New law of Beast Taming

"What do you mean? Are you not going to try to correct what went wrong? I am giving you a chance here."

The rift asked, and Amane could see Kori’s soul slowly devoured by that darkness. Kori was so weak that she could not even ask for help.

Going back in time and trying to fix things sounded like an incredible idea. But it needed a sustainable backbone. Who knew if Amane would even be able to remember everything if she took this offer or not?

No! The only thing Amane could trust in was her current self and her abilities.

"I will not risk resetting time. I might be able to get everything back, but it would be an insult to those who died up until now and everything they did to achieve this result. I will not make light of the past."

The rift only looked at Amane from the face of her beloved. Kori looked majestic but scary at the same time.

The pressure around Amane increased at the same time. But she refused to back down.

"How amusing. Since you oppose me this much, I believe you are ready for the consequences. In that case, shall we have a bet? If you win, then I will leave your world alone for now. But, if I win, you must do as I say. Hmm, what do you think?"

Once again, this was a tempting offer. You would be tempted to take this offer if you learned the rift and how it operated. But Amane was different.

She had lived in the rift, and she had observed her. That, in turn, had given her enough time to absorb the rift and how to deal with it.

"That’s a tempting offer. But I am afraid that I cannot take it. I would much rather cage you."

Amane spoke back; this was the first time she had refused to take the more convenient road. It was all because she knew she had nothing to lose.

"I see. So, you have decided what to do. In that case, come and fight me. Do you think you can kill this body?"

The rift asked, but Amane was ready with her answer.

"It does not matter if I can kill you or not. What matters is that you perish. As for what will happen after that, humans will manage somehow."

Amane was confident in humanity. Her story would end here, along with those whom she had loved. Everyone else was gone anyway.

"Hahaha, you continue to amuse me. Your realm lost its god, and it lost its history as well. It is about to lose everything that is left now. And yet, you still look confident and determined. I like your eyes. I want to possess them."

The rift walked toward Amane, and this was the last face-off. Whether the earth would be saved or destroyed would be decided right now.

Kori was a hard-trained warrior, so her body flowed like water when she attacked. Amane’s body was a little stiff in comparison, but she knew Kori’s body like the back of her hand.

Besides, her purpose was not to kill Kori but to make her stop momentarily.

’Chen, I need you to hurry up. I don’t know how long I can hold the rift back.’

Amane couldn’t fight the rift alone. No one could do so in the current world. But defeating the rift would no longer be a dream as the world continued adapting and improvising.

Amane dodged several attacks, but she could feel her power leaking out of her body. Her bond with her body was breaking apart, and her neck was held hostage by the rift.

"The time for having fun is over. You fought well, but it is time to say goodbye. Do you have anything you want to say to me?"

The rift asked in Kori’s voice. It angered Amane a lot, but she was tired more than angry.

"You are not fighting back. Why are you not fighting back? Have you given up on your life?"

Kori’s voice asked Amane as a hand held her neck tightly. It hurt, and the pressure made Amane’s head swim.

Despite being a goddess, she needed oxygen to live. And that was the fragility of being a living being, especially once her supply of magic had been cut off.

And that fragility extended to Kori as well.

"Did you...think you...won? Hah...as if. Kori...help me out a little."

Amane held her hand out, and the rift was confused at first. But then it felt the chilling grip on its body. It had never felt such a sensation before and fascinated the rift.

"So, humans can suppress me like this? Fascinating! Is this what being human is like? I have changed my mind. I no longer want to destroy this place."

"I want to consume it and observe it in my depths. Show me more."

The rift looked delighted. It looked like a kid who just discovered the world’s joys and could not wait to try them out.

It reached out for Amane again to see if its body would react similarly. But then it felt the chilling numbness spreading through its body.

"You have caused enough grief to the residents of this world. Now, it’s time to sleep."

Amane whispered as she closed her arms around Kori’s body. The energy of their surroundings rose at an alarming rate, and the rift looked amused.

They were using the rift’s energy against itself.

"I see. This is a clever trick to use my energy to seal me. But do you think I will allow that to happen?"

The rift asked, and Amane felt things were about to get complicated. The rift snapped, and Kori’s body sagged as the rift left her.

"Kori, are you alright?"

Amane quickly caught Kori before she could collapse, and Kori opened her eyes with a pained moan.

"Amane, the rift...it is planning to devour the earth. We need...to stop it."

Kori whispered, but her body had no strength left. The rift had sucked her dry.

"The rift is a pain, and I don’t see another way to deal with it than to seal it. But we might need to gamble our existence if we do that. Would you like to try, Kori?"

Amane asked, and Kori instantly smiled at the question. She was not afraid to die when she had Amane with her.

"Are you asking me to die for you, Amane? That’s a bold choice. But sure! If that’s what you want, then I will oblige you."

Kori agreed before leaning against Amane and standing up. The rift continued to expand its circle, but the energy also limited it to this world.

Amane turned on their world’s strongest defence mechanism - the circle of upper heaven. It was a secret weapon that had never been used.

But even as she used its powers, she knew it wouldn’t be enough to defeat the rift. She needed more power and more belief. She needed to absorb the other gods.

"Kori, I am sorry. Let’s go and see our friends once this is over. They must be waiting for us on the other side."

Amane held her hand out for Kori to take, and Kori didn’t hesitate. The rift finally realised something was wrong when it began to crumble and become unstable.

"You little-! Don’t you dare..."

"I-I am here with the body."

The rift cried as it split apart. The world was beginning to get coloured in a dark colour as the rift spread. But it was not deadly just yet. The main consciousness of the rift was being sealed inside the body Chen had just brought.

The body eroded as it took in more and more of the rift’s consciousness. It was a temporary solution, but it would work.

Chen froze the body so that it would never wake up and quickly took it with him.

"This is...not over. I will devour this world when I wake up again."

The rift promised as it began to fade mentally. But physically, it began to spread far and wide.

"Yes, you will make a return in the future. But humanity would have evolved beyond the point of no return when you do. I hope that is enough to deal with you."

Amane looked at the rift and then at her disappearing hand. She had done all she could; now, it was time to rest.

"We did what we could, Amane. We will have to leave the rest to other humans."

Kori placed her fading hand on Amane’s shoulder. All the other gods who regained their magic were also fading away since Amane had used up their magic. This was a mass murder on her part.

But Amane did not feel guilty. She felt relieved. She had given humanity a chance to survive.

...

"Hey, look here. This test tube looks unfamiliar. What do you think is inside here?"

The scientist who discovered Chen’s lab asked. Chen had died a few years ago, and his lab had also fallen into ruins.

But finally, someone had found the lab and tried to investigate it. That scientist was from the Humanity Saving group.

"I don’t know. This looks like a human, but the rift readings are off the chart. This is perfect for our experiment to create a child with the rift’s powers. Let’s take her back now."

The unconscious body was taken out of the test tube and used for various experiments, and out of the different clones created of this body, only one survived with the rift’s power.

And that poor child had a heavy burden to carry on her shoulders.