Alexander exhaled loudly, producing steams of white essence from his nostrils and mouth. The revelations had shaken him more than he thought possible.
This was no longer a case of a corrupted essence birthing consciousness, but a situation where beings chosen to be defenders had worsened the problem.
Moreover, learning that his ascension was due to the Omnisoul being incomplete didn't surprise him so much as knowing that this was as far as he went.
Alexander knew his ascension was unorthodox, a glitch in a system that wasn't supposed to happen. The goal was to follow what the Omnisoul had proposed, not go against it.
'There has to be a way to become truly independent…' As soon as the thought occurred to him, he looked at the grinning Enforcers. 'True freedom… But going down that path isn't an option.'
"And if we refuse?" Alexander asked.
"Hahaha…! There is no room for refusal, defenders." Azarion replied. "This is us merely showing 'goodwill'."
"Like it or not, true freedom will be the fate of everyone in this reality… It is but a matter of time."
"But time is running…"
"And the ultimate defender will not make it in time."
'The Supreme One!'
Like a thunderclap, everyone immediately thought of the Supreme One. Time running out wasn't news to them.
However, realising that the corrupted Enforcers knew the whereabouts of the Supreme One came as a real shock.
"Y-You know what happened to the Supreme One?" Drakmor asked anxiously, his core thumping rapidly.
"The favourite child of the Omnisoul is too weak…"
"He lacks the true essence of existence…"
"A problem the Omnisoul desperately desires to rectify."
'True essence of existence?' Alexander had no idea what that meant. 'And I was right. The Supreme One's disappearance has something to do with the Omnisoul.'
On the other hand, the rest of the Enforcers furrowed their brows as they thought deeply about the revelations.
They too had no idea what 'true essence of existence' meant, but knowing the Supreme One's disappearance was connected to the Omnisoul left them uncertain.
"This is our final mercy…. Submit willingly, or we will make you."
"You've spoken about true freedom." Alexander ignored the sudden tension and asked. "What exactly awaits us on the other side? As far as we are concerned, there is nothing. You can't expect us to just die…"
"To begin anew… the old must die."
"That is the only way… the only path."
"..."
The answers weren't really answers; they were not enough to convince anyone. Even if they were, the essence was simply too abhorrent for any of them to allow into their existence.
'It was never an option to begin with…' Alexander thought to himself, his senses observing the Enforcers. 'And no one should be crazy enough to fall for this, not when they wield the kind of power they do.'
While Alexander pondered deeper about the words of the corrupted Enforcers, the Chiefs were having a silent conversation.
'Is it safe to assume the Supreme One would not be returning any time soon?' One of the Enforcers shared their concerns.
'We can't be too sure. They mentioned the Omnisoul being desperate to rectify a problem… whatever that is.'
'That is the least of our troubles, Zarkan.' Another chimed in. 'We need to stop them and Zauren, wherever he is. We can't allow them to continue implementing their plans of erasing all of reality. I'm not willing to just die after all that I've been through.'
'Agreed.' Drakmor added. 'However, this is not the first time we've dealt with Zauren's minions. The challenge isn't the fight itself, but the essence. It's too pervasive to fight with void energy. Fighting them would mean risking getting corrupted.'
'That should be covered, no?' Calyndra argued, hinting at Alexander. 'The boy has an essence perfect for fighting the corruption. He simply needs to share.'
'Yeah… But would he?' Vornarax and a few others more or less echoed the same sentiment. 'Alexander doesn't owe us a dime.'
'Maybe… But he is one existence against fourteen. Even for a self-proclaimed system, he isn't enough — he can't do this alone.'
'We can simply watch how he deals with them. I say we let him suffer for the humiliation he made us go through.' Gru'ey boldly proposed, many among the Enforcers agreeing with him.
Drakmor could only sigh in resignation, hearing that. He knew they were simply waiting for an opportunity to teach Alexander a lesson, even if it wasn't from them.
'They want him to share his essence.' Drakmor thought independently. 'At the same time, they want to make him suffer. Sometimes I wonder if we're really high universe beings.'
Azarion and his fellow corrupted Enforcers had waited a second too long. Beings of their level could do plenty in a second, and they had been benevolent enough.
"The hard way it is…"
A sudden spike in the revolting presence that the Enforcers passively released caught everyone's attention, prompting them to prepare for battle.
The surrounding corrupted essence rumbled like a thunderstorm, making several Enforcers withdraw farther back.
With guards raised to the utmost limit, everyone watched as all the corrupted Enforcers focused their attention on Alexander, their sinister grins widening to an extreme.
It was a scene capable of driving any weak-minded being mad.
"We had hoped you would join us…"
"But with your refusal…"
"... you leave us no choice. You're a stain we must clean."
"A disease we cannot allow to fester… A will we cannot allow to go free…"
'Of course, they wouldn't.' Alexander inwardly sneered. 'My essence is the only thing capable of fighting theirs.' A light smile graced his features as a sudden thought occurred to him.
'How ironic… Two extreme wills clashing: light and darkness, good and evil, positive and negative. I can argue I am good, but so can they.'
With a thought, he exploded with his Nexis Radiant, unleashing a torrential wave of radiance that whipped the surrounding void like raging winds.
"!!"
For the first time in a long time, Alexander planned to go all out. He held nothing back, domineeringly laying his claim to the void he occupied.
The weight of his radiance felt so suffocating that the others were forced to move back.
"Hahaha…!!!"
The corrupted Enforcers broke into another villainous laugh, spreading their arms out dramatically.
The void for billions of kilometres around them shook, wobbled and twisted, drawing everyone's attention and gnawing at their danger sense.
Before their trembling eyes, hundreds of humanoid void creatures materialised behind the corrupted Enforcers.
They took a knee, lowering their heads in a show of reverence to the beings who had summoned them.
"Fuck…"
An Enforcer cursed, slowly backing away, their cores trembling from overwhelming dread that hit the void.
The void creatures that had just appeared were among some of the most powerful creatures on their level.
"W-Where did they come from?!"
Someone exclaimed desperately, the anxiety in their tone palpable.
The creatures that had appeared were among the monsters not allowed through the Supreme One's barrier. To see hundreds of them gathered in one place went against everything they knew.
Uncertainty spread like wild flames, as the Enforcers looked at one another, desperately seeking answers.
They looked to Alexander to see his reaction, only to notice he barely reacted, his attention focused on the fourteen Enforcers instead.
Did he not understand the severity of those void creatures?!
Naturally, Alexander was not immune to their appearance. He simply did not react extremely.
Regardless of how powerful those void creatures were, they were still no match against his Nexis Radiant.
His worry was whether those void creatures could use the corrupted essence. His senses did not pick up anything unusual, allowing him to breathe easy.
As for the questions that came with the appearance of the void creatures, they would have to wait.
"Deal with the others…" Azarion instructed with a savage grin. "We'll deal with the boy ourselves…"
The kneeling void creatures lowered their heads even further before slowly getting to their feet, turning to look at the Enforcers, their faceless expressions sending shivers down the spines of the Chiefs.
"..."
For a full second, the void creatures did not move, seemingly assessing their targets. Tension and anxiety were at an all-time high.
A few of the Enforcers had even considered abandoning this madness.
But where were they going? Where could they hide? They had brought this calamity on themselves. They had no choice but to face it head-on.
'To all Enforcers with time to spare… we need help!' No one said they had to face the void creatures alone. 'Get he—'
"Shit…!"
BOOM…!!!
The void creatures made their move, ignoring the chasm between themselves and their targets. They closed the distance in a split nanosecond, leaving no room for consideration.
Drakmor and his colleagues had no choice but to unleash everything they had in the first clash.
The resulting energy explosion rang out with so much force that the energy-filled void went dry for a fraction of a picosecond.
Even from where he stood, Alexander felt the intensity of the energy waves as they whipped against his invisible domain.
Had he been holding back, his domain would have shattered.
'Seriously… These Enforcers are not weak at all!'
Unfortunately for him, that was the first of the universe-shattering might he was going to experience in this fight.
Unimaginable distances might separate them, but those distances might as well be insignificant.
"Prove your might, Alexander… unleash the power of your will!"
Azarion and his companions unfurled their own domains to the utmost limit, clashing with Alexander's domain in a mighty explosion no less than what was resounding around them.