Chapter 354: The Null Firmament

As they stepped through the rift, Ash, Creara, and Elysia carried on a mental conversation.

’So, what do you think?’ he asked, unable to hide his excitement after what he’d just witnessed.

This place held far more intrigue and significance than he had ever imagined.

’Honestly... I’m shocked,’ Creara admitted, as Elysia added, ’It’s not unrealistic though. In the futures we saw, death seemed inevitable—but let’s be real here.’

Before stepping through, Ash had tapped into his foresight ability. Like mentioned before, he could see a full century ahead, a future perfectly shaped by his intentions.

Though he could only use it once, the talent was far trickier than it seemed—he could perceive an infinite number of timelines at once, each reflecting different intentions.

It felt less like reality and more like a simulation, and beyond searching for Morgana, he was determined to uncover the very nature of Nonexistence—and see if there was anything he could take from it.

Saying there was something to gain would be putting it mildly.

But he soon realized this place came with real challenges—challenges unlike any he’d ever faced. In comparison, finding Morgana turned out to be the easiest part.

As she, just like her clone had said, was indeed trapped in the 2nd Inversion.

It was everything that followed that stirred up so much trouble.

Ash smiled at Elysia’s words and nodded in agreement. Now, they stood on the ground of what was not called Nonexistence, but the Null Firmament.

Ash and his wives stood together, sensing an ominous danger looming over their heads.

The plane of existence around them was not an endless void without any structure. In fact, it was far from it, this place... the Null Firmament it was home to many deviations of one single race.

And they were the Eldritch, a race Ash had heard of from Earth novels. Yet, in this case they weren’t like some tentacle freaks, but intelligent beings who had a civilization like normal people.

It was just that... the entire realm was inverted.

[A/N: Yep, even though it’s inverted, I’ll write it normally; otherwise, it would just be too confusing.]

The sky was the ground, and the ground was the sky.

They stood on a black, glass-like surface, denser than any diamond, metal, or ore Ash had ever encountered. The sky resembled the Middle Dimension, forming a tunnel known as the 99 Inversions.

"This place feels rather..." Aeloris words trailed off as she couldn’t even explain it.

"Draining?" Rune finished for her as they all were feeling the same thing.

It wasn’t like they were losing mana, but it was like their connection to existence itself was dwindling.

"And this land here... it’s the only one not completely black." Katherine noted.

Ash nodded to this as he spoke, "Right, it is draining us... and will continue to do so as long as we are in the domains of the black glass."

Hearing this they rose they brows as he continued to explain the situation.

From what his foresight had revealed, this place contained only three domains—and only one was truly safe for beings from existence.

And that was the one they were standing just outside of, aside from that there were Two other factions on each floor downwards.

Two different sub races of Eldritch, however, Ash had only made it to the Sixth Inversion before he literally died many times over.

And not just death and rebirth, but complete erasure. So, he didn’t know exactly how long this set up would last.

"How can any beings from existence even survive here for long enough to become... what a bastion?" Rune muttered.

"Well... let’s find out, shall we?" Ash said with a smile, and even though he knew... There were still some things he didn’t know.

And as his words ended, a booming voice sounded.

CREAKKKK!!!

"GET INSIDE NOW! OR ARE YOU WAITING FOR DEATH?!" A loud rough voice echoed as before them the gates into the Bastion creaked open.

The group hesitated briefly, as if orders were something they couldn’t stomach.

But when Ash kept moving without pause, they fell in step again.

The gates loomed ahead—two colossal slabs of dull gray metal, carved with faintly glowing runes that throbbed as though on the verge of shattering.

Crossing the threshold eased the strange draining pull—not gone, but dulled, like the Bastion was a delicate bubble of reality straining against the suffocating pressure of the Null Firmament.

Inside, the Bastion wasn’t anything grand.

It was functional—exactly what you’d expect from the only faction from existence left in the Null Firmament.

A wide courtyard of cracked marble stretched before them, surrounded by thick-walled structures built from dull metals and reinforced ores. There were no decorations, no banners, nothing to hint at the presence of the faction at all.

There were only narrow window slits, heavy doors, and a faint orange glow from inside that hinted at forges or something like them.

[A/N: I will now be using miles and light years in most cases rather than KM.]

In the distance—perhaps fifty thousand miles across the open space—stood the central keep.

It was a towering cylinder of black iron with a massive gate at its base, guarded by blue-skinned figures.

Their immense size was instantly obvious.

They were colossal.

As Ash and his wives stepped fully inside, they noticed that everyone was gigantic, making them feel like tiny mortals in comparison.

In the next moment, they all grew to the proper size and height.

Ash surged smoothly to just over thirty feet tall, his clothes and tattoos scaling flawlessly with him.

Beside him, Sylvie, Seraphiel, Aeloris, Madison, Rune, Katherine, and Morgana’s clone stood slightly shorter.

And ahead of them loomed the source of the voice.

The General of War.

A hulking figure easily thirty-five feet tall—broad, with dark blue skin that was almost like nebula, four massive arms folded across a chest plate forged from what looked like solidified stars.

His face was weathered and like a few others around he had three eyes, with one closed on his forehead.

"The first batch from Existence in... nearly 130 cycles," he rumbled.

"Well, welcome to the countdown of doom."

No warmth, no real greeting—just the blunt pragmatism of someone who’d spent lifetimes standing between life and oblivion.

Ash stepped forward, now eye-level with the General, as he rose a brow.

"Countdown of doom, huh. Well, that doesn’t sound too boring, does it?" he questioned with a smirk.

The General’s eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"Peak Hyperversal." He studied Ash’s aura, then scoffed. "You’ve barely got enough power to keep yourself standing, and you’re talking about fun."

Shaking his head, he gestured with one massive arm toward the east of the bastion.

"Since you’re here, get comfortable. The barracks are that way—go settle in. There’s a briefing tonight. You’ll hear the horn. Best be there... and don’t be late."

As he started to leave, he spoke once more.

"Arrogance will get you killed quick here. The Inversions don’t care how tough you think you are or what you’ve done before you showed up."

He turned, cloak whispering across the glass, and walked back toward the keep, each step cracking the surface beneath him.

The gates groaned shut behind him with a final

CLANG.

Ash glanced at his wives—now towering thirty feet tall—then back at the keep.

"Doesn’t this look like fun waiting to happen?" he asked with a grin as they headed toward the barracks.

Sylvie floated up, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I’d say... but I know you’ve felt it too."

Seraphiel nodded. "Right, none of our powers work here... it’s like the connection’s been cut off."

Ash turned to Elysia. "You’re not wrong. The Null Firmament directly counters anything born from existence."

His wives frowned, but before questions could rise, Elysia rolled her eyes and began pulling at the air.

"These beings are called Devas," Ash continued. "They’re born from the essence of eight Progenitors, each from a different organism."

"Basically, they’re a race made from eight different existences," Elysia added, giving Ash a look that made him chuckle.

He knew all this because he was the Origin of All races—and seeing these beings, their bloodline was easily absorbed into him.

Still, he turned to Elysia for another reason.

"Of course, it’s possible... we just have to reach the 10th Inversion," she said.

Ash nodded, and together they moved forward.