Chapter 55 — The Awakening of Chaos
Valt kept laughing. A cold, deranged laugh that echoed like a death knell across the shattered arena. Zarion and Valen attacked from all sides, their blades slicing through the air, tracing arcs of light and fury. The strikes came fast, unpredictable. But Valt saw them all. He blocked each one with terrifying ease, as if dancing in the heart of a storm.
Then, in a titanic clash, he parried Valen's sword. The impact shook the ground, hurling shards of stone and waves of destruction. Valt stepped forward, his gaze incandescent:
— Why haven't you become like me, Valen? After everything you've endured… the losses, the betrayals, the pain… why haven't you fallen? Why haven't you embraced the truth? The one that consumes… the one that frees.
Valen, panting, eyes burning with resolve, gripped his blade tighter:
— Because even in darkness, there are flames that cannot be extinguished. No matter what we endure, there will always be forces greater than us. Good people, bad people… sometimes it's not their fault. It's their nature. But that's no excuse to become a monster. It's not a reason to abandon what makes us human.
— You speak like a child, spat Valt. Your words are meaningless.
He raised his hand, and black energy gathered in his palm. Then he roared:
> — "Supreme Rupture: Disintegration of the Soul's Concept!"
A blade of pure energy struck Valen head-on.
The impact was cataclysmic. Valen was hurled across kilometers, crashing through multiple dimensional layers before slamming into the ground. The earth cracked beneath him.
But before Valt could advance, Zarion reappeared. Their clash became frenzied. They vanished and reappeared, their strikes unleashing shockwaves that devastated the landscape. Even the sky seemed to twist under their power.
Suddenly, Valen emerged behind Valt, his eyes glowing with a new light. He screamed:
> — "Final Judgment: Blade of the Last Oath!"
He struck Valt in the back, unleashing an explosion of pure light.
Zarion seized the opening, crossing his arms to form an X of abyssal energy.
> — "Abyssal Requiem: The End of Shadow!"
The two attacks fused into a deluge of energy that engulfed Valt.
The ground collapsed, the dimension screamed, light devoured everything.
As the explosion faded, Aeternus was already in position, staff raised.
Ancient runes lit up around him.
> — "Cosmic Judgment Ritual: Circle of the Primordial Seal."
Golden chains appeared, wrapping around Valt.
They didn't come from magic… but from the very concept of destiny.
But as the seal closed, memories flooded the demon's mind.
---
Memory — The Day Everything Changed
A newborn. Valt. White hair, red pupils, irises shaped like white stars. A woman with pale pink hair held him in her arms. Tired, but gentle. She raised her finger, and Valt grabbed her thumb—curious, innocent.
A silhouette appeared behind her.
— You know why I'm here, said Aeternus. This child is a threat to creation. I must eliminate him.
The mother lowered her eyes, then lifted them again, filled with tears and fire:
— I know… but I can't let you kill my flesh and blood.
She looked at Valt and smiled. He spoke his first word:
— Mama…
She held him close, then tried to flee. But Aeternus blocked her path.
— I don't want to kill you. But I must preserve the balance. You're a guardian of a world. You understand.
The mother summoned a lance of energy:
— I understand. But I can't let you do this.
She placed Valt on the ground:
— Don't worry. Mama will protect you.
The battle began. Violent. Tragic. In the end, Aeternus pierced her heart. She slowly disintegrated, like a dying star.
Valt took his first steps, stumbling toward her:
— Mama… sobbing
She smiled one last time:
— My child… don't worry. Mama is just leaving. She'll come back…
Then she whispered to Aeternus:
— I beg you… don't kill my child.
Shaken, Aeternus sealed Valt instead of destroying him.
---
Back to the Present — The Rupture
Valt screamed:
— AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
- Valt looked Aeternus in the eyes and said:
"You will pay for this."
- Valen said: "I can no longer feel the rose."
Chapter 56 — The Weight of Truths
Valen frowned, visibly worried.
"This doesn't feel right…" he murmured. "What could've pushed him into such fury?"
Zarion, already in a battle stance, replied:
"Stay sharp. This isn't just rage… it's like he personally hates Aeternus."
He glanced toward the Architect:
"Aeternus, can you explain?"
Aeternus, his face grave, answered bluntly:
"Not now. If we lose focus, he might annihilate us—with flair."
Valt stepped forward, his aura crackling, eyes red like dying suns.
"Aeternus… it's you. YOU are the root of all this."
He raised his arms, as if bearing the weight of the world:
"It's because of you that I became what I am. Maybe if you'd let me live with my mother… maybe I wouldn't have become a threat. But you… just because some ancient scroll said I would… you tried to kill me. You took my mother."
Zarion, confused, turned to Aeternus:
"What's he talking about? Enlighten us, because this sounds like the start of a cosmic family drama."
Valt added, his tone calmer but heavy with emotion:
"Even sealed away, I never stopped watching you, Valen. Because we're alike… more than you think."
Without warning, he lunged at Aeternus.
He grabbed him by the chest and hurled him through entire layers of reality.
Aeternus struggled to rise, coughing blood—but Valt was already there.
He struck him with such force that the Architect flew like a divine ragdoll.
Valt reappeared, hit him in the gut, then followed with a flurry: a hold, a storm of blows, a twisted arm, a knee to the skull.
Then a final uppercut that made the sky tremble.
Aeternus flew again, this time with a sound oddly resembling a "POF."
Valt spread his arms, furious:
"All of this… is for what you did to my mother."
Aeternus tried to rise, trembling. But Valt reappeared, ready to strike again.
This time, Valen intervened, his sword blocking the blow in an explosion of energy.
The shockwave obliterated everything in its path.
Valt, surprised, growled:
"Why are you getting in my way?"
Valen, stars turning in his pupils, replied calmly:
"Because what you're doing… it isn't right. And you know it."
Zarion stepped forward, arms crossed, half-serious, half-sarcastic:
"You know, Valt, instead of beating us like drums, you could just explain your hatred for Aeternus. Might save us the cost of rebuilding the scenery."
Valt looked away:
"That's none of your business."
Then added, darker:
"Remember, Zarion… the day Valen used the Sword of Judgment. I remember it—how could I forget? I think even my hair nearly disintegrated."
Valt gave a cold smile:
"You saw how people looked at him. Full of fear, dread, hatred. Valen was angry that day. Very angry. But Elyonna calmed him. And why do you think Liora told you to check on Valen afterward? There's a lot you don't know about him."
Zarion shrugged:
"Sure. But Valen doesn't know everything about me either. Doesn't stop us from being friends. Even if sometimes I want to throw a rock at him when he gets all mysterious."
Valt sighed:
"Seems I'm wasting my time trying to talk to you."
Then, without further warning, Valen and Zarion lunged at him.
Attacks flew, impacts echoed.
The air vibrated, the ground cracked, and even the sky seemed to want to keep its distance.
---
**Beyond Creation — The Architect's Call**
Meanwhile, Aeternus knelt in prayer.
His voice echoed across dimensions:
"My king… grant me your strength."
In a structure beyond creation, within one of the Primordial Pillars, a throne.
A king sat upon it. His long white hair veiled his eyes, tied behind his head with a frozen cord.
He smiled—a smile as old as time:
"Alright, my creation. But be careful… you do have a flair for drama."
Aeternus's eyes glowed with golden light.
His aura shifted—denser, older.
He rose slowly, chains of light swirling around him.
Zarion, mid-leap, froze:
"Uh… Valen? He just went full 'final boss mode.'"
Valen, sword in hand, replied:
"Perfect. It's been a while since we had a real challenge."
Valt, grinning madly:
"Then show me, Aeternus… the power of your God."
Chapter 57 — Heirs of the Void
Valt flashed a predatory grin.
— Ahhh… finally. You're bringing out the big guns, Aeternus. Took you long enough.
The guardian slowly raised his head. His hair lengthened, floating like strands of celestial light. His armor shifted, etched with golden runes that shimmered and moved. A colossal sword appeared behind him, hovering vertically like a divine cross.
Valt took a step. The ground collapsed.
Then he vanished.
CLANG!
The clash of their blades shook the entire dimension. Arcs of light and shadow collided, tearing through each other in a destructive ballet.
Valen and Zarion leapt back.
Zarion winced, hand on his sword's hilt.
— Tell me I'm dreaming… that aura, it feels familiar…
Valen, voice grave:
— Leave them be for now. This fight isn't ours yet.
---
Valt, consumed by rage, charged again.
— I'll make you suffer for what you did to my mother!
Aeternus, calmly, his voice heavy with remorse:
— Lost child… I understand your hatred. And it is justified.
— You dare say that?! Valt screamed, striking with all his might.
Aeternus gripped his sword with both hands, whispering:
— Then forgive me… my child.
> — "Divine Judgment: Tears of the Creator."
A wave of sacred energy burst from his blade, a breath of purity so absolute it erased the landscape for miles.
Everything was swept away — air, light, matter.
Even Valen and Zarion had to raise force barriers to avoid being consumed.
Valt, at the eye of the storm, laughed.
A broken, inhuman laugh.
— Not bad… but let me show you what a real apocalypse looks like.
He raised his sword. The sky cracked.
> — "Total Dissolution: Heart of the Void."
A monstrous sword strike, so violent it made the dimensions themselves tremble.
A titanic explosion erupted, devouring stars, stretching space in a roar of annihilation.
The entire world seemed suspended.
Then… silence.
---
Valt landed. He slowly sheathed his sword.
The sky turned black. Not ordinary black — a black that swallowed light, hope, and sound.
His aura changed.
It was no longer magic, nor power. It was something beyond.
> — "Feel that, Aeternus? That's the breath of the void. The gift of the Primordial Nothingness."
He laughed, coldly.
— "Vael consumed it long ago… just one entity among many. And now… that essence is mine."
Around him, space tore into warped spirals.
A black aura, darker than death itself, coiled around him.
And suddenly… chains emerged.
Not metallic. Not physical.
They pulsed with impossible matter — living anti-matter, born from an Architect Vael had devoured long ago.
Each link whispered, a silent cosmic pain.
> — "Look closely, Aeternus. This is the legacy of the one you thought you could seal."
With a sharp gesture, he hurled the chains.
They lunged at Aeternus, binding him in an absolute shackle.
The guardian's golden runes dimmed.
The chains crackled, the symbols crumbling under the pressure of the void.
> — "You're done for, old man."
Aeternus dropped to his knees. His breath shattered. Luminous cracks spread across his skin, as if his very essence was fracturing.
Valen clenched his fist, his jaw.
— That power… it's not normal.
Zarion, eyes wide:
— It's like even the void fears him.
Valen felt something stir within — a resonance.
A memory.
A pain.
An energy like Valt's.
He placed his hand on his chest.
— No… it can't be…
Then he looked up, locking eyes with Valt.
— Valt! Stop! You've gone too far!
Valt turned slowly, a mad smile on his lips.
— Too far? No, Valen… I'm just doing what you never had the guts to do.
He extended his hand, and the chains tightened around Aeternus.
— I'm destroying this world to end its lies.
Aeternus, barely breathing, whispered:
— …Valt… you still don't understand… what the Void gave you… isn't a gift. It's a curse.
Valt raised his eyes, his star-white iris gleaming with insane brilliance.
— Then let the world be cursed with me.
Chapter 58 – The Silence of Death
Aeternus could no longer move. His aura, once as radiant as the sun, was fading—swallowed by darkness.
Valt looked at him, a cruel smile slowly forming on his face.
— "You feel that?" he said, his voice echoing like a broken whisper. "That's despair… hah!"
Zarion clenched his teeth, then raised his hand. The energy of the Primordial Void pulsed around him. The antimatter chains binding Aeternus disintegrated like ash in the wind.
Valt stepped back, surprised.
— "You too… you're playing me?"
Zarion's pupils lit up with an abyssal violet glow.
— "You said it yourself. I have my secrets too."
He calmly lifted his head.
— "I am Zarion, Prince of the Primordial Void. And I can't let this go."
Aeternus, still on his knees, raised a trembling hand.
— "Prince… you don't need to intervene. I'll deal with him myself."
— "And how, tell me?" Zarion replied. "His energy comes from the same Void as mine. You can't counter it without losing your essence."
Aeternus closed his eyes, clasped his hands, and whispered a silent prayer.
> My king… lend me your strength, I beg you. The Void rises against me.
A voice echoed in his mind, heavy and imperial.
> This energy… is a stain upon the pillars of creation. I will grant you a fragment of my power. Show them the light of the Architects, my child.
Then, an explosion of light engulfed Aeternus.
His aura surged, pure and indomitable. The cracks in his body closed, and his eyes took on the hue of a rising sun.
Zarion stepped back, mouth agape.
— "This isn't normal… The body of a created being can't withstand the power of the King of Architects. Unless…"
He frowned.
— "Every time he prays, the King answers. There must be a link between them."
Valen placed a hand on his shoulder.
— "You'll have time to investigate later. Right now, we better step back."
---
Aeternus slowly lifted his head. He radiated no hostility, no hatred, no anger.
Only… a crushing serenity.
Valt smiled.
— "Besides glowing, I don't see what you've gained."
Aeternus remained silent. Then, with divine precision, he drew his sword and struck.
Valt blocked, his starry irises spinning rapidly.
— "That's your 'boost'? Disappointing."
Their swords clashed with a thunderous roar. Each blow shook the dimension, the air rippled, mountains crumbled under the pressure.
Aeternus propelled himself backward, his wings of light unfolding with a deep beat.
— "Judgment of Origins."
An explosion of pure energy, golden and white, burst from his blade, forming a colossal cross that split the sky.
Valt, hit full force, was violently thrown to the ground.
But Aeternus wasn't finished.
His hands traced golden circles around him.
— "Sacred Sealing: The Twelve Arches of Silence!"
Twelve glyphs appeared, spinning around Valt, forming a cosmic prison.
The ground began to tremble, and a burning wind swept through the dimension.
Then suddenly…
The wind stopped.
And an overwhelming pressure fell upon them.
A pressure that was neither Void nor Chaos. Something more… absolute.
The air turned cold. Space began to crack, slowly.
Zarion felt his heart stop.
— "This… this can't be…"
A silhouette emerged from the darkness.
Tall. Cloaked in black. Skin, spectral white. Face hidden beneath a hood.
Two red glows floated in the shadow of its face.
A scythe formed behind its back, and its voice… wasn't heard.
It was felt.
> — "Leave him."
The entire world froze.
Even Aeternus, empowered by the King's light, felt his knees tremble.
Valt, kneeling, breath short, slowly looked up.
A smile appeared on his face.
— "To whom do I owe the honor?"
The silhouette stepped forward. The ground disintegrated beneath its feet, only to reform instantly.
> — "I am Death."
Valen murmured, eyes vacant:
— "… Death. I… I can't even move. Her presence crushes me."
Death's gaze fell upon them. No words. No threats. Just an undeniable truth: she was the end.
She stopped before Valt.
> — "Come. It is not yet your time."
Valt nodded, without resistance.
— "Yes…"
Aeternus tried to intervene:
— "Wait! He—"
Death's gaze turned to him.
Aeternus felt his very existence waver, as if the universe itself hesitated to keep him alive.
> — "We will meet again, Aeternus."
And in a breath, Death's avatar vanished, taking Valt with her.
Silence fell.
The world slowly regained its color.
But no one spoke.
Because they all knew…
What had appeared was not a threat.
It was a finality.