Chapter 21 Devouring the Sun
As the full moon arrived, Suren patrolled the astral boundary as usual, while Misriel began maintaining the magic network. Most of the gods' attention was focused on the astral plane, guarding against a potential frontal assault by the Wild Gods.
Meanwhile, the Night Serpent Dandel slithered through the shadow plane, approaching the sun along a secret path provided by Shar. This path utilized a shadow plane passage created by a solar eclipse, perfectly evading the watchful eyes of the gods.
The sun shone brightly in the starry sky, radiating endless light and heat. This was a symbol of the power of Suren and Amannata, and the source upon which life on the Prime Material Plane depended for survival.
As Dendel approached the sun, he began to feel immense resistance. The sun's sacred energy instinctively repelled the presence of darkness, and its scorching light nearly evaporated it.
But Shar had anticipated this. The Goddess of Darkness mobilized the power of the shadow plane to form a protective barrier around Dendel, neutralizing some of the sun god's power.
"Now," Shar's voice echoed in Dandel's mind, "Attack the core of the sun."
Dendel opened its massive maw, aiming it at the divine essence of the sun. There lay the vulnerable point where Amannatha's divine power merged with the sun, a point where the knowledge provided by Shar allowed it to pinpoint precisely.
A surge of dark energy erupted from Dendel's mouth, striking directly at the sun's divine core. This was a special attack that combined the power of chaos and shadow energy.
The sun trembled violently, and its light began to flicker erratically. Amannata immediately felt excruciating pain as His divine power was being rapidly drained away.
"Someone is attacking the sun!" Amannatha issued an urgent warning to the gods.
But it was too late.
Dendel began to devour the sun's divine light with all its might. Its body was like a bottomless black hole, frantically absorbing the sun's sacred energy. The sun dimmed at a visible rate.
The gods watched in shock. In the starry sky, the sun was losing its light, and darkness was gradually enveloping the entire world.
Suren attempted to return from the Astral Plane to provide support, but Shar constructed a barrier using shadow energy, temporarily blocking her path.
"Sister, why the rush?" Shar's voice was icy. "Darkness is the true face of the universe."
Suren was blocked at the edge of the astral plane by Shar's shadow barrier, watching helplessly as the sun's light was swallowed by Dendel. Her beautiful face was contorted with anger and grief.
"Sha'er!" Suren's voice pierced through the void, "You actually cooperated with the Wild God! Do you know what you're doing?"
Shar's figure emerged from the shadows, the darkness flowing around her like a living thing. "Of course I know, sister. I'm correcting an ancient mistake."
"A mistake?" Suren exclaimed incredulously, "You're destroying the entire universe!"
Shar sneered: "No, I'm letting the universe return to its proper state. Darkness is tranquility and eternity, not your noisy light and life."
Suren attempted to break through the shadow barrier, but Shar's power originated from the same source as hers, making it difficult to break through easily.
"Those lives are innocent! The sun is the source of all things!"
"The Source?" Shar's voice was full of sarcasm. "Have you forgotten the beginning of creation? Back then, it was just you and me, darkness and light coexisting in harmony. You betrayed me first!"
Suren was stunned: "I have never betrayed you, sister."
"Lies!" Shar's voice suddenly became shrill. "You created the sun without my consent! You let light overwhelm darkness, and let life fill the universe! You stole my domain, my peace!"
Suren shook his head painfully: "That's not betrayal! That's evolution, that's growth! The universe needs light, and it needs life!"
"No!" Shar roared. "I was content with the darkness, but you were insatiable! Now I will take back everything that is rightfully mine!"
The space between the two goddesses began to warp. Starlight and shadow collided violently, creating a terrifying energy storm.
Suren finally gave up trying to persuade her and decided to force her way through. "I can't let you continue like this, sister."
Shar sneered, "Then let's see, sister. Let me see just how powerful your light is."
Suren raised her hands, gathering starlight. The light from countless stars converged upon her, forming a massive torrent of light.
Shar spread her arms, and shadows surged out like a tide, swallowing the surrounding light.
A torrent of light and darkness collided violently at the edge of the astral plane. The resulting shockwave shattered nearby asteroids and even tore apart several small planes.
This is a direct confrontation of primordial forces, a head-on clash between the two most fundamental forces in the universe.
Suren's light is warm and full of life, but at this moment it contains destructive power. Shar's darkness is cold and deathly silent, yet it has the terrifying characteristic of devouring everything.
The two goddesses continued their argument even during the fierce battle.
"You're always like this, Suren!" Shar roared in the darkness, "So self-righteous, so self-righteous! Never considering my feelings!"
Suren's shield of light blocked the shadow attack: "I've been thinking about your feelings, sister! But the universe can't be all darkness!"
"Why not?" Shar unleashed even more shadow. "What's wrong with darkness? What's wrong with tranquility?"
"Because life is worth living!" Suren retorted. "Look at those mortals; they have limitless potential!"
Shar scoffed: "Potential? You mean war, greed, betrayal? Are those what you value in life?"
Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, the figures of the two goddesses appeared and disappeared. Their battle transcended the comprehension of ordinary deities; it was a clash of the very essence of the universe.
Suren suddenly focused her light, forming a pure sword of light. "I don't want to hurt you, sister."
Shar gathered shadows, forming a dark blade. "But you have been hurting me ever since you created the sun."
The lightsaber and the dark blade clashed once more. This time, the impact was even more terrifying, completely shattering a nearby small plane into chaotic energy.
The gods were shocked by the battle, but none dared to intervene. This was a duel between primordial goddesses, and other deities could not interfere.
The Lord of Terror watched from afar, pleased with the sisters' civil war. "Fight, fight," He whispered, "it's best if both sides are severely injured."
Dendel had finished its devouring, leaving only a dim halo around the sun. Taking advantage of this, the army of Aragami expanded their gains, attacking the world now deprived of the sun's protection.
Suren realized that the battle had to end as soon as possible. Every moment of delay meant more lives lost.
"Sister, you forced me to do this." Suren's voice was resolute.
Shar stepped back warily: "What do you want to do, sister?"
Suren began to gather more power, but this time he drew it not from the stars, but from his own very essence.
"Are you insane?" Shar exclaimed in shock. "Using your source will permanently damage your divinity!"
Suren's expression was pained but resolute: "I'm willing to pay any price to stop you."
The light coalesced in Suren's hands, growing brighter and purer. This was no ordinary light, but the primordial light of the universe, the very source of the first ray of light at the dawn of creation.
Shar's expression changed drastically: "Stop! You'll ruin both of us!"
Shar hurriedly mobilized all her shadow power to defend herself. Darkness coalesced into the purest nothingness, attempting to devour the terrifying source of light.
But it was too late.
Suren gathered the essence of light into an ultimate beam of light and hurled it fiercely at Shar.
This light transcends the concepts of time and space; wherever it passes, all things take shape, shadows dissipate, and even chaotic energy is purified.
Shar screamed as she met the source of darkness head-on. Darkness and light clashed once more, but this time it was a battle of the most fundamental elements.
There was no explosion, no shockwave. A strange stillness was created at the moment the two primordial forces collided.
Then, a silent ripple spread out. Wherever it reached, stars extinguished, planes collapsed, and rules became disordered.
Suren and Shar were both thrown back by the force of the impact, and cracks appeared in their divine bodies, but Shar's essence remained undamaged.
The balance between light and darkness was broken, and the entire universe felt the aftershocks of this collision.
The gods were horrified to discover that their powers had been briefly disrupted. Mortal beings felt an inexplicable fear.
At the center of the collision, a strange void appeared. Here, there was neither light nor darkness, neither time nor space, only pure nothingness.
Suren struggled to stabilize himself, and the cracks on his divine body slowly repaired, but the damage to his fundamental nature could not be recovered quickly.
"You…you really…" Shar looked at Suren in disbelief, "For those mortals, you would rather damage your very essence?"
Suren, weak but resolute, said: "For all life, sister. Including you."
After a long silence, Shar said, "It's too late now, Suren."
Suren looked at her sister sadly.
But the goddess of darkness turned and disappeared into the shadows. Her aura weakened, clearly indicating she was injured.
Suren also wanted to give chase, but his injuries were too severe, so he could only stabilize the situation first.
She looked towards the sun; Dandel had vanished, but the sun remained dim and lifeless. Amannata's breath was faint; she was clearly also severely injured.
Amannatha fought with all her might, trying to maintain the sun's light. But Dandel's devouring was too fierce, and with Shar's covert interference, the sun god gradually lost his strength.
The sun's rays continued to diminish, until only a dim halo remained. The entire world was plunged into unprecedented darkness.
Dendel completed its mission and retreated to the Shadow Plane. Its body emitted an eerie glow from absorbing too much divine energy and needed time to digest it.
At the same time, the Lord of Terror launched a full-scale attack.
The army of Aragami surged into the Prime Material Plane through the Shadow Passage, simultaneously attacking multiple key targets. Without the sun's light, the Aragami thrived, their combat power increasing.
However, the gods and mortals were at a disadvantage. Darkness not only weakened the power of the gods of light, but also plunged mortals into panic and chaos.
The prime material plane began to cool rapidly. Without the sun's heat, ice and snow quickly covered the earth. Rivers froze, plants withered, and animals froze to death.
The gods immediately took emergency measures. Suren and Misriel joined forces to create an artificial light source, temporarily replacing the sun to provide light and heat.
However, these alternatives are far inferior to the real sun and can only sustain basic survival.
Amannatha was severely injured, and her divine power was greatly diminished. The sun god was forced into a state of hibernation to slowly recover his strength.
The Lord of Terror gave the gods no respite. The army of the Wild Gods seized the opportunity to expand their gains, occupying vast territories.
They specifically targeted temples of light and centers of faith, systematically destroying the sources of faith for the gods.
Mortal races are facing a survival crisis. Temperatures continue to drop, food is scarce, and the threat of a wild god lurks in the darkness.
The gods could only prioritize saving the most important population centers, and many remote areas had to be abandoned.
The elven god Corellon activated the protective barrier of the elven kingdom, enveloping the last remaining forest reserve.
The dwarf god Moradin led his people deep into underground shelters, where they relied on geothermal energy to survive.
The human gods attempted to protect the major cities, but the scope was too vast and their power too scattered. Many human cities gradually perished in darkness and cold