Chapter 161: Return
"Young Necrotis," Iandyu informed calmly. "This is the Goddess of Celestial Light, ATTILA. She governs the Primordial Element of Light for the entire Universe. She is one of the highest authorities of the Heavenly Gods you are now openly defying."
Vahn stepped away from his parents, planting himself directly before the luminous projection. His heart pounded with adrenaline, but his Will was utterly fearless. He was a cosmic sovereign who had just imprisoned a God; he would not bow to another.
"Goddess Attila," Vahn greeted her, his tone perfectly level, devoid of reverence. "I assume you are displeased to find one of your... assets... missing its binding contract."
Attila did not immediately reply with anger. Her indifference was far more chilling than rage. Her gaze swept over Vahn, assessing his power.
"I see the source of the rupture," Attila said, her voice a chorus of harmonious celestial bells, yet utterly condescending. "But I wonder how did such puny mortal like yourself were able to do it."
She looked at Luminaire. "The loss of one asset is negligible. A simple spiritual recall would have reclaimed her later. But this act... this is a felony against the established Cosmic Law."
"Law established by who, Goddess?" Vahn challenged, his voice sharp and defiant. "By those who kidnap children from lesser worlds, bind their souls, and force them into servitude? That is not law; that is tyranny."
Attila's indifference finally broke, replaced by sharp, cold fury. She was not used to being judged by a mortal.
"You dare lecture a Divine Entity on morality, boy?" Attila's voice cracked like thunder, shaking the crystalline foundations of Iandyu's Palace. "Your existence is tolerated because of the necessity of the Void. Your little wives, the Saintess of Light and the Saintess of Darkness, were carefully cultivated for a purpose far beyond your petty Dynasty!"
She aimed a finger of pure Celestial Light at Vahn. "You have broken my contract. You have stolen divine property. You have committed an act of Cosmic Treason."
"And I will commit it again," Vahn promised, meeting the furious divine gaze without flinching. "Seraphina and Lilith are my family. I am their protector. They will never be your slaves."
The disagreement reached its peak. Attila realized that this young Vahn, now a Void Emperor in everything but experience, was not a mere cultivator to be intimidated, but a true, ideological enemy.
Attila's projection began to flicker, its light intensifying to an unbearable degree.
"Very well, little Necrotis," Attila stated, her voice trembling with cold, suppressed rage.
"You have piqued my personal interest. Your audacity is unprecedented. You have chosen war, and you shall have it."
"I will not forget this felony. I will find you, Vahn Necrotis, and I will tear your precious little family from your hands, personally. I will claim your wives, and I will teach you a lesson in divine obedience that will echo through every lifetime your soul ever attempts to create."
With a final, terrifying flash of light that temporarily blinded even Velzard, the projection vanished, leaving behind only the heavy, chilling silence of a newly declared cosmic war. Vahn had won a battle for his mother's soul, but he had just started a war against a Goddess.
The silence left by Goddess Attila's furious vow was heavier than any thunder.
Luminaire and Velzard stood beside Vahn, their expressions a grim picture of parental protection.
"Don't be worried, son. Your father wouldn't allow them to lay a hair on you as long as I am alive," Velzard said coldly, his voice low and dangerous.
The threat of a Goddess meant nothing to the proud Dragon Lord when his family was on the line.
Luminaire placed a hand on Vahn's arm, her touch now radiating a pure, unbound Celestial Light.
"Attila isn't the Almighty. Even a Goddess cannot openly defy the laws of other powerful realms without severe consequences. But her devotees and apostles are everywhere. So you will have to be very careful."
Vahn's resolve was unending. He had the power, he had the enemy's attention, and his wives were now the primary targets. There was no time to lose.
"Father, Mother," Vahn said, his voice decisive. "I cannot remain here. My wives' safety is my top priority. Attila will move to reclaim them through her pawns before I can consolidate my position here. I must return to Dalu immediately."
Velzard nodded, his approval silent but absolute. "Go, Son. But you need to shore up your defenses. We will send Vaylin and Balakor back shortly with necessary artifacts and reinforcements."
Luminaire, however, looked at Vahn with a determined glint in her newly freed eyes.
"Vahn, I would like to come along," Luminaire stated firmly. "Attila knows I am free. My presence will be a powerful shield against any minor apostles she sends. And more importantly," she paused, her expression softening, "I would like to meet my Daughter-In-Laws, Seraphina and Lilith, and my granddaughter, Eterna."
Vahn smiled, the gesture a rare mixture of the Void Emperor's confidence and a son's affection. The presence of a free Saintess of Celestial Light and a former Paragon's wife would be an unparalleled asset.
"Agreed, Mother. Your presence is welcome, both as a protector and as a grandmother."
This time, the journey home would not take a month of painful dimensional jumps or days of Paragon-level reality slicing. Vahn had just completely subjugated the Void, turning the Ultimate Power into his personal tool for defying the laws of space and time.
He focused his grasp on the Authority over Void, then targeted the precise spiritual coordinates of his Royal Palace in the World of Dalu, a location etched into his soul by love.
Vahn didn't open a gate; he commanded the spacetime to yield.
The air before them shattered cleanly and silently, revealing a perfect, stable black void: a direct Temporal Void Gate that led straight to their destination, bypassing all intervening dimensions, solar systems, and cosmic distances.
"Step through, Mother," Vahn invited, a hint of proud challenge in his eyes.
Luminaire marveled at the clean, controlled power. Even Velzard lacked this finesse.
"Your control is magnificent, my son. We will make a fine Necrotis Monarch of you yet."
Luminaire stepped confidently into the void. Velzard gave Vahn a swift, powerful hug.
"Go, Vahn. You are the only hope against the Void DragonGod's return, and the only man who can stand against the Gods. Show them the fear that the Necrotis Clan commands."
Vahn returned the embrace, a fierce bond sealed between father and son. Then, Vahn stepped through the portal.
The world dissolved for a moment, and then the air solidified around him.
They arrived precisely where Vahn had intended: within the confines of the Royal Palace of the Necrotic Dynasty, right in the central garden.
The sight that greeted them was familiar—the steel walls, the spiritual formations, and the familiar, low-grade spiritual energy of his home world.
NOVEL NEXT