Bastards Ascension: A Playground of Gods
Chapter 25: Veydris

Chapter 25: Veydris

CRRRR-

Tchhh-

"Captain, the realm is—"

Static.

The connection cut off before she could finish her sentence.

"The realm is what?" The voice on the other end barked impatiently. But there was no response. Only silence. Frustrated, the captain slammed the mic into the telecom.

Back in the field, the woman holding the communication device stood frozen, her fingers trembling. Her breath came in short, uneven gasps as she stared at the nightmare unfolding before her.

It wasn’t just a battle.

It was a massacre.

And it wasn’t over.

A warrior stepped forward, blocking the incoming attack. His body tensed, his muscles rippling with power. He was a C-rank enchantment user, and his ability had never failed him before.

’My body shield has protected me every time. It won’t fail now.’

He clenched his fists, inhaling sharply. Then, with all the strength in his lungs, he roared—

"HARDEN!"

A brilliant blue aura erupted from his body like a wave of energy, coating him in a metallic sheen. His skin hardened instantly, taking on a reflective, armored luster.

He locked eyes with the blurry figure that had been tearing through their team like they were nothing more than ragdolls.

Fear gnawed at his insides.

The enemy was fast—so fast he could barely track its movements. But he stood his ground, his fists clenched, his determination unwavering.

He turned slightly toward the vice captain, offering her a reassuring glance.

"Don’t worry, Vice Captain. With my hardened body, I’ll keep you safe."

He barely had time to turn back before something flashed toward him.

An arm.

Fast.

Too fast.

He didn’t even have time to blink.

The fist slammed into his face with the force of a cannon blast.

KABOOM!

His head snapped violently to the side—except it didn’t stop.

It kept going.

Blood sprayed through the air in an arc as his severed head soared away from his body, rolling to a stop at the vice captain’s feet.

For a long moment, she just stood there, shaking.

Then her stomach lurched.

Her breath hitched in her throat, her hands trembling uncontrollably. She wanted to scream, but the sound wouldn’t come out.

The figure loomed over her now, towering nearly eight feet tall.

For the first time since this bloodbath began, she got a proper look at what had caused all this devastation.

And what she saw sent ice through her veins.

This was supposed to be a simple raid.

A C-rank realm, full of resources, nothing their team couldn’t handle.

They had come prepared.

Two A-rank talent holders had joined them. She was one of them.

The battle had been easy.

The enemies were nothing more than rat-men—sensitive to sound, weak in close combat. One sound bomb had been enough to disrupt their entire camp. The rest had been a slaughter.

Flames rained down upon their enemies, reducing everything to smoldering ash.

Victory had been swift.

Or so they had thought.

Then, the gate opened.

It appeared without warning, a swirling vortex of darkness. Something they had never encountered before.

Curious, their second A-rank talent holder had stepped forward to investigate.

A second later, his head was gone.

Gone with a mere slap.

A slap so powerful it echoed through the entire realm like a thunderclap.

The air had turned still.

A hush of absolute dread settled over them.

An A-rank had been killed instantly.

Hope had died in that moment.

Now, standing in front of the hooded figure responsible for all of this, she could hardly breathe.

Her entire team was gone.

She was the last one standing.

She studied the creature carefully, taking in its features.

Its face was hidden beneath a deep hood. But behind that hood, there was nothing—just pitch-black darkness. No eyes. No mouth. Nothing but a hollow void.

Its body, however, shimmered with blue scales, similar to that of a deep-sea creature.

Her gaze flickered to the corpses of her fallen comrades.

All headless.

Bodies tossed aside like broken dolls.

Her hands clenched into fists.

’I can’t die here. I won’t die here!’

She gritted her teeth and lunged.

Her sword flashed through the air, slicing forward at lightning speed. The blade shimmered with an icy glow, freezing the air around it.

It was her strongest ability.

Absolute Zero.

With this, she would end it.

The beast moved.

For the first time since appearing, it moved deliberately.

It reached out and caught her sword mid-swing.

But the moment its hand touched the blade, a chill spread up its arm.

Her lips curled into a smirk.

"[Absolute Zero: Instant Freeze!]"

The ice spread rapidly, devouring its arm like a creeping frost.

This was her chance!

She wrenched the sword back, aiming to sever the frozen limb in one clean cut.

But the sword didn’t budge.

Her heart pounded.

She pulled harder. Nothing.

A wave of dread washed over her.

Then, from beneath the hood, a voice rumbled—

"Orion..."

The voice was deep, distorted. Filled with something beyond rage.

A rage so ancient, so all-consuming, it sent shivers down her spine.

That name—

Orion.

Her blood turned cold.

Orion. The god.

How did this thing know that name?

She abandoned her sword.

’It thinks I can only use my ability through my weapon... but if I can touch its face, I can freeze its entire body!’

Her hand shot forward.

Faster than thought.

But when it entered the hood—

There was nothing.

Her fingers met empty space.

Then—

Pain.

Agonizing, bone-deep pain.

She screamed as her hand shattered into shards of ice.

The hooded figure loomed over her, speaking once more.

"Orion... You ran away. But I’m getting closer to you and all those fools who fled with you."

Its voice was like a storm, filled with hatred so raw it made her skin crawl.

"No god will survive my onslaught."

The pain in her arm was unbearable, but she forced herself to look up.

Her breath was ragged, her body trembling.

She had to know.

"What... are you?" she rasped, her voice laced with defiance. "Why did you attack us? We had nothing to do with you!"

The figure loomed closer.

Then, in a voice that sent ice through her soul, it answered—

"I am Veydris...

The Doom of the Gods."

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