FVN Chapter 20 Karma
Chapter 20 Karma
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, MORTAL?" the Goddess thundered, her voice a resounding force that shook the very fabric of her Divine Realm. Every syllable was infused with the full weight of her divine power, but Ashok, standing before her, laughed—a deep, guttural cackle that echoed like the howl of a madman.
"HAHAHAH!"
The Goddess could feel the very fabric of her Divine Realm shifting, the change was undeniable. The Ancient symbol of the Ritual, once faint and dormant, now pulsed with a life of its own, expanding steadily as if it had a will beyond mortal comprehension. It grew relentlessly, its intricate patterns sprawling across the expanse of her Divine Realm, swallowing up the Black Lake in its wake.
The Divine Realm had been keeping her status as a Goddess in the mortal plane, preventing her from being reduced to a mere summoned entity. But now, with every passing moment, the Realm was faltering, its strength diminishing at an alarming rate. As the Ritual was continuously strengthening itself.
The Goddess, her heart heavy with the weight of the revelation, understood all too clearly that time was running out. If she didn't act now, she would be irrevocably forced to become the Soul Partner to a mere Mortal. And she knew becoming a Soul Partner was not as simple a bond as marriage. It was the binding of one soul to another, an unbreakable connection.
Though becoming a Soul Partner would not harm her in any way, the idea of being bound to a mortal was a deep insult to a being of her status—immortal, divine. It was an unthinkable disgrace, a restriction no divine being would ever willingly accept. With that, the Goddess decided to leave and return her main body but found herself unable to. 'My connection with the plane is being restricted' thought the Goddess, looking at the absurdity of the situation.
"There is no point in trying to leave," Ashok said, his voice exuding a calm and confident certainty. The reason for his composure lay in the third and final condition he had carefully inscribed into the Ritual.
'If for any reason the Ritual does not succeed after both parties agree and the Second Condition is fulfilled, the entire Karma of Failure shall be borne by the World alone.'
Ashok knew that if the Goddess truly decided to leave, there was nothing he could do to stop her. No matter how hard he struggled, no matter what methods he employed, he simply lacked the strength to restrain her. Even if he possessed the body of the Main character, the difference in their powers was insurmountable.
Ashok was weak but not a fool, and he understood the importance of strategy. Rather than relying on his own strength alone, he devised a plan that involved introducing a third party to the ritual - the World itself.
The Karma mentioned in this condition was not some magical restriction or an external force—it was the natural consequence of actions. Karma, in its essence, was the balance of cause and effect, the inevitable result of one's choices. However, in this particular situation, the consequences were far greater than the World could bear.
There were simply too many actions involved in this Ritual, each one triggering a series of inevitable reactions that would shake the World to its core:
A Sacrifice of a Divine Authority and a Soul,
'Faster, faster. If what's inside that gate comes for me, death would be the last thing I could wish for.
Just how powerful is she? Even the World itself cannot contain even a minor portion of her authority? I can't imagine what would she have done at her full power.
Did I really defeat her six times in the game? Was she holding back or was it all just a charade, a manipulation by the game itself, faking her death time and time again? Ha! I should have strengthened the first condition even more.' Thought Ashok as he started sweating, it was hard for him to remain composed when an eternity of torture was standing right behind him.
The number of chains tying the gate had already dwindled to five, when not even five entire seconds had passed, more of them were snapping one by one, their strength unable to withstand the immense force pulling them apart. Each chain that broke was a resounding reminder of the overwhelming power of the Ancient Goddess's Divinity.
SNAP!
SNAP!
SNAP!
The final chains, the last remnants of resistance, shattered with an ear-splitting crack, and the gate that had held back the never-ending Abyss, swung open. As it did, a torrent of black mist began to seep out, thick and suffocating, pouring into the air like the very essence of darkness. As the mist closed in, wrapping around Ashok like a shroud, a shout came from within.
[I WILL HAVE MY BODY BACK, YOU BASTARD]. Even without looking, Ashok knew who the owner of the voice was, it was Adlet. The previous owner had returned to claim his body back. The repulsion, disgust, and sheer hatred that radiated from the suffocating mist overwhelmed Ashok, pushing him to the brink of madness. A toxic force was gnawing at his mind with each passing second.
'Will I get a third chance?' thought Ashok as the gate started to suck his body as a whole. From behind, the air grew colder—unnatural, chilling. Ashok felt the unmistakable presence of Adlet, the soul now fully manifested. With a cruel, menacing force, the soul spread its arms wide. The atmosphere grew thick with malice as Adlet's hands twisted into grotesque, curved blades, each one gleaming with an eerie, unnatural light.
Adlet gave Ashok a nice bear hug from behind and sank those blades right into the body.
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