"One!"
The moment the countdown ended, both veilwalkers disappeared. Trohan was the first to enter the disturbing phenomenon, the grin on his face widening.
Alex on the other hand, did not enter as he vowed. He came to an abrupt halt just inches away from touching the anomaly. He had no intention of entering since the beginning.
The apprehension he felt for the anomaly was no joke. Until he was certain what that was and what its effects were, he would remain cautious.
"We can say his escape attempt was successful." Alex muttered with a gentle smile. "Now let's see what comes of this…"
His eyes scanned the phenomenon calmly, trying to deduce anything new about it. But try as he might, there was nothing. The only thing he could do was wait for the hulmite on the other side.
Alex thought more about his current situation, his mind going to the beings living in this universe. Even at this very moment, the people were fighting for their lives.
'A moment of respite shouldn't hurt.' He thought and then dispersed his energy to carry out his will.
An imperceptible wave of power erupted from his body, diffusing into the surrounding space and disappearing. This power instantly reached every corner that showed signs of life, wiping out more than 90% of the void creature population--at least for the most powerful ones.
Raging cosmic storms abruptly disappeared like they never existed, leaving the native beings confused. Still, the people were grateful for the help, sending a silent prayer of gratitude to whatever brought them peace.
Alex turned to look at the disturbing anomaly with a frown, already appearing on the other side. The veil tear he noted earlier was a few light years away while the anomaly slowly approached it.
'What of the veilwalker of that universe?' This was another issue he'd taken notice of. 'I can't possibly be the only one who came here to put an end to what the hulmite is doing, right?'
There were too many questions with no answers. And with that spell protecting the veilwalker, his options were limited. He put the thoughts aside and faced the anomaly, waiting for whatever the hulmite was cooking in there for him.
Inside the strange anomaly, Trohan came to a sudden halt and let out a haughty laugh.
"Hahaha… I can't believe he actually fell for that." The hulmite sneered. "This is the problem with know-it-alls and goody two shoes; they're as dumb as fuck!"
He spread his only arm out, embracing the swirl of energy around him. What Alexander had described as disgusting and disturbing was nothing more than a paradise for the hulmite.
This was something of his own creation--an idea he got from another veilwalker from another universe. They shared a similar mindset for power and wanted more than what their universe could give them.
The anomaly was nothing more than an overly misaligned mutation of laws of a demi-god-level void creature. With their black core and ability to devour all there was, they were the ultimate creatures of destruction--the stuff of nightmares.
But those creatures were more than that… They were a way to strengthen the power a universe core could grant its veilwalker. The hulmite had learnt this from that veilwalker who had stumbled upon this by chance.
Because the black core granted void creatures the power to permanently erase a veilwalker out of existence, they had the power to devour what gave veilwalkers their power as well: the universe core.
When that happens, the void creature ends up mutating into a cosmic gas cloud and storm, growing more powerful than before. They became god-level void creatures but at the same time completely different from the natural god-level ones.
Their black core fuses with the core of the universe and turns them into this anomaly--forever bound to devour everything. But there lay the opportunity that veilwalker and Trohan exploited.
Even if the core of their universe was devoured, it was not entirely gone. The connection it shared with its veilwalker still remained, creating an opportunity for the veilwalker to fuse and ascend to godhood.
The walker would have all the powers of a fully realized god and the power of the black core. And should more universe cores be fed to the anomaly…
Trohan had created this anomaly himself, feeding it his universe's core. The other anomalies slowly heading towards other universes were extensions of the main one in the heart of the core space.
"I must say… This is a damn good discovery." Trohan couldn't help but grin. "Too bad I have to absorb it now. In any case, it has devoured more than four universes, so it should be more than enough."
With a thought, Trohan's figure flickered and disappeared, instantly reappearing in his universe's core space. He came to float before the ultimate amalgamation of obscene and absolute power.
The main anomaly pulsed like a heartbeat, this one looking more material and elastic than gaseous. In the centre of this anomaly was a pulsing core of black, silver and grey.
The core morphed, twisted and turned in ways that would induce an extreme phobic rejection on the soul level. Anyone below the level of a demi-god would instantly find themselves appalled and disturbed.
They would instantly kill themselves without hesitation.
"My will is strong enough to overcome the revulsion from the black core, so my ascension shouldn't have any issues.."
While the ascension would make him extremely powerful, it wasn't going to be as easy as it would be with just the universe's core. The longer the process took, the lower the chances of successfully ascending.
It was a high-risk, high-reward game.
This was why the hulmite wanted the core to absorb more universe cores. It would make the process easier and cut the time in half. Unfortunately, Alexander had to show up.
'I hope the anomaly is devouring him…' He looked over his shoulders, not daring to extend his senses. 'It won't be enough to kill him, but it doesn't have to. I'll have that honour myself.'
Trohan's expression turned serious, casting a glance at his missing left arm. The hulmite then proceeded to take a deep breath of the surrounding energy before abruptly plunging into the core.
Meanwhile, Alexander remained floating outside the lesser anomaly, waiting for the hulmite to come out. Slowly, time passed and a week arrived.
"Is he ever coming out?"