The moment the two Saint-rank presences descended upon the city, there was no longer any reason to remain hidden.
My location had already been exposed. My name had already been announced. Every major authority within Region Three now knew exactly who had entered their territory.
I sighed and looked toward the sky.
Then space folded around me. The top of the administrative tower disappeared and a moment later I appeared thousands of meters above the city, directly in the path of the two incoming Saints.
The distance separating us vanished quickly.
Soon all three of us stood suspended above the vast city while the silver barrier below glowed brightly beneath our feet.
For a few moments neither side spoke. I simply observed them. They looked exactly like every other Eternal I had encountered.
The same unnaturally perfect features. The same tall bodies. The same black orb-like eyes that resembled miniature voids rather than actual eyes.
Even their facial structures looked nearly identical.
Only their auras distinguished them.
Silver soul force drifted around their bodies continuously, forming halos of light that twisted and flowed through the air like living currents.
My perception swept over them. Then my eyes narrowed slightly. Their strength was closer to level six hundred.
Both of them.
The realization genuinely surprised me.
One of them smiled.
"Interesting."
The other tilted his head slightly.
"Very interesting."
I remained silent. The first Eternal looked me up and down.
"Who would have thought. The famous Billion Ironhart would walk directly into the Null realm and that too inside the Prime Territory."
The second Eternal nodded.
"The reports were accurate after all."
His gaze settled upon me.
"And you’ve already reached Saint."
I smiled faintly.
"Disappointed?"
"Not at all."
The first Eternal chuckled.
"We’re actually impressed."
The second Eternal continued.
"You grew faster than expected."
His black eyes seemed to study me carefully.
"Unfortunately for you, growth and wisdom rarely arrive together."
I folded my arms.
"And here I thought we were about to have a productive conversation."
The first Eternal laughed.
"Oh we are."
His silver aura began rising.
"Just not the kind you’re hoping for."
The atmosphere shifted instantly. Soul force erupted around both Saints. The city below trembled as their auras expanded outward.
At the same moment, I moved.
Soul force gathered in my fist as it shone like a risen sun and I punched.
The first Eternal reacted immediately and punched in a similar manner.
Our attacks collided. The resulting shockwave tore through the sky and sent violent ripples across the barrier protecting the city below.
The second Eternal appeared behind me much faster than I expected.
A palm struck toward my back.
I twisted sideways but the attack grazed my shoulder. Immediately a strange sensation spread through my body. The soul force composing my defensive layer began changing.
My eyes narrowed.
’Its Energy Conversion.’
The Eternal smiled.
"You noticed."
I immediately pushed soul force outward and forced the effect away before it could spread further.
Unfortunately that was only the beginning. The other Eternal appeared directly in front of me.
Without hesitation I activated my skill.
"Absolute Destruction!"
Space around me trembled and a beam shot forward right from the front of my chest created from condensed soul force as it cut through space and went straight for the eternal’s head.
The Eternal reacted and put both the palms together and muttered.
"Devour!"
A ripple passed from his body and hit the beam. The beam trembled and then scattered into drifting snow.
The attack vanished. Simply vanished. The energy disappeared around him.
"Consumption." I muttered. The realization came instantly.
One Eternal could convert energy into whatever form he desired. The other could consume and absorb it.
"Very annoying."
The battle immediately became more complicated.
For several minutes we exchanged attacks across the sky above the city. Space cracked repeatedly beneath the force of our collisions while rivers of soul force surged through the atmosphere. Several times I managed to land attacks. Several times they did the same.
Yet despite fighting two against one, neither Eternal appeared particularly concerned. In fact, the longer the battle continued, the more comfortable they became.
Then they released their domains.
The change was immediate. Reality itself seemed to recoil.
Behind the Consumption Saint, a gigantic maw materialized.
The thing resembled the mouth of some ancient predator capable of devouring worlds. Endless rows of teeth stretched into darkness while countless streams of soul force flowed continuously into its depths.
Behind the second Saint, two enormous black eyes appeared. Each eye was larger than mountains. They rotated slowly through the sky while endless rings of soul force revolved around them like celestial bodies orbiting a sun.
The pressure multiplied. My body immediately sank several meters.
The surrounding soul force became unstable.
I did not release my domain. It was my first true battle here. I was not sure who else was observing and there were 6 more regions left after this to tackle and find the contracts. I had to keep some of my cards hidden. So I continued fighting normally.
Every attack I launched weakened before reaching them. Every defense I created began deteriorating.
The Consumption domain devoured. The Conversion domain transformed. Together they created an absurd combination.
For the first time since entering the Null realm, I was pushed backward. A spear of converted soul force struck my chest.
Another attack followed.
Then another.
My defensive layers shattered. Blood appeared at the corner of my mouth.
I smiled.
The two Saints frowned.
Then I activated the bond connecting me to my summons.
"I need help."
The response was immediate. A moment later six powerful signatures erupted throughout the city and shot toward me.
The Eternal Saints noticed instantly. Their expressions changed. Then one of them reached into his robes.
A strange black token appeared in his hand. Without hesitation he crushed it.
The effect was immediate. I could feel something awakened.
The city below fell silent. Not because anyone wanted silence. Because they no longer had a choice. An overwhelming pressure descended from above.
My body froze. Just enough that every instinct inside me began screaming. Every hair on my body stood upright. The soul force throughout the region became turbulent.
Below us, millions of souls collapsed to their knees. The city itself seemed to bow.
Then the Soul Sea erupted.
Water rose toward the heavens in walls. Entire oceans lifted upward as though some gigantic force had reached beneath the sea and was dragging it toward the sky.
The Eternal Saints stepped back respectfully.
My eyes narrowed. Something was emerging. The first head broke through the surface.
Then the second.
Then the third.
For several moments the sheer scale of the creature defied comprehension.
Its body dwarfed the city.
Its necks stretched through the sky like living mountains while silver scales reflected the light of the entire region. Ancient runes glowed across its flesh and every movement generated storms powerful enough to distort the surrounding space.
Six enormous eyes opened. Each focused directly on me. The creature’s presence alone exceeded the combined pressure of both Eternal Saints.