Chapter 433: The Stranger [Part 2]
On the roof of one of the prestigious buildings lined in a linear array, stood a man. His presence caused a sudden stillness in the atmosphere.
There was not a single noble below who did not know him.
He stood bare-chested, unbothered by the arrogant winds that swept through the air in the aftermath of the powerful flood.
His muscular form seemed carved from a relentless pursuit of strength.
His torso was a tapestry of scars, each one a testament to battles fought and won, a story told in flesh rather than words.
The hard lines of his abdomen, the powerful curve of his shoulders, and the unyielding strength in his arms all spoke of a life forged in discipline and hardship.
His hair, white and resembling the sky on a bright day, was tousled by the wind, framing a face marked by intensity.
Dark, sharp eyes held a gaze that could pierce through the toughest of opponents, yet they were deep, shadowed by experiences that would have broken a lesser man.
His expression was one of quiet determination, the kind that is earned through countless trials and battles that tested not just his body, but his very soul.
The black cloth wrapped around his waist and legs contrasted sharply with the stark whiteness of his hair, flowing with the wind as if it had a life of its own.
The fabric was bound tightly, ensuring it would not hinder his movement, while the rest of the garment allowed for fluidity and speed.
It was the attire of a fighter who needed no armor, one whose defense was as much in his mind as in his reflexes.
His hands were wrapped in dark taped gloves that extended past his wrists, the material thick enough to protect yet flexible enough to allow the full range of motion required by a skilled warrior.
There was a cold, dangerous aura about his presence that made all the nobles freeze in fear. They didn't even need to see the person on the rooftop to know who was standing there.
Rather, they were concerned about the person who had flown away.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes, assured that the person he had just struck was dead. He then turned his gaze to the rest of the city.
The city lay in ruins, a grim testament to the power of nature that had just been unleashed in its most destructive form.
The floodwaters, once a relentless torrent that devoured everything in their path, had finally receded, leaving behind a landscape unrecognizable from what it had been just a couple of hours before-to the Emperor, days.
Buildings that once stood tall, proud symbols of their achievement, were now skeletal remnants of their former selves.
Their foundations, once thought unshakable, had been undermined by the furious waters, leaving them cracked and crumbling, some reduced to nothing more than heaps of rubble.
The streets, which had thrived with the hum of daily life, were now buried under layers of thick, muddy silt. Debris, both familiar and foreign, was strewn everywhere-fragments of shattered windows, twisted metal, and the waterlogged remains of personal belongings, all mingling in a chaotic tapestry of loss.
The Emperor's dark face grew even darker as all the scenery sank into his mind. The reality settled in that while he was in solitary training to surpass the limit of a Paragon, his nation had been destroyed.
From where he was standing, he could see everything as if it was in the palm of his hand. He could see the crowd viciously advancing toward his broken nation.
He could see the strange lady emanating a vicious light walking towards the harbor.
All of it was infuriating, but the Emperor still managed to maintain a cool, calm front.
All the nobles' eyes were on him, with looks that said: "The Emperor is here; finally, all is settled."
Their eyes shone with so much trust and respect in his presence.
However, his calm and cool demeanor was not due to their trust in him. Rather, it was his trust in his own abilities.
To put it simply, he was quite sure that in this entire continent, there was not a single person stronger than him.
However, there was a slight disturbance, but it didn't matter since he had eliminated it immediately.
Which is why he just needed to-
He froze and sharply turned his head in the direction he had thrashed the strange boy toward. However, from the opposite direction, some black, unstable darkness pierced through like lightning. Without looking, the Emperor caught it with one hand.
Then he slowly turned his head to the creature.
Night Terror most times had an expression of blankness. It was difficult to read what was on the monster's expression.
Except for some exclusively spectacular moments when he was enjoying the fight.
But right now, he did not have the look of enjoyment on his face.
It was one of pure terror.
Yes, for the first time, even the great Night Terror felt terror course through his dark veins.
Immediately, he severed his hand forcefully, leaving his forearm in the man's grip, and jumped as far back as he could.
From behind, someone began to shimmer into existence.
The person had white, flowing hair and was taller than a normal human. He had a blank expression on his face; his body was so pale it was almost white.
His eyes had a golden iris that focused solely on the Emperor.
The Emperor frowned slightly. The creature had a very disturbing presence, but there was something that left him confused.
"You are definitely not him, but why do I feel the same ominous energy from you?" the Emperor said, looking at the white-haired being that was clearly not human.
The being was silent, not saying anything.
The Emperor tilted his head slightly and glared. His eyes brimmed with cruelty, and in the next second, he was gone.
No, the next second was too far-fetched. It was as though the next second was when he reached the man, with a blasting torrent of wind accompanying his bare feet.
He crushed the being's neck with a tight clench of his hand before the being could do
anything.
Simultaneously...
Northern sat languidly on the throne of the Void Palace, utterly shocked as Koll's soul was vanquished before the being could take action.
Honestly, he had thought that Koll was his strongest piece. At least Night Terror knew to save
himself.
'No, no, let's not think about it like that. What if he had intentionally dealt with Koll with more intensity than he did with Night Terror? All he did was block Night Terror's attack. He could even see the attack coming without having to look.'
Northern held his head in deep thought.
'How exactly do I get out of this... no doubt about it. He's a Paragon. He must be the Emperor!'
Northern looked down at his side. It was literally empty; all his organs on that side of his body had been completely obliterated. However, it was now filled with inky darkness that breathed
like it was alive.
While Chaos Thread was busy weaving his organs from the very beginning, usually it should
not work that way.
Because once his organs had been obliterated, he was supposed to be on the verge of death or
very much dead already.
But Northern found himself being kept alive by the insane amount of Void in him. He even felt so numb he couldn't feel anything.
However, there was a stinging pain as the Chaos Thread knitted through the smithereens of
his organs.
Which is why he couldn't afford to go back to the surface world right now.
Immediately he landed, he sank himself into the Limitless Void, totally erasing his presence
from the surface world.
And like an eminence of darkness, he sent soul summons to fight his battle for him in the surface world while he recovered.
At the same time, he hated the fact that he had to sit here and wait without being able to do
anything.
He had to heal, he knew, but knowing did not make the feeling of helplessness any better.
This guy was obliterating his summons before they even tried.
He looked up tiredly and summoned, "Pangu."
A darkness wriggled in front of him, forming the silhouette of a man who bowed on one knee
in front of the dancing black flames.
Northern breathed painfully as the agonizing weave of the Chaos Thread continued.
"You were the one with Koll's soul before, right? I will give it to you now and permanently
merge it with you with the power of the Void. You will lose yourself, and you won't be Koll
either. Do you want to do it?"
The darkness seemed silent for a second.
Northern had taken the effort to ask for his opinion in particular because he and a couple of
others were specifically created by the Chaos Prince.
What he was about to do would completely change all of that. He was about to undo the entire
makings of the Chaos Prince.