Meanwhile...
Far away from Neraphyx.
Back in Zeraphyx.
An isolated, barren world drifted silently through the void.
It existed far beyond the territories known to ordinary beings.
Beyond countless galaxies.
Beyond the worlds inhabited by the various races.
There was nothing here.
No oceans.
No forests.
No cities.
No signs of life.
Only endless barren land stretching beneath an empty sky.
At the center of that dead world stood a solitary black tower.
Its surface swallowed every ray of light that touched it.
Space bent around its structure.
Even reality itself seemed reluctant to acknowledge its existence.
At the very top of the tower...
The entire floor consisted of a single enormous chamber.
Darkness filled every corner.
At its center stood a black throne.
A lone figure sat upon it.
Motionless.
Silent.
Its entire body was hidden within the darkness.
Its eyes were closed.
For a long time...
Nothing happened.
Then—
Slowly...
The figure opened its eyes.
Two crimson eyes appeared within the darkness.
They glowed like endless galaxies filled with blood-red stars.
Sparkling.
Shimmering.
Watching.
Then the glow slowly dimmed.
A quiet chuckle echoed through the chamber.
"Heh..."
A smile gradually formed.
It started small.
Then widened.
And widened.
Until the invisible face carried a devilish grin filled with anticipation.
"Let..."
Silence.
The figure's smile became even wider.
"...the Blood Bout..."
Another brief pause.
Then—
"BEGIN."
The words echoed throughout the darkness.
Like a declaration of war.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A Heavenly Tribulation descended upon the tower.
The impact shook the entire world.
Space cracked like glass.
Reality itself trembled beneath the force.
Nine-colored lightning poured down from the heavens.
Yet the tower didn't collapse.
Instead...
The lightning was absorbed.
Every strand of destructive power was redirected through the tower.
Downward.
Deeper.
Toward the lowest floor.
There...
Rows upon rows of chambers stood silently within the darkness.
Most appeared empty.
But they weren't.
Whatever had once occupied them had already been transferred.
All of their energy...
All of their resources...
Everything...
Had been redirected toward one central chamber.
The chamber stood apart from the others.
Thick pipes and strange tubes extended from every direction, connecting the surrounding chambers to it.
And inside...
A man stood suspended within bright red liquid.
He appeared to be in his early twenties.
His eyes were closed.
His body was completely motionless.
The liquid reached his shoulders.
Then—
His eyes opened.
Blue irises.
Red pupils.
Two strange circular rings formed within them.
One large.
One small.
His expression remained completely blank.
Lifeless.
Mechanical.
As though someone had sculpted a perfect human body...
But forgotten to give it a soul.
His eyes stared into the darkness.
Then—
The liquid surrounding him began moving.
VVRRRRRMMMM!!!
In a matter of seconds...
The entire chamber's contents vanished.
The red liquid rushed into his body.
Every drop.
Every trace.
Nothing remained.
WHUUUUUMP!!!
Pressure exploded outward.
The central chamber opened.
The liquid vanished completely.
Revealing his body.
He wore a suit of armor that clung tightly to every part of him.
Only his face remained exposed.
His physique was perfectly balanced.
Every muscle had been developed to its absolute limit.
There was no unnecessary bulk.
No weakness.
No imperfection.
Just absolute physical balance.
The man stepped forward.
One step.
Tap.
Another.
Tap.
Another.
Tap.
His footsteps echoed through the chamber.
Then suddenly...
A voice echoed through the entire tower.
The same voice from before.
"Let..."
The man stopped.
"...the Blood Bout..."
His expression didn't change.
But his eyes flashed.
"BEGIN."
His pupils contracted.
Two crimson points appeared within the blue.
Then disappeared.
The man continued walking.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
He eventually reached the only door leading out of the chamber.
He raised his hand.
Before he could touch it—
BOOOOOOM!!!
Nine-colored lightning descended.
The Heavenly Tribulation struck directly toward him.
The surrounding space cracked.
Reality trembled.
The destructive force was enough to annihilate countless ordinary beings.
The man simply raised one hand.
Palm outward.
The lightning collided with it.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
For a moment...
The entire chamber disappeared beneath the light.
Then the lightning began vanishing.
Not dispersing.
Not being deflected.
Absorbed.
The man lowered his hand.
Not a single scratch could be found on his body.
He stepped forward.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The door opened.
He walked through.
Then—
BOOM!!!
The enormous door closed behind him.
He continued walking.
Another Heavenly Tribulation attempted to descend.
But it stopped.
Reality had already reached its limit.
The cracks spreading across the barren world were too severe.
The Laws themselves began repairing the damage.
Then—
The man stopped.
He slowly raised his head.
And something happened.
He roared.
But no sound came from his mouth.
The roar came from his will.
Yet strangely...
There was still no sound.
Instead, the surrounding space trembled violently.
Wind erupted.
Pressure exploded outward.
The barren land beneath his feet shattered.
Mountains collapsed.
The sky distorted.
Space cracked.
Reality trembled beneath nothing more than his will.
Then—
CRACK!!!
A fracture appeared before him.
Time and space split apart.
A chaotic rift opened.
Inside was an unpredictable region filled with violent spatial forces.
Any ordinary being who entered would likely be torn apart instantly.
The man didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward.
And entered the fracture.
Without using any visible Energy.
Without protection.
Without hesitation.
The rift swallowed his body.
Then closed.
Silence returned.
Who was he?
What was he?
A being who had stopped a nine-colored Heavenly Tribulation with one hand.
A being whose will alone had cracked reality.
A being who could enter a violent space-time fracture without fear.
Was he not afraid of being shredded by the unstable Laws within?
Or...
Was he simply strong enough not to care?
The answer remained hidden.
For now.
But one thing was certain.
Something had begun.
And somewhere in the endless wilderness of Neraphyx...
Velzahar had just taken his first step into the world where that answer would eventually find him.