Even with the entire Lower Dimension reduced to ruin, the Asuras carried on as if nothing had changed.
At least, the lower Asuras did. Theyâd been given strict orders not to leave their universeâlocked down completely, sealed off from everything beyond.
Ash and his companions hovered in the bloodâred skies above the World of Nara.
Crimson clouds churned overhead, lit from below by the constant flicker of battle.
Beneath them sprawled an endless landscape of jagged mountains, rivers the color of fresh wounds, floating islands made of obsidian and bone, and colossal arenaâpits where thousands of Asuras clashed in ceaseless duels.
Nia drew in a slow breath.
"This place always smells like battle and blood," she murmured.
Katherineâs crimson eyes glinted, her lips curving into a faint, knowing smile.
"Theyâre Asuras after all. Maybe the only race besides Vampires who enjoy blood this much."
Ash let out a low hum. "I wouldnât go that far." His mind flicked to the Nosferatuâfar more intriguing than most realized.
The wider world believed the Nosferatu had been sealed away cycles ago. Ash however knew better.
âTo think all ten Marks of the Weaver were found...â
He kept the thought to himself as the group took in the world belowâmost of them seeing it for the first time.
Aurora drifted to his side, golden eyes narrowing a bit as she watched two colossal Asuras trading blows powerful enough to split floating islands apart.
Kael and Caelan stood shoulderâtoâshoulder, storm and frost auras crackling in sync, matching feral grins spreading across their faces.
"All this fightingâs getting me riled up," Kael said, nodding toward a nineâarmed Asura ripping through three opponents at once.
"I bet I could take him in under a minute."
Caelan cracked his knuckles, gravity bending subtly around him.
"I say Ten seconds. And Iâm going first."
Ashâs voice cut through their excitementâcalm, amused.
"Not to ruin your fun, but no."
Both twins turned toward him, dramatic in their perfect unison.
"Big broâ"
"Itâs not worth the time," Ash said, golden eyes sweeping across the battlefield below.
"You could crush them with a thought. And we wonât be here long."
Yonna snorted, smirking. "Oh, what a party pooper."
Ash chuckledâlow, warmâand stepped forward.
One moment they were high above the World of Nara. The next, they stood directly before the main stronghold.
-----
The palace of the Narakava loomed exactly as it always hadâa colossal fortress of obsidian and crimson, its jagged towers scraping the sky like the spines of some ancient beast.
Outside its gates, the guards spotted the group the instant they appeared.
Then their eyes landed on Nia and Katherine.
Recognitionâand memory of what happened to the last guards whoâd crossed themâhit instantly.
Their weapons lowered.... heads bowed, very deep and respectful.
Katherine arched a brow, hopping lightly onto Ashâs back.
"What... no more lusty thoughts?"
These Asuras were clearly different from the ones before, but she didnât care enough to sort out the details. She just wanted to see their reactions.
Ash didnât even bother to look at them. He simply waved a hand.
SPLAT!
SPLAT!
SPLAT!
Ash glanced back at Kael and Caelan, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"See? A single thought."
Outside the stronghold, the guards were caught in a relentless loop â collapsing, reforming, and collapsing again. The cycle was unmistakably violent, but Ashâs expression didnât shift.
The twins watched with wide grins, impressed despite themselves wanting to test their own power.
The air filled with the wet sound of bodies bursting and reforming, over and over.
The group walked forward as if they owned the place, Ash at the center, unbothered by the carnage.
"Feel better, my loves?" he asked, leaning down to kiss both Nia and Katherine on the forehead.
"Heheânope! I need more kisses!" Nia declared, immediately grabbing his collar and stealing his lips.
Seris floated lazily beside them, rolling her eyes.
"At least they learned something from their stupidity last time."
They hadnât been here for that incident, but the Clan shared stories freely. Everyone knew what Nia and Katherine had done with the war and etc.
Nia grinned, licking her lips as she pulled back from Ashâsatisfied, but clearly hungry for more.
"Duh. My mother probably beat the guards for a few years straight too."
Aurora spoke up as they approached the towering doors. "So... are we here to fight, or is this just a reunion?"
Ash tilted his head, amused. "My Rora... are you getting antsy to fight too?"
Her cheeks flushed instantly. Even as the Goddess of Musical Creation, sheâd taken her lessons seriouslyâand now she wanted to
use
them.
Really use them....
In real combat.
Seeing her expression, Ash reached over and ruffled her hair.
"Haha, donât worry. Iâm ready to break a few things too, Rora. But first, itâs time to meet your grandmother and your aunt."
With that, he placed a hand on the massive doors.
They didnât creak. They didnât resist. They simply
opened
âas if the entire stronghold recognized him.
And inside, waiting exactly as he expected, were all the people heâd come to see.
----
Inside the throne room, it wasnât just the Asuras gathered.
Their allies were present as wellâevery faction that had stood with them through the tide of time.
Loyalty and strength were the only currencies the Asuras respected, and abandoning their allies had never been an option.
Dozens of thronesâobsidian, bone, flames, metalâformed a wide semicircle. Seated upon them were the leaders of each clan, all watching the same projection they always used to monitor the outside world.
Today... like the last few centuries, it showed nothing but blankness.
"This grandson of mine... heâs certainly taking his time," Lirael sighed, leaning back in her throne.
None of the higher Asuras carried their usual wild, unhinged aura anymore. The madness had dulled, replaced by a heavy, quiet clarity.
The Lower Dimension losing ninetyânine percent of its inhabitants had a way of stripping away theatrics.
The room felt less like a den of psychos and more like a family waiting for someone whoâd been gone too long.
Even so, Lirael was dying to meet him.
Asuras sought everything through powerâlove, loyalty, respect, even hatred. Strength was the root of all things.
And after witnessing even a fraction of what Ash commandedâthe Infinite Resource Fountain, the Originat multiversal conquestâthere was only one conclusion they could draw.
Tylor nodded toward the two women floating directly in front of the projection.
Sandra and Shia hovered so close their noses were practically touching the blank screen, as if proximity alone would force it to show something.
"With strength like his," Tylor said, "he has every right to come and go as he pleases."
None of them had ever truly seen Ash fight.
Even during the final battle, what they saw felt like a war that shook their blood and bones... and then, suddenly, it was over.
Just ended.
They never saw the flames that consumed an entire dimension. They never saw the moment reality itself bent.
They simply werenât strong enough to perceive it.
Truthfully, even the
targets
wouldnât have seen itâif they hadnât been targets.
As they talked, Sandra and Shia turned toward the entrance at the exact same moment.
As the massive doors swung open, both felt their hearts skipâbut their faces told two completely different stories.
Sandraâs smile bloomed instantly, wild and bright, as if she could
feel
him more clearly than ever.
Shia, on the other hand, felt panic coil in her chest. Her expression tightened, breath catching as the group stepped into the throne room.
All eyes shiftedâevery leader, every allyâtoward the man walking at the front.
The air seemed to bend around him.
"Son..." Sandra whispered.
"Brother..." Shia breathed, voice barely steady