Volume 3 — Chapter 13
The Beginning of Collapse
The moment the system declared it—
Everything changed.
Not gradually.
Not subtly.
Completely.
The hall that had once symbolized control and power now stood on the edge of collapse.
Not because it was weak.
But because something far beyond its limits had been unleashed inside it.
At the center—
Icarus stood.
Or rather—
Something that looked like him.
Void energy bled from his body like an open wound in reality itself.
Not flowing.
Not controlled.
Spilling.
The air around him warped continuously, as if existence itself could no longer stabilize in his presence.
Light bent.
Sound distorted.
Even space—
Struggled to remain connected.
[Critical Warning]
[Host Stability: Failing]
[Energy Overflow: Escalating]
The Nexus continued to function.
Cold.
Precise.
Unyielding.
But for the first time—
It was losing.
Kael Virex staggered backward, nearly losing his balance as another invisible ripple passed through the hall.
"…This isn't power…"
His voice trembled.
"…This is destruction."
Lyra stood still.
Too still.
Her eyes were locked onto Icarus—
Not with fear.
But with realization.
"…No."
Her voice was barely audible.
"…This is what happens when something stronger than reality itself stops holding back."
Icarus moved.
Just one step.
And the ground beneath him didn't crack—
It vanished.
A perfect absence replaced solid matter.
No debris.
No fragments.
Just nothing.
The hall trembled violently.
Magic Stones embedded within the walls flickered uncontrollably, unable to regulate the sudden distortion in energy.
One of them shattered.
Then another.
Each explosion sent unstable energy surging through the structure.
That was the breaking point.
Panic erupted.
People ran.
No coordination.
No strategy.
Only instinct.
Survival.
[WORLD SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]
[VOID AUTHORITY HAS ENTERED BERSERK STATE]
[THREAT LEVEL: ABSOLUTE]
[ALL ENTITIES: PRIORITIZE SURVIVAL]
[DO NOT ENGAGE]
The message echoed across every mind.
For the first time—
The system wasn't giving instructions.
It was warning them.
Inside the collapsing hall—
Icarus raised his head slowly.
His breathing—
Uneven.
His body—
Unstable.
The Void around him expanded in pulses.
Each wave distorting everything it touched.
[Warning: External Corruption Integrated]
[Secondary Influence Detected]
The Nexus paused.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Then—
[Source: Unknown]
Icarus's eyes flickered.
For a brief moment—
They weren't his.
Something deeper looked through them.
Something older.
Then—
They changed.
Completely.
The Eyes of Nihyron.
The air screamed.
Not metaphorically.
Reality itself reacted to their activation.
The space in front of Icarus—
Collapsed inward.
And then—
Erased.
A section of the hall disappeared entirely.
No destruction.
No explosion.
Just—
Non-existence.
Kael froze.
"…He didn't destroy it…"
His voice barely formed the words.
"…It's gone."
Lyra answered without looking away.
"…Erased."
Far below—
In the hidden chamber—
The Creation's Descendants watched.
Silence filled the space.
"…That wasn't supposed to happen."
"…No."
A pause.
"…We pushed him too far."
Another voice—
Sharp now.
"…No."
Silence.
"…We awakened something."
Back in the hall—
Icarus tilted his head slightly.
As if listening.
Not to the people.
Not to the destruction.
But to something else.
Something deeper.
Then—
He moved again.
This time—
Faster.
Not physically.
Spatially.
He disappeared—
And reappeared across the hall instantly.
A figure stood there.
Frozen.
Too slow.
A faction leader.
His eyes widened—
But no sound came out.
Icarus lifted his hand slightly.
And space folded inward.
The figure—
Vanished.
Gone.
No trace.
No resistance.
Kael's voice broke.
"…We can't fight that."
Lyra nodded slowly.
"…No one can."
Above the city—
The sky shifted.
Not visibly.
But something within it changed.
Because the disturbance—
Was no longer contained.
Across the outer regions—
Monsters stopped moving.
Creatures that hunted endlessly—
Paused.
Predators—
Became still.
Even dragons—
Opened their eyes—
And chose not to move.
Because instinct—
Even at that level—
Recognized truth.
This was not prey.
This was not competition.
This was extinction.
Back in the city—
Lyra stepped forward.
Kael grabbed her immediately.
"…ARE YOU INSANE?!"
She didn't resist.
"…If we run now…"
A pause.
"…We learn nothing."
Kael stared at her.
"…WE DIE IF WE STAY!"
She didn't look at him.
"…Not yet."
Icarus stopped moving.
For a moment—
Stillness.
Then—
He turned.
Slowly.
His gaze locked onto them.
Kael's body went rigid.
"…He sees us."
Lyra's voice dropped.
"…No."
A pause.
"…Something else does."
Icarus smiled again.
Wider.
More unstable.
And then—
He stepped toward them.
Far beyond existence—
In a place untouched by time—
Two beings faced each other.
Not as forms.
Not as bodies.
But as presence.
One—
Endless.
The other—
Absolute.
Between them—
Symbols formed.
Nullscript.
Unreadable.
Reversed.
Alive.
A conversation began.
Unheard.
Unseen.
And yet—
It shaped everything.
Back in the collapsing world—
Nihyron watched.
And for the first time—
It laughed.