"Oh? Trying to act all intimidating with so little power? You really do seem like an anomaly sent by the Heaven's Will," the Risen Lord said dryly.
With a wave, he tried pushing forward with his power, forcing that body to the limit. But the black cracks spread even more. The body was already at its breaking point, and instead of attacking, the 'black hands' quickly started to retreat.
"Hohoho! Looks like the great Lord of darkness is pushing himself real hard... Careful you don't end up releasing something you shouldn't!"
In the end, Ceug's body was just an ordinary vessel, no different from any other native of that universe. All his strength came from his partner. Now, this entity could only use the power from the fragment of its abyssal heart.
The Risen Lord didn't reply — in fact, he was getting more and more excited by the power coming from that insect.
He could feel that absolute control — that could only be done using abyssal heart power. And this slug didn't even have one, he was so weak it was almost funny. So if he absorbed this new power and combined it with his own, wouldn't he be unbeatable against the others?
"Perfect. Fine then… even if I leave traces of myself for the others, it doesn't matter."
He spat, and his eyes lit up with a deep crimson glow. Suddenly, all the dark power around him began spinning and twisting violently.
"!"
Niara felt a stabbing pain and gasped. And it wasn't just her — all the Summoners behind them felt it too.
**CRASH!!**
The whole nest vibrated with a deafening sound.
It wasn't a space implosion.
Darian saw countless black runes emerging from every direction, being drawn toward the entity.
That was… the power that created the nest, coming from several different Risen Lords. That thing was absorbing it to get even more power.
And with that…
Darian looked around. The whole implosion threat in the nest — the one that was going to kill everyone — was gone. Everything had stabilized, like the entity had absorbed all the energy that had been triggering the collapse.
The miasma vanished, and the darkness in the air began to fade.
The nest was nearly completely destroyed.
But… the deadly threat still remained.
"Hahaha!" The Risen Lord laughed, his body pulsing with thick darkness.
By doing this, it was like he was declaring to all his enemies who was responsible for the whole thing. For sure they'd hunt him down and call it treason. But… his gaze returned to Darian, full of anticipation. All of it would be worth it because of him.
Once he got out of there, he could run for a while. With that slug to study — and maybe even absorb — he could flip the entire game.
Not only that… a delicious, nourishing meal was right in front of him.
The black hands multiplied. Hundreds. Thousands. Countless.
With a wave, they surged forward like a tsunami in every direction.
Darian tried to control them… but it was useless. Not even in his wildest dreams could he do anything against this enemy right now.
Being weak was a sin. He felt completely at someone else's mercy.
Niara froze. The air was ripped from her lungs. She couldn't even breathe, let alone move. She felt useless again...
"N...!"
Then… everyone behind them groaned in despair.
They turned. What they saw made their hearts sink: all the Spiritual Guardians of those Summoners were being grabbed by the black hands.
"Come to me!"
The sinister voice rang out, and at the same time, all those black hands twisted and contorted.
Darian's eyes went wide. He could feel it — all the thousands of Spiritual Guardians that were inside the nest were being torn away from their partners, forcefully dragged in.
There was no sound — only an indescribable, crushing pressure.
In mere seconds, all of them were devoured into a small rounded object… the fragment of the abyssal heart.
When it was all over, those red eyes locked onto Darian.
"Not a fan of being sentimental, huh? Well… thanks to you, I'll let these mediocre mortals live — for now. I'm only taking what's truly valuable."
The Summoners stood frozen. Motionless. Their partners… every single one of them had been taken. And with them, the power that let them fight was gone too.
The next moment, the entity turned its focus to Darian — and his power, like an inescapable black wave, crashed down on him.
Niara was hit by a brutal force, like a hammer smashing into her chest. She watched it all unfold in slow motion. The horror, the helplessness, the fall.
'Our partnership is based on mutual trust, right? Trust me. He's not gonna kill me right away. I'll find a way out.'
Darian's voice echoed in her mind like a distant thunder — strong, desperately steady.
The next second, she was flung backward like a leaf in the wind, completely powerless before that force.
Darian, on the other hand, was swallowed by a black sphere that closed around him, sealing him in completely. The silence that followed was deafening.
The shadowy figure took a deep breath and let out a sinister snort, then reached out. The sphere floated toward him, and was absorbed... just like all the others, Darian had been taken.
Without saying a word, the Risen Lord gestured. All the remaining power of the abyssal nest moved like a living tide toward him, obeying.
Three seconds. That's how long it took for him to turn... and vanish, cloaked in black, like he'd never been there.
...
Right after he disappeared, all the Mannaz felt their bodies go free again. Like some invisible prison had finally broken.
They looked around... The abyssal nest was gone. Completely.
That had been the goal. They'd won.
The galaxy, their universe — would be safe. For now.
But the price...
The cost had been brutal.
All the survivors… had lost their partners.
Vahnu staggered as she stood up, in shock. She desperately tried to sense the bond.
"I... I can still feel the contract. It hasn't been broken..."
Her voice came out shaky, barely audible, her face twisted in unbearable pain.
No one answered.
They all knew what that meant. It was temporary. Their partners had been captured — and would be refined by the Risen Lord. It had happened before. That was the power of this supreme being.
It was only a matter of time before the contracts shattered... and with that, the confirmation of their deaths.
Niara dropped to her knees. A dull, crushing pain tore through her chest, like something was ripping her apart from the inside.
"He promised..." She clenched her fists, trying to hold onto his last words.