"Please, do not do this, I beg you!"
Apollo was inflicting the devastating effects of mors gratis upon the demons.
Apollo: Hahaha! So, creatures such as you can understand the meaning of the word mercy? What irony…
Resuming his original form, Apollo saw the abominable creature disappear, taking with it its incessant assaults.
A dazzling white light flooded the place. The demons, returned to their original forms, trembled like leaves swept by the wind.
Apollo: You are pitiful.
Despite their fear, the demons continued to tremble. Yet, Sai, with a determined gesture, stood up and declared in a firm voice:
Sai: Never, never will I acknowledge defeat before a god!
Then, he instantly fainted.
Apollo: I will not stoop to chasing this vermin. Zeus would have wasted his time with such insignificant creatures.
He then opened Arophile's sphere, pronouncing in an authoritative voice:
Apollo: Arophile! Let us return!
Arophile: At your command, Lord Apollo.
Having witnessed so many demonstrations of power, Arophile could only venerate Apollo with renewed respect.
Ëpres: And you do not expect us to intervene?
Apollo turned around, his gaze contemptuous.
Apollo: You? You are not part of my mission. You are free to go wherever you please. My task was simply to find the demon who insulted Zeus and eliminate him. I was to punish him before Zeus took care of it personally, according to my information.
Zérécla: But… we are demons.
Apollo: So what?
Zérécla: We are supposed to be annihilated by gods or divine beings.
Apollo: What? You wanted me to send you to the abyss of eternal death?
Ëpres and Zérécla (in trembling voices): Nooo! Don't do that!
Apollo looked at them coldly.
Apollo: Then shut up. Demons, humans, gods, angels, and all other creatures are children of the Absolute Father, God. We, divine beings, only attack those who cause trouble. A harmless demon does not even represent a threat to us. We are completely indifferent.
Surprised, Ëpres replied:
Ëpres: Huh? So, we would also be divine beings because we belong to Almighty God?
Apollo: Exactly. Know that angels are like demons but obey only the Gods. You were born demons, yes, but that does not necessarily mean you oppose the Father. Now, goodbye.
Apollo walked away.
Zérécla: Lord Apollo, we wish to serve you for eternity!
An amused smile lit Apollo's face.
Apollo: Hahaha! No.
Then he disappeared with Arophile.
The battlefield that Apollo had created vanished, leaving behind only a silent void.
Apollo and Arophile reappeared in the world of myths.
Arophile: Lord Apollo, what are we doing here?
Apollo: Look.
Apollo materialized a spear of yellow and white lightning.
Arophile: What does he intend to do in this realm?
Apollo threw the spear straight toward the heart of the kingdom, where an abyssal void stretched.
The spear exploded, completely destroying the kingdom, leaving only smoke and ashes.
Apollo: A good deed done.
Five mythical demons, witnesses to the destruction, approached Arophile and Apollo.
Apollo: Demons? These are not from the underworld.
The demons lunged at Apollo. He easily dodged, striking one, but the blow passed through it.
Apollo: Intangibility?
The demons surrounded Apollo and Arophile in a strange manner.
Arophile: Let's eliminate them; they don't seem very powerful.
Apollo: They are entirely intangible, like all mythical beings. But something is wrong: their intangibility surpasses that of the mythical creatures I have already faced.
Arophile: Is that possible?
Apollo: The term "intangibility" loses all meaning against such creatures. Mythical demons possess special faculties, which is fascinating.
The demons rushed again at Apollo. Despite the fury of their assault, they passed through him without effect. But Apollo's transcendence now surpassed theirs.
Apollo: Transcendence is pushed to the extreme. You are now tangible to my eyes.
The demons attacked again. Without moving an inch, Apollo completely disintegrated them.
Apollo: A good thing done. Let's move to the final touch.
He materialized a small bubble that grew until it engulfed the entire world of myths.
Apollo: There will be no more demons from the underworld in the world of myths. This sphere will prevent them from entering. It is time for me to return and report. Arophile, let us go.
Arophile: To where?
Apollo: To the world of the gods, of course.
Arophile, embarrassed, replied:
Arophile: But… a being from the Dhama cannot interact with the world of the gods. It is a level of existence far beyond ours.
Apollo looked at him for a moment, then declared:
Apollo: You are right. Then I will allow you to access it, so you can live by my side.
Arophile jumped for joy, tears in his eyes.
Arophile: Really?!
Apollo: Take my hand.
Arophile grasped it, and both disappeared.
In the world of the gods, Mü Thanatos had carried out the mission entrusted by the Great Goddess and went to see Zeus.
She knocked at the castle entrance but did not enter through the door: Zeus appeared behind her.
Zeus: Mü Thanatos, your visit fills me with pride, you cannot imagine. How is my little sister?
Mü Thanatos blushed slightly.
Mü Thanatos: I am well, Zeus. I have several questions I would like you to answer.
Zeus: Hmm… go ahead, tell me what you want to know.
Mü Thanatos: Today, I spoke with the Great Goddess and understood many things. The primordial gods are so powerful that I wonder how you became their king. Was it by the Father's order?
Zeus smiled proudly.
Zeus: Excellent question, Mü Thanatos. It was agreed that I would become king of the gods by the Father's will. But over time, several of these gods thought themselves superior to me: Apollo, Michael, Poseidon… I had to prove I deserved my rank. For years, I remained a lord of Vishnu before them.
Mü Thanatos: And how did you do that?
Zeus: I had to surpass myself, like ŇOUT…
Mü Thanatos interrupted, intrigued.
Mü Thanatos: Who is ŇOUT?
Zeus, surprised, answered:
Zeus: ŇOUT is the Great Goddess, her true name. Like you, Mü Thanatos, nicknamed goddess of the positive and the negative, she is the mother of celestial bodies.
Mü Thanatos: A magnificent name, ŇOUT.
Zeus: There was a time when the world of existence had neither planets, nor stars, nor spheres, nor universes. There were only immense empty dimensions. ŇOUT, in her anger, created countless fireballs, darkening the outer void.
Mü Thanatos: Why was she so angry?
Zeus: She accidentally killed her divine advisor. God gives only one life to the divine advisor and angels, with no possibility of return. I had to console her; it was a trial. Since then, she has never believed herself inferior to anyone. I respect that, even if she often lacks emotions, which sometimes makes her cruel. After calming her, she created what exists in the giant dimensions.
Mü Thanatos: ŇOUT is exceptional, but she is often alone.
Zeus: Exactly, but she prefers it.
Mü Thanatos: You managed the thirty primordial gods; you never cease to amaze me, Zeus.
Zeus: They are not the only difficult ones. Isisis 4, for example, the most powerful representative of the quaternary gods, wanted me to elevate him to the rank of tertiary gods.
Mü Thanatos: What arrogance!
Zeus nodded.
Zeus: He was serious. He promised to prove it by accomplishing the exploits of the tertiary gods but failed. He tried other means to convince me, but he was far from up to the task. Ashamed, he hid, hence his rarity in the stories.
Mü Thanatos smiled, amused.
Mü Thanatos: Hahaha!
Zeus: You can mock as much as you want; he made the other gods laugh. But he was wise to admit his defeat.
Mü Thanatos: At least he is ambitious and determined.
Zeus: Indeed, my little goddess. Come, follow me, it is not appropriate to discuss here.
Mü Thanatos: Very well, Zeus.
They returned to the castle.
Meanwhile, Apollo and Arophile were thinking of entering the world of the gods, when Apollo suddenly stopped.
He had sensed something.
Arophile: Lord Apollo, what is happening? Is everything alright?
Apollo: Yes, of course.
Arophile: Then why stop?
Apollo: I feel a presence here.
Suddenly, a slimy monster with glowing eyes appeared.
Its size was so immense that Arophile and Apollo seemed insignificant beside it.
Arophile: Guaaaaahhh! What is that thing?
The monster growled, a deep and threatening rumble.
Apollo: This repugnant monster is called "error deorum." It is a bad omen among the gods, for it is born only when a god commits an irrefutable and unforgivable mistake.
Arophile: Is it dangerous?
Apollo: Not so much, but the graver the error, the more powerful the creature.
The monster raised a tentacle and attacked.
Arophile: Watch out, it's attacking!
They dodged the tentacles, but the monster emitted smoke near Apollo.
He found himself trapped in a small bubble.
Arophile: Lord Apollo! No!
The monster swallowed the bubble.
Arophile: No!
The monster rushed at Arophile. The latter, suddenly serious, vanished then reappeared, striking the monster several times.
He disappeared again before casting a spell.
Arophile: Principatus.
The attack struck the monster, which vanished from existence.
Arophile: Lord Apollo was surprised; otherwise, he would have settled this instantly.
But the monster reappeared immediately.
Monster: Graaaaaaaaaaahh!
Arophile: What? How did it come back? I had eradicated it!
The monster, more powerful, attacked again, but Arophile easily dodged.
Arophile: Its attacks are slow and predictable. It looks like a high-level hyper demon, but not the most powerful.
The monster grabbed Arophile with its tentacles, squeezing him with all its might.
Monster: Grrrrr!
Despite the pressure, Arophile's gaze remained calm and fearless, without the slightest trace of stress.