RISE OF EROS

As Andrew and the others gathered and discussed what they would do in the future, the wind howled through the ruins of a forgotten shrine, its icy voice drifting through the cracked stone corridors.

It was a place far removed from civilization, hidden in a region where few ventured. There was no name for the place, nor any record of its existence on any map.

It was the perfect hiding place, and it was where the two remaining leaders of Purgatory had fled after the disastrous battle at Rivers. The blue-cloaked leader sat on a stone pedestal, resting his head in his shaking hands.
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His entire body shuddered with uncontrollable spasms, and every beat of his heart sent waves of pain through his veins. The fragment of the fallen god embedded within him vibrated with an energy he could not control.

His companion, the green-cloaked leader, was also on the verge of collapse. His hands, which had once firmly commanded armies, were now trembling claws.

His skin took on a sickly hue, and his eyes, once cold and calculating, were now orbs of a spectral glow. "This… is… devouring us…" the one in the blue cloak whispered, his voice barely a murmur.

"We can't… go on like this…" the one in the green cloak replied, his voice barely audible. They both knew that the fate of their former companion, the leader of the red cloak, had been sealed by his own fury.

His transformation into an abyssal had been brutal and uncontrolled, his madness had led to his destruction, but what was happening to them was different. It wasn't anger that consumed them, but the energy of the fragments themselves, which seemed to be seeking something… to fuse, to unite into a larger entity.

Then, it happened. Dark energy began to pour out of their bodies, spreading like threads of shadow that wove through the air. The fragments within them resonated in sync as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Their bodies arched in pain as a torrent of power swept through them, breaking their will and consuming their consciousness. The blue-cloaked leader felt his skin crack, fragmenting into plates of glowing obsidian.

His bones lengthened and strengthened, his flesh hardened like living metal. His mind was dragged into an unfathomable abyss, where the concept of "self" began to blur.

The green-cloaked leader fared no better. His limbs lengthened, his veins became rivers of corrupted energy, and his eyes ceased to be human. Black roots emerged from his back, enveloping his body in a natural armor of thorns and scales.

Both began to be absorbed by each other, their forms breaking down and recomposing into an impossible amalgam. They were no longer two separate entities; the synergy between the fragments forced them to merge into a being beyond any imagination.

The transformation was a harrowing process. Their skin melted and reformed into impossible patterns, and their voices intertwined into a chorus of distorted screams. The air around them warped with the sheer magnitude of the energy they released, and the ancient structure that sheltered them began to collapse.

When the process finally ended, the creature left standing was unlike anything that had ever walked the world before. It was a colossus of shadows, a titan whose form could not be comprehended with the naked eye.

Its skin was a constantly mutating chaos, alternating between obsidian scales, poisonous spines, and black metal claws. Its eyes were no longer red like those of a common abyssal; they were luminous circles of pure white, devoid of humanity, witnesses to a power beyond comprehension.

Their torsos, wide and riddled with cracks that emanated flashes of dark energy, pulsed like an exposed heart. Their wings, enormous and composed of ethereal matter, distilled a dense smoke that spread across the ground, corrupting everything they touched.

Their arms ended in sharp claws that seemed to have been designed to tear apart reality itself. They were no longer the leaders of Purgatory. They were no longer even two distinct beings. They were a new entity, something beyond the understanding of mortals.

The ground beneath them trembled as they took their first step. Its presence was suffocating, a whirlwind of chaos distorting the air. The fusion of the fragments had created something that not even the fallen god himself had foreseen.

The creature raised its head, and a roar emerged from its throat. It was not a natural sound; it was a vibration that resonated throughout the continent, an echo of corruption that announced the arrival of something new. Something worse than individual abyssals.

Its mere existence was a cataclysm. And the world was not yet ready to face it. The new being roared with a mixture of pain and power without consciousness and still transforming.

Although it had taken this form, this being did not yet seem to be aware of itself. The consciousnesses of the leaders of Purgatory had already died and only a vortex of chaos could be seen in its mind.

It could not be considered a thinking or intelligent being. The only thoughts in his head were those of destruction and the instinct that drew him towards the remnants of the fallen god.

Although this being could not even be created by the fallen god himself, there is no doubt that it was born from parts of the fallen god, so its instinct to gather persisted, but now it was like an aimless animal.

It was not that he could sense the remnants of the fallen god from anywhere, as the seals blocked the aura of the fallen god and, in addition, he was too far away from them to sense them.

Because of this, the beast only thought of destruction. With its immense power, it only needed to expel a little energy, and all the ruins it was in turned into a huge crater.

Since it was so far away, no one felt the explosion of energy, at least none of the demigods who were with Andrew. His power could no longer be called divinity or aura, it was mere corruption and chaos.

Such great power should be easily detectable, but for some reason, no one could sense it. Although this beast now existed only to destroy, the weak intention of the fragments of the fallen god who created it had done a good job.

They sacrificed everything so that this power would go unnoticed. For this reason, despite how powerful it is, they would not be able to sense it unless it was very close, so not even Crhono could sense it.

Now a soulless, unintelligent beast with a desire to destroy had been born, with great power and no one knew that this threat existed. Meanwhile, Andrew finished discussing with Crhono and the others.

They quickly organized themselves. They looked at what materials they needed to make a degraded youth dew and divided the work. Zaros and Elidyr would take charge of rebuilding Cannes Palace.

Lugia, Biacko, and the other dragons would continue to protect Andrew, while Draneg, Crhono, Sered, and Sohei would search for the elements needed to create the degraded youth dew.

The elements of this potion were not simple. In this world, they could be considered divine ingredients, but they were not impossible to obtain, at least not for such powerful beings.

In fact, there were no risks for them, but it would not be easy to obtain them either. To be more exact, it would take time, but not dangerous, at least not for them. With all this settled, everyone went to fulfill their duties.

Andrew being in Rios decided to go to Cannes instead of returning to Dunnas. Since Andrew is an important part of their battle against Purgatory and the fallen god, everyone escorted him to Cannes.

They had to protect him, so they accompanied him until they reached Cannes. Damon and Abigale had done a great job directing everyone in Cannes and the city had been largely rebuilt.

When they saw Andrew arrive in the company of Zaros and the others, they immediately approached. Having so many powerful people around should certainly make them feel nervous, but they did not care.

They wanted to know about their children, so they did not fear the demigods present. None of the people present were offended by his behavior and Andrew was actually pleased, as it showed the kind of people they were.

Andrew calmly explained to them that they were in Dunnas enjoying the experience of a different country and that they were not in any danger. He also explained to them the reason for not bringing them, although he omitted many details.

They did not yet know that Andrew is a god candidate, so it was not convenient to tell him what he had done in the country of Rivers and everything that had happened, it was better to keep that a secret, at least for now.

Andrew had already decided to take the two girls from the Pixoy family as his wives. After obtaining the divinity of the water god, Andrew left his prejudices behind and began to act like a god.

He may not be as arrogant and take what he wants as the other gods, but he believed it wasn't wrong to take these two vampires as wives. Zaros had already warned him that he must tell Damon and Abigale about him if he wanted his granddaughters and Andrew agreed, but it wasn't the time.