Dimensional Descent

Even with the weight of four consciousnesses far beyond his own bearing down on him, Apex didn't seem to care in the slightest. As for the pain? He relished in it. It fueled something deep within him, likely stoking from the Barbarian Race he was meant to be born into.

But as with all things, Existence had forsaken him and he had ended up as a Variant Invalid instead. As far as he was concerned, there was no pain greater than that. What could these mere beasts do to him?

"Why have you summoned me here, hag?"

"You are to bring the news back," Nova said without much emotion and hardly any gentleness. "We have managed to procure the Life Tablet."

"Life Tablet?" Apex raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Isn't that thing in the hands of a human brat?"

"No longer," Nova replied shortly, not planning to give any further explanation.

"Then give it to me. I will take it to my master."

"No," Nova replied just as evenly.

She had no obligation to do such a thing. They weren't here in a subservient position. If so, what would be the point in everything they were doing? What purpose would all of this serve?

Apex laughed. "Stingy old hag. How absolutely ridiculous. I don't see the point in all of this posturing. You need us, not the other way around."

BOOM!

A mighty tempest of space descended from the skies and Apex was forced to his knees with such momentum that his knees dislocated, his upper legs driving into the ground and shearing away from the muscle and skin that connected them to his lower legs.

said nothing. It was hard to expect Apex to keep getting away with snubbing their noses in

they didn't dare to kill him, not for fear of his master, but for fear of the end of their cooperation. Until it

grin spread across his face as he looked up. Whether he was on his feet or not, it didn't make much of a difference with how absolutely enormous these creatures were. "So fiery today, are we? I would have thought that aged old

refute again, but when she thought about it, she realized that she should

others, she nodded and was about

"Hm?"

wrong, Nova?" Astral

Tablet,

the time of

did they trust her implicitly, but what would she have gained bringing them out here just to say she didn't have it? Plus, for them, the journey was barely a matter of a few strides. What could she gain by making them waste

course, there was the idea of forming an ambush, but it wouldn't be a very good ambush if she alerted them

have

But logically speaking, even if he had an ability to call the tablet back, it shouldn't have been

eyes suddenly lit with understanding. Then,

It

like this, it wasn't something she ever did. But even so,

asked softly, looking toward the Celestial

"No."