Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 550

Chapter 550: outer gods II

Aiden vanished—not through speed, but through will.

His golden aura blinked from existence for a moment, only to reappear within the mass of writhing, shifting entities.

He slashed.

His blade tore through the nearest form, severing it from existence.

Or at least—that’s what should have happened.

Instead, the thing split again, multiplying like a sickness. His attack had done nothing.

Aiden’s mind raced. He had erased beings from reality before. Gods, demons, entities that once ruled the heavens—none had been able to resist his authority.

But this thing—this thing wasn’t part of reality to begin with.

It wasn’t bound by the same rules.

A chilling realization settled over him.

“How do you kill something that was never alive?”

The creature lunged again, and Aiden barely twisted away in time. Its form blurred, breaking physics itself as it came at him from multiple angles at once.

Time, space, and causality meant nothing to it.

Aiden swung his sword in a defensive arc, but for every strike, it only grew more numerous.

“Damn it.”

The Watcher, still hovering at a distance, finally acted. Their form flickered, and reality itself seemed to twist around them. With a single gesture, the area around them froze.

The creatures stopped.

Aiden exhaled. “Finally.”

But the Watcher’s expression was grim. “Aiden… we need to leave. Now.”

Aiden frowned. “I’m not running.”

“You don’t understand.” The Watcher’s voice was tense. “This isn’t a fight you can win. Not here. Not yet.”

The creatures twitched, already beginning to break free from the frozen space.

Aiden clenched his fists. He hated running. Hated retreating. But something told him the Watcher was right.

For now.

He took one last look at the shifting horrors before ripping open a gateway and stepping through.

The battlefield collapsed behind them, swallowed by the endless void.

And for the first time in a long, long time…

Aiden felt uncertain.

Aiden stepped out of the collapsing battlefield, the cold winds of the ruined world whipping against his skin. The Watcher followed, their hooded figure silent as they drifted beside him.

The golden rift behind them snapped shut with a muted crack, and for a moment, silence reigned.

Aiden exhaled sharply, his mind replaying the battle over and over.

He had faced beings called gods before. Slain celestial entities. Overthrown tyrants of the heavens. And yet—this?

This was different.

“You don’t understand,” the Watcher’s voice from earlier echoed in his mind. “This isn’t a fight you can win. Not here. Not yet.”

He hated those words.

But deep down, he understood.

He had fought plenty of overwhelming enemies before, but never had he felt so… helpless.

His sword had cut nothing. His divine will had been ignored. And the enemy had simply multiplied instead of dying.

Aiden clenched his fists.

“What were those things?” he finally asked, his voice sharp.

The Watcher remained silent for a moment, as if choosing their words carefully. Then, they spoke:

“They are the Aberrations.”

Aiden narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t tell me anything.”

The Watcher sighed. “That’s because there isn’t much that can be told. They exist outside of reality. They were not created by any gods. They do not belong to any plane. And worst of all…”

They turned to him, their ethereal gaze locking onto his.

“They cannot be destroyed by means that belong to this existence.”

Aiden felt his stomach sink. “So you’re telling me I just fought something that can’t be killed?”

“Not in the way you are accustomed to,” the Watcher admitted.

Aiden scoffed. “Then why did you even let me fight it?”

“Because you needed to see,” the Watcher said simply. “You needed to understand what you’re up against.”

Aiden took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. “Then tell me. What exactly am I up against?”

The Watcher’s voice was heavy.

“The Outer Gods are waking up.”

Aiden’s breath caught. He had heard the term before—whispers from ancient ruins, fragmented records buried in dead civilizations. But no one had ever been able to explain what the Outer Gods were.

“Explain,” he ordered.

The Watcher hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “You already know that existence is vast, layered, and filled with countless realms. But what few understand is that this… is only a prison.”

Aiden frowned. “A prison?”

“Reality itself is a cage meant to contain what lies beyond.”

The wind howled around them.

“The gods you’ve encountered before?” the Watcher continued. “The ones that claimed divinity? They were nothing more than caretakers. Guardians meant to keep the real threats locked away.”

Aiden felt a cold weight settle in his chest. “You mean the Outer Gods?”

“Yes,” the Watcher said. “Beings so vast, so incomprehensible, that reality itself had to be constructed to keep them from bleeding through. The first gods sealed them away. But over time, those gods perished, and their seals have begun to weaken.”

Aiden processed this slowly. If what the Watcher was saying was true, then…

“Everything I’ve fought until now… it was just a distraction?”

The thought made his blood boil.

“Not a distraction,” the Watcher corrected, as if sensing his anger. “More like… the first line of defense. But now, that line has collapsed. And only one thing remains standing.”

Aiden stared at them.

The Watcher met his gaze.

“You.”

Aiden let out a slow, controlled breath. “So let me get this straight.”

He raised a hand, counting off.

“One: The gods I fought were nothing but glorified jailers.”

“Two: The real threats are the Outer Gods, who exist beyond reality and can’t be killed by normal means.”

“Three: The seals keeping them out are failing.”

The Watcher nodded.

Aiden clicked his tongue. “And four: You’re telling me that I’m the last line of defense?”

“Not just you,” the Watcher said. “But you are the only one left who can still fight.”

Aiden crossed his arms. “And why is that?”

“Because every other major power—every god, every being capable of standing against them—has either perished or been consumed.”

Aiden’s jaw tightened. He had felt it. Ever since arriving in this new realm, he had sensed the emptiness in the cosmic hierarchy. Where there should have been powerful presences… there was only void.

“And what about you?” he asked. “You seem to know a lot about this.”

The Watcher chuckled dryly. “I am not a warrior, Aiden. My role was never to fight. I am a guide, an observer. My duty is to ensure that those who can fight understand what they must do.”