Chapter 1067: Descent of Chaos [part 1]
Northern landed on his feet and slowly straightened. His eyes were grim, glued to the pillar of thin light that pierced the sky.
After the shockwave, the column of light trembled and widened. As seconds flew by, the expansion became more evident and obvious.
In ten seconds, it stretched as wide as an actual column supporting a building—except this one wasn’t carved from stone but from pure light.
Northern glared at it. This was the kind of moment when he would be expected to rush in and stop whatever Koll was doing.
But he wasn’t that stupid. Whatever was happening right now was a conceptual level of unraveling—something far beyond both Koll and him.
Concepts are laws that exist. They can be bent or maneuvered, but they can never be destroyed or created, at least not by the likes of him or Koll.
The person coming from that chasm of light, though... was another story entirely.
Northern’s eyes twitched as he spotted something moving within the column of light. It was shrouded in brilliance, or maybe the flowing and weaving lights he could see within the chasm made it difficult to make out the actual figure walking inside.
Eventually, whatever was walking inside emerged. Its feet touched the red sand of the desert plain, and just like that, in a silent flash—as though it had never been there—the column vanished.
Everything appeared the same. The clouds were late to the party, though. They still roiled and slowly drifted back to their usual color, but everything else looked as if the fabric of reality had never been torn open.
As if the Prison Realm created to imprison an Origin had never been forced apart.
All Northern could see was a sun-burnished man with soft linen wrapped around his waist, flowing down like a skirt. He had golden eyes that were sharp and steady, glimmering like molten metal under a scorching sun.
And he was facing Koll, who was bowing at his feet. At first glance, there was almost nothing threatening about the man.
His entry was, in fact, not what Northern had expected. He was an Origin of Blood, War, Madness, and extensively Chaos. Northern had expected something world-shattering.
But the man wasn’t even wearing sandals, and he looked more like a gentleman than someone who had ever been touched by madness.
’Did someone different come out?’
A couple of seconds had passed, and everything still felt so... peaceful.
’Are we mistaken...?’
Now, the man and Koll seemed to be talking while Koll remained on his knees.
The man finally turned his gaze from Koll. Northern was still watching him.
"Human, it seems you have something that belongs to me."
Northern’s eyes widened, and he vanished immediately, flying back with such speed that he became a blur as he covered kilometers of distance before staggering to a stop, panting and sweating.
"All I did was ask you a question. Why did you run... human?"
Northern’s gaze darkened.
’What?’
Kryos stood behind him.
He wanted to vanish again, but Kryos raised a hand.
"Don’t run, human."
Northern stopped in that moment.
’Huh?’
Northern caught the strangeness of what had just happened instantly. The Origin’s words were kind—more like a gentle suggestion. But Northern had agreed with him and indeed stopped.
But it felt strange because Northern hadn’t really agreed with him. It was like he had been coaxed to agree, but in a very subtle and orderly manner.
’What is this? It’s more than Will? No. It is Will.’
Northern’s brows furrowed as he stared at the calm and sharply defined face. Kryos had long braids of midnight hair streaked with deep blue. Each braid was adorned with gold bands that caught the light as he stood there—a silent declaration of status and pride.
’It is Will? World Will?’
Northern wasn’t sure, but Paragon Raizel had explained something to him before: individuals had their Will, but the world also had its Will... Had Kryos just used the World’s Will on him?
Still, Northern didn’t think so. He felt like he was missing something, or that he was lacking in piecing these things together.
However, Kryos’ face remained indifferent. He neither smiled nor frowned—he just carried himself with the quiet confidence of a man who knew the weight of his own presence.
"You seem utterly confused."
Even his accent and voice were different. His accent was twisted and intoxicating—the more Northern listened to it, the more he wanted to keep listening. And his speech pattern was like that of a foreigner who had just learned the language of Ul’Tra-el on the fly but hadn’t perfected it.
Either way, it blended powerfully with the frame standing before him.
"I have not come to hurt you. Neither have I come to hurt your world. But you have something I need greatly."
Of course, Northern knew exactly what he was talking about. This was why Koll had, after all, arranged for him to come in contact with the Chaos Prince’s Vestige—to make him a vessel of Chaos and Void for Kryos to consume upon his return.
Although everything from that point had just been Northern multiplying the power by leaps and bounds, which went far beyond Koll’s expectations.
Northern at this point was not tied to Chaos and Void—or to put it better, he was severing his ties with those sources of power. Giving them up would not be difficult.
But because Northern had no idea what would happen to his summons if Chaos and Void—especially Void—were taken away, Northern was too scared to find out what losing the Void, and mainly Limitless Void, would cost him.
And that was why his expression darkened, and he raised his head to look into the Origin’s eyes. He almost quivered.
’Oh shit, I’m looking into the eyes of an Origin.’
He sighed, his face growing even darker, then his hoarse voice crawled out like a threat.
"I am very sure I have nothing you need."
Kryos smiled. His expression was soft and charming as his smile lingered.
Then he said gently:
"Oh child. Do not do that. I might have promised not to harm you, but I can ruin everything you cannot bear to lose until you hand me what is mine."
Northern’s face instantly twisted, and he threw his head back and laughed. But the laughter was dry and hollow.
"Really? Right away? Threatening me?"
Kryos smiled with delight.
"Threat? When the sun rises, does it threaten the night? No... it simply comes. I am merely telling you what is, boy. To liken me to such a petty word is unwise of you."
He slowly extended his hand.
"Chaos... your source beckons."
Northern’s face suddenly paled, and a wild storm began raging in his soul.