Faraway in the cold void of space—where there was peace amongst the celestial bodies floating around aimlessly—a dying star in the cosmos suddenly blinked out, two blurs streaked by, space tearing in their wake and reality sundering under the force of their godly speed.
A few moments later, attacks long released caught up with each other, crashing into themselves with the force of a hundred stars, and imploding in the same grandeur.
"HAHAHA!"
"MORE! MORE! MOOORREE!" A powerful voice reverberated throughout the universe, shaking the core of existence.
Time collapsed on itself, death and eternity blooming and breaking apart simultaneously. Paradoxes of creation and destruction overlapping, resulting in a chaotic display of power surpassing the Big Bang.
One streaking figure came to a sudden halt, his body stopping so quickly that the energy roaring around him snapped at the air ahead, creating a black hole in an instant.
However, even as the opponent came to a stop too, and they both stared at each other silently, the black hole didn't affect them—because it couldn't. Not even a strand of their hair was pulled by the gravitational force. They were not held down by the laws of this universe, and could bend and alter it to their whims.
"What?... Why'd you stop," one of them spoke, to which the other replied with… silence.
"Ah, that trick again. Can't believe I fell for it twice," the red haired figure spoke as he slapped his palms together, and kicked off the vacuum of space.
A dark red miasma swirled around his body like living serpents, the infernal energy spreading kilometers outwards in rippling concentric circles, poisoning the world and desecrating it.
The energy snapped together right after, forming a cocoon around him that expanded rapidly.
Then… the reality around him shattered into a million fragments, the Time Loop he was placed in crumbling, only for him to be welcomed with a kick to his gut that launched him galaxies away.
Ryker barely blocked the kick with a thick layer of Primordial Titan Flesh, Celestial Lich Bones and Demonic Energy.
The Timeless kick had done a number on him, destroying a large portion of his undead body; but, it came at cost—a cost that Rowan was currently paying for.
Ryker rushed back faster than he was blown away, reaching the point he had received the kick so fast, the shockwaves from the strike were still spreading outwards.
Rowan forced out the Demonic Energy that had seeped into his leg, owing to the kick, and he focused on manipulating time to boost his reaction speed and break the space around.
His opponent, Ryker, clasped his hands and separated them, two bone blades forming in his palms almost instantly. A wave of dark red energy winded around the bone blades, layering over their edges and sharpening them further.
"Dead God Arts: Ultimate Form… Embodiment of Death!" Ryker roared, his energy surging violently and whipping about wildly.
Rowan watched in anticipation, his brows furrowed and his glowing green eyes narrowed. His pupils dilated, a clock-like construct within absorbing information and relaying it to his brain swiftly, signifying his absolute control over Time and Infinity.
This was his best friend—the God of Death. They knew each other better than anyone else. They had fought together, bled together and rose to the top together.
Though they might be battling like arch enemies at the moment, it was just for the fun of it. They didn't carry true malicious intents towards one another.
However, being Gods, they had complete control over their beings. They could tweak their thoughts, shape their bodies to their desired forms, and communicate with the laws of existence to accomplish impossible tasks.
Rowan smiled. A smile so wide it split his handsome face into two.
Even as he watched a storm of destructive slashes, an avalanche of celestial bones, and a horde of energy javelins heading his way, his smile didn't falter, instead it seemed to grow, becoming more fiendish than the actual Undead God his best friend was.
"Timeless Arts: Ultimate Form…
Infinity!"
SHING!
Rowan seemed to multiply into a million copies of himself, each just as powerful as the last and carrying the same unnerving smile on their face.
Tapping into the laws of Time, he brought himself from the past seconds, creating an army of Rowans with like minds and thoughts.
They might be from different timelines, but they shared the same outlook of the situation.
Now, it seemed like Ryker was in a pickle.
A few of the Rowans were destroyed by the attacks, dying in a whirlpool of Death created by the energy javelins.
Those Rowans didn't react in time. Ironic.
As for the others though, a simple barrier formed around them, stretching to infinity and stopping them in place, unable to reach their target.
Ryker clicked his tongue, his body beginning to transform, shifting into a form more suited for his Dead God Arts.
His arms elongated, his flesh splitting as his bones lengthened.
Blood and energy seeped out of his destroyed arms, turning into a fuel for his next transformation.
Bones tore out of his body like tumors, before they realigned, straightening over his body and forming an armor. His long red hair turned darker under the influence of his transformation—almost turning black—but his eyes remained a piercing red, glowing eerily like two blood moons.
Claws grew out from his fingers, curving menacingly. The holes caused from his bones growing out poured out more blood, and mixing in with his energy, it began to revolve around him like a second armor.
Standing midair like a devil reincarnate, he grinned behind his bone mask, holding a bone saber in each hand.
"Ready for round two?" Ryker asked, his voice coming out deep and guttural.
Rowan smiled. "Don't ask such gay questions."
They remained silent for a moment, then without warning exploded into action, blasting forward, clashing and rebounding hard.
A cosmic shockwave rolled out, shaking the foundations of the universe. The surrounding million kilometers boiled as they left after images and destruction in their wake.
They had taken their battle to the edges of their universe, seemingly not wanting to cause damage to the residents.
Regardless, with such cosmic power being displayed, there was bound to be some casualties.
The millions of Rowans moved in unison, working like they possessed one mind. They worked seamlessly—like a well oiled machine—attacking Ryker from awkward angles to distract him, and launching a series of attacks.
Yet, they still weren't going all out, but if one of them pulled more power to deal with the other, they would be responded with the same.
"Screw this!" The original Rowan growled, his short blonde hair dancing in the cosmic shockwaves.
He triggered a seal, rewinding time on it to a moment before it was… sealed.
BA DUM!
A heartbeat echoed across the universe, its mere sound causing everything to stop and listen.
Everyone except the two battling Gods.
Ryker knew what it was. He had seen that 'thing' in action before, and truth be told, he was enamored by it, wanting it for himself.
Alas, the 'thing' chose who it wanted to be with, and Ryker was the last person on its endless list.
"Well, don't mind if I bring out mine either," Ryker replied to his own thoughts, reaching for a seal and shrouding it in a fog of Death.
"Shatter."