Chapter 558: God Of Devour

Damian stood frozen, his mind pulled backward through recent memory, finding words spoken just days ago by a consciousness that had judged him worthy of annihilation.

"After so many eras, another mortal has chosen to walk that path."

The tribulation’s voice echoed in his thoughts, carrying weight he hadn’t fully understood at the time.

Thump

His heart slammed against his ribs, a single heavy beat.

’So the tribulation tried to destroy me because of what that being did?’

The connection formed with terrible clarity, pieces clicking together.

’And everything that being was doing... the path they walked... it’s the same–’

Before the thought could finish, the Hooded One’s doubled voice cut through the silence.

"Just as the name says, that law allowed the one who mastered it to devour anything."

The figure’s hands spread slightly, the gesture encompassing terrible scope.

"Given enough time, given enough opportunities, nothing remained beyond his reach."

Thump thump

Damian’s breathing stayed controlled, but his pulse was accelerating despite his attempts at calm.

"And that being was hunting down Gods one by one."

The Hooded One’s voice dropped lower, carrying weight that pressed against the dreamscape.

"Devouring their Laws completely, gaining their accumulated powers, absorbing everything they’d spent eons building."

A pause, heavy with implication.

"And dooming their worlds in the process."

Thump thump thump

The Hooded One turned slightly, looking out at the dreamscape city.

"Billions of beings who’d never even heard his name found themselves dead in the aftermath."

Damian’s hands remained at his sides, but his fingers spread slightly, an unconscious defensive gesture.

"All of us realized the fate that awaited the universe if this being wasn’t stopped."

The Hooded One’s presence expanded, filling the rooftop completely.

"So under the lead of the Godkings, every High God, every God, every Demigod across the entire cosmos gathered together for the first time in history."

The doubled voice gained strength, carrying echoes of ancient determination.

"We formed an army the universe had never seen before. Thousands of Gods who’d spent eons pursuing their own paths, millions of Demigods who commanded worlds, all united under a single purpose."

A pause that felt loaded with terrible significance.

"To ambush him before he could consume enough power to become truly unstoppable."

Damian’s jaw clenched fractionally, his breathing becoming shallower.

The Hooded One’s head tilted back, looking at stars that didn’t exist in this dreamscape.

"After all, no matter how powerful he must have become, no matter how many Laws he’d consumed..."

The voice dropped to barely above a whisper.

"How could one being possibly withstand the entire universe alone?"

Silence spread across the rooftop, suffocating in its weight.

Then the Hooded One’s hands clenched into fists, the movement sharp and violent despite the measured tone.

"But the moment the battle started, the moment thousands of Gods materialized before him with millions of Demigods standing at their backs..."

Thump thump thump

Damian’s heart hammered faster, his pulse roaring in his ears.

"You know what he did?"

The question hung in the frozen air.

The Hooded One’s voice became quieter, carrying horror that transcended time itself.

"He raised his axe above his head."

A pause that stretched into eternity.

"And with a single strike..."

CRACK

The dreamscape itself fractured, reality splitting.

"He split the entire universe in half!"

Damian’s breathing stopped completely, his entire body going rigid.

Thump thump thump

His heart slammed against his ribs so hard it hurt, each beat painful and desperate.

The Hooded One’s voice continued, relentless and terrible.

"The attack carved through reality itself. It traveled across thousands of worlds, consuming everything in its path."

The fists trembled now, the only sign of emotion bleeding through.

"Half of the Godkings, beings who’d existed since the universe was formed, were eradicated in that single instant."

A breath, ragged despite the distortion.

"Almost all the Gods standing at the front lines simply stopped existing. Their Laws dissolved, their power scattered like ash, their very souls consumed by the attack itself."

Another pause, heavier than before.

"The Demigods behind them fared no better. Millions of beings who’d spent centuries climbing to power died without understanding what killed them."

The doubled voice dropped to a whisper that somehow carried more weight than shouting.

"And the trillions of mortals living on worlds that existed along the attack’s path never even knew death was coming."

Thump thump thump thump

Damian’s chest heaved despite his attempts at control, his breathing coming faster.

"And it was at that moment..."

The Hooded One turned back to face Damian directly, that void-like darkness somehow conveying absolute certainty.

"That each and every single survivor realized something that made our souls tremble."

A pause that felt like the universe holding its breath.

"The battle was already lost before it had even begun."

The words landed with finality that made the air crack.

"What we were facing, what we had foolishly believed we could defeat through numbers..."

Another pause, heavier than before.

"Was no God of Devour."

The Hooded One’s presence became oppressive, crushing down with weight that made Damian’s knees want to buckle.

"It was the Calamity of the Universe itself!"

Silence crashed down around them, absolute and suffocating.

Thump thump thump

Damian’s heart hammered relentlessly, his pulse so loud he could hear nothing else.

’This...’

His thoughts scattered, unable to find solid ground.

’This...’

His hand moved unconsciously to his chest, pressing against where God Slayer resided inside him.

"But... then how?"

The question came out rough, his throat tight.

"How did the universe survive? How are we standing here having this conversation if that being was unstoppable?"

The Hooded One remained still for a long moment.

Then the doubled voice emerged, carrying weight that made each syllable feel heavier than mountains.

"Because before that being could finish what he’d started, before he could end everything that remained..."

A pause loaded with terrible significance.

"The universe itself intervened for the first time in its entire existence."

Damian’s breathing became shallower, his mind struggling to grasp the implication.

"It gave most of its accumulated power to three fundamental Laws."

The Hooded One’s hands spread, fingers extending.

"Time, Space, and Fate."

Each name fell with weight that made reality bend.