[Orynx]
Chaos had consumed Orynx.
Many angels had already fallen, but the survivors continued fighting to stay alive. Across the world, demons and spiritual beings fought desperately as the King's forces tore through one nation after another. Many of the spiritual beings had been manipulated into serving the demons, their wills bent until they no longer had a choice.
The third war of Orynx had begun.
The nations had fallen into confusion. Every ruler had opened the emergency portal within their domain, and the surviving beings from each nation were rushing toward it. The portals had been created after the First War, when the demons betrayed the creators of Orynx. The First Origin Demon had led that rebellion alongside several demonic rulers, and after the war, the creators had left behind a final means of escape in case another disaster came after they were gone.
No one knew exactly where the connected portals would lead. They only knew that every portal opened into another universe, and that those who entered would arrive at the same destination.
At the Heart of Orynx, the ruler's domain had become a place of refuge. Rin, Skye, Xyke, Ryvex, and Xyne had gathered there with several important relics, including the Cursed Blades. Elara, however, had left to search for her brother, Zarek, in Astravon Empire.
All around them, the world waited for the next disaster.
[Heart of Orynx — The Ruler's Domain]
The Ruler paced across the chamber, his movements growing faster with every passing moment. He had sent his forces to Astravon Empire, but the silence coming from the battlefield made him wonder whether his plan had already failed.
Then the doors burst open.
The Ruler's right-hand demon rushed inside.
"She has arrived!" he shouted.
The Ruler stopped pacing.
"What do you mean?"
"Nova!" the demon replied. "She's in the battle now!"
The Ruler's expression changed.
"Where is the Cursed Lord?"
"He was supposed to join the others and help execute Kaelvyr," the Ruler said bitterly. "Instead, he claimed he was fighting a creature covered in some kind of blue, hardened matter. I don't care what excuse he has given. Nova is back."
Fear entered his voice as he turned toward the portal chamber.
"Start the portal. We have no idea what she may do."
[Astravon Empire]
Eris, Zarek, and Krios moved backward the moment the blue streak crashed into the battlefield.
Nova had arrived.
She immediately ran toward Kaelvyr. Astra followed her, but Kaelvyr was already weak. The Holy Energy that sustained him was fading, and his voice was gone. Nova knelt beside him, staring at his failing form while searching for a way to bring him back.
She had no knowledge of how to restore an Angel Origin whose core had already been consumed:
If only I could summon the Celestial Eyes willingly, she thought. What am I supposed to do?
Footsteps sounded behind her.
Nova slowly turned.
The concern in her expression disappeared.
Her creation, the being formed from Nova's Spiritual Energy and Kaelvyr's Holy Energy—stood there.
Nova rose and seized the being by the neck. She lifted it from the ground as though it weighed nothing.
"Coward."
Nova threw the being into the air.
A small blue beam left Nova's hand and struck the being before it could escape. Its body exploded in the sky.
Nova turned away from the fading energy and returned to Kaelvyr.
Then she remembered his words:
I need you to cut the soul thread connecting me and Astra together.
Nova looked around Kaelvyr's body and focused her Spiritual Energy through her eyes. Her perception expanded.
She saw countless threads extending from Kaelvyr. Each one connected him to another angel through the bond that linked the angels together. Some of the connections were faint, but many remained strong.
Then she saw it.
One thread extended from Kaelvyr toward Astra.
Nova reached toward it and touched the connection without changing any part of her energy into physical matter.
*So I don't need to make my energy physical to touch a soul thread.*
Nearby, Astra had been crying without stopping. Zarek watched her and looked toward Eris.
"What should we do?" he asked.
Eris did not take her eyes off Nova.
"We've completed our work. We need to leave."
Nova placed more Spiritual Energy into the thread connecting Kaelvyr and Astra.
Kaelvyr opened his eyes.
He looked at Astra, then gently placed his hand against her head.
Astra's form was already beginning to fade.
Nova closed her fingers around the connection.
Then she severed it.
The thread snapped.
Astra's body immediately returned to normal.
Kaelvyr smiled faintly.
*Good. Now I can go.*
His form began to dissolve into light. He disappeared piece by piece, scattering like dust through the air until nothing remained.
Astra screamed.
She reached for Nova, but her hands passed through the Spiritual Energy forming Nova's body.
"Why couldn't you save him?" Astra cried. "I thought you were strong! I thought you were his friend!"
Nova said nothing.
She rose slowly and appeared in front of Krios.
Krios reacted instantly, swinging his sword at her. The blade passed through Nova without harming her.
Nova seized him by the neck.
"Use your Demonic Energy!" Eris shouted. "Krios, fill your entire body with it!"
Nova turned her head toward Eris while still holding Krios.
"How clever."
Krios immediately followed Eris's command. Demonic Energy filled his body, layering itself over his Spiritual Energy.
Nova began pouring an immense amount of Spiritual Energy into him.
The energy continued entering Krios again and again. His body expanded under the pressure, growing larger as his Spiritual and Demonic Energies struggled against each other.
Zarek dashed toward him.
He touched Nova and infused dark Demonic Energy into her body.
Nova looked down at the energy spreading through her.
"Dark Energy?" she murmured. "Interesting."
She smiled.
Krios continued expanding. The pressure inside him became unbearable, while the dark energy began spreading from Zarek's touch into Nova's form.
The energy eventually covered Nova completely.
She released Krios and fell toward the ground.
Krios crashed down as well, his entire body shaking violently.
Eris watched Nova in silence:
She allowed the energy to consume her.
Zarek moved toward Krios, but Eris seized him and dragged him away. She created a barrier around herself and Zarek just as Krios's body exploded.
The blast spread across Astravon Empire, tearing through the battlefield and reaching the area where the King was hiding.
When the force finally weakened, the Ruler of Astravon Empire stared at the destruction in horror.
"I knew this was suicide!" he shouted. Then his expression collapsed. "Wait… all the royal families are here, but there are no spiritual beings left in this domain. How are we supposed to activate the portal?"
He looked around wildly.
"Why didn't I think of that?"
His voice became bitter.
"Those fools!"
The dust began to settle.
Zarek looked toward the place where Krios had fallen.
"Krios…"
He paused.
"He's dead."
Eris did not answer immediately. Her eyes remained fixed on Nova.
"Forget Krios," she said. "Look at Nova."
Nova's form was still lying beneath the dark energy.
"She's an Origin. Origins rarely die, especially those formed from Spiritual Energy, unless they choose death or a law forces it upon them." Eris's expression tightened. "I have a terrible feeling about this."
The world became dark again.
The Celestial Eyes appeared above them, larger than before.
Eris and Zarek stepped backward.
Nova began to float upward. Blue Spiritual Energy covered her entire form, brighter and denser than it had ever been.
She looked toward Astra.
Then she opened a portal in front of her.
Nova raised one hand and created a pulling force through the portal. Astra's body lifted from the ground and was dragged toward the opening.
Astra reached out helplessly.
"Nova!"
Nova did not stop.
The portal pulled Astra inside and closed behind her.
The Celestial Eyes slowly closed.
For a moment, the darkness disappeared, and the battlefield became visible again.
Eris stared at Nova.
"That presence…" she whispered. "It's as strong as Xyloria's."
Nova turned toward Zarek.
She released a blue beam.
Zarek was still distracted by the disappearance of Astra. The beam struck him before he could react.
It was no larger than Nova's hand.
The force behind it was enough to destroy the entire Astravon Empire.
Buildings collapsed. The Ruler's domain shattered. The ground split beneath the remaining structures, and the destruction spread through the empire until nothing recognizable remained.
When the devastation finally settled, Zarek was gone.
Eris stared at the empty space where he had stood:
She destroyed the Second Harbinger with a beam no larger than her hand.
Nova looked at her.
"You survived. Impressive."
Eris slowly lowered herself to one knee.
Then what am I? , she thought. I am nothing compared to her. Running is useless.
Nova raised her hand and released another blue beam.
The attack flew toward Eris.
In the final instant, someone dashed through the ruins, seized Eris, and carried her away. The beam tore through the space where she had been standing.
Nova watched them escape.
Her voice echoed across the ruined empire.
"Killing two of you isn't enough for what you've done."
Her blue Spiritual Energy surged.
"I will destroy all of you."
[Orynx]
Every nation of Orynx had gathered inside its ruler's domain. The surviving beings stood around their emergency portals, waiting for the order to escape.
No one knew whether the portals would open in time.
Nova rose higher into the sky.
She ascended beyond the atmosphere of the planet and continued until she stood above Orynx, looking down at the world below.
No one could understand what she intended to do.
Then a tiny light emerged from within her Spiritual Energy core.
It floated in front of her, small and bright enough to resemble a distant star.
Eris's voice suddenly rang through the Ruler's Domain.
"Everyone, enter the portal now!"
The King did not waste time asking why. He activated his skill, **Voice Echo**, and sent his command across all of Orynx.
"Enter the portals! Move!"
One after another, the survivors began rushing inside.
Some stumbled. Some flew. Some crawled through the openings when their energy could no longer carry them. The Rulers pushed their people forward while the remaining Harbingers escaped without waiting for anyone else.
Above them, Nova stared down at the world.
"Super," she whispered.
She paused.
Then she closed her eyes.
"Nova."
The tiny light released a massive shockwave.
The force struck every nation at once. The planet shook beneath it, and the rulers' domains trembled as the portals struggled to remain open.
The survivors forced themselves forward. Some escaped. Some were caught by the destruction before they could reach the portals.
Orynx began to break apart.
The shockwave did not stop at the planet. It continued beyond the universe, tearing through other worlds and destroying multiple planets across different universes. Galaxies trembled beneath the force. Space itself warped around the expanding wave.
But that was only the beginning.
The tiny blue light inside Nova expanded.
A colossal sphere of blue Spiritual Energy erupted from it, growing larger and larger as it spread through existence. Its destructive force surpassed the first shockwave and struck multiple universes at once.
Worlds vanished.
Planets were erased.
Galaxies were torn apart.
The attack continued until the concentration of Nova's energy finally began to decrease.
Then there was nothing left.
No planet.
No sky.
No stars.
Only pure Void remained.
Nova floated alone within it.
The rage that had driven her disappeared, leaving only silence.
Fragments of memory passed through her mind: Kaelvyr's final smile, Astra's scream, the Matriarch's death, the ruined battlefield, and the beings who had been swallowed by the destruction.
Nova looked into the endless Void.
"What have I done?"
To be continued…