Chapter 50 Death’s Embrace Part 4
“How did you manage to kill Death?” asked a suspicious Genya as he looked around the room trying to find Death’s corpse.
“Well, I tricked him into defeating himself. I didn’t have a chance of beating him 1on1 so I didn’t even try to. Oh if you’re looking for the body I already dealt with it.” explained Zero as he walked to a wall and sat down resting his tired and aching body.
“What’s wrong with you?” asked Genya
Zero looked at Genya in disbelief as he heard the question before closing his eyes. His body and mind were too exhausted to deal with Genya at this moment so he disregarded him and went to sleep. Due to his new body, he doesn’t require sleep but it still helps refresh his mind and allows his body to heal faster.
After resting for an hour Zero awoke to find Genya sitting 20 feet away from him. He had hoped Genya would have left while he slept but he awoke to a disappointing sight. He turned to Genya and asked him “So what would you like to ask me?”
“You’ve been dropping life-changing information on me time and time again without explaining the details. I want to know the whole truth starting with who you are.” said Genya as he glared at Zero.
“Who am I? I’m Zero Hakuba.” answered Zero
“Don’t lie! When I arrived in town I investigated all the kids' Soma’s age and I found nothing on you. Some people said you were Mina’s cousin and others said you were the sibling of a crime boss. Tell me the truth.” said Genya
“Well, I’m Zero a being who comes from another world. I had originally planned to observe and not interfere with Soma’s and Mina’s fate but I changed my mind after getting to know them.” explained Zero
“Wait! Another world! There are other worlds!?” asked a shocked Genya
“There are apparently infinite worlds from what I remember. There even worlds similar to this one but slightly different.” stated Zero
“So how did you gain all this knowledge of Soma’s fate then?” asked Genya
“I have the ability to travel through time.” said Zero
“So you found out about their fate in the future. That makes sense.” said Genya
Zero didn’t say anything and simply smiled at Genya before saying “Now that you’ve got some background information I have to go now.”
“You’re trying to run away!” yelled Genya as he reached for his sword.
“Not really, I just have more important things to do at this moment. I need to prepare for God and I can’t spend any more time here than I already have.” responded Zero before he proceeded to teleport away.
“Damn!” yelled Genya as he slammed his fist into the wall in frustration. He stood motionless for 10 minutes before calming down and deciding that his time was best spent checking on Soma and Julius.
Arriving in his chaos dimension Zero was greeted by an unusual sight. He was greeted by the sight of a massive tree with crystalline leaves next to the stadium where Yoko was training with Valna. Zero quickly appraised the tree having a pretty good idea what it was.
Divine Artifact: World Tree Nova
Effect:
Sephirot Physiology (10th Malkuth/Kingdom)
Qliphoth Physiology (10th Naamah/Whisperers)
Existence Manipulation (Restricted)
Description: A world tree created by the budding nature goddess Nova. World trees are said to be massive, supernatural trees that connect all of humanity, nature, and the world with each other and with the other realms such as the underworld and the heavens, acting as an anchor to most, if not all of existence. This tree also acts as Nova’s main body and due to her unnatural birth, this tree is both a tree of life and death.
While Zero had expected it to be a world tree created by Nova, but he wasn’t expecting that it would allow her to one day control existence. He once again found himself thinking that Nova was just too overpowered and that he needed to get stronger and faster.
Zero produced his wings and took to the air flying towards the coliseum. After a few minutes, he arrived and landed to find Yoko, Valna, and Nova who now looked like a 3-year-old toddler instead of the baby he had last seen.
“Papa!” Nova yelled as she ran towards him for a hug tripping and falling on the floor. She got up and started crying which caused the ground to shake and crack. Yoko quickly rushed to pick up Nova and soothe the crying child. As time went on Nova stopped crying and the earthquake stopped.
“So what’s going on?” asked a very confused Zero
“I don’t even know.” said Yoko with a sigh looking tired as she handed Nova to Zero
“Allow me to explain.” said Valna as she went through the series of events that led to the current situation. She explained that after Zero left the dimension they started training as Nova laid in her crib. An hour into the training lesson Nova suddenly started to glow light green which caused them to rush to her side worried. The glow eventually condensed into a seed and flew away. Worried about Nova they disregarded the seed and made sure she was okay.
After making sure that Nova was okay the earth suddenly shook and the massive tree with crystal leaves emerged from the ground and continued to grow until it reached this size. With Yoko holding Nova they flew into the air to go investigate the tree and Nova started to laugh and enjoy flying.
“Wait hold up is Nova laughing important to the story?” Zero interrupted
“Please quiet and listen.” retorted an angry Valna
Going back to her explanation of the events that led to the current situation Valna explained how when they landed near the tree Nova started to glow again. A powerful force pulled Nova out of Yoko's hands and before they could catch Nova the trunk of the tree split open and Nova flew in causing it to shut tight. Valna had prepared to attack the tree in order to get Nova but was stopped by Yoko when they heard a heartbeat coming from the tree. After waiting 10 minutes Nova emerged but as a child with the ability to speak as she ran toward Yoko calling her mommy.
Skill Explanation:
Sephirot Physiology: The user gains a true body with aspects similar to that of the Sephirot (Tree of Life) in Kabbalah, allowing them to tap on the primal, undiluted divine forces of creation. By unlocking the 10 attributes of the tree user will have a complete understanding of creation granting complete control of all life and creation.
Qliphoth Physiology: The user gains a true body with aspects similar to that of the Qliphoth (Tree of Death) the representation of evil or impure spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism in Kabbalah, allowing them to tap into the primal, undiluted forces of death and destruction. By unlocking the 10 attributes of the tree user will have a complete understanding of death and grant complete control of all the forces of death and destruction.
Malkuth (Kingdom): The tenth level of the Sephirot which is represented by Earth and relates to the physical world, the planets, and the Solar System created by God. By understanding this level the user gains the skills of Absolute Restoration and Pure Elemental Manipulation.
Naamah (Whisperers/Queen of the Night): The tenth level of the Qliphoth which is represented by Lilith the first woman to fall into darkness and become a demon. By understanding this level the user gains the skills Fear Inducement and Subliminal Seduction.