Vale heard the heavy movement of the enemy's army. He also heard the unmistakable sound of advanced weapons being deployed.
"So that's the reason for your victory, Void," Vale thought grimly.
"Aiden… he's going to use some kind of weapon. Should we use ours too?" Vale said through UV, his voice steady but tense.
"Why not?" Aiden replied calmly. "Use anything. My shadows are with you, Vale. Do whatever you want. The moment the gate opens, I'll slip through the shadows. My only motive is to defeat Void."
"Okay, Aiden," Vale replied.
Vale turned toward his forces.
"Everyone, get ready. We are going to break this wall," he commanded.
Vale raised his hand toward the massive gate and said, "Plasma Gun."
Vale and Aiden's suits were weapons themselves, capable of taking any shape they imagined. Vale visualized a firearm capable of unleashing raw plasma energy.
"Plasma Gun: Shoot," Vale said.
The plasma round shot forward. The moment it struck the gate, the metal melted instantly. Flames erupted outward, scorching the nearby area. The gate collapsed, exposing the enemy forces behind it.
"March forward!" Vale shouted.
Aiden's army surged inside, and the war began.
"Lyris, take your position. Backup, move behind Vale. I'm going after Void," Aiden ordered with cold focus.
"Void, I'm coming… UV, where is he?" Aiden thought as he moved.
"He's waiting," UV replied. "I can track his location. It's as if he prepared for this moment."
"Oh?" Aiden said quietly. "Then let's go, UV."
"I've tracked him. He's in the palace training ground," UV confirmed.
"Alright. Shadow Realm: Absorb," Aiden said.
Aiden dissolved into darkness, entering the Shadow Realm as he moved beneath the palace, heading straight toward the training ground.
Void had sent all his men outside the palace.
As Vale and Void's armies clashed at full force, Aiden emerged beneath the palace grounds.
Aiden stepped out of the shadows and walked forward.
Void stood before him, waiting.
"So, you've reached this place," Void said, his voice calm.
"I have," Aiden replied coldly. "And now it's time for you to sleep forever."
"Void Barrier: Switch," Void said.
Reality twisted.
The entire area was teleported to another planet. It was not Veridion. It was a massive rocky world, lifeless, with no atmosphere.
"Well, you made it easy for me," Aiden said with a faint grin. "Slicer, come forth."
His sword materialized in his hand as he charged toward Void.
Void wore a silent, almost amused smile.
"Summon: The Five Eternal Guards of the Void."
The ground screamed.
Space itself buckled as five figures emerged, not born, but declared into existence. They were humanoid in shape, yet nothing about them felt human. Their bodies were forged of shifting void-matter, each radiating a different pressure, like laws waiting to be enforced.
Aiden stopped.
Not in fear.
In calculation.
"UV, scan them," he ordered.
Aiden dismissed his sword.
He stepped forward, letting the distance collapse.
What followed was not a fight.
It was an experiment.
The First Guard – Acryn, Devourer of Will
The first guard moved.
It did not strike.
It opened its palm.
Aiden's punch landed squarely—and vanished.
Not blocked.Not absorbed.Erased.
Energy, momentum, killing intent—everything was pulled inward, like sound dying in a vacuum.
"Absorption type," Aiden muttered, already shifting his stance.
The creature responded with a smile.
Not with a mouth.
With absence.
The Second Guard – Veyl, the Equal Flame
Behind Acryn stood the second guard.
Calm. Centered. Burning without fire.
Energy flowed from Acryn into Veyl, twisted, refined, purified. Half of it surged backward toward Void himself. The rest fractured into perfect streams, feeding the remaining guards.
Aiden felt it instantly.
"They're sharing power," he realized. "One intake. One distribution."
Veyl raised a hand.
The battlefield stabilized.
That alone terrified him.
The Third Guard – Karnyx, the Mutable Fang
The third guard lunged.
Fast.
Too fast.
Aiden countered, shattering bone and tearing through void-flesh.
The creature screamed once.
Then smiled.
Its body shifted. Muscles rewrote themselves. Its stance corrected.
The second strike matched Aiden's technique.
The third surpassed it.
"Adaptive," Aiden growled. "It learns through damage."
Karnyx tilted its head, as if listening to his heartbeat.
The Fourth Guard – Seryth, the Quiet Crown
The fourth guard never moved.
Yet Aiden staggered.
His vision blurred. His breathing faltered.
"Aiden, regain your stance. It's not over. I finally have the data," UV said urgently.
Aiden was injured, but the moment he heard UV's words, he smiled.
"Then it's my win," he said softly. "Heal."
His body glowed as his wounds vanished.
At the same time, Seryth's eyes glimmered faintly—like a throne waiting to be claimed.
The Fifth Guard – Eidolon, Bearer of the Last Life
The fifth guard stood at the center.
Unarmed.Unmoving.Fragile.
And yet every scan screamed toward it.
"They're not five," UV said slowly.
"They're one."
Aiden smiled.