Diana’s body rematerialized in the vast, empty void high above the multicolored black hole.

The air here was cold and weightless....

Her long white braids swayed gently as she took a slow, steady breath, multicolored blood still faintly staining her pale skin from the brutal exchange.

Her red thigh tattoos pulsed with lingering power, and the infinity symbol under her left eye seemed to glow softly in the dim, fractured light.

"Bastard," she muttered, her voice low and rough, laced with a mix of irritation and reluctant respect.

Up above, the Ineffable Pantheon were already standing on their floating thrones, their eyes fixed on the battlefield below.

The moment Diana appeared, she moved with purpose, walking through the void toward Ash.

Her bare feet made no sound against the emptiness as she approached, her revealing battle dress clinging to her athletic, toned form.

Without hesitation, she stepped into his arms, wrapping herself around him in a tight, warm hug.

She leaned up and pressed a firm, lingering kiss to his lips, her breath warm against his mouth.

"So.... How did I do?" she asked, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes, her voice carrying a mix of pride and vulnerability.

Ash smiled, his reddish-purple eyes glowing with affection as he pulled her close, one hand gently placed on the small of her back.

"Hmmm, not too bad, my love," he murmured, his voice carrying a warmth and sincerity that made her heart flutter. "Next time... finish it faster. I hate to see you get hurt, after all."

The moment hung in the air as every gaze in the group shifted toward him.

A heavy silence settled, thick with anticipation, because they all knew exactly what was about to happen next.

Nia stepped forward first, her black eyes sharp as she crossed her arms, her presence as possessive as ever.

"Alright enough of that crap." She said as she rolled her eyes.

"What’s the next step now that the Prime and Primordial Expanses are gone?" she asked, her tone direct but carrying that familiar edge of curiosity and impatience.

Ash’s gaze shifted to one of his newest wives — Minx, the fourth spirit.

He hadn’t spoken to her much since bonding with her, and his expression softened as he looked at her.

"The final stage," he said calmly, "is to explore the home of Minx... which is the First Absence."

Minx arched a brow, stepping forward with a mix of surprise and confusion. Her presence was quiet but intense, her form shimmering faintly as she processed his words.

"I don’t recall having any home other than the Treasury," she said, her voice soft yet tinged with genuine wonder.

"And now that I’m thinking about it... I no longer feel its connection. Where has it gone?"

Even after attaining omniscience, the true nature of what resided within the First Absence remained a mystery to them all.

To make matters stranger, Minx had no memory of ever being born, let alone of existing within the First Absence.

Ash smiled, his hand still resting gently on the Mother’s waist, and replied, "While one remains in Pantheos... the other I assume has returned to its original place within the First Absence."

Seeker, who had been listening quietly, stepped forward with a thoughtful frown.

"So... we’re just planning to storm into another realm and ruin it?" she asked, her voice carrying a mix of curiosity and mild disbelief.

Persephone let out a light, melodic laugh from her throne, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"That’s the usual after all," she said, her tone playful and knowing.

Rune chimed in as well, leaning forward with a grin that showed her sharp teeth.

"Just what could be left for us to experience?" she wondered aloud her voice carrying the shared curiosity of the entire group.

Ash simply shrugged, his smile calm and unconcerned as he began to fade from his throne, his form growing slightly translucent.

For now, his plans were already set, and the First Absence wasn’t at the top of his priorities.

It had been ages since he’d last made any personal changes to his own cosmology, and as he’d said before, he intended to shape Pantheos into something closer to the vision he held for its final form.

"It’ll be a while before I go there," he said. "I want to finish creating the Sixth and Seventh Layers of Pantheos first. In the meantime, as always, you’re free to do whatever you like in Pantheos."

With one last warm smile, his form began to fade away.

"You’ll find me above the Eternal Lands."

-----

Ash appeared in yet another blank, endless void.

The space around him was pure, untouched white — a vast, featureless expanse that stretched infinitely in every direction.

There was no ground beneath their feet, no sky above, only an absolute, weightless nothing that felt both serene and profoundly empty.

The air was still, carrying a faint, clean scent of raw potential, like the moment before creation itself.

The silence was deep, almost reverent, broken only by the soft, subtle hum of the two Primordial Oceans he had brought along, their surfaces gently rippling with boundless creative and devouring energy.

Aurora, Elysia, Creara, Unara, Minx, and the young boy who had once been the Primordial Divide stood with him.

The boy’s small form was quiet and unassuming, his white hair falling over his eyes as he looked around the emptiness with quiet curiosity.

Aurora glanced around, her white and blue hair drifting gently in the conceptual breeze.

She tapped her chin with a finger, her expression pensive.

"Hmm... I’m the only heir here," she murmured, her voice gentle and tinged with curiosity.

In that instant, her mind began working quickly, calculating and weighing something she had long believed was rightfully hers.

’Hmph, there’s no way Daddy will escape this time.’ She thought to herself.

Yet it was also something she had always imagined sharing with her one and only best friend.

"Daddy, do you think you could bring Isis too...?"

Ash smiled, his eyes warm with amusement. With a casual wave of his hand, the air rippled, and Isis appeared beside Aurora in a soft swirl of light.

Isis blinked, looking around the blank void with wide eyes.

Her cheeks flushed a faint pink as she noticed the intimate group gathered around Ash.

She tried her hardest not to blush, crossing her arms and glancing away for a moment, though her tsundere nature made it impossible to hide completely.

"...Where are we?" she asked, her voice quiet but carrying a hint of curiosity.

Ash’s smile remained gentle as he looked at them all, the vast white emptiness stretching endlessly around their small gathering.

"The soon to be... Land of Taboo," he said simply, his voice calm and full of quiet promise.

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