The endless dark plane of the Eclipse Sovereignty headquarters thrummed with a heavy, oppressive silence following Malakar Umbros’s declaration of war on the Main District. The captive heroes—suspended in their shimmering Spectral Rune Cages—glared down at the five dark figures convening below.
Malakar, seated perfectly still on his invisible throne, shifted his piercing gaze away from the hanging captives and turned toward his Second in Command.
"How are we looking in terms of absorbing the Requiem, Azure, and Seventh Universes?" Malakar asked, his deep voice resonating through the star-speckled void. "The Kaipo and Areala Universes are fully absorbed, leaving only darkness in their wake. But the others?"
Vesper Noctis shifted, his ominous presence looming as his eyes glowed with dark energy. "It has been extremely slow, my Lord. Almost impossible," Vesper admitted, his tone cold but calculated. "Since you absorbed Neraxis, we lack the primary catalyst. His Ultimate Abyss was the power that corrupted and assimilated those realms. Even though he was not the smartest among us, Neraxis still gave undeniable value to the Sovereignty."
A tense, suffocating silence fell over the invisible thrones.
Kaelus Obsidian and Selene Nyx exchanged shocked glances, while Zareth Morghul stiffened. For the Second in Command to speak up to Malakar in such a direct, almost challenging way bordered on treason. The omnipresent black aura around Malakar rippled, physically distorting the air.
But instead of anger, a chilling calmness washed over Malakar’s scarred face.
"You make a fair point, Vesper," Malakar agreed smoothly, shocking the others even further. "Perhaps I was too quick to call him off."
Malakar turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the fiercely defiant faces of the captives suspended above them. "Tell me... who is of least value to us among these captives?"
Selene Nyx, bathed in her faint ethereal moonlight, spoke up gracefully. "That would be the young girl, my Lord."
Malakar frowned, a rare moment of confusion crossing his features as he glanced up at the fiercely glaring Kiera Voss. "The Viper? She is far too lethal to be considered useless."
"No, my Lord," Selene clarified with a sinister, elegant smile. "I am referring to the other young girl. Lyra. The young apprentice we captured alongside Queen Elara."
Recognition dawned in Malakar's eyes. The captive heroes in the cages were in complete shock at the mention of Queen Elara.
"Shall we go to that place?" Selene suggested, her voice dripping with venom. "The hidden realm where we have tucked the Forest Queen and her little apprentice away."
Malakar smiled, a slow, terrifying expression that warped the air around him. "Yes. That will do perfectly."
He rose from his throne, turning his commanding presence to his subordinates. "Vesper, Zareth. You two will stay here and watch over the captives. Force Dr. Vorst to start building an energy containment source. When we acquire the Power of Xero, we will need a vessel capable of powering and channeling it properly. It will likely take time to create, and we cannot afford to waste a single second once we capture it."
Malakar then turned to the heavily armored Kaelus and the moonlit Selene. "Selene, Kaelus. You two will begin the attack on the 6 Kingdoms, starting directly with the Main District. It is imperative we strike and waste no time before The Judge attempts to hide the power again. I will join the fight as soon as I am done with Lyra."
With a wave of his hand, Malakar tore open a dark portal in the void and stepped through it alone. Beside him, Selene and Kaelus stepped into a separate, crackling rift of obsidian and moonlight, vanishing from the headquarters to begin their assault.
As the portals snapped shut, Vesper turned toward the suspended cages. He raised a hand, his eyes glowing with dark energy. "Planetary Shroud."
An immense shroud of absolute darkness expanded outward, completely enveloping the Spectral Rune Cages. The captive heroes—Captain Arcturus Valen, Captain Alaric Voss, Captain Elowen Virellis, Kiera Voss, Elder Moros, and Kenshiro Takamura—were instantly plunged into an eternal, suffocating night. Their vision was entirely obscured, and all sound was silenced, leaving them completely unaware of what was about to happen outside their prisons.
Vesper lowered his hand and turned to his shadowy companion. "Go over to Dr. Vorst's cage, Zareth. Let us get this over with so he can begin constructing the energy source."
Zareth Morghul chuckled, his shadowy form rippling with void energy as he floated upward toward the terrified scientist's cage. He reached out, his jagged fingers unlocking the dark runes binding the prison.
"Selene really is brilliant," Zareth remarked casually, pulling the trembling Dr. Vorst from the cage. "Coming up with that plan to use the girl...she has a mind for this."
Suddenly, an overwhelming, crushing force slammed into Zareth's back.
A fist of pure, concentrated darkness struck him with the destructive force of a collapsing star. Zareth gasped in agony, his void energy sputtering as he spun around in sheer shock, dropping Dr. Vorst to the invisible floor.
Standing directly behind him was Vesper Noctis. Vesper’s arm surged with consuming darkness, and a menacing, predatory smile stretched across his face.
"Starlight Devourer," Vesper whispered.60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDntjZlVMBf
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