Dune looked around in a panic, his heart pounding as tremors rippled through the shell beneath his feet. The sky outside flashed purple, thunder cracked like mountains splitting, and the air itself trembled with tension.
"What do we do?" he asked, his voice low, turning quickly to Cadogan.
But Cadogan only sighed, eyes fixed on the heavens above. "There's nothing we can do."
He turned to the crowd as more people gathered in fear, clinging to each other.
"Everyone just stay calm," Cadogan called out.
"All we can do now is reinforce Dreadmarch with our Nebas so he can keep fighting. We are ants compared to these two… don't even think about joining the fight!"
The fear shifted into urgency. One by one, people dropped to their knees and bowed, placing their hands on the shell. A unified current of glowing Neba rose from the town, streaming into the surface of Dreadmarch's shell like ribbons of light, merging with his essence.
A protective barrier surged around the entire town like a dome of purple mist, separating them from the battle outside. The world beyond vanished from sight.
Dune felt the weight of his own helplessness as the sounds outside grew louder, explosions, devastating winds, roaring pulses of raw energy. The shell beneath them shook, and even though it was protected by
Dreadmarch's Neba, houses still cracked and some collapsed under the sheer force of it. They couldn't see anything. Only the wrath of gods colliding beyond the veil.
Then, a violent shockwave surged through the town, and the barrier shattered like glass.
A gasp swept the crowd.
Dreadmarch's human form was hurled from above and smashed down into the center of the shell, tearing stone and wood apart as his body crashed.
The divine aura around him flickered, dimmed. Smoke rose from the crater. People stared in disbelief, frozen.
Then came silence, until Dedany descended.
The sky itself seemed to bend around him as his form floated downward, calm and terrible. His long white hair flowed with the windless air, and his eyes glowed like dying stars. His feet touched the ground softly, but the pressure of his presence was crushing.
Dune, watching through wide, frozen eyes, trembled as his gaze shifted from the monstrous Dedany to Cadogan, who stood beside him, equally still. Cadogan, who had always seemed unshakable. Cadogan, who had fought beasts larger than buildings and always smiled in the face of death.
Cadogan… He's powerful, Dune thought, sweat running down his temple. He's only one step behind Dreadmarch and Dedany… I thought Cadogan was close. I thought if anyone could stand on their level, it'd be him…
But now, as he watched the way Dreadmarch hesitated… the way Cadogan didn't even resist… Dune understood the truth.
The gap between blue and purple Nebas is massive. It's not one step. It's a canyon.
There was a reason why Purple Neba stood above all.
It wasn't just strength. It was divinity. It was the ability to reshape the very essence of Neba itself, to bend fate, existence, and law by mere thought.
Purple Neba users weren't just warriors, they were walking forces of reality, where power obeyed them as if they were deities in mortal skin.
And Dedany was someone, who had reached the peak of power not by ascending, but by removing the steps entirely.
Now he stood before them, a god among gods… and even another godly being, Dreadmarch, looked uncertain.
Dedany smiled as his hands rose. His eyes and palms lit up with seething violet light. "Hollow Origin." A pulse erupted from him.
In an instant, everyone froze. Their bodies stiffened. Their eyes turned pale and blank, like their very thoughts were peeled away.
Dune couldn't move. He tried, he screamed within himself, but his limbs wouldn't respond. Neither did Cadogan, Mindya, Atlas, or Ned. All were still, imprisoned in invisible chains of thought.
"Stop…" came the quiet voice from behind.
Dreadmarch had risen again, beaten but still standing, though his robes were torn and his divine aura cracked.
"What do you want me to do…" Dreadmarch asked quietly, "in exchange for you leaving these people alone?"
Dedany turned, and the faintest smile pulled at his lips.
"I need half of the souls and Nebas… from everyone on this caravan."
Dreadmarch's eyes widened. "No… Not possible."
Dedany's smirk deepened. He twitched a finger.
In the next second, a cluster of people near the edge screamed, and then their heads burst like fragile fruit. Blood sprayed. Screams followed, but the frozen ones couldn't even look away.
"Are you sure?" Dedany asked softly, cruelly.
Dreadmarch clenched his teeth, fury boiling behind his glowing eyes. Damn him… Hollow Origin…
Hollow Origin was a problematic ability, It wasn't just about power. Dedany didn't simply manipulate Neba. He severed its rules, rendered them obsolete.
For example if Dedany uses his ability on a weapon, it returns to a crude material form: swords become iron lumps, arrows turn to sticks, armor crumbles into scrap.
When used on a living being, it can erase their sense of purpose, memories, or even their ability to use Neba, rendering people suddenly blank and directionless.
When used on space or locations, it can remove paths, doors, or even entire sections of the cities or battlefield.
I have even seen Dedany use this ability to erase events themselves, making things like an explosion or a deadly strike never happen.
Even though Dreadmarch's ability allowed him absolute control over Neba, Dedany could erase the very concept of that control, nullifying the law itself within his own body. It weakened Dreadmarch's rule over the battlefield. His power, while still vast, could not fully bend Dedany.
Dedany is someone who sees the world as false, filled with artificial purpose. As a being who was born with no origin, he believes the only truth is nothingness, and seeks to return everything to that state.
And now, with so many lives on the line, Dreadmarch's heart trembled.
A god was chained by another god's defiance of law itself.