Chapter 16 — Into the Singularity
The sky screamed.
That was the only way anyone inside Imperial Soul Academy could describe the terrifying sound echoing from the heavens as the black hole continued descending toward the world below.
Reality itself distorted around it.
Buildings twisted unnaturally.
Mountains cracked apart.
Even light bent toward the singularity hanging above the academy like the eye of destruction itself.
Students stared upward with pale faces.
Some prayed.
Others cried silently.
Because everyone understood one terrifying truth—
If that thing reached the ground…
Nothing would survive.
Meanwhile, high above the battlefield—
Reskin flew directly toward the descending singularity.
Golden gravity spiraled around his body while blood continued dripping from his damaged meridians.
Every movement caused pain.
But he didn't stop.
Below him, Seraphina's voice echoed desperately through the storm.
"RESKIN, COME BACK!"
Silver lightning exploded around her as she tried reaching him.
But Varikon instantly intercepted.
BOOOOOOM!!
Purple gravity collided violently against silver lightning, forcing Seraphina backward through the sky.
"You will not interfere," Varikon growled.
Its monstrous wings spread wider while unstable gravity storms swirled around his corrupted body.
"This moment belongs to evolution."
Seraphina's golden eyes burned with fury.
"Move."
Silver lightning erupted around her spear like a dragon made of storms.
Varikon laughed loudly.
"Too late!"
Far above them—
Reskin finally reached the outer edge of the singularity.
The pressure instantly multiplied beyond imagination.
CRAAAAACK!!
Golden energy shattered around his body while gravity tried pulling him apart at the molecular level.
Reskin nearly screamed from pain.
Inside his mind, Bali's voice remained calm.
"Focus."
The ancient GOD-HORSIKEN's tone carried overwhelming authority now.
"Fear will destabilize your gravity control."
"How am I supposed to stay calm in THIS?!"
The singularity roared around them.
Massive chunks of floating stone instantly vanished into darkness nearby.
Even space itself bent unnaturally.
Bali answered quietly—
"Because this is the power you chose."
Reskin gritted his teeth.
Right.
No one forced him.
He stepped into this battle himself.
Not for fame.
Not for power.
But because people below him needed saving.
Golden gravity symbols appeared around Reskin again.
The forbidden law.
Devouring Gravity.
Bali's voice echoed powerfully inside his soul.
"Listen carefully."
The atmosphere around Reskin changed instantly.
"Ordinary gravity pulls matter."
Golden symbols rotated faster.
"Devouring Gravity pulls existence itself."
Cold chills spread through Reskin.
"Meaning?"
"You are not absorbing energy."
The golden symbols darkened slightly.
"You are forcing reality to collapse inward."
The singularity above trembled violently.
"And if your control breaks…"
Bali's glowing eyes narrowed.
"…you will disappear alongside it."
Silence.
Then Reskin took a deep breath.
"…Understood."
Far below, the academy battlefield had become complete chaos.
Kaizen and the remaining instructors struggled desperately to maintain evacuation barriers while gravity storms tore through the city.
Students were being evacuated toward underground shelters now.
But many remained trapped beneath collapsed structures.
Dugu helped carry injured students toward safety while explosions echoed constantly above.
"Move faster!" one instructor shouted.
"The barriers are failing!"
Dugu looked toward the sky anxiously.
Reskin's tiny figure floated before the gigantic black hole like an ant before a god.
"…Don't die, idiot," he whispered.
Meanwhile—
Deep beneath the academy—
The hidden observers continued watching everything silently through ancient crystal screens.
One figure leaned forward slightly.
"The vessel actually entered the singularity zone."
Another voice answered calmly.
"His compatibility continues exceeding predictions."
The crystal projection zoomed closer toward Reskin.
Golden gravity laws rotated around him more clearly now.
"The GOD-HORSIKEN inheritance is awakening rapidly."
Silence followed briefly.
Then—
"Prepare retrieval teams."
Back in the skies above the academy—
Varikon finally overpowered Seraphina temporarily.
BOOOOOOM!!
Purple gravity exploded violently across the battlefield, launching her through several floating ruins.
Blood dripped from her lips now.
Even with her ancient bloodline activated—
Varikon remained monstrously powerful.
The corrupted evolution continued strengthening him every second.
The monster slowly turned toward the singularity.
Toward Reskin.
Its red eyes gleamed with obsession.
"Yes…"
Purple storms intensified around his body.
"Awaken further."
Varikon spread his clawed arms wide.
"Become worthy of devouring."
Seraphina immediately realized something horrifying.
"He wants Reskin to evolve…"
Kaizen's expression darkened below.
"Varikon isn't trying to stop him."
Because the monster believed stronger evolution would eventually create an even greater vessel to consume.
The realization chilled everyone.
Inside the singularity zone—
Reskin's body trembled violently under impossible pressure.
His skin cracked.
Blood floated around him in glowing droplets.
Yet despite everything—
Golden gravity still surrounded him.
Bali suddenly spoke again.
"Extend your senses."
Reskin focused immediately.
At first—
He only felt chaos.
Endless destruction.
But slowly…
Something deeper appeared.
A core.
At the center of the unstable singularity—
A distorted gravity heart pulsed violently.
"That's the singularity core?"
"Yes."
Bali's voice became colder.
"Varikon fused his corrupted gravity with artificial Energy Soul matter."
The ancient GOD-HORSIKEN's aura darkened slightly.
"This black hole is unnatural."
Reskin stared toward the unstable core.
It looked like a collapsing purple star.
Violent.
Broken.
Mad.
And somehow—
Lonely.
A strange feeling hit him suddenly.
Varikon wasn't merely evil.
He was consumed completely by obsession.
Evolution.
Strength.
Survival.
Somewhere across millions of years—
The ancient warrior lost everything except hunger for power.
Reskin quietly clenched his fists.
"I won't become like him."
Inside his soul space, Bali remained silent briefly.
Then softly answered—
"…Good."
Suddenly—
The singularity pulsed violently again.
BOOOOOOOM!!
Reskin's body was dragged closer instantly.
"NOW!" Bali roared.
Golden gravity exploded outward from Reskin's body.
The forbidden law activated fully.
"DEVOURING GRAVITY!"
The world froze.
Silence spread unnaturally through the battlefield below.
Then—
The singularity began collapsing inward.
Not expanding.
Compressing.
Students stared upward in shock.
"The black hole is shrinking?!"
"How?!"
Golden gravity spiraled around the singularity like celestial chains while Reskin floated at the center of the storm.
Pain exploded through his body instantly.
AAAAAAHHHHH!!
His meridians cracked violently.
Golden blood spilled from his mouth.
Inside his soul space, even Bali looked tense now.
"Hold control!"
The singularity resisted desperately.
Purple gravity waves exploded across the sky uncontrollably.
Reality cracked around them.
Varikon's eyes widened for the first time in genuine alarm.
"What?!"
The monster immediately charged upward.
"He's consuming the singularity itself!"
Seraphina instantly intercepted again.
CLANG!!
Silver lightning collided against purple gravity mid-air.
"You're not touching him."
Varikon roared furiously.
"MOVE!"
The battlefield exploded beneath their clash.
Meanwhile—
Inside the collapsing singularity—
Reskin felt like his soul was tearing apart.
The gravity pressure became unbearable.
Every second felt eternal.
But slowly…
Very slowly…
The singularity continued shrinking.
Golden gravity devoured the unstable core layer by layer.
Inside the collapsing darkness—
Reskin suddenly saw visions.
Ancient wars.
Destroyed galaxies.
Millions of dead Horsikens.
And at the center of it all—
Varikon.
Standing alone among cosmic ruins.
Screaming into endless emptiness.
The vision disappeared instantly.
Reskin's eyes widened slightly.
"That loneliness…"
Bali answered quietly.
"Yes."
Silence filled the soul connection briefly.
Then Bali spoke again.
"But loneliness does not excuse becoming a monster."
Golden gravity intensified around Reskin once more.
The singularity shrank further.
Now only the core remained.
A tiny unstable purple star trembling violently before him.
Bali's voice echoed sharply.
"This is the final stage!"
Reskin's body trembled.
He was reaching his limit.
If this continued much longer—
His soul really might collapse.
But then—
He looked downward.
Toward the academy below.
Toward the students still watching.
Toward Dugu.
Toward Seraphina still fighting desperately to protect him.
For the first time in his life—
People were risking themselves for HIM too.
That feeling gave him strength.
Golden gravity exploded across the heavens one final time.
"DEVOUR!"
CRAAAAAAAAASH!!
The singularity core shattered.