Mythos Of Narcissus: Reborn As An NPC In A Horror VRMMO

The eldritch moon above cast its fractured, spiraling glow upon the battlefield, bathing the Landship and its surrounding chaos in a spectral light.

The tide of skeletal monsters, relentless as it was, showed no signs of abating. Every slash of a blade, every explosive arcane blast, and every molten wave of Verina's Furnace only seemed to fuel their grotesque numbers.

Not to mention, with the newest integration of the defensive turrets and the drones dancing along the chaos that were unveiling before me, the sight had reached an intensity that was far more massive and high-paced than any skirmish that one could ever conceive.

All of this happens only in the small scale of land that didn't even cover the entire region of this part of the world.

And yet, my focus was elsewhere. My eyes narrowed as I traced the invisible threads of energy emanating from the skeletal horde. These weren't mere mindless constructs—something was directing them, feeding them power and sending more allies to help their destructive cause. That something loomed just beyond our reality, tugging the strings from an adjacent dimensional plane.

The King of Skulls was observing this fight like a coward.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Viviane hovered above the battlefield, her fae magic rippling in iridescent waves as she hurled Calamity Objects into dimensional rifts with deft precision, despite appearing like she had been running a marathon without any rest..

Kuzunoha, ever the enigmatic arcane sorcerer, stood at ground level, her hands weaving intricate sigils that dissolved Calamity Objects into arcane material in bursts of glowing particles, while also supporting the bastioneers and the Heavenly Maids, empowering their Prismforges and Metalweaves.

Both of them met my gaze, their expressions calm yet focused.

"You two know where it is, don't you?" I asked, my voice even. It wasn't a question but a statement, and their subtle nods confirmed it.

"Why ask me if you already know?" Kuzunoha replied, her tone was playfully dismissive as if the fact were too obvious to even discuss. "The King of Skulls isn't here; it's puppeteering from its own little pocket of reality."

Viviane's lips curled into a faint smile as she glanced toward me. "It's not that we don't want to reach it," she added, "But you know how Carcosa works. Teleportation, instant travel… all restricted. This place loves its little rules."

I sighed, my fingers tightening around the railing of the observation deck. "Of course it does."

Carcosa had its way of limiting even the most powerful beings. Rules, restrictions, and arbitrary limitations—it was a maddening sandbox of cosmic cruelty.

Viviane's rifts and Kuzunoha's arcane teleportation, both capable of crossing dimensions, were useless here unless limited in usage and efficiency.

Yet Carcosa wasn't entirely impenetrable. It loved its loopholes, and if there was one thing I excelled at, it was exploiting them.

"Space manipulation isn't restricted," I mused aloud, the faintest smirk tugging at my lips. "Carcosa can't regulate what isn't technically magic. You see how I managed to kidnap the Heavenly Victory yesterday."

Though I did try using the same method to perform what was essentially a large scale teleportation, or long range travel.

Carcosa limited them and repelled my attempt. So it seemed like this loophole wasn't entirely abuseable either since space manipulation at a higher degree is considered to be an act of great cause and power, which was how Eve was banished from Carcosa in the first place.

Kuzunoha's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Oh, I see where this is going."

"Charis," I called, turning to my ever-reliable daughter. She stood just behind me, holding Lupina in her arms like a sleepy, grumpy pet. "Prepare one of your strongest attacks."

Charis blinked, her white eyes widening slightly in surprise before settling into a determined focus. She nodded, before summoning shadowy tendrils of energy swirling around her like a living storm without lifting a finger.

Two enormous, shadowy hands manifested above her, their semi-transparent forms crackling with chaotic energy.

Slowly but surely, they began to coalesce, forming a dense, pulsating sphere of entropy.

The energy it emitted sent a shiver down my spine—not from fear, but from the sheer destructive potential it radiated.

Aside from that, there was a great development in the plant bioengineering project that I'm currently working on within the hydroponic farm.

And one of the seeds that I planned to create seemed to be having no sign of growing, even at the most miniscule scale. I tried using a Cognitive Engine to find out why that happened, only to find out that this specific seed needed to be exposed to some sort of entropy-based energy.

I named this plant, Chaotophyta entropis.

Chaotophyta, derived from "chaos" and "-phyta", a common suffix for plant groups in taxonomy. Entropis, from "entropy" reflecting its unique energy source.

I wondered where I should find this entropy-based energy, only to realize that the source was on my side all along.

Sometimes, I couldn't believe that I was this slow on the uptake despite being a demigod and having a high level of intelligence and all.

"You have too much power for someone your size," I commented lightly, trying to mask the excitement that prickled the edges of my composure. "Don't overwork yourself, sunshine."

Charis glanced at me with a shy smile, the concentration on her face softening for a brief moment. "It's… manageable, Father."

I wasn't entirely convinced, but I trusted her control. She had proven herself time and time again. Still, seeing that sphere of raw entropy form so effortlessly reminded me of just how dangerous my daughter could be.

"Hold," I instructed, raising my hand as I stepped forward. The air around me shifted as I utilized my All-Tampering Divine Dexterity, the latent power in my hands ready to tear through the fabric of space itself.

The battlefield faded from my focus as I reached out and began to twist the invisible threads of reality.

With a deliberate motion, I tore through the space before me. The fabric of reality unraveled under my touch, revealing a rift that shimmered and twisted with otherworldly hues.

Beyond the tear, the King of Skulls came into view, its grotesque form hovering in the void of its dimensional plane.

The eldritch entity defied comprehension. Its skull-like visage, impossibly large, was adorned with the petals of a foreboding rafflesia blooming grotesquely from one of its empty eye sockets. Its form was wreathed in shadows, the void around it seeming to writhe and pulse with a malevolent will. The sight of it was enough to make the air around me feel heavy, as if the very concept of existence was bending under its presence.

"Charis," I commanded, my voice steady despite the oppressive weight of the entity's gaze. "Now."

Without hesitation, Charis hurled the sphere of entropy into the rift. The energy streaked through the tear, its chaotic light casting eerie shadows across the battlefield. The King of Skulls seemed to react, its skeletal form contorting as the sphere collided with it.

The moment the sphere made contact, I snapped the rift shut, sewing the tear in reality closed with precision and speed. The space around me shimmered briefly before settling back into its normal, distorted state.

I stood still for a moment, my senses attuned to the subtle shifts in the air. Slowly, I felt it—the severing of the King of Skulls' influence. The skeletal monsters, once bound to their master's will, began to falter in strenght. No new creatures rose from the remains of the fallen, and the relentless tide finally began to abate.

"It's done," I murmured, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

Lupina, still cradled in Charis' arms, yawned lazily. "Well, that's one less headache to deal with," she remarked, her tone dripping with faux nonchalance. "Honestly, these Calamity Objects will feel like cheap party tricks once I get my Theotech Vessel. I just knew it. I can feel it in my bone, the future where I soar the sky and burn the sea ablaze~"

Charis chuckled softly, her expression lightening as the tension of the battle eased. "You're awfully confident for someone who doesn't even know if a Theotech Vessel exists in the Vault in the first place."

Lupina's eyes widened in mock indignation. "How dare you doubt me! Of course, there's a Vessel. There has to be!"

I smirked, leaning casually against the railing. "And what if there is one," I began, my tone teasing, "But it's not what you're expecting? What if it's some monstrous, beastly thing? Four arms, twenty legs, something straight out of an eldritch nightmare?"

Lupina's golden eyes widened further, this time with genuine horror. "No! No, it has to be human-like! It has to be elegant, beautiful, tall, like that of divine envoy!" The more she tried to imagine the monstrous sight that I instigated, the more scared she became "Not… not that!"

Charis joined in on the teasing, her voice laced with mischief. "It wouldn't be surprising, though. Theotech is based on ancient divine histories, right? And those can get… freaky."

"Stop it!" Lupina wailed, burying her face in Charis' shoulder. "You're both awful!"