The Outer Sea remained silent.
Countless universes floated within its endless expanse, each separated by distances that ordinary beings could never comprehend.
Some were flourishing.
Others were slowly collapsing.
And some—
Had already fallen into darkness.
Jinyoung travelled through the Outer Sea alone.
The memories and experiences gifted to him by the Monarchs remained within his Abyss.
He hadn't absorbed their power.
He hadn't inherited their authorities.
But their experiences had become part of his understanding.
Antares.
Rakan.
Sillad.
Baran.
Kaelor.
Each had ruled something.
Each had fought for something.
And each had eventually disappeared.
Jinyoung closed his eyes briefly.
"Power gives victory. Purpose gives meaning."
Antares' final words resurfaced in his mind.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You're still giving me advice even after dying."
His attention shifted forward.
A universe appeared in the distance.
Unlike the others, it wasn't surrounded by the familiar dimensional boundaries of Yogaroth's creations.
Its outer barrier was fractured.
Several enormous roots extended around its surface, connecting it to the surrounding space.
Jinyoung stopped.
"Interesting."
His Abyss spread outward.
Immediately—
Something responded.
A faint vibration travelled through the roots.
Then a voice echoed within his consciousness.
[Foreign Authority Detected.]
[World Framework: Severely Damaged.]
[Existence Stability: 31%.]
Jinyoung's expression became serious.
"Thirty-one percent?"
He extended his hand.
The Abyss opened beneath his feet.
And he entered.
[Unknown Universe — Elarion]
The first thing Jinyoung noticed was the silence.
There were no birds.
No wind.
No flowing rivers.
Only an enormous civilisation surrounded by ruined landscapes.
Buildings stretched across the horizon, some reaching hundreds of kilometres into the atmosphere.
Yet almost all of them were abandoned.
The sky was grey.
The sun had become a pale sphere surrounded by dark cracks.
And beneath it—
Millions of people lived inside a gigantic protective barrier.
Jinyoung descended.
The moment his feet touched the ground, several alarms activated.
[WARNING! UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE!]
[DIMENSIONAL DISTURBANCE DETECTED!]
Thousands of soldiers appeared around him.
Their armour was unlike anything Jinyoung had encountered on Earth.
It consisted of metallic plates connected through glowing runes.
Weapons capable of manipulating mana pointed towards him.
A middle-aged man stepped forward.
His hair was white, and several scars crossed his face.
He carried a long spear.
"Identify yourself!"
Jinyoung looked around.
"Where am I?"
The man's expression hardened.
"You entered the last surviving sanctuary of Elarion. Answer the question!"
Jinyoung remained calm.
"Jinyoung Kim."
The soldiers exchanged glances.
The man frowned.
"Never heard of you."
"That's understandable."
Jinyoung looked towards the sky.
"What happened here?"
The man's grip tightened around his spear.
For several seconds, he remained silent.
Then—
"The gods abandoned us."
The World That Was Left Behind
The man introduced himself as Kaedran.
He was the Supreme Guardian of Elarion, the highest military authority remaining in the civilisation.
He led Jinyoung through the sanctuary.
Along the way, Jinyoung observed the inhabitants.
Children played inside artificial gardens.
Elderly individuals rested beside damaged buildings.
Engineers worked continuously to maintain the protective barrier.
There were no visible gates.
No dungeons.
No conventional mana crystals.
Instead, the entire civilisation relied on a massive energy structure beneath the city.
"How long has your universe been like this?" Jinyoung asked.
"Four thousand years."
Jinyoung stopped briefly.
"Four thousand?"
Kaedran nodded.
"The first invasion began long before my birth. Our ancestors called them the Outer Servants."
His expression darkened.
"They arrived without warning. Their numbers were endless. Every time we defeated one army, another appeared."
Jinyoung understood immediately.
Eldritch servants.
Kaedran continued.
"Our gods promised protection. They created barriers and gave our ancestors the knowledge necessary to survive."
He looked towards the damaged sky.
"But eventually, even those gods disappeared."
Jinyoung remained quiet.
He already knew why.
The Eldritch Gods were creations of the Primordials.
And the Primordials served the Sovereigns.
Elarion had simply become another universe caught within that system.
"How many survivors?" Jinyoung asked.
"Approximately eight million."
Eight million.
From an entire universe.
Jinyoung looked towards the distant horizon.
His expression became colder.
"Where are the remaining inhabitants?"
Kaedran lowered his head.
"Dead."
A long silence followed.
Then Jinyoung spoke.
"You're mistaken."
Kaedran looked up.
"What?"
"Your universe isn't finished."
Jinyoung raised his right hand.
A small amount of black energy emerged from his palm.
It spread across the ground like liquid darkness.
The soldiers immediately raised their weapons.
But Kaedran noticed something.
The energy wasn't consuming anything.
It wasn't destroying the surroundings.
Instead—
The cracks in the nearby ground stopped expanding.
The unstable dimensional fluctuations weakened.
Even the artificial barrier above them became noticeably steadier.
Kaedran's eyes widened.
"What... is that?"
Jinyoung lowered his hand.
"My authority."
The Last Guardian
They eventually reached the centre of the sanctuary.
A gigantic structure stood beneath a transparent dome.
It resembled a crystal tree.
Its branches extended through the entire underground facility, connecting to thousands of smaller energy channels.
However, most of its branches were broken.
Kaedran approached it.
"This is the Heart of Elarion."
Jinyoung studied the structure.
"Your world's core?"
"Something similar."
Kaedran placed his hand against its surface.
"It once connected every continent, every kingdom and every living creature. It maintained the natural balance of our universe."
He paused.
"But the invasion damaged its foundation."
Jinyoung stepped closer.
His Abyss reacted.
For the first time since entering Elarion—
He felt something familiar.
Not the Primordials.
Not the Sovereigns.
Something connected to the World Tree.
A fragment of its authority.
Jinyoung extended his hand.
The moment his fingers touched the crystal structure—
[WORLD FRAMEWORK DETECTED.]
[FOREIGN ROOT AUTHORITY DETECTED.]
[RESTORATION ATTEMPT: FAILED.]
[FOUNDATIONAL DAMAGE EXCEEDS CURRENT STRUCTURAL LIMITS.]
Jinyoung withdrew his hand.
He understood.
The Heart wasn't simply damaged.
Its connection to the underlying framework of existence had been severed.
He looked towards Kaedran.
"How many times have you attempted to repair it?"
"Thousands."
"And how many succeeded?"
Kaedran gave a bitter laugh.
"None."
Jinyoung looked back at the crystal tree.
"Then stop trying to repair it using the same methods."
He closed his eyes.
His Void Abyss expanded.
The entire underground facility trembled.
Black and silver patterns spread across the surrounding space.
For a moment, the soldiers felt as though they were standing beneath an endless horizon.
The damaged structure began responding.
Not because Jinyoung was forcing energy into it.
But because his Abyss was adapting to its broken framework.
A small section of the crystal tree glowed.
Then another.
And another.
The surrounding roots began reconnecting.
Kaedran stumbled backwards.
"Impossible..."
Jinyoung opened his eyes.
"Your universe is still connected to existence."
He slowly withdrew his hand.
"I can stabilise the damage. But rebuilding everything will take time."
The crystal tree continued glowing.
For the first time in four thousand years—
The Heart of Elarion had responded.
A Different Kind of Alliance
Several hours later, the sanctuary gathered.
Kaedran stood before the inhabitants.
Jinyoung remained beside him.
"The stranger who entered our sanctuary has stabilised the Heart."
The crowd erupted into disbelief.
Some people began crying.
Others simply stared.
They had spent generations believing their universe was beyond saving.
Kaedran raised his hand.
"His name is Jinyoung Kim."
The crowd became quieter.
"He claims to have come from another universe."
A woman stepped forward.
"Another universe?"
Jinyoung nodded.
"Yes."
"Are there still living worlds outside this place?"
"Countless."
"Are they safe?"
Jinyoung paused.
"No."
The answer silenced the gathering.
"The forces responsible for your suffering are expanding across countless universes. And the beings controlling them are far stronger than anything you've encountered."
A young soldier clenched his fists.
"Then what do you want from us?"
Jinyoung looked towards him.
"Nothing."
The soldier frowned.
"Nothing?"
"I'm not here to take your territory. I don't want your resources, your technology or your loyalty."
Jinyoung turned towards the crowd.
"I'm here because your civilisation deserves the opportunity to survive."
He paused.
"But I won't force anyone to follow me."
Kaedran studied him carefully.
"You're asking us to join a war against beings we cannot comprehend."
"Eventually, yes."
"And if we refuse?"
"Then I'll still help stabilise your universe."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Kaedran slowly lowered his spear.
"Four thousand years ago, our ancestors fought because they believed someone would eventually come to save us."
He looked at the crystal tree.
"Perhaps they were waiting for the wrong kind of saviour."
He turned towards Jinyoung.
"If you truly intend to protect existence rather than rule it..."
Kaedran knelt.
"I, Kaedran, Supreme Guardian of Elarion, offer you our alliance."
One person followed.
Then another.
Within minutes, thousands of inhabitants lowered their heads.
Not out of fear.
But hope.
Jinyoung looked at them.
He didn't demand their submission.
He simply nodded.
"Then let's rebuild your world."
Beyond the Universe
Far beyond Elarion—
Something watched.
A massive structure floated within the Outer Sea.
It was covered in countless eyes.
Its surface shifted continuously, as though reality itself couldn't determine its true shape.
An Eldritch observer approached.
"Report."
The entity remained silent.
Then—
"Anomalous authority detected."
"Identify the source."
"Void Abyss."
The observer froze.
For several seconds, nothing moved.
Then another presence emerged.
A deeper voice echoed.
"Yogaroth's successor."
The surrounding space distorted.
"His movements have begun."
The observer lowered itself.
"Should we deploy the remaining servants?"
"No."
The voice sounded almost amused.
"Let him gather his allies."
A pause.
"An army is meaningless if its foundation can be broken."
The enormous eyes slowly closed.
"Observe him."
[Elarion — Three Days Later]
The first restoration efforts had begun.
Jinyoung stood on a balcony overlooking the sanctuary.
Below him, engineers worked alongside hunters and soldiers.
The Heart of Elarion was slowly stabilising.
It would take years to restore the universe completely.
But for the first time in four thousand years—
Its people had a future.
Kaedran approached.
"Our people have decided."
Jinyoung turned.
"We will send representatives with you. Our engineers, warriors and scholars will help wherever they can."
Jinyoung nodded.
"Good."
Kaedran hesitated.
"May I ask something?"
"Go ahead."
"How many universes do you intend to unite?"
Jinyoung looked towards the distant sky.
His Void Abyss expanded slightly.
Beyond the boundaries of Elarion, countless universes stretched into infinity.
"All of them."
Kaedran remained silent.
Jinyoung continued.
"Every civilisation willing to fight for its future deserves the opportunity."
He looked towards the horizon.
"The Sovereigns have spent eternity deciding which worlds deserve to exist."
His eyes narrowed.
"That decision ends with us."
Far away—
The World Tree's roots trembled.
And somewhere within the endless structure of creation—
Something ancient began to respond.
The unification had begun.