Chapter 1828 King of Darkness.  

King of Darkness.

Meanwhile, within the confines of the dimensional pocket, the three rulers were seen gazing at the universe's heart expressionlessly.

"I told you, it won't work." Medusa shook her head, "Even Asna's soul explosion isn't enough to cause it any damage."

Since the three rulers anticipated Asna's soul explosion, Amun-Ra decided to contain it and channel it through the universe's heart.

He hoped it would at least cause some damage to assist them later on when they commit. Alas, it ate Asna's soul explosion without leaving a single scratch.

"It was worth the attempt." Amun-Ra wasn't too bothered, "Now, with her soul destroyed, she is bound to be reborn on her core. I hope you are ready to integrate with her."

"Don't worry, I am just waiting for the process to get kicked off." Medusa smiled coldly, "I will show her the true meaning of being a celestial."

****

Years went by rapidly and before long, close to a millennia had passed since Felix's death. Nothing changed in those years besides the war near the tower's ruins calming down a bit.

Fatigue had started accumulating amidst the troops of all nations, forcing all leaders to pause their battles.

However, the mercenaries were still running amok, attempting to find any piece of treasure their eyes landed on.

Many unique treasures were already found and sold to the highest bidders, allowing some mercenaries to retire immediately.

As for the big nations? They were still focusing only on the stone of reality and yet, none of them seemed close to its presence.

Meanwhile, Aeolus, Athena, and Artemis had combed every nook and cranny of the Vibronoxian Empire for Felix's whereabouts, but to no avail.

They even searched the forest where Commander Bia hid him. Fortunately for him, they have used merely their senses to pick up on his aura.

Due to the cocoon's protection and the dimensional pouch, his presence eluded them.

Still, they couldn't give up as their cores were being held hostage, forcing them to continue their search against their will.

... Back to the ruins of the tower...

Quantix Prime, Vibra, and Commander Krell were seen in another meeting, discussing their next move.

"Losing Commander Bia has cost us a lot." Commander Krell frowned, "Ever since her disappearance, we are losing bit by bit against the Chaosians."

"This isn't our top priority." Vibra remarked, "It's those three foreigners getting spotted across our territory. They seem hell-bent on finding something."

"I know, but what can we do about them?" Commander Krell uttered coldly, "To fight them means ditching the ruins and the stone of reality."

"Don't bother yourselves with this." Quantix Prime said calmly, "Keep your focus on the stone of reality. If we were to find it, all our problems would cease to exist."

Vibro and Commander Krell nodded in agreement. Just as they planned on discussing a new plan to win against the Chaosians after the truce, a soldier suddenly entered the room with a ghastly expression.

"What's wrong with you?" Commander Krell narrowed at the horrified soldier.

"The..The rift...The Darkness Rift has opened up on the eastern side of the ruins!!" The soldier reported, seemingly disbelieving himself saying the news.

"What?!"

After their initial shock, their expressions turned solemn, gazing at the soldier with a displeased look.

"Are you dumb?! The rift opens up every five thousand years." Commander Krell cursed, not in a good mood for rookie mistakes. "You must have mistaken it," Vibra said calmly.

"I...I...I don't think so."

The soldier gulped mid-sentence, knowing that disapproving of his superiors in this manner might cause his death.

"Show me." Quantix Prime ordered, coming to his rescue.

The soldier extended his arms and manifested a perfect representation of what he had witnessed through his vibrational control.

When Quantix Prime and the others saw the emergence of a pitch-black twisted rift, the room's atmosphere changed immediately.

"This...It does resemble the King of Darkness' rift." Vibra murmured, feeling a slight chill coursing in her core.

"It can't be...There is still plenty of time before the official opening." Commander Krell was still in denial.

"It can't be, but it is." Quantix Prime narrowed his cold gaze at it, "It's the real deal, I can never mistake it."

"Then, how?! How the hell did this happen? We are at our weakest and already infighting amongst each other!" Commander Bia got agitated, "We are nowhere prepared to handle that psychopath's army."

Vibra glanced around her and it came to her immediately. "It must be the tower's destruction." She clarified, "There is no logic to the emergence of those realities. It's not too far-fetched that the tower had caused another rift to open much sooner than the one we are used to."

In other words, this rift wasn't the same one that always opened up every five thousand years, however a new one born from the disturbances in the quantum realm's chaotic balance.

"Work on establishing a vibrational hub with the other fifty nations' leaders." Quantix Prime ordered them with a solemn tone as he stood up.

"Where are you going?" Vibra asked.

"To check the rift personally."

With that being said, Quantix Prime phased out of existence, leaving them staring at each other with stern looks.

...

Meanwhile, from the depths of the void rift and under the watchful eyes of the scouts surrounding the rift, a single pitch-black foot stepped out.

The moment the scouts saw it, their expressions turned fearful instantly...Some of them even left the place, having no interest in staying to meet the owner of the foot.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!...

Abruptly, Quantix Prime, Entropy Master Xylos, Timeon the Ageless, Neutrino Flux, Lumina Radiarch, and many other leaders of major nations arrived in front of the rift in their own ways.

They merely shared a single glance with each other before affixing their gaze on the emerging entity from the rift.

As Apollo stepped onto the scorched earth near the ruins of the Echoing Tower, the air around him seemed to darken, the light dimming as if the quantum realm itself dared not shine too brightly upon him.

Apollo stood akin to an imposing god, his form cloaked in an aura of darkness that writhed and shifted like smoke.

His eyes, deep pits of endless night, scanned the horizon with a slow, deliberate gaze. Each movement he made was fluid and filled with a terrifying grace.

When his eyes landed on the quantum nations' leaders, A slow, satisfied smile spread across his lips.

"Such a welcoming party from my old friends." He uttered, "It seems you have missed me quite a lot."

As he stood there, the scouts around the rift reeled back, an instinctive reaction to the overwhelming evil that exuded from his every pore. Even the bravest soldiers felt a primal urge to flee, to stay away from him.

"King of Darkness."

Quantix Prime took the lead, stepping forth from the gathering. Then, he uttered with a cold tone as he gazed straight into his eyes, "The last time you caught us divided and by surprise, however not this time."

"All fifty nations of our realm are here to halt your conquest effort at all costs." Quantix Prime narrowed his eyes, "So, I dare you to bring it on."

The nations' leaders and scouts knew that he was bluffing through his teeth, clearly desiring to scare off Apollo into retreating back to the rift. After all, they weren't invaded every time the rift opened up.

While it was a decent effort to avoid the war, unfortunately, it didn't work on Apollo...

"Is that so? Here I thought the tower has fallen and you little fellas came here to fight for treasures akin to starving hyenas." Apollo gave a mocking smile, "Or did I hear wrong?"