****** [Amun Prime’s PoV]
The void around me stretched endlessly while I walked through it casually with both hands behind my back, countless stars drifting far away like scattered lights across an ocean of darkness while streams of essence moved silently between galaxies beneath the surface of reality itself.
It had honestly been a long time since I attended one of these meetings personally, and judging from the amount of noise certain people had been making lately, quite a few of them were probably under the impression that I had either become weaker, disappeared entirely, or simply stopped caring about the Prime Universe altogether.
Which honestly offended me a little. People forgot things too quickly these days. I sighed dramatically to myself while continuing through the void.
Still...
Things were finally becoming interesting again.
The Null Realm Key changed everything.
Not completely yet, but enough to finally create a possibility that didn’t exist before. For many many years the Eternals held complete control over the dead, over the souls drifting through the Null Realm after destruction, over the cycle itself, and because of that advantage every large-scale conflict eventually leaned toward them no matter how many wars we won in ordinary space.
I dreaded the day a Demi-God would fall and their soul would be taken to create a Phantom, tilting the balance further in the Eternals’ favor. Because of that, I had stopped myself from even killing the traitors and instead kept them under constant watch.
I was a patient man. But now, now we had a door.
A very dangerous door. And more importantly...we had Billion.
I couldn’t help smiling slightly thinking about that child.
Honestly absurd.
Every time I expected him to progress quickly, he somehow exceeded the expectation anyway. Conquering the crimson mission, bringing the key, integrating a fragment of a God foundation, becoming a Saint this early...
Even I had started wondering where exactly his limit existed.
Maybe there wasn’t one.
That was a pleasant thought.
Eventually the void around me shifted.
A solitary landmass floated ahead in the darkness, enormous mountain ranges suspended silently in empty space while rivers of essence drifted beneath the floating continent like glowing streams supporting its existence. At the center stood a massive meeting hall carved directly into the mountains themselves, ancient pillars stretching high into the skies.
"Ah yes."
The wonderful gathering of paranoid old monsters.
I walked directly toward the hall.
The massive doors opened automatically the moment I approached, revealing the enormous chamber beyond where countless projections already floated around the circular structure. None of them revealed their true forms entirely, only silhouettes and distorted manifestations seated across the hall while pressure filled the surroundings from every direction.
The moment I entered, several gazes immediately focused on me.
And almost instantly the complaints began.
"You finally decided to appear."
"Where exactly have you been all this time?"
"You disappear for decades and suddenly call an emergency meeting?"
"Typical."
I almost laughed.
Still the same.
I casually walked toward the center platform before glancing around lazily.
"You all sound very energetic today," I said cheerfully. "Did something good happen?"
That earned me several annoyed reactions immediately.
One projection leaned forward slightly.
"This is not a gathering for your amusement, Amun."
"Everything is a gathering for my amusement," I replied honestly before waving one hand dismissively. "Anyway, let’s move on before someone’s ancient blood pressure rises too high."
The atmosphere inside the hall grew slightly heavier afterward.
I dropped most of the joking tone from my voice before speaking again.
"The Eternals are preparing movement again," I said calmly while looking around the chamber. "More active than usual. Their forces near the outer sectors have increased and several hidden routes across the void have already gone silent."
That got their attention immediately.
"War?"
"Not full-scale," I replied. "Not yet. But enough that preparation becomes necessary."
I deliberately avoided mentioning the Null Realm Key. That information was far too important to spread carelessly even here.
One projection narrowed its eyes.
"And where exactly did you acquire this information?"
I smiled slightly.
"Sources."
Several irritated essence fluctuations spread through the chamber.
Another projection spoke afterward.
"You vanished for years while the Prime Universe stabilized itself without you. Now you return only to warn us vaguely about movement?"
I remained silent for a few seconds.
Then sighed softly.
Honestly...
They really did forget too quickly. The jovial atmosphere around me disappeared completely afterward.
Crimson essence spread silently through the hall. Then chains materialized behind me.
Thousands of them.
Ancient crimson chains stretching endlessly through the air while the surrounding space groaned beneath their appearance alone. The temperature inside the hall dropped instantly while pressure crashed downward across the chamber hard enough that several projections flickered violently.
My smile disappeared.
"When exactly," I asked quietly while looking around the hall, "did all of you become comfortable speaking to me like equals?"
The chains behind me moved slowly through the air like living things while crimson light reflected across the ancient walls of the chamber.
"The Prime Universe carries my name for a reason," I continued calmly. "Do not mistake absence for weakness."
Nobody interrupted this time.
I slowly folded my arms afterward.
"You will prepare your territories," I said. "You will strengthen defenses near your assigned sectors. And when the time comes, one of you will accompany me for a specific operation against the Eternals."
Several projections reacted immediately.
"You’re choosing only one?"
"What operation?"
"Against which sector?"
I simply turned around.
"You’ll know when necessary."
Then I began walking toward the exit.
"Prepare yourselves," I said without turning back. "Because whether you like it or not..."
A faint grin returned to my face.
"Things are finally starting again."
The massive doors closed behind me afterward.
*******
A short while later, I arrived somewhere far quieter.
A hidden pocket realm suspended outside ordinary spacetime where a calm ocean stretched endlessly beneath silver skies while soft waves moved peacefully across the water.
Honestly...
Much better than the meeting.
I stepped onto the surface of the ocean itself before stopping. Moments later another figure materialized nearby.
Defender Aurora.
Unlike the projections from earlier, she appeared fully here, her golden armor reflecting softly beneath the silver skies while calm essence flowed around her naturally.
She looked at me for a moment before speaking.
"You appeared genuinely angry back there."
I smiled faintly.
"Only partially."
"A performance?"
"Mostly."
She nodded slowly.
"I assumed as much."
I chuckled lightly before walking farther across the water.
"They were becoming too comfortable. A little fear is healthy occasionally."
Aurora remained silent briefly before asking, "So what is the real situation?"
Now that question mattered. I looked toward the distant horizon quietly for a few seconds before answering.
"The Null Realm Key changes everything."
Her expression sharpened slightly.
"You got it?"
"Billion."
A faint ripple spread across the ocean beneath us.
"That means we can finally enter the Null Realm directly," she said quietly.
"Exactly."
The Null Realm was not ordinary territory. It was the place where dead souls drifted before being taken by the Eternals.
A place most living beings never returned from. I looked toward her afterward.
"And you’ll be going there."
Aurora’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"With you?"
I shook my head.
"No. With Billion."
She went silent for several moments after hearing that.
"And you?"
"I’ll remain behind," I replied calmly. "Someone needs to keep watch over the Prime Universe while you two move."
Her gaze lingered on me quietly.
"You trust him that much already."
I laughed softly.
"You don’t?"
That actually made her pause.
Then finally she smiled faintly.
"...Fair point."
I folded my arms afterward while looking toward the endless silver horizon.
"The mission itself is simple," I continued. "Enter the Null Realm. Learn how the Eternals move souls. Discover what they’re preparing." My expression darkened slightly afterward. "And if possible..."
I looked back toward her.
"Destroy it all."