The entrance to the Forest Vault had been hidden within the trunk of a massive tree.
With absolutely no noise, the entire tree disintegrated, becoming dust, a lone gust of wind blowing it away.
Only then came the noise.
It began as the sound of waves crashing against rocky cliffs.
Then, it barged into the realm of low rumbles of a distant, mighty thunderstorm.
Slowly, it built up, taking its sweet time, the crashing of waves and the rumbling of clouds overwhelming the entire space.
Then, with a stupendous BOOM, the earth gave in.
A depthless crater opened up in a hundred-square-meter area, the darkness within reaching to the earth's womb. Bolts of lightning, blue, black, and yellow, cracked within this depthless hole, snaking out into reality, before getting blasted right back by the Timeline's Authority.
What even the Timeline's Authority couldn't prevent from escaping was a wave of power.
This power was like a pulse, like a heartbeat, that had echoed out right after the Forest Vault's destruction.
With the speed of light, it had covered an area of a hundred square miles.
The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the village of Hogsmeade, the two nearest populous establishments, fell well within that area.
Other than losing their wits, fearing an attack from the Dark Alliance, none of the staff, students, or common magical and non-magical folk experienced any ill effect.
Well, other than the heavy urge to just let go of all the tasks and fall asleep.
Most even outright gave in to that urge, falling asleep right where they had been standing or sitting, whether it was while walking through Hogwarts corridors or alleys of Hogsmeade.
The same was true for Magical Creatures as well.
And with sleep came nightmares, a yellow-hooded figure laying destruction, burning, and butchering their loved ones.
Of course, neither the sleeping ones, under the effect of the broken Vault's Sleeping Curse, nor the ones who had refused to succumb to the Curse using their sheer will, had anything to worry about the Yellow Warlock at this moment.
Because, for the first time perhaps, he was undergoing his personal, dooming tribulation!
…
Deep within MACUSA, Kai had created a Department of Mysteries-like chamber, hidden even from the most devout followers of the Dark Alliance.
Only Voldemort and Ekrizdis knew of this place, but even they hadn't entered it.
This place served as the White Serpent Pirates' temporary HQ, the chamber within expanded using the Extending Charm to house the tall White Serpent Tower.
Now, in the Throne Room of the tower, on the topmost floor, Meg had appeared, coughing up blood.
Her HP was blinking the reddest.
The only thing keeping her alive at this moment was His Majesty's Ephemeral Demon Level 3 blessing that boosted her Stats.
For now, she just needed to wait for him to come back and…
Even as she was thinking of Black, the guy himself blinked into existence in the middle of the room.
Meg had just opened her mouth to ask for help when she gasped.
Because, right in front of her eyes, Black — was crumbling.
…
There was something wrong with him, Black felt.
The Forest Vault had already reached the point of destruction even before he had bestowed it with his presence.
The collision of Void Fist and Recoilless Storm was like using a sword to do a needle's work, not only destroying the Vault, but utterly annihilating it and its surroundings.
Black would have waited to see the Timeline ripping apart an unsealed Darth Kars right in front of his eyes, if it hadn't been for the unusual feeling that had taken hold of him.
He couldn't see it, but he could tell…
There was a change in fate.
Something… that could stand above his monstrous Luck and Nyarlathotep's Authorities… was working against him.
Black lifted his left hand.
He saw it crumbling, like ash, as if burnt by an extremely hot, invisible fire.
The Biokinesis was still working, Black noticed, seeing the flesh from the stump of his hand wriggling. However, despite having enough Calorific Value, the rate of crumbling outpaced his already insane Regeneration Rate… by far!
Black brought out his Stats.
His HP had reached its highest limit after the activation of Fiend.
So, it wasn't like there was something wrong with his Stats either, no matter how powerful Darth Kars' attack had been.
Suddenly, Black faltered, his legs crumbling to ashes.
Maintaining Calm became a challenge as Lucky Intuitions began bombarding his mind with an ultimatum — He, the imperishable creation of Death the Artificer, Black, was dying… even without losing his Quality!
"What's… wrong with me…" Black asked, his lower jaw crumbling.
It wasn't a question he had asked Meg, who was screaming for Kai, hoping he would hear her through the Echo in her mind.
But Black knew that as long as they didn't figure out what was happening, then no matter if he, as an Item, ceased to exist, Kai would never show himself, instead choosing to retain his Darcie-face for the time being.
That's why the question was for the only one who could, would, and should answer him.
A darkness surrounded Black, like a nightmarish illusion, primal hisses ringing in his ears.
Black felt the flow of time halt, but even then, the crumbling didn't stop, only slowed down.
[It's your Source,] Death the Artificer's voice echoed in the darkness.
Black's eyes widened.
Not because of Death's presence, because His coming was expected.
It was because of the strange graveness in the Deep One's voice — a graveness that he hadn't sensed before; ever!
[Look…]
Black's vision distorted.
He found himself staring within, looking at his Source.
It was a being in the image of Kai, seated cross-legged, with a translucent, yellowish body.
This was the shared Source for both Kai and Black, regardless of which form Kai assumed at any moment and regardless of the distance between them.
At this moment, this Source was crumbling as well, specks of yellowness breaking off and vanishing into nothingness.
And it was all because of a massive Sun that had appeared overhead, pulsating with a reddish-black hue…
… washing the Source in its brilliant, blinding radiance!
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