It no longer spread outward and started condensing.
At the same time, the miniature sphere hovering in front of Knight began to distort.
Space around it bent inward as the rotation intensified, the small sphere collapsing into something far more dangerous. It deepened into a true void—a black hole, dense and absolute, devouring everything around it.
Ash stepped forward without hesitation. He brought his palms together, then slowly pulled them apart. Between them, a black rune formed no larger than a hand.
One meter.
A hundred.
The rune expanded instantly, its presence heavy, its structure layered with countless inscriptions.
With a single push, the rune vanished and reappeared above the battlefield.
"Knight."
Knight released his control. The black hole shot forward.
The one standing at the center erupted with deathmist. From within it, an enormous abomination formed, an unnatural fusion of beasts, layered with claws, wings, and fangs, its entire body dripping corruption. With a roar that shook the void, it surged forward to meet the incoming attack.
Their connection to the Iron and Flame Legion became clear as they summoned their forces. Hundreds of abominations and phantoms materialized behind them, each massive, each radiating intense pressure. The army surged forward as one, a wave of destruction aimed at overwhelming the incoming void.
Ash’s rune flashed. The moment it activated, space itself seemed to stutter and time came to a halt in the area.
The charging army froze mid-motion, their bodies locked in place as if time itself had been seized and held still.
"Devouring Abyss."
The frozen army shattered. Their bodies tore apart under the pressure, ripped into fragments before being consumed entirely by the void.
It moved and reappeared directly over the three Eternal Saints.
But the rune did not break. It rotated slowly, steadily grinding against their domains, cracking them piece by piece.
The battlefield tightened. Everything converged on that single point.
But they were already trapped.
And then she released the spear.
The sound it created was not just thunder, it was something deeper, heavier, like the sky itself announcing the end. The spear moved too fast to track, cutting through space as it surged toward the center of the battlefield.
Their defenses faltered. The spear reached them and exploded.
The void itself shook under the impact. Light swallowed everything. The combined force of lightning, void, and sealing energy collapsed inward and then erupted outward in a violent wave that tore through the entire space and the rift.
The system reacted instantly.
I released the Sovereign Link. The connection faded, and my vision returned to the control chamber on Kaalseris.
But this....this was different.
’Why?’
The thought didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t like variables I couldn’t account for. A soft notification sound echoed in my mind, breaking the flow of my thoughts.
I didn’t even look at the number. They had been increasing constantly, almost explosively with every rift closed and every action taken. At this point, the exact value didn’t matter.
Because I still didn’t know what they were truly for. Amun had asked me to collect them.
"I’d say that retaliation was handled beautifully," I said.
"Oh... it’s done?" she asked.
I stepped away from the console, already moving.
I glanced at her briefly.
She watched me for a moment before speaking again.
I paused for just a fraction of a second, then let out a small laugh.
I gave a light wave as I walked toward the teleportation platform. The runes beneath my feet began to glow.
And more importantly the next world Vivi would devour.