Character side story: [Nothingness]'s servant · Katarro

The Civilization Era, Underground.

Katarro felt like she was being watched.

I haven't felt this way in a long time; the last time was when the Creation Alchemy Department collapsed.

Since following Ados to escape the Tower of Reason and arrive underground, Katarro feels he is getting closer and closer to them, and the one he is getting closer to now has not even descended into the world yet!

Yes, he realized that he was becoming a budding Believer of some god who was about to descend, and of course he knew that he was not high up in the sequence closest to [He].

But it doesn't matter, at least the number of people separating him from [He] is much smaller than the number of people separating him from [Truth] at the Tower of Reason.

The future seemed bright again, but only the person involved knew that without His arrival there was no Faith. For the gods, earthly time was meaningless, and no one could be sure when the one they revered and longed for would truly spread His will across this land.

Human life is ultimately too short; both Katarro and Ados feared they wouldn't live to see that day.

And now is the moment when they have the best chance to get closer to the gods. No one would be willing to let their steps be hindered by the shackles of flesh and blood.

So Ados returned to his old ways, exploring the feasibility of Puppet Self. If he could break free from the shackles of flesh and blood and perpetuate his self-awareness forever, he would eventually have a chance to reach the end of his quest and see the landscape closest to the gods.

Katarro wholeheartedly agreed with this, and so the two "traitors" of the Tower of Reason soon turned into two puppets together.

They wrote down their most "perfect" selves in their preordained consciousness and dedicated their bodies to the alchemy of creation.

This madness, imbued with the undertones of "Truth," also infected others. Chenosli Believer no longer bound by "Order," drew inspiration from this puppet Experiment and began preparing for even more insane feats.

A plan to summon the gods!

He planned to welcome the arrival of his Lord of Grace with a grand invocation ceremony, so that the [Chaos] that had not yet descended upon the world would watch over this place in advance.

This was undoubtedly insane, because no one could be sure what kind of deity they would summon, but no one objected.

Because [Chaos] is inherently insane, let alone these nascent Believer who are only just beginning to understand [Chaos].

And so, a devout yet insane "Experiment" quietly unfolded in a place called Everbloom Town. Following the puppet's will, Katarro perfectly played his role, until...

I saw that traveler, who exuded an aura of [Chaos], at the Chenosli inn!

The other person's name is Cheng Shi.

What a strange name.

Katarro was very interested in this Cheng Shi. He didn't know if it was the attraction between their [Chaos] auras or some inexplicable force pushing him closer. In any case, he began to pay attention to this fellow [Chaos] traveler and subconsciously imitated his every move, hoping to get closer to [Chaos].

Chenosli's plan was perfect, at least from Mortals's perspective. Katarro's original role was to take the blame for the traveler and disrupt the Grand Inquisition's investigation, but unexpectedly, when it was his turn to appear...

But he was taken away!

They were pulled into the Void by a mysterious force!

No, that power wasn't mysterious at all. The moment he was taken away, Katarro suddenly realized that this power seemed to be the same mysterious aura that had been watching him all this time.

He was terrified, but also extremely excited.

He knew what stepping into the Void meant; at the very least, this power wouldn't come from someone weaker than him.

But having lived underground for years and not knowing any of those powerful beings who roam the Void, who would drag him here at such a crucial moment?

The answer seems obvious and doesn't require guessing.

When those eyes, painted with stars and spirals, opened before him, the self-puppet Katarro seemed to regain consciousness, trembling as it crawled forward.

He knew that the person before him must be a deity!

This was also the first time that the Katarro had paid homage to God.

Brilliant, mysterious, alluring yet deadly...

He dared not look into those eyes; even a fleeting glance was enough to terrify him, leaving him utterly horrified and helpless.

He lay on the ground for a long time, unable to speak. His tongue seemed to be tied in knots in his mouth, and his whole body was trembling, not only from fear but also from excitement.

If I've survived this fear for so long, does that mean I'm not going to die?

Did their surrender ceremony really work?

Then this person must be...!!!

Just as Katarro's mind was in a daze, a sneer echoed from the Void.

"Ha, he wouldn't be so panicked in front of me."

He?

Who is he?

And who am I?

Katarro wanted to look up and respond, but in that instant, he seemed to grasp something, abruptly stopped trembling, lifted his almost stiff legs, and, suppressing his fear, stood up.

He did not look up, but replied with utmost respect:

"As you wish, praise..."

"Why did you stop talking?"

"Praise..." Katarro said through gritted teeth, sweat pouring down his face, "The great [Chaos]."

"You think I'm [Chaos]?"

Wrong!!??

At that moment, Katarro's consciousness almost collapsed; his mind went blank, but he still instinctively uttered the most perfect sentence of his life, and the sentence he was most proud of afterward:

"You are who you are, and cannot be defined by the narrow-mindedness of Mortals."

The Void fell silent for a moment, then its tone became cheerful, and the seriousness quietly faded away.

"Not bad, he does look a bit like him."

And who are you?

Finally arriving at the area where Katarro excels, he perked up and answered from the bottom of his heart:

"Whoever you need Katarro to be, Katarro is."

I am your most devout, no, most loyal servant.

There was another sneer, but this sneer had a completely different meaning from the one before.

"Very well, remember your loyalty, that's all."

Katarro could respond, those Eyes of the Deity vanished, and then the pervasive Chaos Yellow Mist enveloped him, throwing him into a magnificent Temple.

At this moment, Katarro realized that he was no longer Believer in [Truth], nor the budding of [Chaos], but had become a servant of [He].

As for who that [He] is...

Unimportant.

The important thing is that I am loyal.