Chapter 55: The Unveiling of the Outer Gate

Eryx and Ophis stood at the remnants of the last battle, but the void still pulsed within them, hungry, unsatisfied by mere victory. The destruction of the shadowed creature had only revealed more mysteries—and with it, an even greater threat on the horizon.

As they turned to ascend the next flight of stairs, Ophis' expression tightened. Eryx, catching the shift in her aura, frowned. "You feel it too, don't you?"

"The Outer Gate," Ophis replied quietly. "It's opening."

The words struck him with a chill. They had ventured deeper into the Tower than any mortal had ever dared, but the Outer Gods—their presence was something beyond even the Void they controlled. Eryx had always felt a certain hubris about facing the gods who ruled the floors above them. But now, with the Outer Gate being revealed, that arrogance began to crumble.

Ophis continued, her gaze sharp and cold as the Void. "The Gods you've faced before were nothing but keepers of the floors. This... this is different. The Outer Gods are far beyond that—fragments of a universe older than creation."

"How do we stop them?" Eryx asked, his hand tightening around his sword.

Ophis met his gaze, and for the first time, a flicker of doubt crossed her features. "We don't stop them," she said simply. "We survive them. But first, we need to get stronger."

The mention of strength should have invigorated him, but instead, it only deepened his worry. The Void had been their greatest weapon so far, but its true nature was becoming harder to control. How much longer could they bend it to their will without being consumed?

They reached the top of the stairs and entered a vast chamber, lined with ancient inscriptions that seemed to twist and ripple in the air. At the center of the room stood a massive, stone gate. Unlike the previous portals they had passed through, this one emitted a dark, ethereal light. It was the Outer Gate—a door that led to a realm beyond gods, to a place where even the Void itself bowed to greater forces.

Ophis reached for the inscriptions, her fingers tracing the lines of text. "This is the final boundary before we reach the first of the Outer Gods."

Eryx's eyes narrowed, his muscles tense with anticipation. "What's waiting for us on the other side?"

Before she could answer, the gate began to shift, stone grinding against stone as it creaked open. A cold wind swept through the chamber, carrying with it whispers—echoes of ancient voices, speaking in a language neither of them understood.

Ophis stepped forward, her expression unreadable. "Whatever it is, we have no choice but to face it. This is the next stage of our ascension."

Eryx followed her into the swirling darkness, his grip firm on the sword at his side. They had conquered gods, battled forces that bent reality to their will, and yet, nothing had prepared them for what awaited beyond the gate.

The first level of the Outer Gods was a vast expanse of nothingness—an empty void, yet filled with a strange energy. The ground beneath them was black, slick with an oily sheen, and the sky above was a swirling vortex of stars and darkness. In the distance, shadowy figures moved, indistinct yet terrifying in their enormity.

"They've been watching us," Ophis murmured, her eyes locked on the figures. "Waiting for us."

As if in response, one of the figures began to move toward them. It was enormous, towering over the landscape, its form constantly shifting and warping as if it were made of the very fabric of the void itself. Eyes—too many to count—blinked open across its body, each one glowing with an unnatural light.

Eryx felt a wave of nausea wash over him as the creature approached. This wasn't like the gods they had fought before. This was something far older, far more powerful.

"Prepare yourself," Ophis said, her voice steady despite the growing tension in the air. "This is only the beginning."

With a roar, the creature lunged toward them, its form dissolving into a torrent of dark energy. Eryx raised his sword, channeling the Void as best he could, but the power of the Outer God was overwhelming.

The force of the attack sent him crashing to the ground, his vision blurring from the impact. He struggled to stand, the Void within him surging, but it wasn't enough. The Outer God's power was too great.

Ophis, however, remained standing, her aura flaring with dark energy. She stepped forward, her eyes glowing with an intensity that rivaled the creature's. "You don't belong here," she said softly, her voice carrying across the void. "This is our realm now."

With a wave of her hand, she unleashed a torrent of Void energy that collided with the creature, sending it staggering back. The ground trembled beneath them as the two forces clashed, the air crackling with raw power.

Eryx pushed himself to his feet, his body trembling with exhaustion. The battle wasn't over yet, but Ophis had given him the opening he needed.

Together, they pressed forward, their combined strength pushing the Outer God back, inch by inch. The creature let out a roar of fury, its form warping and shifting as it tried to hold its ground.

But in the end, it wasn't enough. With a final surge of power, Eryx and Ophis forced the creature back into the void from which it had come, its form dissolving into nothingness.

As the last echoes of the battle faded, Eryx collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. Ophis stood over him, her expression unreadable.

"We're not done yet," she said quietly. "There are more of them. And they're watching."

Eryx nodded, his mind reeling from the battle. The Outer Gods were unlike anything they had faced before, and the journey ahead was only going to get harder. But they had made it this far, and they weren't going to stop now.

With a final glance at the swirling void around them, Eryx pushed himself to his feet. The Outer Gods were waiting—but so was their ascension.