Epic Of Caterpillar

Chapter 2920 - 2921: The Sun God

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When Kireina and everyone else reached the surface, only silence greeted them.

Kireina had temporarily lost contact with her Heart Avatars after being hurled into the depths of the Sea of Emptiness.

Now she realized they had all been destroyed. Frank had noticed the same.

They had expected the surface to be even worse, but that wasn't the case at all.

The chaos, the battles—everything had fallen eerily quiet.

The sun above burned with unbearable intensity, so bright and searing that even Amaterasu felt her skin blistering.

The ground scorched and steamed toward the sky, yet the heavens remained completely clear—not blue, but a blinding gold.

"W-What's happening?! This scorching heat…!" Kireina muttered through clenched teeth. "This is…! YOU?!"

Then she saw something utterly bizarre and terrifying.

The sun suddenly opened a pair of glowing blue eyes, staring down at them with absolute, overwhelming authority.

Amaterasu screamed in pain as a monstrous entity invaded her mind and heart—far beyond any Outer God.

Unlike those Outer Gods, this being was the absolute, most twisted and abominable embodiment of the Sun that had ever existed.

"You're finally here, Kireina, everyone! I have been eagerly awaiting your return. Welcome to my ideal world. Where every living being worships only one god—me, the absolute brilliant sun!"

It was him.

The Sun God of Abyss.

Kireina had seen him before, fought him, even driven him away.

But she never imagined he could go this far.

In the distance, giant mechs and motherships approached. Above every human inside floated a glowing symbol: a rising sun crossed with yellow sunlight.

In another area, the massive vessel of the Netherworld Plane Ruler bore the same mark, its eyes blazing with bright sunlight.

Farther off, a colossal portal opened. A boundless mass of spirit crystals expanded endlessly; every spiritual being within carried a glowing golden halo.

She even spotted old enemies among them, including Skadi's mutated form—all brainwashed.

Dream Entities poured from massive Dream Plane portals… they too bore the mark.

Worse still, every god not with them had fallen. Norse Gods, Greek Gods, Ancient Spirits.

Everything.

Except for a group rushing toward them, shouting desperately.

"Kireina! You're finally back! Ungh…!"

"What took you so long?!"

"This is worse than I imagined…!"

"That monster is constantly eroding our minds!"

"This is ridiculous! He's even brainwashed all of hell! Mammon too!"

Redgaria, Flora, the System Master, Aura, and Lucifer—along with all their allies—ran to Kireina. Many gods accompanying the Supreme Gods had been turned and attacked them from afar.

"Unnggh…!" Mammon groaned beside Harumi. "My true body has been taken over?! Damn it…!"

Though he remained sane, his original body had been brainwashed, fused with the Sun God as an eternal servant.

"Hahahaha! Aren't you happy, Mammon?! I have given your true body what he always wanted—to return to his former glory! And so did everyone else!"

A blazing demonic tower rose from dimensional cracks. The Six Remaining Archdemons stepped out, now in angelic forms.

It was as if they had reverted to their ancient archangel selves.

"Even they are here—look!"

He laughed louder as a red moon descended from the sky. Brainwashed Vampires of Abyss emerged, half-angelic and twisted.

Everyone brainwashed was gaining angelic features—though warped and monstrous.

"And it took me some time, but that foolish woman ultimately accepted my grace and divine brilliance!"

The Sun God laughed. The Spiritual Plane kept expanding. A giant rainbow throne materialized. The Queen of Spirits sat upon it, a glowing halo above her head, her body mutated into an angelic abomination—along with all her loyal servants.

The Sun God's ultimate plan had succeeded. He had taken everything… and everyone.

"And… even Them!"

From another massive crack in the sky, the Supreme Gods of Genesis emerged—even Genesis herself, a gigantic, feathered dragon-like alien being.

All of them had glowing yellow eyes and halos.

"T-This is… ridiculous…" Kireina muttered, her face filled with utter disbelief. "What…? How…! You were a damn cowardly weakling! This makes no sense!"

"Does it? I merely consumed and took everything from here. I am an opportunistic man at heart! I devoured dozens of powerful sun gods in this world, including Ra and Apollo, and many more delectable beings. Then I consumed Genesis Sun and the Amaterasu living there. Afterward, I ate every star I could. My body, my power, my radiance, and the range of my abilities continued growing—limitless, endlessly! THIS! IS! MY! TRUE! POWER!"

The Sun God's laughter echoed, imitated by everyone now worshiping him eternally: Archdemons, Space Humans, Gods, Vampires, Spirits, Undead—everything.

All had become one with him.

"BOW BEFORE ME, MORTALS! BOW BEFORE YOUR KING! YOUR FATHER! YOUR EMPEROR! YOUR GOD! BOW BEFORE ME, THE SUN HIMSELF!!!"

As he laughed, the sun's radiance flared brighter than ever. It began destroying the planet's atmosphere. The burning light scorched the entire city of Tokyo.

His followers were immune to the sunlight—worshiping it, feeding on it, becoming more monstrous and warped.

Kireina stood speechless.

She had truly overlooked him—always underestimating him to the very end.

The one she thought she could ignore had become her worst nightmare.

But.

Was that all there was to it?

"I see. So that's it, huh?"

Before the eternal burning radiance, Kireina furrowed her brows and began to grow larger and larger.

Against this unending sunlight, her abyssal void and chaotic darkness spread like a canopy, shielding everyone.

"Then I shall become the darkness that will eclipse your radiance, Sun!"

The Sun God laughed wildly. Kireina noticed dozens, hundreds, then thousands of stars laughing with him.

Just how many stars had he refined? How much had he consumed?

It was utterly absurd. He had pushed his power to its absolute limit—but it was also thanks to a certain someone.

"Kireina! That bastard got the First Esper! That little girl helped him expand his powers everywhere and use her psychic abilities to do this!" Redgaria reached her, taking shelter in the darkness she summoned.

"I see. I assumed as much," Kireina nodded, shaking her head. "Then—"

"Nee-sama!!!"

Their conversation broke off as Tsukuyomi's horrified scream rang out. Everyone turned. Amaterasu writhed in agony, her form warping and twisting.

"Aaaaaaaggh!"

White feathered wings burst from her back, piercing Kireina's darkness and soaring higher into the sky.

"Noooo!"

Tsukuyomi chased after her, only for Beowulf to seize him and pull him back.

"Let me go! Nee-sama! My nee-sama needs us!"

"Don't you realize why she's running away?! She's being controlled! Didn't you hear?! That thing has authority over all things that are the sun itself!"

"…?!"

Tsukuyomi watched Amaterasu ascend higher and higher.

Kireina immediately gave chase. The brightness burned her, but the Sea of Emptiness shielded her.

"Amaterasu, give me your hand!"

Kireina cut through the light, but the radiance was endless, undying, fueled by everything it had consumed.

"A-Ahh… the light… the… light…"

Amaterasu wept as she gazed upon the Sun God's brilliance, drawn to become one with him.

Then she looked back at Kireina for one fleeting second.

"Please… protect… my… family…"

"AMATERASU!!!"

Kireina screamed as she reached for her.

But she was one second too late.

The Sun God's power consumed Amaterasu entirely. She ceased to exist.

And became one with him.

Or did she?

"NNNGGHHH?!"

The instant he devoured her, something sharp pierced the core of his existence.

Amid the blazing skies, Amaterasu's faint figure emerged.

"People of Japan…! Don't give up…! No, people of the world…! THIS MONSTER…! AND ALL ILL FATES…! CAN BE BEATEN! IF YOU BELIEVE… IN YOUR HEARTS! AND… WORK TOGETHER!"

As she screamed her final words to the world, Tsukuyomi shed tears of sorrow. Susanoo suddenly plummeted from the sky, gasping after battling countless mind-controlled foes.

"N-Nee-sama?!"

"G-GET OUT…! GET OUT, YOU MAGGOT!"

The Sun God tried to erase her influence. Amaterasu's silhouette began to fade.

Yet her hand still clutched his heart—until a small crack appeared.

"Susanoo…! Tsukuyomi…! Izanami-sama… Please…! Save… Japan…! Kireina…! Save the world…! This is my final… order…! Don't you dare…! Go against it!"

"E-ENOUGH!!!"

The Sun God, composure shattered, regained control—though a sharp pain lingered in his Origin Core.

Devouring the most stubborn and prideful goddess of Japan had been a grave mistake.

Though he felt even stronger… was it truly worth it?

"D-Damn it! This sharp pain…! Uuggh…!"

Kireina looked skyward and nodded, shedding a few tears—frustrated once more that she had failed to save someone.

Especially someone like Amaterasu, who had changed through these battles, revealing a true heart that cared deeply for her family.

Tsukuyomi and Susanoo collapsed, crying desperately as Amaterasu vanished.

Kireina, however, focused on the Sun God's reactions. Using her newfound strength, she read his Heart Essence.

"No, this is not enough power. It's almost as if I didn't get all of it?!"

"…!"

Kireina looked farther away. The gods wept for Amaterasu. Matsuo, his father, and Hinata stood among them.

"Matsuo…"

She gazed into him. Matsuo's eyes widened as he clutched his chest, feeling Amaterasu's radiance still alive within him.

"W-What is this?"

As tears fell, he realized a fragment of her lived on—as his power.

Amaterasu's final gift.

"She gave you her last strength," Kireina whispered into his heart.

Matsuo turned to her, his eyes wide.

"K-Kireina… I…" He held back tears, overwhelmed by regret for how he had treated her before. "I don't know what to do…! What do we do now?! Amaterasu-sama… I…!"

"What else than to fight, Matsuo?" Kireina stepped forward. The canopy of darkness folded aside to let her pass. "Fighting is all we have left—to struggle, obsessively. And seek victory, against all odds."

"…!"

She looked into his heart. Amaterasu's essence continued merging with him. The Mountain Chief God within him merged as well.

"You were chosen to carry your goddess's legacy, Matsuo," she said sternly. "Make sure to not disappoint her. Crying, weeping, and lamenting in sorrow won't get us anywhere. We must fight."

Her voice echoed in every heart. Her power swiftly connected everyone to the Pillar of Celestial Enlightenment, her Blossoming Defiance, and her Myriad Forms and Connections.

Everyone present suddenly awakened as Heart Path Cultivators. Their Manifestations surged from their bodies—the embodiments of their Souls, their Paths, their Suffering, their Happiness, their Hope, and their Despair.

Those already of the Heart Tribe grew even stronger, linked to the ultimate conclusion of Kireina's journey: the Pillar of Celestial Enlightenment. They bathed in Repentant Enlightenment and saw through her eyes.

"Do you understand now, everyone?" Kireina asked.

Her Sea of Emptiness trembled. A giantess of chaos and her siblings emerged one by one, astonishing the rest.

"And well, I've also brought reinforcements. Some mighty strong people will be joining us, so have hope… No sacrifice will be in vain… I promise."

Khaos, her mother, appeared and gazed upon them. Kireina's children and wives immediately recognized her.

Chaos, Abyss, and Kosmos nodded at Kireina's words, unleashing their Auras and preparing for battle.

Veronica and Ervas exchanged glances, ready to fight to protect their sister and this universe from the monster.

"Who… is that fair lady?" Lord Chaos gasped, eyes gleaming at Khaos's beauty. "Kireina… Who…?"

"She's Khaos, my mother," Kireina explained. "The mother of my soul, at least. From my previous life. I saved her with my siblings here after she was almost captured by Overseers."

"Nice to meet you, good sir," Khaos smiled warmly. She flew to him and took his hands. "Thank you so much for taking care of my girl… She never had a father until you appeared and became her beloved father. So I am very happy… thank you."

Khaos hugged him tightly. Kireina's father's heart skipped a beat. "G-Gah? W-Who…! Ahh…! I haven't felt this way… since… your mother, Kireina… I…!"

"Let's work together, sir," Khaos said warmly and kindly.

"Yes… of course," Papa Chaos nodded. "To think I would meet someone of my same species… I can't help but feel fortunate today."

Kireina chuckled and nodded, looking at everyone. "So what are you waiting for? Will you fight? Or will you weep and cry? I have given you all the power to fight back! We must reclaim this planet before it dies as its atmosphere is destroyed. It is now or never, everyone! One last fight!"

Her words ignited them. Everyone nodded, gripping their fists tightly.

"One last fight!" Susanoo roared, raising his sword.

"For nee-sama…!" Tsukuyomi nodded, holding back tears.

"Yeah!" Ryo roared.

"Let's do this, masta! Guguguuuuu!" Rimuru celebrated, transforming into a gigantic slime.

"And we've got even more reinforcements too!" Kireina said, shocking everyone as a cosmic portal opened toward her Cosmic Realm.

Old friends and family emerged, overflowing with new strength.

"Let's do this!"

Kireina roared, rallying thousands as she faced the God of the Sun—while gazing past him at the Cosmic Staircase and the spiderwebs leading somewhere else.

The path was set. Now it was her time to seize this opportunity and end it once and for all.

Under the gazes of her sisters and the monster they had forged to stop her, Kireina stepped forward once more—defiant against fate.

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