15 advance chapters in my Patreon.
Patreon.com/Saintbarbido.
::-------------------------------------------::
Chapter 164: The Climax 2/3.
(General P.O.V)
"Darkseid."
Clark said grimly, staring at the New God in the sky.
"I call dibs."
He added, the air around him vibrating with energy as he rose up, intent on going after the big huncho himself.
"Superman! Wait!"
Batman tried to call him back but the Man of Steel ignored him, his scarlet and blue form cutting through the air.
Hundreds of constructs tried to block his way, but he plowed through them easily, shattering the murky green energy shields and tanking any and all attacks.
Darkseid looked on with a simple smirk.
Then right before Superman could reach him, another boom tube opened and out came another Superman.
This one was different. His body was gray like Bizarro and his eyes glowed with the light of the Anti-life Equation.
Superman only had time to widen his eyes before he was carried up to the atmosphere after this new infected Man of Steel collided with him.
"Did you really think I wouldn't come prepared this time?"
Darkseid asked the Justice League, spreading out his hands, causing more and more portals to open up around him.
"Father..."
Kalibak muttered in fear at the evil his own father was exuding.
And from these portals, more heroes, not just Green Lanterns came out. Batmen, Wonder-women, Flashes...all members of the League and some villains. All of them infected. All of them under Darkseid's rule.
"You have got to be kidding me." The Flash said.
"He can't do that. That's cheating."
"Uh...guys. This is kinda bad. We can't take on this many versions of us. What do we do?"
Shazam asked, body crackling with divine energy.
"We don't have a choice."
Batman said, seemingly unperturbed. His fingers flew over his wrist computer.
"We make a stand and fight. They seem to be infected by something, so watch yourselves. I'll need a sample of whatever is affecting them but other than that, the plan is to ensure none of the infected leave the city."
"Not to be a downer, but how exactly?" Cyborg asked.
"There was barely enough of us to stop a few hundred Para-demons. These look well over thousands if not more."
And it was true, the infected heroes, Lanterns and villains numbered in the thousands. Each stayed floating in mid air around Darkseid, waiting for his next orders.
Up in the clouds, shockwaves rippled out as two Supermen fought for dominance.
As for the New God, Darkseid made no move. Content to watch them flounder about as they came up with a plan.
Batman unexpectedly turned to the Flash, handing him a small syringe.
"Barry, I need you to run. Get me a blood sample from one of them. We don't know if whatever is affecting them is spread by touch so go at your fastest and be careful."
The Flash looked towards Darkseid's army which also had speedsters, versions of him and his flash family from conquered worlds. In a rare moment of seriousness, he gave a firm nod.
"In and out, quickly. No problem."
The Flash said, bending his knees in preparation before taking off.
Immediately, the Anti-life Speedsters, their forms surrounded by dark red lightning streaks took off from the Lantern constructs they stood on, going after the Flash.
"May the gods be with us."
Wonder Woman said, brandishing her sword as the League prepared themselves for the final battle.
(Davian's P.O.V)
My confidence returned after passing Pride's trial easily.
It showed that I hadn't lost my edge. That I was still the same stubborn punk who had this unshakeable belief in self instilled within by what he'd been through.
And so I was pumped up, ready for the next challenge.
And boy was it unexpected.
In the next trial, I opened my eyes in a busy street, leaning on a purple Cadillac.
I looked down at myself, wincing at the gaudy shiny blue suit I wore.
On my head was a hat and below that, black sunglasses framed my eyes.
What the? This was the strangest outfit I'd ever worn. But goddamn if it didn't fit me well.
Others noticed it as well.
"Yo, looking good bro."
A skater complimented, riding down the street.
Turns out I was a pimp in a city full of sin. Surrounded by glittering temptations and the seductive allure of wealth.
I had my girls, I treated them well and made sure they were taken care of. No hurting the merchandise. The thought that this was simply a false reality only registered faintly in my mind.
I couldn't recall the faces of the women or the customers they dealt with. It was all a blur of pussy, clients and most importantly...
Money. Lots and lots of green. Oh Lord.
At the end of every week, I would count the earnings and marvel at how I was raking in over 30 grand.
And business was booming baby. Even after paying the girls, I was still sitting on 15 grand each Saturday night.
But then things begun to change.
One particular night, I would find myself counting out the cash and stacking it up in a smaller pile than I was used to. This week's haul hadn't been that good.
Competition had become fierce as more people joined in on the business.
And the profits were dwindling.
The past week had been a little over 20k. This time the earnings came at 17 grand. Not even enough to pay for my most expensive suits.
That's when, Greed ever the opportunist, finally leered it's head.
I was drunk and high off weed when his oily claws extended out to my shoulders. A hooded figure with gold teeth and blood shot eyes hidden behind a cloak.
It leaned in, closer to my neck and then whispered,
"You desire power and riches, Davian. They can all be yours. All you gotta do is reduce their cuts."
Reduce the girls' cut?
I shook my head, my resolve unwavering.
"No, that's not possible."
I knew a few of them in really bad situations, docking their pay was akin to a death sentence. I couldn't do it...
"Oh come on," Greed crooned.
"They will be alright. Besides it's only for a few weeks until business starts booming once more."
The tone was sickeningly sweet. It's determination to sway me potent and relentless.
And...it was working.
Yeah, he's right.
Just for a few weeks... I needed. No. I WANTED my share. I was the one doing the most! Me!
Plus there was this gold chain that could go well with my alligator boots. Why do I have to suffer a loss when these girls made the wrong decision in life?
Wait...
Why would I think that? I had been in the same position before. Desperate, with no hope in sight. My real parents were addicts that sold me out for Chrissake!
No. Fuck all that.
"I can't do it."
I muttered, the haze of greed disappearing from my vision.
"I can't and WON'T exploit people like that. I'm an asshole but I'm not a monster. Some of them have kids they need to take care of."
With each word, my conviction grew.
The shadows in the room extended out towards me. The air inside the lavish apartment begun to reek of copper and Sulphur, with an underlying sour aroma. Like the taste of a coin.
"So what?!"
Greed roared in anger, tone changing from the sweet and persuasive voice to a wheezing and reedy one.
The crisp dollar bills lying on the table next to me rose up in a blizzard.
"You are Davian Mabuz, the Soul Reaper, the Spirit King, the Death of Trigon!! Why would you be worried about a few stupid bitches whose only worth in life is TO SELL SOME FUCKING PUSSY TO-"
"Enough."
I stated, my presence rippling out, pushing away the shadows and silencing the demon.
Money literally rained down from the air.
I cracked my neck, undoing the tie tightened around it. My memories were finally surging up to the fore front of my mind.
And while I loved purple, I would never be caught dead in the ostentatious outfit I currently wore. It wasn't me.
I took a deep breath.
"This is a test. A trial to see my resolve."
I opened my eyes, glaring straight at the demon responsible for putting me in this challenge.
"Oh shit..."
Greed cursed, understanding that things were about to go badly.
He tried to escape but I was ready. One single step and I crossed the room in an instant, grabbing it by its neck.
I looked back, a little surprised.
That was Shunpo. And I hadn't really noticed, but even before that, I'd used Respira to destroy Pride.
So, I could use my abilities in these trials huh?
I smiled. Good to know.
"Ack!", The Creature inside my grip coughed as I unknowingly squeezed it's neck a little harder.
"Let me go! I'll... I'll give you all the gold in the world! All the money in the galaxy! All influence in the Universe! All wealth under the heavens will be yours!!"
It squealed pitifully.
I smirked.
"That's your shtick? Cash?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"Bro, I got like 90m in my hammer space that I don't even know what to do with. Besides, I've seen the darkness of greed in others. I won't be its puppet."
I shook my head.
"The only thing I want from you...is your power."
I finished.
Greed's eyes widened with the shadow of death as I applied too much strength, causing his head and body to pop due to the pressure.
It's remains splattered all around.
"Yuck."
I muttered, looking at the demon blood on the walls. It dripped to the floor and along with Greed's other remains, melted into the shadows in the room.
Those same shadows moved towards my body, crawling up my form and getting absorbed into me.
A load of energy filled me up. It felt like a shot of adrenaline. Whoa...that hadn't happened before. I flexed my hand, feeling a slight increase to my strength.
Once the process was over, my surroundings changed once more. My memories were pushed to the back of my mind, too far to access as I was placed in another simulation.
*****
"Professor..."
A seductive voice called out.
I blinked. Had I spaced out or something?
I looked around.
I was standing on the stage inside a large room. A lecture room to be precise. The seats before me were filled up with my students, waiting on me to begin the lecture.
Somehow I retained my memories in this trial. I knew what this was.
The third trial, lust.
The simulation had placed me in the shoes of a university lecturer in a precarious situation. He was surrounded by horny and beautiful temptresses.
Lust enveloped my body like a shroud, I could feel her effect, she didn't bother taking on a physical form.
All the Sins before this had whispered, enticing promises of power and wealth. Lust didn't do any of that.
No. Hers was more subtle. She didn't whisper...she coaxed my mind with images of nights spent in passion with all kinds of women.
It didn't help that all my students were very conveniently female.
From all walks of life. Different ethnicities. Different personalities.
And... Different worlds.
"Professor?"
A beautiful Red head who very much resembled Black Widow called out in concern.
A few giggles spread out across the entire lecture room.
"I think we have him tongue-tied girls."
Harley Quinn said cheekily, leaning forward while chewing on gum.
"I'm sure we can do something about that. Right girls?"
Erza Scarlet, a character that Nick's memories told me was from Fairy Tail said, using her requip magic to change outfits into skimpy lace.
"No fair!"
Elsa grumbled, ice creeping up her gown and-
"You're going to have to try better than that."
I cut in.
The whole chamber went quiet as the girls looked at me surprised.
Then in unison, their lips stretched out seductively.
"So, you see through my-"
Lust begun to speak through them but I interjected.
"Yeah, don't really care. Hado no. 7: Akai Inazuma."
I released the Kido Spell at maximum intensity.
Streaks of red lightning washed down my form, drowning my 'students' in a torrent of energy that shredded everything in the chamber.
And in the aftermath, panting in the middle of a gray void, Lust in the form of a beautiful woman, tried to crawl away. Burns covering it's entire body.
"Look at what you did to me! My soft skin! My beautiful long hair! "
It cried out.
I stepped on its back, causing it to groan.
"I've faced temptations in all forms by now. Money, power, women..."
I rolled my eyes.
"You guys are really not that creative are you?"
I unsheathed Chesha Neko and plunged the blade through its back.
A load of energy filled me up similar to the previous challenge.
From there on, the trials became much easier. Retaining my memories and sense of self allowed me to basically bulldoze my way from one trial to another.
The rest of the sins also grew smarter, as if they'd seen what I'd done to their brethren and taken my advice on changing things up.
Wrath found me not as a man but as a raging sea storm, a tsunami of water wreaking havoc along the coastline.
Wrath didn't tempt me, it just sent overpowering anger and rage my way. Simple but effective. I felt the fury of the sea ignite my own anger, causing me to want to drown the whole world in the ocean.
Funnily enough, this turned out to be my most challenging trial yet. My rage wanted to consume me. This wasn't something I could fight with my abilities.
It all came down to my conviction.
"I've swallowed my anger time and time again. Your fury is nothing, sin of Wrath."
The illusion broke. I found myself standing in the gray space from before. But I wasn't alone.
Along with a massive roar, a misshappen creature that looked like a cross between a dragon and a demon emerged from the depths of the void, it's hide burning with hell fire.
Red eyes looked down at me.
"Then you shall die!!"
Without a warning, Wrath flared up it's burning wings, before diving down towards me, releasing a fire breath.
"Finally." I chuckled.
"Something I can punch around."
I cracked my fingers and went on to meet the dragon head on.
I won.
******
The fifth trial transformed me into a colossal serpent, not unlike the plant serpent Ivy had had under her control a few months back.
And in this form, I was insatiable in my hunger for sustenance.
This was Gluttony's trial.
I would swim through interstellar space in my serpent form, passing asteroid belts and debris before settling on a star system and devouring any planet that could sustain the spark of life.
The problem was that with each nourishment, my hunger only increased. I grew hungry feeding off more and more planets, causing me to seek out even more in a never ending cycle.
Before long, I had to upgrade to devouring an entire star for energy. My form grew even larger as a result.
Soon I moved on to entire star systems, then galaxies. Then entire clusters. I ate and ate, until there was nothing left to devour but the Heart of the Universe.
Once I devoured that there would be no more universe cycles. This universe, despite being a false reality would forever be destroyed.
And yet Gluttony urged me to devour it. Promising eternal sustenance. Freedom from the gnawing hunger.
"More more more."
The voice came from within me. An empty space inside my belly that demanded and demanded.
I was bombarded with memories from my childhood. Of sleeping hungry because I'd failed to meet my quota. Of the days I would escape, only to end up sleeping on the streets and fishing for food in dumpsters.
The Heart of the Universe would fill me to the brim. Never would I have to suffer through that torment again.
And yet, those same memories also helped. They helped remind me I wasn't the same scared kid from all those years back. I was grown. I wasn't weak anymore.
I was powerful. And...I didn't need my body to survive.
I was the Spirit King. I could survive as a soul even better than I could as a physical being.
"You miscalculated. I don't need my physical body to exist."
I replied to the insistent droning of Gluttony.
"Respira."
This time, I activated it from within me. Gluttony screeched in the void of my belly, the time erosion devouring it before surging up to devour me as well.
How fitting.
More energy was absorbed into my soul. Gluttony had gone the way of it's brethren. Dead by my hands.
The last two trials were Envy and sloth. One tested my jealousy. Of which I had none. I knew myself. I knew what I was capable of and what I wasn't.
And the other tested my work ethic.
It required no affirmation to overcome these last two trials. That might have been caused by my impatience to finish the trials. I had a fight to get to and a god to kill after all.
So I wasted no time with cheap talk.
I had already defeated the rest of the sins. Envy and Sloth were the weakest among the Seven.
Finally, I opened my eyes in the same gray space as before.
I had overcome them all.
It wasn't because I was righteous, or particularly smart but because I was stubborn and relentless.
My own life had shown me horrors beyond imagination, and these trials were mere shadows of the darkness I'd conquered.
The trauma I'd endured. The weakness, I'd left behind.
15 advance chapters in my Patreon.
Patreon.com/Saintbarbido.
::-------------------------------------------::
Chapter 164: The Climax 2/3.
(General P.O.V)
"Darkseid."
Clark said grimly, staring at the New God in the sky.
"I call dibs."
He added, the air around him vibrating with energy as he rose up, intent on going after the big huncho himself.
"Superman! Wait!"
Batman tried to call him back but the Man of Steel ignored him, his scarlet and blue form cutting through the air.
Hundreds of constructs tried to block his way, but he plowed through them easily, shattering the murky green energy shields and tanking any and all attacks.
Darkseid looked on with a simple smirk.
Then right before Superman could reach him, another boom tube opened and out came another Superman.
This one was different. His body was gray like Bizarro and his eyes glowed with the light of the Anti-life Equation.
Superman only had time to widen his eyes before he was carried up to the atmosphere after this new infected Man of Steel collided with him.
"Did you really think I wouldn't come prepared this time?"
Darkseid asked the Justice League, spreading out his hands, causing more and more portals to open up around him.
"Father..."
Kalibak muttered in fear at the evil his own father was exuding.
And from these portals, more heroes, not just Green Lanterns came out. Batmen, Wonder-women, Flashes...all members of the League and some villains. All of them infected. All of them under Darkseid's rule.
"You have got to be kidding me." The Flash said.
"He can't do that. That's cheating."
"Uh...guys. This is kinda bad. We can't take on this many versions of us. What do we do?"
Shazam asked, body crackling with divine energy.
"We don't have a choice."
Batman said, seemingly unperturbed. His fingers flew over his wrist computer.
"We make a stand and fight. They seem to be infected by something, so watch yourselves. I'll need a sample of whatever is affecting them but other than that, the plan is to ensure none of the infected leave the city."
"Not to be a downer, but how exactly?" Cyborg asked.
"There was barely enough of us to stop a few hundred Para-demons. These look well over thousands if not more."
And it was true, the infected heroes, Lanterns and villains numbered in the thousands. Each stayed floating in mid air around Darkseid, waiting for his next orders.
Up in the clouds, shockwaves rippled out as two Supermen fought for dominance.
As for the New God, Darkseid made no move. Content to watch them flounder about as they came up with a plan.
Batman unexpectedly turned to the Flash, handing him a small syringe.
"Barry, I need you to run. Get me a blood sample from one of them. We don't know if whatever is affecting them is spread by touch so go at your fastest and be careful."
The Flash looked towards Darkseid's army which also had speedsters, versions of him and his flash family from conquered worlds. In a rare moment of seriousness, he gave a firm nod.
"In and out, quickly. No problem."
The Flash said, bending his knees in preparation before taking off.
Immediately, the Anti-life Speedsters, their forms surrounded by dark red lightning streaks took off from the Lantern constructs they stood on, going after the Flash.
"May the gods be with us."
Wonder Woman said, brandishing her sword as the League prepared themselves for the final battle.
(Davian's P.O.V)
My confidence returned after passing Pride's trial easily.
It showed that I hadn't lost my edge. That I was still the same stubborn punk who had this unshakeable belief in self instilled within by what he'd been through.
And so I was pumped up, ready for the next challenge.
And boy was it unexpected.
In the next trial, I opened my eyes in a busy street, leaning on a purple Cadillac.
I looked down at myself, wincing at the gaudy shiny blue suit I wore.
On my head was a hat and below that, black sunglasses framed my eyes.
What the? This was the strangest outfit I'd ever worn. But goddamn if it didn't fit me well.
Others noticed it as well.
"Yo, looking good bro."
A skater complimented, riding down the street.
Turns out I was a pimp in a city full of sin. Surrounded by glittering temptations and the seductive allure of wealth.
I had my girls, I treated them well and made sure they were taken care of. No hurting the merchandise. The thought that this was simply a false reality only registered faintly in my mind.
I couldn't recall the faces of the women or the customers they dealt with. It was all a blur of pussy, clients and most importantly...
Money. Lots and lots of green. Oh Lord.
At the end of every week, I would count the earnings and marvel at how I was raking in over 30 grand.
And business was booming baby. Even after paying the girls, I was still sitting on 15 grand each Saturday night.
But then things begun to change.
One particular night, I would find myself counting out the cash and stacking it up in a smaller pile than I was used to. This week's haul hadn't been that good.
Competition had become fierce as more people joined in on the business.
And the profits were dwindling.
The past week had been a little over 20k. This time the earnings came at 17 grand. Not even enough to pay for my most expensive suits.
That's when, Greed ever the opportunist, finally leered it's head.
I was drunk and high off weed when his oily claws extended out to my shoulders. A hooded figure with gold teeth and blood shot eyes hidden behind a cloak.
It leaned in, closer to my neck and then whispered,
"You desire power and riches, Davian. They can all be yours. All you gotta do is reduce their cuts."
Reduce the girls' cut?
I shook my head, my resolve unwavering.
"No, that's not possible."
I knew a few of them in really bad situations, docking their pay was akin to a death sentence. I couldn't do it...
"Oh come on," Greed crooned.
"They will be alright. Besides it's only for a few weeks until business starts booming once more."
The tone was sickeningly sweet. It's determination to sway me potent and relentless.
And...it was working.
Yeah, he's right.
Just for a few weeks... I needed. No. I WANTED my share. I was the one doing the most! Me!
Plus there was this gold chain that could go well with my alligator boots. Why do I have to suffer a loss when these girls made the wrong decision in life?
Wait...
Why would I think that? I had been in the same position before. Desperate, with no hope in sight. My real parents were addicts that sold me out for Chrissake!
No. Fuck all that.
"I can't do it."
I muttered, the haze of greed disappearing from my vision.
"I can't and WON'T exploit people like that. I'm an asshole but I'm not a monster. Some of them have kids they need to take care of."
With each word, my conviction grew.
The shadows in the room extended out towards me. The air inside the lavish apartment begun to reek of copper and Sulphur, with an underlying sour aroma. Like the taste of a coin.
"So what?!"
Greed roared in anger, tone changing from the sweet and persuasive voice to a wheezing and reedy one.
The crisp dollar bills lying on the table next to me rose up in a blizzard.
"You are Davian Mabuz, the Soul Reaper, the Spirit King, the Death of Trigon!! Why would you be worried about a few stupid bitches whose only worth in life is TO SELL SOME FUCKING PUSSY TO-"
"Enough."
I stated, my presence rippling out, pushing away the shadows and silencing the demon.
Money literally rained down from the air.
I cracked my neck, undoing the tie tightened around it. My memories were finally surging up to the fore front of my mind.
And while I loved purple, I would never be caught dead in the ostentatious outfit I currently wore. It wasn't me.
I took a deep breath.
"This is a test. A trial to see my resolve."
I opened my eyes, glaring straight at the demon responsible for putting me in this challenge.
"Oh shit..."
Greed cursed, understanding that things were about to go badly.
He tried to escape but I was ready. One single step and I crossed the room in an instant, grabbing it by its neck.
I looked back, a little surprised.
That was Shunpo. And I hadn't really noticed, but even before that, I'd used Respira to destroy Pride.
So, I could use my abilities in these trials huh?
I smiled. Good to know.
"Ack!", The Creature inside my grip coughed as I unknowingly squeezed it's neck a little harder.
"Let me go! I'll... I'll give you all the gold in the world! All the money in the galaxy! All influence in the Universe! All wealth under the heavens will be yours!!"
It squealed pitifully.
I smirked.
"That's your shtick? Cash?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"Bro, I got like 90m in my hammer space that I don't even know what to do with. Besides, I've seen the darkness of greed in others. I won't be its puppet."
I shook my head.
"The only thing I want from you...is your power."
I finished.
Greed's eyes widened with the shadow of death as I applied too much strength, causing his head and body to pop due to the pressure.
It's remains splattered all around.
"Yuck."
I muttered, looking at the demon blood on the walls. It dripped to the floor and along with Greed's other remains, melted into the shadows in the room.
Those same shadows moved towards my body, crawling up my form and getting absorbed into me.
A load of energy filled me up. It felt like a shot of adrenaline. Whoa...that hadn't happened before. I flexed my hand, feeling a slight increase to my strength.
Once the process was over, my surroundings changed once more. My memories were pushed to the back of my mind, too far to access as I was placed in another simulation.
*****
"Professor..."
A seductive voice called out.
I blinked. Had I spaced out or something?
I looked around.
I was standing on the stage inside a large room. A lecture room to be precise. The seats before me were filled up with my students, waiting on me to begin the lecture.
Somehow I retained my memories in this trial. I knew what this was.
The third trial, lust.
The simulation had placed me in the shoes of a university lecturer in a precarious situation. He was surrounded by horny and beautiful temptresses.
Lust enveloped my body like a shroud, I could feel her effect, she didn't bother taking on a physical form.
All the Sins before this had whispered, enticing promises of power and wealth. Lust didn't do any of that.
No. Hers was more subtle. She didn't whisper...she coaxed my mind with images of nights spent in passion with all kinds of women.
It didn't help that all my students were very conveniently female.
From all walks of life. Different ethnicities. Different personalities.
And... Different worlds.
"Professor?"
A beautiful Red head who very much resembled Black Widow called out in concern.
A few giggles spread out across the entire lecture room.
"I think we have him tongue-tied girls."
Harley Quinn said cheekily, leaning forward while chewing on gum.
"I'm sure we can do something about that. Right girls?"
Erza Scarlet, a character that Nick's memories told me was from Fairy Tail said, using her requip magic to change outfits into skimpy lace.
"No fair!"
Elsa grumbled, ice creeping up her gown and-
"You're going to have to try better than that."
I cut in.
The whole chamber went quiet as the girls looked at me surprised.
Then in unison, their lips stretched out seductively.
"So, you see through my-"
Lust begun to speak through them but I interjected.
"Yeah, don't really care. Hado no. 7: Akai Inazuma."
I released the Kido Spell at maximum intensity.
Streaks of red lightning washed down my form, drowning my 'students' in a torrent of energy that shredded everything in the chamber.
And in the aftermath, panting in the middle of a gray void, Lust in the form of a beautiful woman, tried to crawl away. Burns covering it's entire body.
"Look at what you did to me! My soft skin! My beautiful long hair! "
It cried out.
I stepped on its back, causing it to groan.
"I've faced temptations in all forms by now. Money, power, women..."
I rolled my eyes.
"You guys are really not that creative are you?"
I unsheathed Chesha Neko and plunged the blade through its back.
A load of energy filled me up similar to the previous challenge.
From there on, the trials became much easier. Retaining my memories and sense of self allowed me to basically bulldoze my way from one trial to another.
The rest of the sins also grew smarter, as if they'd seen what I'd done to their brethren and taken my advice on changing things up.
Wrath found me not as a man but as a raging sea storm, a tsunami of water wreaking havoc along the coastline.
Wrath didn't tempt me, it just sent overpowering anger and rage my way. Simple but effective. I felt the fury of the sea ignite my own anger, causing me to want to drown the whole world in the ocean.
Funnily enough, this turned out to be my most challenging trial yet. My rage wanted to consume me. This wasn't something I could fight with my abilities.
It all came down to my conviction.
"I've swallowed my anger time and time again. Your fury is nothing, sin of Wrath."
The illusion broke. I found myself standing in the gray space from before. But I wasn't alone.
Along with a massive roar, a misshappen creature that looked like a cross between a dragon and a demon emerged from the depths of the void, it's hide burning with hell fire.
Red eyes looked down at me.
"Then you shall die!!"
Without a warning, Wrath flared up it's burning wings, before diving down towards me, releasing a fire breath.
"Finally." I chuckled.
"Something I can punch around."
I cracked my fingers and went on to meet the dragon head on.
I won.
******
The fifth trial transformed me into a colossal serpent, not unlike the plant serpent Ivy had had under her control a few months back.
And in this form, I was insatiable in my hunger for sustenance.
This was Gluttony's trial.
I would swim through interstellar space in my serpent form, passing asteroid belts and debris before settling on a star system and devouring any planet that could sustain the spark of life.
The problem was that with each nourishment, my hunger only increased. I grew hungry feeding off more and more planets, causing me to seek out even more in a never ending cycle.
Before long, I had to upgrade to devouring an entire star for energy. My form grew even larger as a result.
Soon I moved on to entire star systems, then galaxies. Then entire clusters. I ate and ate, until there was nothing left to devour but the Heart of the Universe.
Once I devoured that there would be no more universe cycles. This universe, despite being a false reality would forever be destroyed.
And yet Gluttony urged me to devour it. Promising eternal sustenance. Freedom from the gnawing hunger.
"More more more."
The voice came from within me. An empty space inside my belly that demanded and demanded.
I was bombarded with memories from my childhood. Of sleeping hungry because I'd failed to meet my quota. Of the days I would escape, only to end up sleeping on the streets and fishing for food in dumpsters.
The Heart of the Universe would fill me to the brim. Never would I have to suffer through that torment again.
And yet, those same memories also helped. They helped remind me I wasn't the same scared kid from all those years back. I was grown. I wasn't weak anymore.
I was powerful. And...I didn't need my body to survive.
I was the Spirit King. I could survive as a soul even better than I could as a physical being.
"You miscalculated. I don't need my physical body to exist."
I replied to the insistent droning of Gluttony.
"Respira."
This time, I activated it from within me. Gluttony screeched in the void of my belly, the time erosion devouring it before surging up to devour me as well.
How fitting.
More energy was absorbed into my soul. Gluttony had gone the way of it's brethren. Dead by my hands.
The last two trials were Envy and sloth. One tested my jealousy. Of which I had none. I knew myself. I knew what I was capable of and what I wasn't.
And the other tested my work ethic.
It required no affirmation to overcome these last two trials. That might have been caused by my impatience to finish the trials. I had a fight to get to and a god to kill after all.
So I wasted no time with cheap talk.
I had already defeated the rest of the sins. Envy and Sloth were the weakest among the Seven.
Finally, I opened my eyes in the same gray space as before.
I had overcome them all.
It wasn't because I was righteous, or particularly smart but because I was stubborn and relentless.
My own life had shown me horrors beyond imagination, and these trials were mere shadows of the darkness I'd conquered.
The trauma I'd endured. The weakness, I'd left behind.
