After sending Ferex ahead to ensure that everyone was safe, Skullius remained, standing several dozen meters before the giant lip. A great dark cage with the likeness of black smoke and flame to each of its crisscrossing bars, shielded the entire Deity.

Skullius studied it. 'There are more variants to Zu'sse than I thought.'

He'd seen Quintess use the powerful ability for more than just reinforcement and intimidation. With Zu'sse Conch, he delivered reinforced blows to enemies far away from him without having to sacrifice the damage he dealt, and with Zu'sse Perelinn, he could draw in his enemies with a super suctional force.

Zu'sse was the condensation of Amras into what was akin to a gaseous state, thus, when using it, the user would lose access to their Andori, as they couldn't fuel them. But the benefits were worth the cost. It was even possible to rapidly switch from Zu'sse to ordinary Amras with enough mastery.

…And Skullius believed that the Deity before him was on that level. Only he could have seen what everyone else couldn't possibly have gleamed.

'He's on the brink of death. But also…' Skullius' [Legion Eyes] picked up the faintest wisps of some cold, bright blue mist, a miasma, dancing along the stump of the Deity's neck several hundred meters below. 'Hmmm.'

Finally, Skullius armed himself with Null Life Essence, and he floated towards the great cage of Zu'sse. With Focused Null Life Ota reinforcing him on top of the monstrous augmentation he already enjoyed as a result of his Null Life Essence reserves, it wouldn't be too much of a problem for him to breach it.

He had also armed Ferex with Ota, which allowed the Apostle through.

…But he needn't have wasted the effort.

The furious, flame-like bars, expelling invisible tendrils of the kind of power even other Deities would fear… fell away.

"Oh?" Skullius hadn't expected that. Simmering his powers down, he slipped between the giant teeth, landed on the Deity's tongue, and was soon among the collection of Divines and mortals.

Savast, Baddan. Yuyui, Grim, Elita, and Kintar were on their knees, faces pale. Even with the Zu'sse expelled, the mere shadow of its chokehold remained.

Uyuniya, Pell, Kiek, and the rest of the Divines were standing, but their eyes were glazed over.

Only when Skullius spoke were they all shaken out of their fear.

"That was extremely stupid, even for you, Kintar."

Kintar's face exploded in shock, and for the first time, she looked ashamed of herself. She didn't even have a retort.

"W-we all agreed to it," said Yuyui in a wobbly fashion, rising to her feet. "It wasn't just her."

"I know," said Skullius. He met Savast, Baddan, and Grim's eyes. The three rose as well with great difficulty.

"If that's the case," said Savast, "then punish us all."

"We only wanted to have a look. At first," said Grim, pressing his fingers against his forehead. His nose bled violently.

Skullius acknowledged the plights with a nod. He met Uyuniya's eyes. A distinct, angry, I tried to tell them, was floating somewhere behind her pupils. Elita, whom Ferex was helping up, seemed to be thinking the same.

"Your impatience and desperation are warranted. I would never condemn you for wanting to explore this new place. In a way, you're all like children introduced to a wide, new field where everything is new and wondrous," Skullius said as he looked around. "You must have thought you were strong enough to not die immediately, at the very least." He sighed. "Part of that is my fault. It's taking too damn long to iron things out with…"

He paused. A tall, chitin-layered humanoid had stepped up, quivering – Intha, the leader of Pell's pirate group. The translator was in his hands.

"E-excuse me. Who are you? Would you happen to also be—"

"Quiet."

The Hybrid's attention was somewhere else. He hadn't forgotten…

"You may speak," he commanded.

It was no mystery who Skullius was referring to.

A moment later, a response came, reverberating through his and everyone else's souls:

Please accept my sincere apology. I did not mean any harm. I would not have slaughtered your subordinates without cause.

Skullius was hardly interested in a sorry, however. His subordinates' mistakes were their own.

'Hmm. Right. That is how normal Divines communicate,' he thought, recalling it from Boron's memories.

Unlike the Primevals, this was how Divines overcame language barriers when they didn't want to rely on Treasures.

Skullius got it right on his first try. It was as simple as imbuing intent into words. A Divine soul had its own kind of powers, but they were scarcely useful for offense. Conveying intent became simple. Whether or not a recipient wanted to accept the conveyed intention was all that mattered.

Thus, when Skullius spoke, his sharpened intentions also reverberated through everyone there. They heard every word he meant.

"Whether or not I forgive depends solely on the answers you give me," he said.

The Deity's entire head quivered slightly. He'd long realized how fiercely powerful Skullius was from that one instant he unleashed his Null Life Essence. All he could do was cooperate, after all…

Ask away…

Skullius tilted his head. "You've died before, haven't you?"

It is as you say.

"You've only recently revived."

Indeed.

The Stars, Void Users, and the pirates choked on surprise.

Skullius couldn't blame them. He'd doubted himself, too, but the fact was, the strands of the |Greater Cosmic Law| in him wouldn't lie. Limited as they were, they were attracted to other sources of the law close to Skullius. As it happened, the Hybrid had noticed quick wisps of the Immors and Conste around the Deity's head. Both told different stories – ones that Skullius needed defined.

"Explain how that came to be," he said to the head.

There was a short pause. The Deity seemed to dread recounting his story.

My name is Paliothese. Up until what I assume was several thousand Consternals ago, I was a devoted member of the Aspire to Divine, serving under Sovereign General Momem Thyrgga.

A flurry of reactions blossomed in a series of different ways, but Paliothese continued.

A secret I'd managed to keep hidden all along, believing it didn't define what I believed in, was discovered, and I was sentenced to death. However, while Momem Thyrgga deigned for me to be swiftly dispatched, that wench Navvexr saw it fitting for me to die a slow, painful death, and that my head be exiled from the Breaking Chasm into the great void for all to see.

Skullius narrowed his eyes.

I remember dying not too long after that… but I also remember seeing a flash of divine light – hope in holy form. I latched onto it and sprang back to life. A second chance, however, short it may be. Paliothese's voice rose and grew bolder. I truly believe it. I was meant to return from death in order to meet you. You are my only hope now.