Jackal Among Snakes

Chapter 696: Spark of Eternity

Anneliese gazed into eternity as it watched her, passing judgment in terms that she couldn’t comprehend or codify. Eternity, unlike its appearance, was rather similar to how Argrave described the suns. Anneliese could tell that it was alive, but it didn’t quite fit into the category. It was a fundamental being, an essence of the universe—or perhaps many universes. In this unusual, out-of-body state, she could perceive and interact with it.

By now, she figured things out. Hause’s power had been insufficient to help her take control of eternity. Considering the scope of the power that she felt, perhaps it could be no surprise that a mere god couldn’t tame it. This thing’s existence was so significant that Anneliese felt it could make Gerechtigkeit himself utterly irrelevant were the two ever to meet.

It was for that reason that Anneliese felt infinite curiosity and desire.

Hause claimed that all she did was unlock the innate potential that people carried within them. It stood to reason, then, that Anneliese might be able to unlock hers even without the help of the goddess. She had been brought here—from Anneliese’s perspective, that was the difficult part. But now that she gazed upon eternity itself… she allowed the part of herself that she’d largely tamed to bubble up into her mind unburdened.

Anneliese allowed the emotion of curiosity to rule her action.

Her eyes scanned the depths of this eternal existence. No matter how far they wandered, or how closely they scrutinized, there was never an end in sight. In time, her moments of silent scrutiny led her to hear the noises of eternity. It was quiet at first, but as she strained her ears she began to cry. Not just from pain, mind—from joy, elation. Anneliese heard every song that ever was, from the grandest symphony to the most heart-wrenching ballads, wrapped up all in one.

And having seen only two facets, she knew she had to see more.

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“She’s crying!” Argrave shouted, kneeling down before Anneliese’s figure, slumped in her chair. “Why is she crying? Hause? Explain!”

“I don’t know,” Hause shook her head in exasperation, exhausted. “It could be anything.”

“Yeah. Anything that makes you cry.” Argrave ran his fingers through his hair. “No, no, no. She’ll be fine. Come on. This is Anneliese. This is Anneliese we’re talking about. She can’t leave me. Just won’t happen.”

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Anneliese reveled in the ambrosia of all sensations emanating outward from eternity, and every second she did, came to better understand the magnitude of the entity she was dealing with. Like all professions, rather than feel she understood, everything she learned about eternity only served to educate how much she didn’t know.

Endlessness. It was impossible for a mortal to comprehend. The more that Anneliese tried, the more she comprehended that she couldn’t comprehend it. To hold this vastness within her body, to wield it as a tool… it seemed ridiculously laughable. At best, she could become part of it. At worst, she would be destroyed utterly beneath its majesty.

Yet… despite this, Anneliese still tried. The continued discovery of her own ignorance wasn’t a deterrent—rather, it acted as the fuel for her engine of perpetual motion. Her mind felt as though it was expanding as exponentially as eternity did. To comprehend this galactic existence, her mind became a galaxy unto itself, drawing motion from eternity just as the planets moved by gravity. Its existence was formidable enough that it propelled hers unto greater heights.

Then, finally, as if in a dream… all motion in her mind faltered, and all her thoughts died as they reached their inevitable destination. She didn’t need eternity. She would be crushed beneath its largesse, lost in its vastness. She lacked the capability—no one could truly tame eternity. But then… she didn’t need to.

After all, a fraction of eternity was still an eternity.

If she claimed one small part, one infinitesimally small piece, she would’ve claimed eternity itself. For no matter how many times eternity is divided, it remains eternal—such is its power. And with this thought and mind, she slowly raised her hand up toward it. Delicately, like plucking an apple toward a tree, she craned to grasp eternity.

Anneliese waited, waited. Eternity was endless, infinite. She couldn’t claim it on her own. But then, she didn’t need to. In the realm of infinite possibilities, a segment of eternity had already embraced her, already accepted her as its master. And when, finally, she came to this conclusion… a single spark of infinity leapt out, toward her grasping hand.

seized eternity, accepting

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around her. As if by instinct, her hand grasped Argrave’s own. He beamed

at her. “I was never worried. Not for a

right. You

lying, Argrave,” Anneliese said, panting exhaustedly. “Perhaps, now, you have some taste of what

clenched her hand. “This

head. “You just killed yourself not an

alright. And that’s what matters.

disagreed. “It wasn’t

looked infinitely awed as she

rising to her

her and Hause. “What did

Eternity coursing through her body—the smallest fragment of eternity, which was an eternity unto

me to demonstrate,” Anneliese

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been pouring out of the city since this day-long battle had begun. It soared through the air, heading to where Gerechtigkeit fought with the god of justice, Law. His golden figure had been battered substantially, and it was clear he was on the losing end of

proved this spell

tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the

began to dig into Gerechtigkeit deeply enough that he took notice of it. It pushed into his body as if compelled by a magnet hidden in his guts, and no amount of resistance or defense seemed liable to change its course or make it dissipate. In the end, it was the calamity that yielded long before this spell did—he twisted his gargantuan, formless body out of its path, and

down. Already, what looked like tens of thousands of eye golems burst free of Gerechtigkeit’s flesh and pursued her. The calamity itself

from her right hand, and she cast a single spell at all who came. The famed S-rank spell [Chain Lightning] erupted

[Chain Lightning] never lost power,

sky as her spell spread between every foe encroaching upon her. It sounded like a thousand lightning strikes all at once, and it looked like the

ground, merely preparing another spell in her left hand. When she unleashed it, another bolt of lightning bridged the gap. The body of the calamity was beset by an electricity that never faded. It conducted through his body, the air, and all the ground he walked on indefinitely. It seemed ravaging and painful, yet the calamity

Anneliese when the calamity was still a mile away. Anneliese cast a simple, wide-range F-rank warding spell designed to block out sound and nothing more. The moment she did, the lightning stopped

than the stinger coming to strike it… yet when the two met, it was the stinger that shattered,folding inward on itself. The force of the attack was so immense that it was crushed by

force. The craftsmanship was such not even the calamity could fully resist it. Still, the entire weight of his form came slamming down on Anneliese’s feeble-looking F-rank ward. His horrific teeth gnashed, predatory claws pried, inhuman hands dug, and base flesh raged… yet

others arrived long before that thin, pathetic F-rank ward had a single dent or crack. Law, shadowed by other gods freshly joining this fight, engaged Gerechtigkeit from the back. In response, his hideous form bounded away from

interfered. In the end, the cleaver of ice slammed down upon him from above. Every moment he attempted to resist it was another that the ice dug into his form, freezing blood and cutting flesh at the same time. In the end, he was forced to sacrifice part of himself to retreat, losing a not-insignificant portion of his

its foes similarly took the brief moment of reprieve to get into a better formation. There was something that it—that everyone—recognized. The scales of the battlefield had tipped with the arrival of one person. Most knew

queen of Vasquer, daughter to Patriarch Dras, and the now-undisputed best spellcaster in the world stood in defense of her

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tremendous degree of relief flavoring his tone. They stood on the mountains of Blackgard, watching down below. “What’s