Chapter 324: Ch 324 : Towards The Monster on The Throne

The City of Gods: Northern Quadrant.

In the darkest corners of the pristine streets of the Emperor’s utopia, where the light of the stars never reached, something festered in the shadows.

It was the Pearl of Calamity.

To the outside world, it was an invisible bubble, locked in the deepest layers of the space.

In the center of this sphere, two figures sat cross-legged, suspended in darkness.

They were the spies, the agents of the Demon God Lom. And for the last few years, they had been reduced to rats hiding in the darkness, terrified to breathe too loudly lest the Emperor above hear them.

Kairos sat with his eyes closed, the air around him rippling like heat haze. He wasn’t sleeping; he dissecting the fundamental laws of reality.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.

“So…” Kairos whispered, his voice cracking the silence. “That is how it works.”

Beside him, Mongo jerked awake. He had been in a deep meditative trance, trying to merge with the darkness to hide his presence even further.

“What?” Mongo asked, rubbing his face. “What did you comprehend now? Don’t tell me you figured out how to freeze me for a week this time.”

The memory of Kairos freezing the time earlier was still fresh in Mongo’s mind. It was a terrifying feeling, to be conscious but utterly paralyzed in time.

“No,” Kairos replied, looking at his own hand. He clenched his fist, and the space around it blurred. “I figured out how to Accelerate Time.”

“By ten times.”

Mongo blinked, confused. “Huh? Isn’t that just your Talent?”

Every God from Endor knew Kairos’s ability. He was the holder of the S-Grade Talent 10x Time acceleration. It allowed time within his territory to move ten times faster than the outside world. It was his signature move, the reason he was so valuable.

“That’s like a fish saying, ’I figured out how to swim,’” Mongo scoffed. “You’ve been doing that from the first day.”

Kairos shook his head, a glimmer of excitement breaking through his usual stoicism.

“You don’t understand, you brute. My Talent is Passive.”

“It’s like breathing,” Kairos explained, tracing a circle in the air. “I don’t control it; it just happens. The Law of Time manages it for me. It requires no energy, but it has no flexibility. It only works on my designated Territory.”

“But what I comprehended just now…” Kairos’s eyes glowed brighter. “Is the Active Application.”

“I can now grab the concept of Time anywhere, not just in my territory, and throttle it. I can accelerate the flow of time in a specific object, a specific person, or…”

He gestured to the oppressive darkness around them.

“…or inside this artifact.”

Mongo’s eyes widened as the realization hit him.

“Wait,” Mongo whispered. “You mean…”

“Yes,” Kairos nodded. “I can accelerate the time inside this sphere by ten times. While a day passes outside… ten days will pass in here.”

“We can train,” Kairos said, a dangerous ambition rising in his voice. “While that Cosmos is busy with the demon lords, we can spend decades cultivating the Laws. When we finally break out… we won’t be the same Gods who hid in the darkness.”

It was a game-changer. It turned their prison into a Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

But just as they were about to celebrate this newfound hope, reality shuddered.

HUMMMMMM.

The Pearl of Calamity began to vibrate. The shadows, usually still and dead, began to swirl violently around the center of the pocket dimension.

A pressure descended upon them. Cold, ancient, and filled with a malice that made their souls freeze.

Kairos and Mongo stood up instantly, their backs straightening. They knew this aura.

“He is calling,” Kairos whispered.

In the center of the swirling darkness, a hologram began to form. It wasn’t a full body. It wasn’t a face.

It was a single, massive Eye.

The pupil was a vertical slit, burning with a pale, ghostly fire. It floated there, larger than them, staring down with an intensity that stripped them naked.

Lom. The Demon God of Secrets.

“I hope both of you are faring well,” a calm, amused voice echoed from the hologram, vibrating through their bones.

Kairos and Mongo bowed deeply, not daring to look directly at the pupil.

“We greet the Lord,” they chorused.

They knew their position. They were tools. Their third partner was already dead just because of an order from Lom. They were expendable, and they knew it.

“No need for formalities,” Lom’s voice was smooth, like velvet wrapped around a dagger. “We are family… or you could say, we are partners in crime.”

It was a joke, but neither Kairos nor Mongo laughed. Being a partner to a Demon God was like being a partner to a black hole, eventually you will be sucked dry.

“What do you need…” Mongo started to ask, his tone slightly blunt.

Kairos froze. He immediately sensed the shift in the Eye’s gaze. It narrowed slightly.

CRACK.

Kairos stomped on Mongo’s foot, sending a sharp glare at his companion. ’Shut up, you idiot!’

Kairos looked directly at the Eye, forcing a respectful smile. “Don’t mind his rudeness, My Lord. He has been in isolation too long. He was merely eager to receive your orders.”

Mongo, realizing his mistake, paled. He looked at Kairos with wide, puppy-dog eyes, silently thanking him for the save.

“Hmm… orders,” Lom mused.

He didn’t mention Mongo’s rudeness. He didn’t care. To a human, does it matter if a hammer is rude? No. It only matters if the hammer hits the nail.

“I have come here today because I have a task for you.”

Mongo let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He was still useful. If he was useful, he lived.

“Speak your mind, My Lord,” Mongo said, correcting his tone to one of absolute servitude. “We exist to serve.”

“It’s nothing much, actually,” Lom said casually, his voice light and breezy.

Kairos felt a knot form in his stomach.

He knew that if Lom said something was “nothing much,” it directly means that many will die, just like his other two partners.

“You need to go and meet Cosmos,” Lom dropped the bomb.

Silence.

Absolute, terrified silence filled the Pearl.

“And,” Lom continued, ignoring their frozen expressions, “you need to convince him to enter the Pearl of Calamity.”

Kairos felt his knees go weak. Mongo looked like he was about to vomit.

Convince Cosmos? The Emperor? The being who sat on the Throne of the entire multiverse? The being whose mere presence oppressed the entire City of Gods?

“My Lord…” Kairos stammered, his mind racing for an excuse, any excuse. “That is… he is omnipotent in the City. If we approach him, he will see through us instantly. It is suicide.”

“Don’t worry,” Lom said soothingly. “He cannot kill or harm you inside this Domain…. And once he enters, i will convince him not to harm you”

“That is why this task is easy.”

Easy?

Kairos wanted to scream. It was like asking a mouse to convince a cat to step into a cardboard box. Even if the box was safe… it was still a cat!

Kairos opened his mouth to ask for details, how to approach, what to say, what the backup plan was, what if Cosmos didn’t listen to Lom once he enters the sphere and kills them directly.

“Keep in mind,” Lom’s voice dropped an octave, losing all its warmth. “I don’t like questions.”

The Eye dilated, filling the entire hologram with abyssal blackness.

“You have to do it. Even if you don’t want to. Even if you are scared.”

“The alternative… is far worse than death.”

The threat hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.

Kairos snapped his mouth shut. He swallowed his fear, his logic, and his self-preservation.

“We understand,” Kairos choked out. “It will be done.”

The oppressive aura vanished instantly. The Eye returned to its normal size, looking almost pleased.

“Quick thinker,” Lom whispered, a hint of genuine approval in his voice. “I like you, Kairos. So I won’t let you die just like this.”

“Consider this a favor. If you succeed… I might just pull you out of that darkness.”

BZZT.

The hologram flickered and died. The Pearl returned to its silent, dark state.

Kairos and Mongo stood in the dark, shaking.

“You have gained a favor from a Demon God…” Mongo whispered, awe and horror mixing in his voice. “You are surely a chosen one, Kairos.”

Kairos stared at the spot where the Eye had been.

’Chosen one?’ Kairos thought bitterly. ’I am a sacrifice. Even if i don’t die this time… next time i will die for sure.’

“Atleast I am not going to die today,” Kairos thought “I might die someday… but not today. That’s not that bad”

He turned to Mongo.

“Get up, you idiot.”

“We’re leaving?” Mongo asked, scrambling to his feet.

“We’re leaving,” Kairos confirmed. He placed his hand on the inner wall of the Pearl.

“Let’s go.”

The sphere of darkness began to move. It slithered through the underbelly of the city, moving through the streets and buildings.

Its direction was simple.

Centre. Toward the blinding light of the magnificent Palace. Toward the monster on the throne.

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