for. There was never enough time for him to do all the things he wanted to do with the select few mortal friends he'd had over the ages who had insisted on staying mortal.
It was as they continued playing together at the game center for hours on end that Eesheer began to come to a decision he'd been playing with in the back of his mind; he'd make Asia the offer to join him in eternity, as her own LCBC Counterpart or even her LCBC2 Counterpart. To do that though, he'd have to be completely honest with her and about the budding Supreme Omnidony Tier Soul Bond he sensed forming between them.
Despite all the potential downsides that could arise from him coming clean with her; he was willing to take a chance with her. For the first time in so long; he had someone he could grow care for on the infinite side of the Emotional Spectrum, and he would be damned if he let the bitterness of mortality or anything else steal her away from him. She would not share the same fate as Amber; this he swore in the name of every LCBC Counterpart he lost and every LCBC Title he gained as a result of said losses.
XXX
A few hours later found them both at a local park as Eesheer decided to join Asia on one of the park's many benches; the metal warm to the touch thanks to the early-evening sun. Nature's beauty graced them from all around as the both of them held hands and sat there taking everything in. It was one of the more serene and peaceful scenarios of Eesheer's impossibly long life, and he was thankful for it beyond measure.
A few songbirds chirped in both the universal language of birds that humans heard and the subtle traces of a human voice that Eesheer's own brain translated into something more sentient. Birds were often a lot smarter than humans realized, and with the correct means of translation could even be understood by the human mind. Being what he was made it possible for his brain to instantly translate any and all languages and vocalizations into something he was more comfortable speaking; so he was able to hear both the animalistic chirps and the more human-like song notes and lyrics that so many birds were able to perform.
Add to that the fact there was a gentle breeze and Asia's company at his side, and it all came together to give Eesheer a sense of peace he hadn't had in a very long time.
"It's such a beautiful day." He said simply.
"Yeah, it is." Asia agreed; the both of them content to enjoy the silence for just a while longer as Eesheer smiled. Asia's hand was dainty and several degrees colder than his own, but he had to resist the urge to grip it like he never wanted to let go; her presence was beginning to feel like a lifeline, and he was beyond terrified. Terrified because he'd have to explain to Asia about what he was and all the horrible things he'd done in the name of survival; terrified that not only would she think so much less of him, but that she wouldn't share his desires to join her in eternity.
Not a lot of people were willing to sacrifice their mortality; not the ones with any sort of insight anyways, and many of them couldn't fathom feeling emotions for somebody else on the infinite side of the spectrum. Such a life and emotional capacity was all he knew however, and however much he hated all the pain his existence brought him; he wouldn't sacrifice his ability to truly love someone forever for anything.
The question is, did Asia feel the same way? It was silly of him to risk such a proposal to her when they'd only known one another for two days at most, but a primary ESIT blessed Soul Bond didn't come around every day in his world and he knew enough about Asia's innate character by now to know they could be very, very happy together. Being a Zenith and especially a Supreme Omnidony made him an infinitely competent judge of character, and he could tell Asia's kindness was genuine and one hundred percent real from the second he met her; so, did he really have to give it time at this point when he already knew everything he needed to know? And for that matter, was there a specific timeframe required for one to fall in love? True love was never really an exact science, and he knew Amber was the one he wanted to be with forever more within hours of meeting her so…
'I'll try and break the ice and ease her into it a little first.' He ultimately decided before opting to break to companionable silence stretching on between them.
"Rias and the others all seem really nice, and I had a lot of fun today; thank you Asia… just know that I'll cherish the time we spent together forever just as you said you would." He admitted with a flustered demeanor about him; one which Asia shared.
"I did to, and of course I will." She admitted happily, and Eesheer chuckled; no doubt she didn't realize he was speaking literally or that he truly would never forget her. Even after she was long gone in the event that she turned down his proposal he'd always remember her; because despite his lack of an eidetic memory, when it came to people he was close to he never forgot any of them.
"Our meeting was a blessing for both of us I'd like to imagine Asia; you really are amazing and one of the kindest souls I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. If anyone deserves to go to Heaven after all is said and done it's you; still, we've gotta make the best of our time here on Earth I reckon. So even if everybody wants to go to Heaven, ain't nobody who wants to go now." He yammered slightly, his eyes widening slightly when Asia's expression grew downcast. A feeling of guilt swept over him; though he wasn't sure why she got so down all of a sudden.
"I'm sorry, was it something I said?" He wagered, and Asia shook her head negatively; though his endless number of hearts cracked just the tiniest bit when he saw tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.
"No, no, you said everything right Eesheer; it's just… I couldn't help thinking about everything that brought me here to this exact moment with you. I couldn't help thinking back." She broke off with a blush when Eesheer absentmindedly brushed aside a stray tear that leaked down her cheek. It should've been a crime that anything sullied such beautiful eyes, and he'd never been very good at dealing with crying women; it always broke him a little inside to see it happen and know there was nothing he could do about it without wiping their mind of the experience.
"I'm sorry; I don't mean to get so worked up." Asia added shakily, somehow able to sense how her crying was making him feel, but to her surprise he shook his own head this time.
"Asia, never, ever apologize for crying. It's always been one aspect of humanity I'm secretly envious of, and something which is therapeutic in every sense of the word. It clears your eyes of various pathogens, reduces stress hormones, and a number of other things that I think we all need to get out of our systems whenever we can. Just do what you have to do to purge yourself of all your pent up sadness, and don't worry about anything else alright?" Eesheer responded in such a loving, respectful, and compassionate tone that Asia almost stopped crying right then and there, but he was right… maybe she did need this release. She momentarily paused when Eesheer mentioned being envious of a human's ability to cry, but didn't pry just yet; though she knew that time was fast approaching for both of them. In fact, it was already upon them, and Asia decided that she would go first.
"I've been told it's also therapeutic to talk about it, and I've honestly found that to be true in my experience. I'm here to listen if you're willing to confide in me, and trust me; there's absolutely nothing on this Earth you can tell me that would make me think any of less of you." He said in such a sure tone she had no doubt he was telling the absolute truth.
"I appreciate that a lot Eesheer. I guess I'll start then; after I was born, my parents abandoned me. It was the orphanage at the church that raised me." Asia began, Eesheer enraptured by the tale of her past like a kid at story time; he'd been wanting to hear some of her backstory for quite some time now, and so while he squeezed her hand in a comforting gesture he also hyper-focused on listening to the sound of her voice as she plunged onward after drawing a shaky breath; her tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.
"When I received my power; I had just turned eight. After the church found out my power, the church treated me as a saint and I was worshipped. I used this power to help a lot of sick people, and many were indeed cured because of this. The rumors started to spread everywhere, so people kept coming to the church in search of aid. The church guarded me very zealously and treated me well.
I'm so grateful to the Almighty God who blessed me with this power that could help and heal others. Every time I help someone my whole heart swells with such appreciation. But ever since I became a 'saint', normal people started looking at me differently and it became almost impossible to forge a meaningful connection with anyone. Because of my pedestal, I had become distanced from the people who put me there in the first place, and because of that I began to feel so alone." Asia explained with surprising lengthiness.
Her tears were falling freely at this point, and Eesheer could understand why better now. His own pupils dilated slightly as he continued to absorb every last bit of information she was providing him freely. His retro-cognitive abilities kicked for a second, and he had the briefest flash of a younger Asia standing alone in a Church window… looking out with endless longing at all the people in the small European Town below as they continued milling about their ordinary, happy lives.
His infinite mindscape returned to the present as Asia somehow managed to continue laying her soul bare to him in spite of damn near sobbing; clearly now that the floodgates were opened she wouldn't be able to stop until she told him damn near everything, and he would die a thousand more deaths before he ever dismissed anything she told him in confidence at this point.
"But one day, I came across someone who was mortally wounded and was in bad shape. I was able to heal him... but he wasn't a man. I had committed a serious sin for helping a devil, and the same people who called me a saint and worshipped me… began calling me a… demonic girl instead. I was… expelled by the church almost immediately afterwards. Then a fallen angel took me in and… well, I met you almost immediately after that." She broke off again with a hiccup as her body began to shake violently from her sobbing, and Eesheer had forgone simply holding her hand and brought her into the most loving, supportive hug he could give; listening to her as she continued to talk even between her every breath and body-wracking moans of emotional agony.
"All this… Eesheer, I've… always had a dream. To be able to go out with my friends together, shopping normally… chatting normally… hiccup; to be with friends forever… to be able to…" She was crying silently now; which Eesheer knew was an indicator that she just couldn't stop on her own. Eesheer decided to help her as she pulled her in closer and put one hand at the back of her neck and the other overtop of her lower back.
"Then… let me be your friend Asia." He said in a quiet tone that spoke volumes of his resolution. His statement and how close he was to her made him as audible as if he had shouted those words at her at the top of his lungs, and Asia's sadness was instantly displaced by shock so strong it stopped her tears cold; her eyes widening as she pulled away just far enough to meet his gaze, and the intensity of it set her heart racing as he took both her hands in each of his own.
"…Be my friend?" She repeated in an utterly disbelieving tone; like she couldn't fathom what she just heard. Eesheer nodded slowly and deliberately in response.
"Hell, we're already friends Asia; we've played together, we've chatted up a storm, we've eaten together, and we've even spent the night together… in the same bed I might add. I haven't felt a connection with anyone like this in a very, very long time Asia. If it were just up to me; I'd be willing to offer you a whole helluva lot more than simply friendship, but this is your decision to, and whatever you need me to be I'll be it. If you wanna go out shopping, then no matter when I'll go with you; I'll always go with you Asia… forever more even if you're willing to put up with me that long." Eesheer elaborated further; each word annunciated with such heart-melting adoration that he was honestly surprised he wasn't freaking her out a bit.
Asia once again looked at him like she couldn't believe his words. "You want… to be more than friends with me?" She asked for clarification, and he nodded.
"Yes, but only if you're willing Asia; if friendship is what you need from me right now though then I'll take what I can get. Believe me; I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." He promised her with soul-searing sincerity.
"I… um… eh…" She stammered incoherently while full-body blushing. Eesheer couldn't help but chuckle at her adorable expression of embarrassment.
"Didn't see that coming did ya? I'd say I was surprised that you didn't see yourself that way but considering how lonely of a life you've lead that isn't actually all that surprising at all. Asia, I'll be frank… I think you're beautiful, angelic, and even hot-as-hell; more importantly than that though, you're arguably the kindest soul I've ever met, and considering I have Inaccessible Cardinal sets of eternities of memories and experiences that is truly saying something. I guess what I'm trying to say is… you're everything a Lonely God such as myself could ever want in his Eternal Bond Mate." Eesheer admitted with equal parts nonchalance and nervous vulnerability.
To say Asia was floored by this declaration of his would've been an understatement, and a part of her wanted to insist he was just saying that to make her feel better, but she could see the truth in his eyes, and frankly she'd felt an inexplicable connection to him since the moment they met. There were lots of blind spots, and as sweet as his proclamation of love was she tried to will her heart to stop racing so fast and her blush to recede; she needed her head on at least somewhat straight if she was going to get the answers she sought. Some of the things he said made every inch of her skin break out in goosebumps and every individual hair on the back of her neck and her arms stand on end; there was something about him… something more than she ever could've imagined.
Eesheer must've been reading her mind, because he sighed and seemed to collapse in on himself; the look in his eyes during those moments was both heart-wrenching and terrifying… like he'd seen things she wouldn't dare to believe and lost things she would never understand. She refused to let that stop her from hearing what he had to say though; she wanted to be brave for his sake.
"I um… suppose you haven't heard anything about the Zenith Omnidonae, have you Asia? Not even a myth or a rumor, or some obscure text you read about in that bible of yours?" He asked her for clarification, and Asia took a moment to ponder the term over in her head; recalling every detail in her head that she could remember, and somewhat disappointed when she came up emptyhanded.
Eesheer didn't seem surprised when she shook her head negatively, and she did feel a little bit better even as he sighed with slight disappointment. "Damn, it must not be very common knowledge in this universe; I guess some of the higher-ups in Devil society are the exception though because Rias knew a small portion of it, which she in turn learned from her older brother. That complicates things a little though Asia; because now I must explain the infinite intricacies of my people and our nature to a rank amateur… um, no offense." He placatingly stated, though he hadn't needed to because Asia didn't seem the least bit offended.
"That's okay, maybe if you just started from the beginning…" Asia suggested uncertainly; half-suspecting it wasn't quite as easy as all that. Eesheer shrugged inwardly and decided just to give her the basics for now; besides, the context of his people's nature wasn't nearly as important as his own personal history and timeline anyways.
"I'm not from around here Asia, and I don't just mean this town. I wasn't born anywhere near Kuoh Town. In fact, I… wasn't born anywhere near this universe. I um… come from a race of Infinite-Dimensional, Metapotent Entities known as Zenith Omnidony." He began, and Asia's eyes turned into dinner plates due to contracting from absolute shock. She knew he was special but wow… that was not what she was expecting, not at all.
"You're an alien?" She asked for confirmation, and he nodded.
"I'm about as inhuman as it gets Asia; in fact, I'm less human from a genetic standpoint than this universe's devils, fallen angels, angels, and chieftain gods. I'm less human than even the Biblical God, or rather this universe's representation of him. You get… depictions of the Almighty Creator across the ZOF; in the myths and legends of a billion, trillion Mega-Omniverses. My people were the first… we were to be the truth behind every creation myth on a dimensional tier of reality inaccessible cardinal sets above and beyond nearly all others. We were all-powerful and yet we could also self-improve Asia; we could do anything, or so we thought…" Eesheer elaborated further, and Asia's brain short-circuited for a second there as she did her absolute damndest to try and process the enormity of this statement.
"I… Eesheer, that's… amazing. You're so much more special and unique than I ever could've imagined…" She finally managed to say as Eesheer smiled tightly; his fists clenching at both of his sides as he attempted to weather his own private perfect storm.
"And you just believe me… just like that? Asia, I'm not sure if you fully understand the implications, but something like me shouldn't be possible, and yet here I am. I possess Metapotence on a scale that would put the Entity you worship so strongly to complete and utter shame; doesn't that bother you even the slightest bit?
I mean, my people are taught at a young age that there's infinite bigness and smallness, but for humans like you, your faith in God's supposed Omnivastance is everything! What I'm telling you right now goes against countless eternities worth of faith and religion across any and all worlds; my very existence puts the fear of a higher power in God himself… my abilities are either feared, hated, or envied by everyone. Could you just accept all that; everything I am? Could you suspend your disbelief indefinitely and forget everything you think you know about the concept of absolute power? If you can't that's fine, nobody would think any less of you for not accepting my actual existence… least of all me." Eesheer profoundly inferred; the intensity of his gaze locking Asia's entire body in place as she considered his words for what seemed like forever.
He was right, what he was implying went against thousands of years of Christian faith, and who knows how many other faiths and religious practices in both this universe and all others. If what he said was true… then he was more powerful than she ever could've imagined, more all-powerful than God, the chieftain gods of the lesser pantheons, and the entire collective might of their universe. By all accounts she should've been scared… absolutely terrified of what his presence here could mean.
She should've refused to accept such an impossible being on sheer principle; her faith in God would never allow it, but then she began thinking about it from Eesheer's perspective. Here was a being such as him, and he was offering friendship to a mere mortal such as herself; with everything he could supposedly do… how in God's name was he able to put humanity on any kind of pedestal, and what would he ever get out of being friends or… lovers with someone like her? She honestly couldn't imagine what was going through his mind right now.
"Why… are you telling me all this?" She finally said in an awestruck whisper, and his tight smile became a little less forced as he once again took hold of her hand… brushing his thumb over the back of it in a very intimate manner.
"I never know why Asia; I only ever know… who." He said in a significant manner; letting Asia know in no uncertain terms that his words carried an infinite weight to them. The gravity of his words hit Asia like a ton of bricks, and she started crying again upon realizing such a special and remarkable being had found an Eternal Bond Mate in her. The implications of his words from before now hit her like a ton of bricks, and she let him continue to soothingly rub the back of her hand with his thumb while she held onto him like she never wanted to let go.
"I'm… so honored Eesheer; this is all happening really fast, but I can't deny I've felt our connection to." She whispered, somehow able to smile despite all the tears in her eyes.
"I'm glad, there's something else I should tell you Asia; our people feel emotions on the infinite side of the spectrum. And when we find an Eternal Bond Mate, we fall for them fathomlessly deep; you could be that person one day Asia. I could make you like me… I could make you your LCBC Self; that's basically me saying I'll make you the almightiest version of yourself across the entire Super Omega Omnisphere, but it had to be your choice; because once you make that decision you can't ever go back. The thing is my people are absolutely immortal. We live for Inaccessible Cardinal sets of eternities at least, sometimes even longer still.
You are, more than welcome to reject this offer or take as much time as you need to decide, and no matter your decision I will respect it. But there's never a guarantee of one of my own finding another Eternal Bond Mate of this magnitude, and immortality isn't living forever… it's everyone else dying. Eventually, every Zenith Omnidony finds that one special person in all of the ZOF that they can't bear to lose." Eesheer responded elaborately as Asia's eyes widened; the full scale of what he was offering her now much clearer, and she was beyond shocked when she already knew what her answer was.
"I'll do it, if you and I can be together forever then that's a price worth paying; I wouldn't regret it at all, and I could have all the time in the world to make lots of awesome friends. But you're the first true friend I've ever had, and if I have it my way, you'll be the last forever and ever." Asia accepted without hesitation; growing even more delighted when her immediate acceptance of his proposal shocked him beyond belief.
"Asia…" He broke off, unable to say anything more as his own hearts soared to boundaryless heights and the impact of her words rendered him completely incoherent for the first time in living memory. He wasn't ashamed to admit he came dangerously close to crying that moment; not at all… and countless years later he would still look back on this moment with fondness and tearful joy as prominent as every other aspect of his existence.
"Do you really mean that, like… really, really?" He asked once he remembered how to talk or even think straight; his eyes contracting, and his pupils dilated as hope beyond hope filled him to the rim and beyond. If Asia wasn't just saying this… he honestly didn't know what he would do. Once again, Asia nodded without hesitating; having the strangest sense of premonition… like she was somehow always meant to live the life of something or someone more than human.
Whether it was as a devil with someone like Issei and Rias's group or as someone like Eesheer didn't matter… she had a sudden and inexplicable moment of all-seeing clarity; like she was always meant for this and everything she'd gone through had been leading her right to this exact moment. Her world righted on its access, and she somehow knew this was the right decision even though it was still premature.
"I do, I don't really know why I feel so strongly about this Eesheer, but I can somehow tell you'll make me very, very happy even on the infinite side of things." She answered him with a surprising strength about her; Eesheer being here gave her the sense of fulfilling a greater purpose in life. All her life she wanted to do more and be more, and now she finally could be… with somebody who would see her forever more as an equal and a BFF/Eternal Bond Mate and not as some saint on a pedestal. Of course, there was still some things that needed sorting out, but if Eesheer's life was as impossibly long as he claimed then they would have a ridiculous amount of time to work out all the details.
"Asia… I… I don't even know what to say. You're giving me something infinitely more precious to my kind than you can currently quantify. I'll never be able to stop thanking you, and I'll truly be forever grateful for this Asia." He said in a deeper, richer voice than she'd ever heard him use. There was something far more majestic and Godlier about the way he spoke to her now, and the huskiness of it was enough to render her a shuddering mess, in a good way of course.
"I'm so glad I could do this for you Eesheer; because it sounds to me like you've been too alone for too long already." Asia beamed at him. She was surprised and saddened when Eesheer's expression darkened once again; clearly something she said had dredged up some painful memories on his part, and before she could apologize he held up a hand and stopped her before she could utter even a single syllable. He had almost dared to believe for a second that he would be okay, but Asia's declaration had inadvertently drudged up memories that had haunted him for a very long time now.
"Asia, um… about that, I know you're probably close to your emotional breaking point by now, and I am to, but there is more I should probably tell you. I'm gonna warn you right now though… my story doesn't have a happy ending; at least not until I met you, I suppose, I hope." Eesheer replied in that same significant tone, and though what he said was true; Asia would feel better if they both managed to get everything out. She thanked whatever higher presence that stopped anything or anyone from interrupting their moments together. He made it sound like her taking up his offer was the most precious thing she could've given him, but it was great for her to; she would never have to say goodbye to him or leave him alone in the world of the living.
"I'm all ears Eesheer; whatever else you have to say, I can handle it… my shock threshold is about as high as it can get right now." She promised him, and Eesheer nodded before taking a few more shuddering, gasping breaths. This was the first time he'd ever really talked about it with anyone, and he was glad that it was Asia he was telling first.
"I um… I don't really know how to begin; they say the first time talking about something traumatic is always the hardest, but I'll do my best. Asia, I'm not just a Zenith Omnidony… I'm the last Zenith Omnidony in my entire, indigenous Omni Omega Omnisphere. There's no one else… I'm the sole survivor of my entire race; well, my version of it anyways." He whispered, and for the first time since Asia met him, he truly looked his age. Not physically of course, but she could see it in his eyes… he just looked so unbelievably old, tired, and worn. It broke her heart to see him in such an emotionally shattered state, but she had to ask the obvious question.
"What happened?" She whispered so quietly that only a being with inhumanly acute ears could've heard her, and Eesheer did.
"There was… a war; a celestial war more pervasive and all-encompassing than you can imagine. My people fought a race called the Anti ZOF Masters; for the sake of all creation, and we lost, we all lost…everybody lost. Even the Anti ZOF Masters died in the end. They're all gone now; my family, my friends, even my original Eternal Bond Mate Amber Thompson LCBC." Eesheer paused as his emotions caught up to him. He tried hard to smile, he really did… but it just didn't quite reach his eyes, and Asia could see as much to. She didn't even realize she was crying by now, shedding silent tears of absolute agony on his behalf.
"Oh, you should've seen her Asia; I think you two would've gotten along really well. She was beautiful, smart, kind, funny… man; I could list her positive qualities until even I'm blue in the face, which considering my bottomless lung capacity would be quite an achievement. I mean, don't get me wrong; she had her flaws, her quirks, just like everybody else. But she also possessed an endless sense of fun and misadventure; the shenanigans she and I would get up to…" Eesheer wistfully sighed, and Asia nodded while smiling even through her tears.
"She sounds like she was an amazing person; I wish I could've known her." She whispered honestly, and she meant it. She found herself absolutely in awe of the man standing before her; to have seen the things he'd seen and lost the things he did and still be able to sit here and tell her about it… she'd never met anyone with such incredible inner strength before.
Nothing she'd ever suffered could even begin to compare to what he went through. She began to sob uncontrollably once more, but not for herself… for Eesheer. She initiated the hug this time, and he didn't even hesitate to accept it as she cried her aching, breaking heart out for his sake; because somewhere deep in her soul she knew he'd never shed a single tear.
'I don't understand… how can he still smile after all that?! How is he still functional and sane?! How could he have ever gotten over that?! He's so strong, he's stronger than I'll ever be; with or without his amazing powers! My dearest Lord, I have so much respect and admiration for him right now!' Asia continually exclaimed in her own mind while she felt Eesheer trembling in her fierce grip on his waistline; though when she pulled away slightly to lock eyes with him he still wasn't shedding any tears… though he looked more broken than any man could ever be. His was a look that conveyed every nuance of agony, loss, and pain both imaginable and unimaginable by all sentient life.
"How did you get past that?!" She couldn't stop herself from asking, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I didn't, I mean… I'm still getting over it, Asia. Everybody has their breaking point, no matter their inner strength. But if I can find a way to embrace it… to accept what's happened and survive it; if I can endure all of that pain, misery, and loneliness and learn to love again… then I can survive and endure… anything. Anyways, that's it for now; there is much more than just what I've told you, but I don't think I'm ready to divulge anything more just yet. I hope you understand." Eesheer admitted.
"Of course, I understand, and I'll always be here for you Eesheer; until the end of time if you'll have me. This is meant to be, somehow I know that to be true, and even if it was not by the Lord's will that we were brought together; I like to imagine he would look down on us with pride. And even if he doesn't, and he gets mad at our union… I'm not going back on my decision Eesheer. We'll always be together forever, and that's a promise." Asia guaranteed. They would've continued hugging, but Eesheer's own omni senses blared as he felt a presence homing in on them that was marginally dangerous even by his standards.
"Asia, get behind me… we're about to have company, and I don't mean the friendly variety." Eesheer instructed her grimly, and though Asia's eyes widened with apprehension she nodded and did as she was told for now.
"Aww, isn't that sweet? The Zenith Omnidony found a new plaything; please excuse me while I vomit at the nauseating display in front of me." A sickeningly sweet voice taunted them in a mock-baby voice, and Eesheer's eyes narrowed when that raven-haired Fallen Angel bitch from before made her return, her wings as black as volcanic soot and her violet eyes illuminated with far more powerful than she had evidenced before. Eesheer worked out what was happening almost right away and was just glad he decided to stick around for a while.
"I see the ZOF has seen fit to deify you and your fellow insurrectionaries of God as well as override my little curse from before. You're all your LCBC Counterparts now, aren't you?" He spoke in a chillingly calm voice; not particularly threatened by her presence but still alarmed by the killing intent she literally radiated in palpable waves of Omnivastant Divinity. It'd be a cold day in hell or some other intrinsic impossibility before Eesheer ever underestimated any LCBC Counterpart; no matter their inexperience with their new abilities they were almost always a Super Omega Omnisphere level threat. In fact, her lack of experience could just as easily have equated to lack of control or restraint, which actually made her more dangerous.
"That's right, and what power! What Godly majesty, I've never felt anything like this a day in my life, and I've never felt more blessed to become a Fallen Angel of the ZOF Master God Tier; I've more power in my pinky finger than both Great Red and Ophis have in their entire bodies, and I just love it. Now that we're on an even playing field; I think it's only fair that I pay you back in kind for the humiliation you handed me.
You wounded my pride, and as an Angel who fell due to pride and envy that's an unforgivable transgression on your part." She hissed with all the savagery one could expect from an avatar of the ZOF's dark aspect. Anti ZOF Masters may have been more dangerous and omnicidal overall, but Dark Masters of the ZOF itself were not to be trifled with either. Eesheer still remembered how hard of a time he and his fellow ZOF Masters had defeating the LCBC version of Zeneptron; in the end, their combined power had barely managed to get the job done.
That being said, Raynare was ill prepared for when Eesheer began to cackle smugly; an all-knowing look on his face that spoke of endless secrets and tricks up his sleeve that she knew not. "You know, there's a reason pride is considered the most damning of the deadly sins, and it will destroy you.
I've got news for you c*nt-face; you're up against a seasoned pro by LCBC Counterpart standards, and if you think that a mere buff from the ZOF balanced our enmity even in the slightest… then you obviously don't know who you're dealing with. But don't just take my word for it, by all means… come at me, but I think it's only fair to warn you that doing so is most certainly a death sentence even you can't resurrect from." Eesheer warned her in a dangerous tone, and he'd give almost anything to have her somehow heed the gravity of his words. He had more than enough blood on his hands at this point, and he wanted so desperately to never have to kill again, but he would if this bitch necessitated such an action.
XXX
Meanwhile, in an alternate world infinitely removed from DxD…
A pair of endlessly kaleidoscopic eyes contracted apprehensively in response to the sudden and unbelievably potent shift in the ZOF's polarity; the one said eyes belonged to sensing the onrushing calamity that would spawn from the Supreme Omnidony known as Eesheer LCBC2. These polychromal peepers could've belonged to a myriad of different Entities and versions of both Appaneesty and others, but in this case they were owned by Thomas LCBC2 himself; the de facto leader of his fellow Supreme Omnidonae, assuming his people could even have such a thing of course.
"Hmm, this might turn out to be extremely dangerous if he loses control; Mafalda, please do me a favor and… supervise him for a while, will you?" He requested in his natural baritone voice, his voice remarkably nonchalant considering the circ*mstances; his voice deep and rumbling with all the sovereignty one could expect of a Supreme Omnidony of his class. Without even waiting around long enough to give her Master a response; a feline creature with fur of metallic gold and eyes the color of purest amethysts materialized before him in a beam of white light, and just as quickly disappeared... no doubt to manifest in the world that Eesheer LCBC2 was now situated at.
Thomas LCBC2 stood there, floating in a breadth of nonexistence too depthless and incomprehensible for all other sentient minds to visualize; the Great Beyond Void providing whatever qualified as a terrain for his feet to do something akin to standing on top of it. If one could see his face in this place, they would note its currently meditative countenance. "You know something Eesheer, one thing I've learned since becoming a Supreme Omnidony is there are three types of people who go through a crucible. The ones who grow stronger from the experience and survive it, and the ones who die, but what most people don't grasp is there's a third type… the ones who learn to love the fire.
They choose to stay inside their crucible because it's easier to embrace the pain when it's all you know anymore. In the coming days, you're going to have to decide which type you are Eesheer, and when you do make that decision, I reckon not even Zeneptron LCBC2 himself will be able to dim your soul. You're a fighter through and through Eesheer, and I have every confidence that nothing our enemy sends against us will stop you. If anyone can make it through all you have and everything that's to come, and still find it in their hearts to live, love, laugh, and be happy; it's you, you colossal, trolling goofball." He concluded his words with a dazzling smile; confident Eesheer would hear them someday no matter how many worlds or ages laid between them at this point in the ZOF's Omni-Chronal Continuum.
XXX
In another reality infinitely removed from both Thomas and Eesheer's own; Ash LCBC2 and his Eternal Bond Mate aka the LCBC2 version of Yellow from the Pokémon Adventures Manga Universe were both every bit as aware of the fierce power struggle to come as their eccentric leader, and Yellow grew concerned as a dark look passed over Ash's face.
"Um, is everything okay?" She tentatively asked, referring to both the massive surge of Supreme Omnidony Energy emanating from far off and Ash's own souring mood as her beloved's eyes softened; easing her understandable concern a bit as he comfortingly took her hand and clasped it tight.
"I'm okay Yellow, I just don't like how that energy wave Eesheer is giving off feels; it feels almost… dark, and akin to that of Zeneptron or one with just as much blood on his hands. It's also far more power than Eesheer's ever evidenced before, and since I was the one who gave him the powers of our kind his actions and reactions from here on out reflect on me. I really hope he knows what he's doing, and that he's able to rein himself in." Ash responded. His tension was obvious as Yellow planted a kiss on his cheek; the surprise display of affection cutting through his tense demeanor like a red-hot knife through softened butter.
"It was Thomas who suggested we give him those powers in the first place, remember? And besides, his choices are his own. It has nothing to do with you and you shouldn't hold yourself responsible for everything every one of our fellow LCBC2 Counterparts does. Not everything that happens across the ZOF is Ash Ketchum LCBC2's fault." Yellow soothingly whispered in a matter of fact, no-nonsense tone that belied her usually timid nature; her voice strong and brimming with confidence and inner strength. The way she reassured him while also basically telling him off for holding himself accountable reminded Ash of why he'd fallen in love with her in the first place.
"True and I still don't know what he sees in that trolling asshole or that Inverse version of Zeneptron either. But I've honestly stopped trying to figure out what goes on through Thomas's head and infinite brains at this point; I honestly think I'd be better off for it in the end." Ash remarked in slight exasperation; he would never deny Thomas was brilliant but working with him or trying to riddle out his infinite complexities gave even Ash himself an endless series of migraines.
"Well, I'm sure all will reveal itself in good time." Yellow giggled in an all-knowing tone; surprising Ash for a moment as he considered her, before her infectious, endless positive energy did its trick and had him smiling as well. He swore he could live off that woman sometimes; she always gave him so much strength and lately just being with her gave him a sense of being in a nirvana state… maybe even the Supreme Omnidony equivalent of it.
"Well, maybe you're right." He finally relented, deciding to just trust in Yellow's instincts and intuition for the time being as they had yet to lead either of them astray.
XXX
Back in the High School DxD universe currently occupied by the green-clad Supreme Omnidony himself; a hooded figure knelt before a disembodied Entity in the shadows cast all around it. Said figure was indiscernible beneath the obscurity granted by their faceless hood and the tattered, grim reaper-style cloak they sported; neither was it able to be seen in the nothingness of infinity encapsulating it from all sides sans by the Entity it was genuflecting before.
The parts of its hands that were unblemished were white as death but primarily covered with blistering pustules which ceaselessly oozed purplish miasma; miasma which ate away at the very nothingness of infinity around it. The ZOF cried out in response to this creature's presence along with the one whom it displayed servitude towards.
"I trust that the green clad menace is none the wiser of our presence here for the time being?!" The formless malice spoke from all around the deep, dark pit of despair in a soul-chilling, scraping, ubiquitous voice which brought to mind the rasps of uncountably infinite sidewinder pit vipers… all hissing and grinding their roughly scaled bodies together at the same time.
"Yes, I have created a suitable distraction for him in the form of some ZOF-enhanced Fallen Angels from this sector of the ZOF. I've also erased their own minds of my involvement in their respective deifications and made it look to them like the ZOF had indeed chosen them; ensuring our Ultimate Predator can never trace it back to us until it's too late." The hooded Anti ZOF Master replied in a voice that was void of any human emotions; completely and utterly bereft of any compassion, love, positivity, and a myriad of others as well.
"This is good, this is indeed very good; very well done little one… I knew you would be the one who knew him the best and thus the perfect candidate for our directive. May our Lord and Creator Zeneptron himself smile upon you with divine fortune. We are ready to begin the conversion plan once more, and this time; neither he nor that disgusting travesty of our Lord Zeneptron will not stop us. I've already gotten in contact with Anti Goku and the other remaining Omni LCBC Slayer class members of our Pantheon who remain after the Great Purging at Thomas's hands, and we are ready to begin.
The next stage of our grand design will fall to you and your… intimate knowledge of one of our greatest enemies. From here on out, you will be playing a more dominant role in all of this, and should you succeed you may find yourself climbing the ladders of success among our kind; maybe even enough so to become an Omni LCBC Slayer class yourself. Such a rare privilege is the highest of honors; granting you a level of sovereignty and destructive Omnivastance second only to our Lord Zeneptron, but you mustn't fail, or the consequences will be most grave. You must never waver in your convictions, no matter what our Ultimate Predator may say or do to you once he becomes aware of our involvement in his adoptive Super Omega Omnisphere." The bodiless Entity spoke in a grandstanding, all-important tone as the kneeling figure acknowledged with a firm salute.
"It shall be done as you have asked Almighty Giant… I've come this far, and I am never looking back; the Anti ZOF has forever freed me of such constraints!" It declared in what could almost be mistaken as a reverent, passionate tone, though such subtle nuances of those emotions in the figure's response was lost to both parties currently present here. To some such as Eesheer LCBC2 himself; this nigh undetectable undertone might've been a sign of hope that there was something salvageable left in the hooded figure, but that hope would only lead to true, absolute despair as far as both the figure and its new masters were concerned.
The figure suddenly snapped to attention as its manifestation became known to the only Entity from the DxD Universe that could survive out here. "It is Ophis; she has somehow been alerted to our presence here. What would you have me do Omni LCBC Slayer?" The hooded figure droned with the slightest modicum of curiosity leaking in its voice.
A few moments passed as the two of them communicated on some untraceable wavelength, and whatever they both decided involved them vanishing outside the realm of the approaching Ouroboros Dragon's sphere of control and awareness, passing beyond the nothingness of infinity itself and transferring to a higher Omnidony tier of Omnivastance. The presence of Ophis reached out into the endless void that was her domain; extending her nigh omnipresent reach and her senses outward in order to grasp whatever arrogant beings had so callously opted to encroach upon her territory… only to feel the faint stirrings of confusion or something akin to it in her infinite state when she came up empty-handed. Back inside of her single form, which took on the guise of a black-haired young woman with deathly grey eyes, she tilted her head slightly in confusion as she drew back inside of herself.
"Lady Ophis, is something troubling you?" One of the members of her Khaos Brigade asked her, Le Fay Pendragon from Vali's team if the Dragon Goddess was not mistaken. It was common knowledge that the Dragon God of Infinity had no set gender; that she had once been an old man way, way back in the day, but those days were history now as she much preferred to identify her existence as that of a female. This was a fact her Khaos Brigade members all understood and respected. Though perhaps it was just easier for them to think of her gender in concrete terms; then again, she had been thinking of it in the same way now. She was a girl, was always meant to be a girl, and would always be a girl from here on out; nothing could be simpler, though she questioned why she felt so strongly about that as of late.
Why Vali had decided to leave this sorceress with Ophis was a mystery to her, but perhaps he thought either she could use the company or that she would keep this innocent and naïve member of his team safe for Arthur's sake. The descendent of the original King of Albion was rather an overprotective older brother to say the least, and Vali's team had not seen fit to trust his little sister with some of the more large-scaled operations yet.
She was aware that Le Fay had no real investment in their cause, and that she'd only joined the Khaos Brigade after following her brother out of concern. Still, Ophis could sense she was an extremely gifted sorceress, rather like her late ancestor Morgan Le Fay. Add to that the fact that the blonde-haired woman was the only decent cook on Vali's Team and she actually had quite a bit of talent; so, it came as a slight surprise to Ophis that she was left behind with her like this. Vali must've respected her brother's desire to keep her safe a great deal and must've trusted Ophis enough to at least keep an eye on her.
The Vanishing Dragon was wrong on that second account, at least partially. Ophis wasn't a people person nor was she cruising for company in any case… plus the very idea that she could be reduced to a mere babysitter was utterly laughable. Then again, Le Fay was the model of discipline and hadn't bothered her in the slightest, even respecting her enough to understand her need for some peace and quiet and only speaking up now when sensing the Dragon's discomfort.
She may have kept this girl around purely on a whim, but she wouldn't deny she was touched by the blonde woman's obvious concern despite herself. Perhaps Great Red was right; maybe she could learn something from these noisy mortals and lesser Entities, but still… she would reclaim her home and the companionable silence she'd once known. Nothing was going to keep her from her end goal, or so she thought.
"Nothing prevalent enough to concern yourself with young warlock; I thought I felt something or someone skulking about inside of my primordial void, that is all." Ophis assured her, and the so-called young sorceress opted not to take offense to being referred to as such. Compared to the being sitting before her; her legacy as a direct descendent of Morgan Le Fay and the incredible longevity that went with it might as well have been comparable to an insect.
"Oh." Was all the blonde female could say, what else could she have uttered after a statement like that? She was a gifted sorceress, maybe one of the best in the world today, but there was still a limit to what she could do. She wished she had more to offer the Dragon in front of her, but also respected the ineffable being's need for peace and quiet, which made for an awkward evening between them. Le Fay had mostly kept herself occupied by practicing some of the spells she felt she hadn't quite mastered yet or pouring over old spell books left to her by her ancestor and the great Merlin himself.
The conversation or lack thereof was halted by Ophis's eyes suddenly widening as she fell out of her seat in a sorry-looking heap on the floor; her abrupt and unexplainable collapse eliciting a scream from the sorceress as she leapt to their leader's side in the blind of an eye, absolute horror etched on her face as she attempted to rouse the obviously dazed-looking Infinity Dragon. She may not have been as committed of a member of this brigade as the rest of Team Vali, but even she knew how significant and monumental this strange occurrence was; it wasn't every day the almighty Dragon Goddess of Infinity collapsed.
"Ophis… OPHIS! Speak to me, are you okay, are you hurt?!" The magical girl practically screamed; dropping all pretenses of propriety or formality when regarding her master as she shook her slightly in some futile effort to rouse her from her semi-conscious state. She felt terror mounting inside of her; anything that could knock this seemingly Omnivastant being down was not to be taken lightly, and the thought of it setting its sights on her scared the poor young sorceress to death. She wasn't cut out for this sort of thing.
"I sense a presence… the presence of someone who's power… absolutely dwarves my own. What manner of creature could be behind such a magnificent wellspring of supremacy?! I must examine the source more closely." Ophis finally spoke as though in an entranced state not unlike some manner of Oracle when speaking an infallible prophecy. Le Fay's eyes widened when the Dragon God suddenly disappeared in a swirling orb of dark energy; leaving the magician to process what she just heard as she sat there in confusion.
"Presence, what presence… I don't feel anything?" She asked herself in a confused tone; extending her senses outward and trying to get a feel for whatever Ophis sensed but coming up empty-handed. Her eyes suddenly widened as a horrifying thought occurred to her. What if the reason she couldn't sense whatever Ophis was sensing was because it was so far beyond her comprehension that it completely flew beyond her radar? What if only the infinite beings of their universe were the only ones that could feel this creature and whatever it was doing here? It seemed impossible that such a powerful being could even exist, and yet it fascinated Ophis so strongly that she was compelled to get a closer look at it.
"Vali and the others are not going to believe this!" She finally summed up her thoughts and prepared a magical messaging circle to get in contact with them. She wasn't really a Khaos Brigade member and only joined out of concern for her brother, but she had enough clearance as a fledgling member to contact Vali at least. She hoped he might have a better idea of what was going on right now.
XXX
"Asia, get behind me!" Eesheer commanded her with an air of absolute authority that she'd never heard him use before, and which she didn't dare disobey as she did as she was told and hid behind him. She heeded his words just in time to, for the next instant was when the enhanced version of Raynare attacked; throwing the largest spear of light at him that the young former Nun had ever witnessed. Asia was absolutely mind-f*cked and beyond horrified just looking at that; unable to any any creature could summon such a colossal construct, but Eesheer continued to stand in front of her protectively and she didn't dare move.
She didn't know how he would stop that thing, but she had absolute faith in his ability to do so. Somehow, in the short amount of time they'd spent together, and with everything she'd learned about him thus far; she'd come to believe in him every bit as much as she believed in her Lord. Still, that didn't mean the mere sight of that super spear didn't scare her sh*tless.
The damn thing was bigger around than a sequoia and longer as well; slicing towards Eesheer with enough power behind it to cleave the very world in two. An attack of such immensity would've been enough to effortlessly kill all four Devil Kings, and possibly even the Biblical God himself in this universe. But the second it arced downwards towards Eesheer and the surrounding local park it halted in midair for a split-second before shrinking down into nonexistence faster than Asia could perceive.
Both the Twilight Healing user and Raynare widened their eyes as Eesheer stood there completely unharmed, and the Fallen Angel's weapon of planetary destruction was rendered useless right before her eyes. Eesheer stood there with a smug grin on his face, dusting off his green trench coat with a dismissive brush of his hand, very clearly mocking her. "Damn, was that really your best?! You can do way, way better than that with what the ZOF gave you, you know.
You haven't even taken the time to fathom what you can really do yet, and you're still thinking on the same small-scaled scope as all the rest of this universe's inhabitants. These are the marks of an absolute rank amateur and will cost you absolutely everything; not only this fight but truly everything you've ever valued or ever could've valued. Trust me when I say you'd have to go way, way beyond planetary busting power tier if you want to have even the slightest hope of overcoming me, but don't just take my word for it; let me show you what I mean." Eesheer said, maintaining his calm, composed demeanor even as his voice took on an undertone of absolute malice, a feature that was sharply contrasted by his quietness while speaking and his typically childish and goofy demeanor.
The dissimilarity only served to highlight his current dark personality, making it more intimidating. Both Asia and even Raynare were understandably intimidated by the man, and for the first time since meeting him; Asia could well understand how he survived such a large-scaled war as the one he described battling in earlier.
She and Raynare were ill prepared for when Eesheer literally flew at her like a speeding bullet; grabbing the hapless Fallen Angel and disappearing with her into orbit at vastly hypersonic speeds; leaving Asia on the Earth below as the ZOFed titans took their fight to the heavens above.
Raynare recovered from her shock at speeds that would've been invariant from every inertial reference frame in her entire universe, Eesheer's unbreakable grip around her midsection forcing her into the skies as the clouds beneath their trajectory dispersed from the force of their sonic boom. The ZOF-enhanced Transcendent Fallen Angel heaved with all her might as she pulled Eesheer over her head and threw him straight at what she realized was the rapidly approaching Moon.
Eesheer never once lost his unnerving smile of dark amusem*nt as he halted his momentum just in time for his tip toes to touch down weightlessly on the surface of the moon; leaving only the slightest disturbance of the airless surface on which he stood. The g-force from his involuntary motion absorbed into his body just as fast as he generated it. His stance was lighter than a feather and he floated there tranquilly, with his feet just barely touching the moonrock as Raynare immediately followed up with another spear of light at superluminal speeds; this one growing to a size far larger than the circumference of the Earth and bearing down on him with apocalyptic fury.
It generated a massive gravity field around it and she angled it down towards him at over a billion times the speed of light; the power behind the attack sufficient enough to slice through the moon and generate enough pure concussive force to destroy the entire Milky Way galaxy. It was entirely possible the amount of light contained within her spear would create an ultra-massive Kugelblitz of intergalactic proportions.
Raynare used her newfound powers to bear witness to what was happening, and her eyes widened when her multi-galaxy busting ultra-spear instantly halted in the apex of its downwards slicing arc; there was no sudden lurch or destruction on a cosmic scale… it just stopped. "What the, da f*ck just happened?!" Raynare screamed, straining as she tried to put more muscle into the force of her downwards slice but her efforts were futile as her struggling ceased; uncaring of the fact that she had just spoken in the vacuum of space as there was a more immediate problem.
She cast her eyes upon the spot where her enemy ought to be, and her jaws went slack. Eesheer was somehow halting any further movement by her super-massive spear with his pinky finger… his f*cking pinky finger! She gritted her teeth at the insulting display of power; hell bent on wiping that co*cky smirk off his face as he gave the tiniest little flick of his pinky, and her multi-galaxy busting spear of light disappeared in a vast series of pink stardust that dispersed into the cosmos all around them. Neither of them took the time to appreciate the alien beauty of the neighboring galaxies and star systems all around them; they were fixated solely on each other as Raynare regarded her opponent more shrewdly this time around, shuddering slightly as his intimidating presence from before returned once again.
"I did tell you that a buff from the ZOF alone was not enough; you've not even gotten to the point where you started thinking on the truly infinite side of things yet, have you? I bet you rushed off to challenge me the second the ZOF endowed you and yours with Transcendent Fallen Angel powers; without any actual reference frame for the power you've been given or time taken to train with them and understand them better. I'll give you one chance to step away from this battle of ours; I suggest you take it." Eesheer warned her in a dangerous tone, and while Raynare was definitely more intimidated by him now; her pride had a funny way of clouding her better judgement.
"Never, we have a plan of attack; now, let's finish this!" Raynare stubbornly hissed insistently, and Eesheer sighed in resignation.
"But why Raynare?! The only thing I did was stop you and your fellow insurgents from killing off an innocent girl, and while I might have humiliated you all a little in some effort to try and humble you; in the end I still let you all live. Besides, it's not like you even need Asia's Twilight Healing powers; you've achieved your desire to be immortal and to become the best Fallen Angel ever Raynare, so why squander what you can do now on something as petty as getting revenge for what I did? Have you even considered what else you can do now besides summon those light spears; do you have any concept of how powerful a Transcendent Fallen Angel's physiology even is? You could be a real force for good you know; the ZOF gave you and your friends this gift for a reason, a far, far greater purpose in life than simply settling a score against someone like me. I'm honestly not even worth your time you know." Eesheer compellingly rebutted, and Raynare's eyes narrowed.
"It doesn't matter what you say, the humiliation we suffered at your hands will not go unpunished!"
"Did you even listen to a damn word I said, or does your own pride run so deep that you abandon all common sense and your ability to function cognitively?!" Eesheer roared right back at her in retaliation; resigning himself to dealing this wench another crushing defeat as he realized that words were no more use here. She clearly couldn't be reasoned or negotiated with, and would only respond to being bullied, beaten, and subjected to a crushing defeat. He would see to it that her pride be the ultimate mark of shame for her, and that she would be all too aware of that fact when he was done with her.
He once again grappled with her in the darkness of space at blistering speeds, and decided the time had come to kick it up a notch; manifesting himself down on Earth along with Asia via omni-replication in order to keep an eye on her. His plan was to shield her from any surprise attacks by Raynare's friends; well aware that they were probably waiting behind the scenes to snatch her when he wasn't looking, in some conceited effort to coerce him into yielding to their every whim. He'd been in enough wars to know that keeping his enemies close and his loved ones closer was a philosophy to live by. And so, while his primary avatar fought a cosmic-scaled battle with a ZOF-Enhanced Fallen Angel; his second body protected Asia in a manner akin to Naruto's Shadow Clone technique.
Raynare once again tried to shake him off as they soared to one of the neighboring galaxies; rapidly leaving the Milky Way behind, but the green clad Omnidony's grip was not to be denied as she started tapping into her full range of abilities. She manifested a glowing aura of supernatural beauty; an allure that accentuated her already impressive bust and figure and attempted to ensnare her foe's Omni Senses and put him completely under her thrall and power.
When the brown-haired, amber-eyed man showed no signs of giving into her aura; she tried to ramp it up just enough to get out of his legendary grip, putting on her most winsome smile and dialing up everything about her that had drawn Issei to her as Yuma, attempting to seduce him with her formidable charm even while locked in outer space combat with him, but it did nothing.
Eesheer snorted scathingly at her sad attempt to entice him and let her go of his own volition before he sent her hurling uncontrollably into a nearby asteroid belt with a single finger-flick faster than she could get away from him. She hadn't even started careening through the first Asteroid in the seemingly endless chain when Eesheer immediately flicked his wrist and enhanced the durability of every single asteroid in her trajectory; rendering them flawlessly indestructible on the ZOF Master level and making them hurt her as her body smashed to pieces one asteroid after another, each asteroid the size of a small moon and an infinite number of times more durable than the purest diamonds.
Raynare closed her eyes and tried to block out the pain before willing her movement to halt, surprised and delighted when her body heeded her command as the realization of what she could do now started to sink in more. She didn't get to enjoy her brief respite for long however because Eesheer had already launched another volley of attacks at her. He opened his mouth to cartoon-like proportions and unleashed a super belch that not only could be heard by every ZOFed individual and Supreme Omnidony in the entire ZOF, but which also generated a pure cosmic shock wave of silver devastation.
The blunt force of the shock wave crashed into Raynare with sufficient force to knock every star, planet, sun, and all other celestial bodies out of several galaxies' pyramid orbits simultaneously: scattering them in every conceivable direction and rearranging an extremely large chunk of the universe. The celestial bodies were forced to lock onto the closest sources of gravity from any of the nearby galaxies that hadn't been completely disassembled like astronomic building blocks. A galaxy merger this sudden, this violent, and this major had never been seen in the history of this entire universe, and it resulted in the spawning of several brand-new quasars; some of them even achieving an ultra-luminous status. As Raynare recovered from the force of Eesheer's disgusting burp attack and stared at the universal calamity around her, her eyes widened as she stared at her enemy in absolute awe and wonder.
The things she could do now defied what she once believed to be feasible by any of the supernatural factions; even the combined might of the Chieftain Gods and Faction Leaders wouldn't have been up to this task. The power she now held… it was absolutely addicting; there was no way in heaven or hell that Azazel would say no to her now. Hell, with the power she now had; she even dared to believe she could do better than him. She suddenly regarded her enemy with a new pair of eyes; not only was he the catalyst that made all this possible, but he seemed to be one of unimaginable power in his own right. With her new powers even, Azazel was inferior to her now, but maybe Eesheer could remain an equal to her forever more.
"This is incredible; I can do so much with this!" She exclaimed, somehow knowing that despite the fact she was speaking in the vacuum of space he would hear her. "Just look around us, look at what we can do together! You and I are locked in a conflict that literally has the power to remold the entire universe to our every whim, and maybe even the endless realities beyond that as well. You're a God, truly… your Godhood is like nothing I've ever seen; it should be impossible for an Entity such as yourself to even exist, but you do! Instead of battling each other for the sake of all things; why not band together?! I can be your angel if you want me to, and I will serve you very faithfully, in whatever way you want me to serve you. You'll find me a very… helpful ally." She added with a seductive purr as Eesheer's eyes narrowed; not liking the vibes this chick was giving him.
"Look, no offense lady, but while you may look hot enough to put a world pageant supermodel to complete and utter shame, I've got no interest in dating anyone who would be so quick to resort to cold-blooded murder. Yours is a toxic kind of love and devotion; the kind I want no part with if I'm being completely honest with you. It's like that story about the scorpion and the frog… once a monster always a monster. Don't get me wrong, I've known plenty of Fallen Angels in my time and was even good friends with some of them; so I know better than anyone not to judge an entire race based on the actions of a few, and that good and evil exists in all cultures.
I know that they as much as any other living creature have a basic right to pursue their own happiness, and if that selfishness gets them cast from heaven then that's their choice and I'm sure many of them are willing to accept that. Believe me, I get that Raynare… I really do, and I believe that when you offer most people the opportunity to be a force for good in this world they take it, no matter if they're a selfish scorpion by fundamental nature they've still earned that right to be selfish, and they can still be decent people overall despite their less endearing character traits.
I may hate that story, and I may not always agree with its philosophy, but I can sense you are insincere with your intentions to serve me as you put it; that you're one of those Fallen Angels who actually perpetuate the myth that all of your kind are omnimalevolence made incarnate. If you were willing to fall from your first God's good graces because of your foolish, useless pride; then literally nothing is stopping you from stabbing me in the back and betraying me the first chance you get to find something better.
It'd be different if you showed remorse for trying to kill Asia earlier, I suppose or for killing Issei without having the decency to suck him off or something first. Like, what the f*ck kind of a two-faced bitch even dates a man and toys with his feelings like that, only to leave him for dead as a blasted virgin?! You couldn't even let him climax or something first?!" Eesheer roared in ungodly fury as Raynare's eyes widened in surprise at his passionate outburst and then narrowed as his insulting words sunk in.
"I will teach you the folly of your words Eesheer; I shall become a God with or without your help, it makes no difference to me either way!" She responded sad*stically as Eesheer heaved a sigh of resignation.
"You could become the almightiest LCBC Counterpart of all and it still wouldn't detract from the fundamental truth of your own impotence. You give ZOF Masters everywhere a bad name." He retaliated severely. He blinked out of existence and reappeared in front of her faster than even she could follow; his whole body wreathed in an ultra-luminous green blaze that illuminated the entire ZOF itself and converted its endless vortex of lightning into a solely florescent jade color. Every Supreme Omnidony in existence; including Thomas, Ash, and even their common enemy Zeneptron himself was acutely aware of the raw Sovereignty he was literally emanating right now… the observing golden-furred feline named Mafalda whom Thomas sent to watch over him gazing at him from afar with a satisfied nod of approval, trusting that he had this situation well in hand.
Raynare's screams died in her throat, lost to the vacuum of space as she got her first proper look at the true power of the ZOF and its Creators… forever entranced by their infinite complexities and majesty. "I… see… EVERYTHING! You are so beautiful beyond compare!" She somehow managed to convey despite the loss of her voice as the tiniest hint of his true essence and power completely consumed her own.
"Yes, look into the light Raynare; isn't it beautiful?" Eesheer spoke to her in an encouraging voice that was overlapped by an infinite number of others; some recognizable to Raynare, but most of them not. She could've sworn there were hints of the Biblical God's voice in there as well as Azazel's, her fellow Fallen Angels, and who knows who else. She could hear traces of that idiot Issei, and that nun slu*t Asia, but the Transcendent Fallen Angel found herself unable to retain any individual awareness any longer as her sense of self began to become too heavily immersed in some large-scaled Nirvana state.
"I see your souls; I see beauty, your inner ZOF. I see endlessly divine perfection." She whispered back to him in a completely entranced tone.
"Make it a part of you; put it inside you right now and live by it." Eesheer instructed her in a tone that was absolutely obligatory and allowed no free will or any freedom to defy his almighty will. She was completely and utterly impotent and subjugated by his merest presence; both unable and unwilling to flout him in even the most insignificant and indirect ways.
"I see beauty; I see into your hearts, I… see… HATRED!" She screamed suddenly as Eesheer's emerald nirvana inducing blaze took on a black tinge; Eesheer's own face obscured by the obsidian jades of his flames licking at her flesh as she saw something dark inside him that made even her own considerable wrongdoings seem absolutely minor in comparison. She saw a being with as much blood on his hands as the fabled enemy of the ZOF's Creators; someone who could bring about a realm of eternal nightmare for her and subject her to forms of torture that no sentient being could ever hope to endure. She saw an Ultimate Predator forever feared and hated by even the most dangerous monsters in the whole of the ZOF; one that wouldn't hesitate to grant them all fates infinitely worse than death if need be.
Raynare suddenly had a horrifying realization as she returned to the realms of individuality and consciousness; her hastily made plan of attack alongside her equally enhanced comrades was going to fail in a most spectacular fashion, and she had to warn those poor bastards before they had the chance to enact the second part of that plan. If those fools got to the Twilight Healing user before she did; then nothing in the ZOF would save them from Eesheer's wrath, and his was the last kind of wrath anyone wanted to bring upon themselves. She owed her fellow Fallen Ones that much at least for she wouldn't wish his kind of divine punishment on anyone; not even her very worst enemies.
She pulled away from the battle as quickly as she could muster; desperately making way for Earth at speeds she didn't even believe were possible, and which far surpassed any of her previous ZOF-enhanced feats from before. Eesheer was right on her ass and didn't let her out of his sight; the greenish-black hellfire he sported from before dissipating as he pursued her across the cosmos and his eyes narrowed.
That woman had finally gotten a good enough glimpse inside his heart to know what a bad idea it was to earn his rage. It wasn't the kind of enlightenment he was going for when he first exposed her to the force of his Supreme Omnidony Aura, but it inevitably got the job done so he would take it. He was glad she had wizened up; even if she was scared straight and no other method of rehabilitation worked it was still better than nothing. A part of him was worried though.
What possessed her to call off their cosmic-scaled grudge match so suddenly and attempt to make the return flight back to Earth like a bat out of hell? Some part of him dreaded the answer to that question for reasons he didn't fully understand yet, and with that in mind he picked up the pace and easily overtook Raynare; beating her to Earth and leaving her behind in suspended animation as his Supreme Omnidony relativity allowed him to experience the ultimate time dilation. He needed to check on Asia with his own eyes and ensure his Shadow Clone was doing its job properly, but he didn't think there was cause to worry just yet because he would know if his clone was defeated in battle. So why did he suddenly feel a depthless sense of foreboding?
XXX
Asia had been surprised by the unexpected appearance of Eesheer's doppelganger as well as the fact that it had almost total individuality from the original and yet was still able to follow the original's commands. The wonders with her new friend and hopefully eternal companion would never cease, and to be honest she didn't want them to. He was kind of scary when he got into battle mode like with Raynare up in space, okay scratch that; he was downright terrifying, but considering what he told her about that war he fought in and those Anti ZOF Masters she could easily understand it. She just hoped he knew what he was doing both up there in outer space and down here with her on Earth.
"Sheesh, I bet ya can't believe this is your life now, huh?" Eesheer's doppelganger suddenly spoke to her, and Asia regarded his smug demeanor which was so very identical to that of his original self.
"Maybe not, but that doesn't mean I can't accept it." She responded with underlying strength and resolution she didn't think she was capable of harboring. The Eesheer clone grew a somewhat dark look as he considered her words.
"Listen, a bit of advice from a simple clone with no reason to keep his shared past with his original a secret; no matter what he may say or do from here on out, promise me you'll look out for him. He needs the emotional and moral support of mortals like you more than he is willing to admit, and trust me I know his mind and infinite complexities better than almost anyone… for obvious reasons of course." He chuckled amusedly, and despite the seriousness of the situation Asia couldn't help but smile as well.
She couldn't help it; Eesheer just had such an uplifting, cheer-inducing aura to him that brought out a sense of fun in others. How he could manage to smile so much after what he'd been through gave her so much respect for him. No matter what he or anyone else thought; she knew he was a good man, a great man even… no; he was a great God, maybe the greatest one of all. She knew this to be true, and that this truth applied to his clone as well.
"I will, I promise." She assured him, and he nodded in satisfaction; pleased by the unwavering conviction oversaturating her response.
"Good, because things are going to get tough for you two from here on out; he's not going to make it easy for you to be there for him. He fought in a bigger war than any in your world would ever know, he did worse things than you could ever imagine, and every time he closes his eyes… he hears more screams than anyone could ever be able to count. The full emotional impact of those memories is not something he shares easily, even with clones like me; instead imparting me with a third-person view of them if you will.
I guess because of that I can make more objective decisions based not solely on his emotional hardships, and no doubt he planned for that as well. That's why I'm able to tell you all this with a straight face while he'd struggle to get past the first word." He explained to her as she nodded; a shiver running down her spine as the cryptic parts of his statement registered in her mind. He wasn't done though, and only allowed the blonde and busty ex-nun a brief respite before proceeding to fill her head with even darker messages.
"He's broken and psychologically damaged in ways that even I cannot comprehend Asia; if you are to heal him someday, you may find yourself on the receiving end of the wrath of the very Entity who ended the Super Omega Omnispherical War between the Zenith Omnidonae and the Anti ZOF Masters. One minute they were the greatest threat the entire stinking ZOF had ever known, and the next they all pretty much vanished off the face of it. Take a good, long while to consider who might've been responsible for that, and why my original is one of the only existences they genuinely fear. That fear they harbor for him as their Ultimate Predator may just save your own life someday Asia." He concluded his soul-chilling parting statement before vanishing into thin air… evidently serving his purpose as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Poor Asia Argento didn't even have time to properly process everything that duplicate said to her before the real Eesheer suddenly reemerged from his outer space fight right in front of her face; a concerned look on his face as Asia screamed in shock at his impromptu arrival. He sighed in relief when he saw she wasn't hurt and even allowed himself the luxury of a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes when the update from his shadow clone returning to him made him aware of the conversation he and Asia had. "I'm sorry if my clone's words spooked you Asia, but you don't have to feel obligated to be the dumping ground for my emotional baggage, that's neither your responsibility nor your job. In any case, I'm just glad you're okay." Eesheer whispered to her gently, an understanding smile gracing his features as Asia regarded him with wide eyes.
She didn't know how she could tell, but somehow she knew this was the real Eesheer; something deep in her soul was pulling her to him which was a feeling she didn't have with the clone and one she only just realized she had with the original Eesheer all along. This along with everything else that's happened today was going to take some time for her to properly process, but at this point her shock threshold was pretty much ready for anything. She was really surpassing her limits today, and was amazed that it was getting easier for her to do so all the time.
"But what did he mean… about you being the only thing they fear? You said you survived the war but you never said what exactly ended it?" Asia couldn't help wondering; even as a more immediate question that should've been asked was on her mind but was put on hold for now.
Eesheer looked forlorn to say the least, and he hung his head slightly. "Asia, I promise, I'll give you full disclosure just as soon as I can, but not right now… it's just too much for me to tell all in one sitting." He replied tersely. To his surprise and delight, Asia nodded with an understanding smile on her face.
"That's okay, I reckon I've had enough surprises for today anyways and could use a bit of a breather from all this. What happened to Raynare? Did you win?" Asia finally asked the million dollar question, and Eesheer shrugged.
"She kinda cut and run just when things were starting to heat up on the intergalactic scale; I guess the sheer power-scaling of my people was sufficient enough to overwhelm her in the end. Good riddance I say, maybe she'll actually make something out of it. Honestly Asia, it's not really in my nature to be cold and unforgiving. I've always been of the mindset that people can change for the better, but I also understand that while I may want to see the good in everybody; some people are just a lost cause. The ball's in her court now though; whatever she decides from here on out is entirely her own choice, and if any harm comes to you they will all suffer the gravest of consequences." Eesheer replied to her in a dangerous tone; that same tone he used before that scared her sh*tless, but she refused to let that fear scare her off. The fact that this unimaginably overpowered God needed her was a frightful realization, but it was also empowering beyond compare. She wanted to help him; more than anything she wanted that.
There was that age-old saying that if one spoke of the devil, they shall appear, but in this case it appeared that it was the Fallen Angels that were summoned instead. Eesheer had let his guard down for one infinitesimal fraction of a Planck Instant, and that infinitely tiny interlude was all was needed for a familiar stray priest and exorcist to snatch Asia from Eesheer's proximity in one terrifying display of speed. Eesheer's own eyes widened in slow motion and Asia's scream was trapped in time dilated suspension of animation.
A split-second later and Freed Sellzen's newly established LCBC Counterpart held a blade of pure demonic energy against Asia's throat a considerable distance from him; a look of disgustingly vile, psychopathic lust etched on his damnable visage. "ASIA!" Eesheer shouted in abject horror; refusing to let this petrifying scenario play out any further, but he was stopped cold by Freed, who angled the blade way too close to Asia's jugular for his liking.
"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast there speedy Gonzalez; one more step and this blade's omni-slaying properties will be put to good use on your little nun slu*t over here! It took me all of this time to work out how things work in the ZOF's terms, but I've been using my infinite time wisely to study every application of my newfound Godhood.
Unlike these Fallen Angel bitches here with me… I'm a fully-fledged ZOF Master now with the knowledge base and complete arsenal of superpowers to boot; so if I were you I'd… BACK OFF sh*t STAIN!" Freed caterwauled in a symphony of every note of madness and insanity imaginable by sentient minds. One could tell just by looking at him that he was too far down the rabbit hole to give a sh*t about things like dying, pain, or other such things a normal person would be concerned with. Unfortunately for him, Eesheer was just as capable of striking fear into the truly mad as he was anyone else.
Asia's pupils were slightly dilated as she fixed her gaze on Eesheer's form; refusing to give into fear as her first true friend leveled Freed with a stone-cold glare that made even the stray priest shudder involuntarily. To everyone's surprise Eesheer drew his head back slightly and bellowed with maniacal cackles of his own; a psychotic grin on his face to match Freed's, maybe even surpass it. "Go on then, kill her… KILL HER! But tell me, what will you all do then when you have nothing left to threaten me with?!" Eesheer hissed back at him in a voice that sounded very much like the combined ensemble of an uncountably infinite number of King Cobras or some equally impressive hissing animal.
"See how the Omni LCBC Counterpart betrays?!" Freed pointed out to Asia; attempting to drive a wedge between them and clearly disappointed when the blonde-haired beauty didn't even flinch away from Eesheer's own terrifying facial expression.
"What difference does it make? You were planning on killing me anyways before I met him. I'm not afraid; I leave that to you lot." She spoke; her words carrying the weight of her surprising conviction as Freed and the others began to realize that their plan to beat Eesheer without using brute force was not working any better than battling him head on did.
"Freed, just hurry up and finish her; if he's truly willing to let her die then fine, but if not we'd be calling his bluff." Mittelt suggested with her own cruelty seeping out of her; her gothic Lolita attire, her pretty face, and petite figure eclipsed by the simple fact that she was exceedingly unkind and contemptuous. The fact that such a young-looking and small little girl was so willing to encourage Freed to kill Asia made Eesheer's eyes flare dangerously.
Asia never once closed her eyes, refusing to break contact with Eesheer's own for even a millisecond; if this was to be her final moments… she would die happy knowing he was the last thing she ever saw. She was terrified she wouldn't get to spend more time with him, but at this point that was the only regret she might've had, and besides… she had complete and total faith in his ability to save her somehow. She'd lead a lonely and bleak life before she met him, and she'd gladly follow him to whatever end because he gave her everything.
Freed was looking somewhat lost on what to do, and Eesheer was just getting ready to throw all caution to the wind and make a mad rush for them when a resounding shout of 'wait' got all of their attention. All parties involved paused in shock as Raynare herself entered the fray; a wild, terrified look on her face as she regarded her fellow Fallen Ones… too scared to even look at Eesheer right now.
"Let the girl go Freed! Please, I'm begging you all… let Asia Argento go free… for all our sakes!" Raynare shouted at them frantically; looking on the verge of a panic attack as Freed and everyone else holding Asia hostage was understandably taken completely aback.
"What the hell are you talking about Raynare?! You're the one who orchestrated all of this?! It's too late to turn tail now!" Mittelt confusedly sputtered; not sure what brought on Raynare's sudden psychotic breakdown but not really caring.
"Heed my words Freed, Mittelt, all of you; if even a single drop of that girl's blood is spilled you'll doom us all! Eesheer is so many leagues above and beyond us that we will never catch him… no matter how infinite our powers become. I've seen it up close and personal with my own two eyes!" Raynare insisted.
"Listen to your leader you four; heed the gravity of her words if you value your existence as it is. If you and yours think that trying to get to me through the PEOPLE I LOVE… is in any way a good idea; I want you to remember this moment forever more and what happens next if you go through with this!" Eesheer warned them one final time; giving them one last chance to be scared straight as Raynare seemed to be.
"The anger of a good man is not a problem. Good men have way too many rules!" Freed rebutted as he pressed the tip of his knife harder against Asia's windpipe; drawing just the slightest amount of blood as Eesheer saw red and his eyes seemed to shine with a crimson fire as well.
"Good men don't need rules… today is not the day to find out why I have so many, now is it?" Eesheer said back to him, a dangerous edge to his voice; like a ZOF-Sized super volcano about to erupt.
"Freed, for f*ck's sake… will you let her go already?!" Raynare screamed at him, her fear resonating with him as Eesheer prepared to make a move. The exiled priest was ill-prepared for Eesheer suddenly materializing in front of him almost too fast for him to register, and in a brief moment of panic he attempted to draw himself away from Asia; subsequently sticking the knife blade through her throat unintentionally as a geyser of blood erupted from her and the blade's omni-slaying properties took effect immediately.
Time slowed down both literally and figuratively as Asia fell to the unforgiving ground; dead before she got anywhere near it. Freed's eyes widened in absolute horror as did Eesheer's and everyone else present; including the other Fallen Angels and Raynare. Eesheer caught her in his arms just before she hit the ground; his eyes searching hers desperately, looking for any signs of the final vestiges of life as Freed and the others slowly started backing away.
"Asia… ASIA! Hey, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me! Come on, COME ON!" Eesheer screamed himself hoarse as he shook her gently while cradling her in his arms; his scanning of her life signs coming back negative as he saw her staring glassily into infinity. The unavertable death inducement properties of the blade ensured that all but the strongest of resurrection powers would be powerless to bring her back, and the instant death it caused was fast enough that by time he kicked it into high-gear she was already gone. It would be an almost effortless feat on his part to override the unavertable death clause and bring her back, but that was not the cause of his current state of distress.
He half-knelt there in the dirt, numb with unrelenting shock and pure, primordial rage bubbling under the surface. He didn't lament his situation by crying, but then again he never had that luxury because he knew if he let the floodgates open he'd never stop; Inaccessible Cardinal sets of eternities worth of pain, regret, and insurmountable losses would come pouring out of his eyes in a never-ending ocean if he ever gave into that very human urge. Mortals like Asia were luckier than they knew.
Her eyes which were normally a twinkling, dazzling emerald were now a faded, murky green… growing darker and dimmer as the light left them. It was such a subtle change, to transition from life to death… almost imperceptible, but Eesheer could always see it, and it made Omnivastant Gods like him burn.
He held her as close to him as he could physically manage without breaking her body any further, sobs catching in his throat as he looked down upon her dimming green eyes and the red stains of her bloody neck with a sense of morbid detachment from everything; images of people, places, and things he once knew flashing before his mind's eye, unimaginable in their diversity as people like his fellow LCBC Counterparts all came and went by. His leader, mentor, and older brother in all but blood, AKA Appaneesty LCBC… who not only was the leader of the original LCBC Counterparts but also quite possibly the wisest and most inspirational man Eesheer ever had the pleasure of knowing.
Appaneesty's image was followed by countless others; Veetox LCBC and his eccentricities, Elijum LCBC the combat master of their team and one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the history of the entire Super Omega Omnisphere, Samiga who was always quick to make some negative comments but also was just as quick to call them all out on their bullsh*t and keep them in line, Misty Allyson who's relationship with Appaneesty was one of the most beautiful ESIT Blessed Eternal Bonds Eesheer had ever seen, Lee Wong with his unparalleled genius, radical ideas, scientific input, omni-fabricated inventions, and the voice of logic and reason among the, Lexie Diablo with her ZOF-enhanced healing abilities and innocence that Eesheer was painfully reminded of whenever he saw Asia's own in action, and many others besides them.
Finally, his mind settled on Amber Thompson's LCBC Counterpart herself; his ESIT Blessed Eternal Bond Mate and the one person who meant absolutely everything to him. Like the others, she too was taken way before her time… by the very monsters who Eesheer hated from the depths of his being and what started all of this. And now, Asia was gone to… maybe not on quite as permanent a level as his own people, but dead by an enemy's hand when Eesheer hadn't even known her for one Goddamned f*cking day! Was this the way it would always be?! Was he just meant to linger on in absolute despair, bereft of any hope of finding someone who could truly join him in Forever?! Was he meant to be alone, unloved, and doomed to watch everything and everyone he ever knew and loved turn into dust?!
Asia could be healed... this time, but how long until he attracted more unwanted attention? How long until Zeneptron LCBC2 himself showed up, or someone else on a level so far beyond Eesheer's own that they could kill Asia and anyone else he knew beyond his ability to bring them back? What if some straggling Anti ZOF Masters were still after him? It was always the same damn thing over and over again; his abilities would always bring the monsters crawling to his doorstep, and the only permanent solutions to the problem was either to become mortal and cease to be everything he ever was or ever stood for, or simply ensure no monsters could ever lay a hand on his loved ones by wiping them all out in one fell swoop? Neither of those scenarios were possible sadly... unless...
His entire body convulsed as waves of unimaginable power began rolling off of him with abundance beyond all concepts of infinity, and then everything went white as the entire ZOF was lost to him in one inescapable moment of all-consuming, divine rage… rage that was directed at the uncountable monsters all around him as he halted the fallen ones' attempts to fly away from him with a flick of his wrist; cutting off their escape and sealing their fates as he rounded on them… his eyes a pure, blank white as they all stared at him in horror?!
"That was the last mistake any of you will ever make… this we promise you. You will all burn, all of you. The entire ZOF will bear the brunt of our ferocity, and nothing and no one will be left standing in the end." He said to them with an eerie calm; that voice from before that was an overlay of an infinite number of people speaking as one returning with a vengeance… overlapping Eesheer's own and granting him a power he didn't understand any more than they did.
Raynare and the others stared at him in horrified fascination as their connection to the ZOF was instantly cut off and they were subsequently reverted back to their original states… something they would later realize should not have been possible even for a ZOF Master, but at the moment they were too far beyond terrified to allow for higher cognitive functions.
"You can't… what about all of the innocent people caught up in your inferno?!" Raynare cried out, not because she necessarily cared for them, but because she was terrified of the fact that Eesheer no longer distinguished between friend and foe. The fact that she couldn't appeal to his morals in those moments made him more dangerous than they ever could've fathomed. Without Asia's light to keep him pure and with her subsequent demise coupled with all of his other, less recent losses; he'd finally reached his breaking point, and everyone would suffer eternally because of it. It became readily apparent to them that sometimes he needed someone to stop him; someone like Asia who Freed had so thoughtlessly butchered. The fact it was an accident clearly meant nothing to this creature right now, as he clearly showcased with his next words.
"We can do whatever the f*ck we like, and Eesheer is no longer here… you're stuck with us." Eesheer responded in that soul-chilling voice of voices… and Raynare had no doubt that this creature that was once Eesheer meant every word he said. She and the others shuddered at his words… for they were probably the most terrifying words a being like him could've spoken. Freed and the others were understandably equally as terrified; knowing that their day of judgement was upon them. Perhaps it was inevitable that all who did wrong to others in their lives would one day face retribution for their sins, but none of them could've imagined that such a creature as this would be the one to deal out the eternal punishments.
All they could do was pray that this Entity would be at least somewhat merciful to them, but they all doubted that very strongly as the blank-eyed visage of the former Eesheer regarded them with a cold, calculated fury before he lost that control and the waves of power grew in intensity. It was at this moment that Freed and the others realized they'd royally f*cked up, and now the entire ZOF and everyone in it would pay the ultimate price.
