Chapter 159: The Will of the Void Emperor
Vahn's consciousness solidified, standing within the chaotic storm of his own Soul Sea. The sight of the primordial evil in the guise of a small, innocent child was chilling, but Vahn's focus was absolute.
"You are so late, little body," the boy whispered, his eyes like twin abysses. "I've been waiting for you to grow strong enough to be a worthy shell."
Vahn didn't flinch. He faced the creature that sought to erase him, his will firm against the chilling void.
"You are nothing but a parasitic memory, a monster who consumed his own lineage," Vahn retorted, his voice echoing with the full, hard-won authority of a King. "I am Vahn Necrotis. I am the host, and this Soul Sea is my domain. You are the intruder, and you will be evicted."
With Vahn's declaration, the fight began. It was a terrifying, elemental confrontation, but not of material force. This was a battle of pure Will—an existential clash where the stronger mind and most determined spirit would seize absolute ownership of the soul.
The Void Dragon God, who called himself Azarox, held an overwhelming advantage. He was the originator, a consciousness that had existed since the dawn of cosmic time, his Will tempered by aeons of annihilation and conquest.
Azarox simply unleashed his ancient Will, a pressure equivalent to the entire cosmos collapsing inward.
Vahn felt his consciousness violently torn, compressed, and pulverized. He was brutally beaten and crushed by a force that defied his understanding of power. He was hurled through the chaotic, swirling depths of his own Soul Sea. Every fiber of his being screamed for surrender as Azarox's Will tried to unravel the very threads of Vahn's identity.
CRACK!
"You are weak! You are nothing but a fleeting moment!" Azarox's voice echoed with cold victory, crushing Vahn deeper into the abyss. "You have no history! No depth! The Void is eternal, and I am its master!"
Vahn's form flickered, close to dissolution. He was moments from being extinguished, his struggle against the relentless, ancient consciousness proving futile.
But Vahn didn't give up. Even as his will was ground into spiritual dust, the image of his life rushed through his fragmented consciousness. He remembered his loved ones: Seraphina's gentle smile, Lilith's fierce loyalty, Eterna's innocent laughter. He remembered his promises to them—his vow to ensure their safety, to protect his kingdom.
I am their King. I am their protector. I will not fail!
With that defiant thought, a rush of overwhelming, absolute Willpower surged from the deepest, most primal core of Vahn's being. It wasn't derived from his cultivation; it came from an unknown, incomprehensible source.
His internal power increased not tenfold, but thousands of times over. The surge was so potent it shook the entire Soul Sea, momentarily disrupting Azarox's crushing hold.
As the overwhelming power saturated Vahn's mind, a brilliant, complex image flashed in his consciousness. It wasn't a memory of Dalu, nor of the Nether Realm, but a memory belonging to the unknown, deeper origins of his soul.
Vahn saw a shattered, desolate Cosmos—planets broken, stars dying. In the center of this wreckage, stood a colossal, ancient statue. The statue greatly resembled his own face, but was mature, scarred by time, and radiating an immutable, chilling strength.
And kneeling before this massive statue were countless billions of people, powerful cultivators, and ethereal beings. They were all bowing, their unified voices rising in a silent, deafening chorus of reverence.
The chorus hailed one name, one title:
VOID EMPEROR.
To Supremacy, to Nihility.
Vahn was momentarily puzzled by the alien, supreme memory—was this his true origin, or the future self?
A memory of the powerful transmigrator soul that possessed him? He saw the faces of the people, their desperation and their complete, absolute faith in that figure. He saw the face of Celestine among the billions, kneeling with devotion.
He didn't have time to process the historical implications. The power was real, immense, and needed now. Vahn accepted the infusion. His Will surged beyond any existence currently residing in the whole Universe, fusing the stubborn devotion of Vahn the King with the absolute, indifferent sovereignty of the Void Emperor.
Azarox, the ancient Void Dragon God, looked genuinely shocked. The Will he had wielded for eons was now dwarfed by this new, unexpected, terrifying force.
Vahn, no longer crushed, stood tall. He was bathed in the light of absolute command, his form radiating the power of a newly awakened cosmic sovereign.
"Azarox, You are the past. I am the future," Vahn stated, his voice now resonating with the sound of collapsing dimensions.
With the newfound, ultimate power, Vahn lunged. He didn't use an ancient technique; he simply used his absolute, imperial Will. He struck the consciousness of Azarox, the Void Dragon God.
BOOM!
The impact was devastating. Azarox was flung across the Soul Sea, his pristine child form cracking under the pressure of Vahn's supreme authority. The Dragon God who consumed stars was now being beaten by his own vessel.
The clash of absolute Wills continued, but the outcome was no longer in doubt. Vahn, infused with the overwhelming, ancient sovereignty of the Void Emperor's Will, was dominant. He hammered the consciousness of the Void Dragon God, Azarox, with merciless ferocity, forcing the primordial entity into a state of spiritual collapse.
Azarox's beautiful child form was cracked, distorted, and radiating raw, desperate fear. The creature who had commanded the Void since time immemorial was now brought to its knees in the core of its intended vessel's soul.
Vahn stood over the kneeling, fragmented consciousness, his form radiating such crushing authority that even the turbulent chaos of the Soul Sea momentarily went silent.
"You speak of eternity, Azarox," Vahn stated, his voice a cold command that echoed the sound of cosmic authority. "But eternity ends where my rule begins. This power, your essence, is now mine."
Azarox slowly raised his head, his void eyes burning with hate and a bitter, frustrated rage that transcended millennia. Even in defeat, the malice of the ancient God was absolute.
"You think this is over, little fragment?"
Azarox hissed, the sound scraping against the edges of Vahn's consciousness.
"You steal my power, you wear my vessel, but you are still just a brief spark! You believe in 'love,' in 'family,' in petty 'kingship'!"
He screamed his prophecy of doom, his voice echoing in the silent expanse of the Soul Sea.
"I will return! The Void is an infinite, eternal hunger! The day you break that seal, the day you claim my full strength, I will be the price! I promise you your demise, Vahn Necrotis! No one, not your feeble queens, not your arrogant father, not your pathetic little Emperor's Will, can stop me!"
Azarox spat a final curse, a stream of corrosive Void essence aimed at Vahn's eyes.
"You will be consumed, and when I rise, I will devour every single, worthless thing you ever cared for, starting with the little whelp you call a daughter!"
But would Vahn let him escape after that?
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