Zeno acted. The entire negative world fell under his dominion. The fallen angels twisted and collapsed beneath Law power. The resurrected gods disintegrated into ash, falling once more into oblivion.
Erasure seemed absolute—an order nothing could resist.
But the Grand Priest observed the disassembling figures with growing unease. They obviously knew Zeno. So why act so calmly? Why provoke so brazenly? Something was wrong.
The moment realization struck, shock ran through the Grand Priest's entire body. He trembled violently.
A force capable of matching the Omni-King erupted from the void. Another powerful universal law—destruction as the opposite of creation. While Zeno erased everything, that counter-force continuously reshaped everything.
Mirto and the others didn't disappear. They collapsed and reorganized infinitely, immune to erasure.
Eventually, the two forces cancelled each other out.
Mirto released an arrogant laugh. Even the Omni-King couldn't eliminate them. Nothing in existence could stop their invasion now.
"Huh?" Zeno's innocent expression showed puzzlement—an emotion foreign to him. "It didn't work?"
He'd never encountered such a thing before. His erasure had always worked.
The guards and angels shared his shock, disbelief rippling through their ranks.
"Is it that palace?" The Grand Priest's eyes fixed on the structure mockingly labeled with Zeno's symbol.
"Hehehe. You're correct."
"Who?!" The Grand Priest spun, searching for the voice's source. It came from all directions simultaneously—or perhaps from within their own minds.
Gradually, a distinctive figure rose from the duplicated Zeno Palace. A divine halo shone behind his head with faint luminescence. His face appeared young yet somehow carried ancient weight. He existed in a different realm from ordinary angels.
He was the one who'd neutralized Zeno's power. Mirto and the other fallen angels bowed respectfully before him.
Someone stood above even Mirto.
The figure spoke calmly, and surrounding space seemed to freeze solid. "My name is Sarga. You don't know me, but I know you." His gaze settled on the Grand Priest and Zeno. "You and the King prevented my last invasion attempt, which delayed this feast for... such a very long time."
"Sarga?" The Grand Priest felt sudden heat flood through him—like recognition striking a blow. "You and I are the same!"
The Grand Priest sensed an aura similar to his own priest-nature—illusory yet supremely sublime.
"Correct again." Sarga's smile was knowing. "But I am older than you. I already existed in the previous era, assisting another 'Omni-King.'" His tone remained conversational despite the apocalyptic implications. "When that universe's negative side grew too powerful, both worlds cancelled each other out. Eventually, everything returned to zero."
Sarga narrated events as if they'd occurred yesterday, but every word was earth-shattering.
Even the Grand Priest needed a moment to process. After a long pause, he asked carefully: "Didn't you stop it?"
"It could have been stopped." Sarga's expression remained eerily calm. "At that time, there were no facilitators like us. The negative world could have been completely sealed. But I didn't let the King do this..."
The Grand Priest's voice turned cold. "You violated the cosmic order."
The reason gods existed—regardless of rank or strength—their most fundamental duty was maintaining universal balance. That's why Gods of Destruction existed. Why Supreme Kais protected developing worlds. Why the hierarchy enforced equilibrium. They made choices about good and evil, allowing stable development while indirectly restricting the negative world.
As a priest in the previous era, Sarga had prevented the Omni-King from acting, causing that universe's collapse. It was incomprehensible. Unforgivable.
"No." Sarga shook his head. "Perhaps I realized the true meaning of the negative world at that time. I saw through the truth of the universe's will." His eyes gleamed with dark knowledge. "There were two eras before mine. They also experienced birth, development, imbalance, and annihilation. Without exception. Endless cycles."
He spread his hands. "The great universe's will executes according to its rules. No matter what we do, the outcome remains the same. Even if we'd acted then, after some time... destruction would always come."
"Then how did you survive?" The Grand Priest's voice carried urgency. "And why accelerate this era's annihilation?"
"The ancient ruins." Sarga's smile widened. "That place serves as a splint between both worlds—eternal. It can be breached, but never disappears. When the universe returns to zero, the 'singularity' and civilization's fire are reborn there. I maintained my existence within that sanctuary."
His eyes blazed with fervent conviction. "As for why I'm accelerating this era's destruction? Because I found a loophole in the universe's will! I discovered a way to escape these shackles entirely—to become a higher-dimensional existence!"
The deafening declaration erupted from Sarga's mouth, making space itself tremble. Fluctuations capable of distorting time and space rippled outward. The angels raised their staffs defensively, divine energy crackling as pressure made them feel numb.
The Grand Priest felt tremendous weight pressing down. This being operated at his exact level—perhaps beyond.
"One final question." The Grand Priest's voice remained steady despite everything. "Why tell us this?"
"I hope you won't resist." Sarga's tone carried the confidence of one controlling all variables. "Wait for the ending quietly, and avoid wasting time. I've already prepared what I need. No matter how desperately you struggle, you cannot stop me."
The Grand Priest's mind raced. What else did Sarga require? Thinking back, he remembered something Whis had mentioned—
Connections formed. His face changed drastically.
"Could it be—"
"That's right." Sarga's smile turned predatory. "He is special. After entering this world, none of you can leave until I obtain him!"
Sarga slowly raised his hand. The fallen angels and resurrected gods adopted offensive stances. Strange auras in the darkness multiplied endlessly.
"I'll tell you plainly—the dimension I seek to reach is WHERE RADITZ CAME FROM!"
"Raditz?!" Except for the Grand Priest and Whis who'd guessed fragments of truth, the others remained in the dark. They didn't understand who Raditz was or what "where he came from" meant.
Sarga gave them no chance for questions or surprise. Dense black shadows surged forward at his gesture. Simultaneously, dark purple light erupted from the false Zeno Palace, enveloping the true Omni-King and pulling him rapidly toward the structure.
The force prevented Zeno from breaking free. His voice carried genuine confusion—perhaps the first time in existence. "What a weird thing! I'm stuck!"
"LORD ZENO!" The guards moved to intervene but couldn't reach him in time. Even the Grand Priest couldn't catch him before the palace swallowed him whole.
Sarga had already engaged the Grand Priest directly. A single casual exchange between them caused space-time turbulence. In this completely chaotic negative world, they could fight without restraint.
"That's power from the previous Omni-King." Sarga's grin was vicious. "I specially constructed a cage. Of course, it won't last long—but long enough for my plan to conclude!"
No wonder he could resist Zeno's power just now—he had this trump card hidden!
"You won't succeed!" The Grand Priest fought with everything he possessed for the first time in eons. His fist connected with Sarga's cheek with tremendous force—
But Sarga merely twisted his neck, absorbing the punch's momentum while displaying a sinister smile.
The other angels confronted the fallen Mirto and his corrupted brethren. The guards found themselves surrounded by countless resurrected gods. As Sarga had stated, escape would be difficult. They might even be annihilated here.
And all the while, the dark side continued its relentless erosion of the present world...