Chapter 40: The Eyes Beyond the Throne
Darkness.
Endless darkness stretched across a realm.
where neither stars nor light existed.
There was no sky.
No ground.
No concept of direction.
Only an infinite void that seemed detached from reality itself.
At the center of that abyss stood a colossal black throne.
Ancient.
Majestic.
Terrifying.
The throne appeared to have been forged from the corpses of fallen worlds.
Countless symbols glowed faintly across its surface, each one containing enough power to erase universe’s from existence.
Upon that throne sat a figure hidden beneath shadows.
No face could be seen.
No aura escaped his body.
Yet the very void trembled around him.
As though existence itself feared his presence.
Before the throne floated a massive crystal sphere.
Its surface rippled like water.
Inside it replayed a scene that had already shaken countless universes.
The battlefield.
The ruined lands.
The broken sky.
And the final moments of Kajkha.
The crystal showed the terrifying black sphere resting against the demon general’s forehead.
It showed the fear consuming him.
The despair.
The realization that death had finally arrived.
Then-
The sphere detonated.
The image vanished.
Silence returned to the dark hall.
For several moments nobody spoke.
The unknown figure simply stared at the crystal ball.
Motionless.
Unreadable.
Then a low voice echoed through the endless darkness.
"Kajkha... was killed."
The words were calm.
Yet the moment they were spoken, the void shook violently.
Far away, countless dimensions cracked.
Stars exploded.
Reality twisted.
Not because the figure was angry.
Merely because he spoke.
From the shadows below the throne, three silhouettes slowly emerged.
Each one possessed an overwhelming presence.
The first was a woman with long White hair that flowed like moonlight.
Her pink eyes glowed coldly.
A black spear rested in her hand.
The second was a giant armored warrior.
Nearly four meters tall.
His body looked like a walking fortress.
Every step he took caused invisible
shockwaves to spread through space.
The third wore dark robes that concealed his entire body.
Only two Red eyes could be seen beneath the hood.
Eyes that seemed capable of peering into the future itself.
The three figures stopped before the throne.
Then they knelt simultaneously.
"My Lord."
The voice came from all three at once.
The ruler upon the throne remained silent.
His gaze never left the crystal sphere.
"You three already know about Kajkha’s death."
It was not a question.
The white haired woman nodded.
"Yes, my Lord."
The giant warrior crossed his arms.
"The news has already spread everywhere."
The hooded figure lowered his head.
"We learned of it the moment his soul was extinguished."
Silence followed.
Then the white haired woman suddenly laughed.
A beautiful laugh.
Cold.
Mocking.
"He was always the weakest among us."
Her pink eyes flashed with disdain.
"To be honest, I expected this outcome long ago."
The giant warrior snorted.
"I agree."
"He possessed strength, but his arrogance surpassed his abilities."
The hooded figure spoke calmly.
"His death was inevitable."
The woman smiled.
"Compared to the three of us, Kajkha was nothing extraordinary."
"We all knew he would die before any of us."
The hall fell silent once more.
The ruler upon the throne finally leaned forward.
For the first time.
A faint glimmer appeared within the darkness hiding his face.
"You are correct."
The white haired woman smirked.
The giant warrior nodded.
The hooded figure remained expressionless.
But then-
The ruler’s voice became colder.
Much colder.
"However..."
The single word caused all three expressions to stiffen.
The crystal sphere suddenly changed.
A new image appeared.
A man.
With white and red hair.
Calm eyes.
Standing amidst the ruins of a battlefield.
"Vlox."
The moment the image appeared, the atmosphere changed completely.
The white haired woman’s smile disappearebnd.
The giant warrior narrowed his eyes.
The hooded figure became strangely silent.
The ruler stared at Vlox’s image.
Long.
Very long.
Finally he spoke.
"Be careful."
The three looked at him.
The ruler continued.
"Because we do not know how powerful this person truly is."
Silence.
A dangerous silence.
The white haired woman frowned.
"My Lord."
"Surely you’re not concerned about a mortal?"
The giant warrior laughed.
A thunderous laugh.
"He defeated Kajkha."
"Impressive."
"But that alone means little."
"If necessary, I can crush him myself."
The hooded figure remained quiet.
Observing.
Thinking.
The ruler ignored the first two completely.
Instead, he looked toward the hooded figure.
"You saw something, didn’t you?"
The hall froze.
The white haired woman immediately turned.
The giant warrior’s expression changed.
The hooded figure slowly raised his head.
For the first time, uncertainty appeared in his red eyes.
"...Yes."
The ruler remained silent.
Waiting.
The hooded figure took a deep breath.
Then he spoke.
"I attempted to observe his future."
The silver-haired woman frowned.
"And?"
The hooded figure’s voice became hoarse.
"I couldn’t."
The giant warrior laughed.
"Couldn’t?"
"What does that mean?"
The hooded figure slowly clenched his fists.
"It means exactly what I said."
"I couldn’t see anything."
The laughter vanished instantly.
The hall became deathly silent.
The white haired woman’s expression hardened.
The giant warrior narrowed his eyes.
The hooded figure continued.
"When I looked into his future..."
"I saw darkness."
"Nothing else."
"No fate."
"No destiny."
"No possible future."
The ruler’s fingers tapped the armrest of his throne.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The sound echoed across eternity.
The hooded figure swallowed.
Then continued.
"And for a brief moment..."
"I felt something looking back at me."
Silence.
Cold sweat appeared on the white haired woman’s forehead.
The giant warrior’s confidence weakened.
Even the ruler’s gaze sharpened slightly.
The hooded figure’s voice trembled.
"It wasn’t human."
"It wasn’t divine."
"It wasn’t demonic."
"It felt..."
He hesitated.
As if afraid to finish his sentence.
Then-
"It felt like I was standing before the origin of existence itself."
BOOM.
The crystal sphere exploded.
Fragments of light scattered across the void.
The three subordinates instantly lowered their heads.
None dared speak.
The ruler slowly rose from his throne.
For the first time.
The darkness surrounding him parted slightly.
Only slightly.
Yet that tiny glimpse was enough to make the three kneeling figures tremble.
Fear.
Pure fear.
The ruler stepped forward.
His voice echoed throughout countless realities.
"Interesting."
A smile appeared beneath the shadows.
A smile that should never have existed.
The smile of a being who had finally discovered something unexpected.
"Very interesting."
The void shook violently.
Millions of dimensions trembled.
Ancient monsters hidden within forgotten realms suddenly opened their eyes.
Powerful entities who had slept for billions of years felt an unknown chill crawl down their spines.
Something had changed.
Somewhere.
A force beyond their understanding had begun to move.
The ruler looked into the endless darkness ahead.
Directly toward the distant universe where Vlox existed.
His smile widened.
"Vlox..."
The name echoed softly.
Yet every syllable carried unimaginable weight.
"Whether you are a hidden monster..."
"A forgotten god..."
"Or something even greater..."
"We shall meet eventually."
The darkness around him began to twist.
Reality itself bent beneath his will.
The three kneeling figures lowered their heads even further.
Not one dared speak.
Not one dared breathe.
Because they understood something.
For the first time in countless ages...
Their lord had become interested in someone.
And whenever that happened-
Entire universes disappeared.
The ruler gazed into the distant void.
His smile remained.
Unchanging.
"Mysteries are meant to be uncovered."
"And I intend to uncover yours."
"Far away, in a distant corner of the world, hidden beyond mountains and endless darkness, an unknown presence watched everything unfold."
Unaware of the eyes now fixed upon him...
Vlox stood beneath the shattered sky.
And thus, a new storm quietly began to gather.
A storm capable of shaking the megaverse itself.