Naless Death was about to begin devouring the Abyss Mirror when he noticed two notifications before his eyes.
[Title: Traveler – Gained]
Ancient: You find it easier to travel between the infinite pseudo-branches of the 10th Eon.
*Title granted due to traveling outside of your Eon, and witnessing the true shape of your Cosmos.
...
[Title: Destroyer – Gained]
Ancient: You can erase anyone’s connection to the Universal Codex System.
*Title granted due to being able to destroy a piece of the Universal Codex System.
Naless Death narrowed his eyes, reading the details again.
"Traveler, so what I saw was the Cosmos." He rubbed his chin, uncertain. "That... was a weird shape for a Cosmos."
He shifted his gaze to the second title.
Destroyer.
It allowed him to cut soone’s ties to the very system that governed reality.
"Useful," he muttered. "But not sothing I have use for yet."
With that, he took a breath.
It was ti he devoured Abyss Mirror.
’Shadow Supre shouldn’t be able to attack even if he gets pissed off.’
’I hope so at least.’
Universal Will would intervene right?
After all, a Supre wasn’t allowed to interfere directly with the matters of the universe.
’I’ll know if that is true or not when I devour Shadow Supre’s Sacred Treasure.’
He shut his eyes and looked at the center-most layer of his Seed of Existence.
The Abyss Mirror floated within it.
He reached out.
His Darkness surged, touching the Mirror’s edge—
The world changed.
Everything went black.
When he opened his eyes, he was standing in a space that wasn’t part of the universe he knew.
A skyless void stretched above.
The ground beneath him was marble, covered in chess-like patterns.
Everything was dim, distant, and cold.
Sothing shifted far above.
Naless Death looked up.
The mont he did, pain stabbed into his body.
His bones cracked. Blood leaked from his eyes. His organs twisted violently inside him, like they were being rearranged by a force that didn’t care about rules or anatomy.
He almost fell to one knee but he stopped himself.
Gritting his teeth, he stood back up.
He was breaking apart, but he was still alive.
He looked straight at the giant silhouette hidden in the shadows.
Shadow Supre.
Although looking at his true form was harmful to Naless Death, he could endure it without dying.
That showed his progress.
"Why... did you bring here...?" he managed to speak in a hoarse voice.
The Supre of Shadows didn’t respond at first.
Instead, he turned his head to the side.
A surge of pressure arrived from the distance, unlike anything Naless Death had ever felt.
It was colossal, deep, absolute. And ancient in a way the Supres were not.
The Universal Will had arrived.
"Supre of Shadows. Send him back."
Its voice bood across the void, shaking the very structure of this world.
Naless Death’s ears burst.
Blood trickled down from them, and he staggered.
The sound wasn’t made for beings like him to hear.
The Supre still didn’t respond.
His gaze was quiet.
Then, without a word, he raised his hand—a limb made of shadows so vast it brushed against the far edges of the world—and he swung it down.
Naless Death saw the attack coming.
He didn’t dodge.
He couldn’t.
But before the blow landed, an invisible force grabbed the Supre’s arm.
"Zarek!" The Universal Will’s voice thundered again. Anger surged with it. "You dare ignore my words? Have you Supres sat atop your little worlds for so long that you’ve forgotten your true place?"
The space began to crack.
A second pressure started entering the World of Shadows, one even greater than the first.
It wasn’t fully here yet, but its presence bent the void and sent everything into chaos.
It was similar to the Universal Will, but stronger. Much stronger.
The Shadow Supre, Zarek, finally spoke.
"I can kill him before your true manifestation fully enters this world. Don’t test ."
His voice wasn’t loud.
But it made the Universal Will’s frown.
"Then I will erase you. If you strike down that child and break the Heavenly Principals, I won’t hesitate." It spoke calmly, but its voice was colder than death.
Zarek turned his gaze back to Naless Death.
"I’m not the one breaking them. He is not of this Eon. His fate has long ended. You are the one violating the rules by letting him live."
"That’s a different issue entirely," Universal Will snapped. "We both know why nothing can be done to Ashborns. Or do you intend to face the wrath of the Darkness?"
Neither of the two backed down.
The void stilled.
The two were at a perfect standstill.
The Universal Will had yet to enter fully, and it was delaying its arrival.
It was clear that if it tried to enter the Shadow World forcefully, Zarek would kill Naless Death instantly.
Naless Death took a breath.
"I... have a question."
His voice was barely above a whisper, but both giants heard him. Their attention turned toward him instantly.
"Why is it... a problem if I devour... the Abyss Mirror?" He coughed blood but kept going. "You gave it to . Now... it’s mine."
Zarek’s gaze darkened.
"I gave you a grace, Hargraves. And now you trample on it like it was nothing."
His voice carried no anger, only judgnt.
"It’s natural to punish soone who forgets the aning of such a gift."
Naless Death winced as the pressure returned, heavier than before.
"You think a Sacred Treasure is just so item? You try to devour my child, and act as if you’ve done nothing wrong?"
Another wave of pressure slamd into him.
His knees cracked against the ground, and his vision went red.
But the Universal Will stepped in again.
Its presence flared, pushing Zarek’s force back just enough to keep Naless Death breathing.
Even so, it was clear.
If this kept up, Naless Death would die anyway. Not from an attack, but from being crushed by the aftermath of their standoff.
It was clear.
If this kept up, he’d die anyway.
Just then, a chuckle echoed through the void.
"I didn’t know you were going to use the freebie I gave you so quickly."
All three—Zarek, the Universal Will, and Naless Death—turned toward the source of the voice.
Cole Calloway.
He stood casually beside Naless Death, hands in his pockets, that sa lazy smile on his face.
As if he had just walked into a quiet room and not a battlefield between supre beings.
Naless Death blinked in surprise, but looked a bit relieved.
The Universal Will froze while Zarek maintained an expressionless face, almost as if he had expected Cole to co.
"Long ti no see, you two," Cole said cheerfully.
He waved at the Universal Will, then gave Zarek a brief nod like he was greeting an old friend.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he slung one arm over Naless Death’s shoulder.
A warm pulse of energy flowed through Naless Death.
His wounds vanished instantly.
The pressure that had been crushing him monts ago dispersed completely. Neither Zarek’s nor the Universal Will’s presence affected him anymore.
Cole had made him untouchable.
"This guy’s my friend," Cole said. "Can you let him go on my behalf, little Zarek?"
The Universal Will remained silent.
It hated Cole as much as it hated Ultris and Neo, but for once, the bastard was actually being helpful.
"I cannot," Zarek replied flatly.
"Your habit of doing things this way is still the sa, I see." Cole sighed and shook his head. "You shouldn’t do things so brazenly reckless."
He raised a single hand.
Pressure erupted outward.
The ground beneath them cracked instantly for miles.
The very structure of the Shadow World began to tremble, like a mirror struggling to hold its reflection.
Zarek’s shoulders lowered slightly as he felt the full brunt of Cole’s power press down on him.
Cole let the pressure continue for a few seconds, enough to make his point. Then, just as casually, he retracted it.
"Well," he said with a shrug, "what you do with your universe isn’t my problem. But I won’t lie. I’m disappointed, little Zarek."
Zarek’s gaze didn’t waver.
Cole clicked his tongue, and motioned towards Naless Death.
"Give him the knowledge of your Sacred Treasure. In exchange, I’ll help you once."
Naless Death frowned.
It wasn’t the offer that surprised him, it was the way Cole was handling the situation.
’He knows what his strength implies. That’s why he doesn’t abuse it.’
’He might be able to force Shadow Supre to listen to him. But instead of doing that, he’s trying to reach a middle ground.’
Cole wasn’t acting out of weakness. He was acting with intent.
Whether it was because he couldn’t be bothered to deal with another universe’s ss, or because he genuinely believed in not interfering too much, Naless Death couldn’t tell.
But the result was the sa.
"I’ll accept your deal," Zarek finally said, as if he had been waiting for those words from Cole.
He raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
Naless Death felt sothing shift within him.
The Abyss Mirror, hidden deep within the central layer of his Seed of Existence, began to break apart.
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