âImpossible! How did they know!?â
The phantomâs eyes constricted violently as he heard the word âAbyssalsâ. It plain obvious that he knows who or what they are, which saved Raven time from having to explain.
âWell, donât know yet.â Raven followed, feeling a bit guilty for making the phantom panic. âThey donât know where Divine Realm is currently. That being said, one of their minions ended up here. You should have an idea who Iâm referring to.â
âIs it the Devil Emperor?â
âIndeed.â Raven nodded. âAlthough I wasnât even born when he and his army arrived here, I saw the devastation they brought onto our land. Theyâre not purebred Abyssals, yet even they can make our land weep. If the Abyssals truly arrive here, then Divine Realm is as good as done if the current status quo remains.â
âThen why havenât you people killed the damn pest then?â The phantom asked.
âThe Devil Emperor is a loyal lackey of theirs.â Raven shook his head, âNot only was he strong, he also sold his soul to them in exchange for power. Additionally, he still has some connection with them even though a long time has already passed.â
âIf we killed him now, thatâs pretty much the same as us telling the Abyssals where the Divine Realm is.â Raven continued, âThe moment we killed the Devil Emperor, his Life Jade will react and will notify the Abyssals. They will latch on to that signal and track us here.â
âUnless we have means of moving the entirety of Divine Realm to another place, thereâs no way for us to escape them. If they did come, we will just be food waiting to be devoured.â
âThe Devil Emperor is sealed.â Raven declared, âYouâve seen what I did to the Beast Lord. Youâll be glad to hear that the sealing method I used for the Devil Emperor is at least twenty times more effective and stronger than that.â
âThe Devil Emperor wonât be able to harm a single soul from now on. We are using his Immortality as a fuel â an energy source for our sect. He wonât die, but he will also never be a problem anymore.â
Ravenâs tone was filled with outmost confidence and belief in himself. The phantom had no choice but to be convinced, not thoroughly though, not yet.
âIf thatâs the case, why bring them up in the first place? Do you think that theyâll be able to still locate us?â
âOf course!â Raven agreed solemnly. Which in turn also made the phantomâs face more solemn. âIt might now be now or in the next couple decades, but so long as we and them exist, they will surely find us. Thereâs no way we can escape this calamity.â n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âThe history of the Abyssals are way longer than Humanity itself. The amount of realms, worlds, and galaxies they devoured are aplenty. They donât, and will never, lack man-power to do their bidding. The Devil Emperor is just the first of his kind. Whoâs to say that there wonât be a second? A third? Hell, what if a battalion of them comes next? What do we do? Sit back and watch as out beloved race dies? Grovel under their feet and take us as their slaves? None of these options sounds good to me.â
âYes, you might think that I am exaggerating, over-reacting, being an alarmist and so on, but if you were me and personally witnessed how they arrived, youâd probably feel the same as well.â Raven said with a heavy tone.
The phantom frowned and asked: âYouâ¦what do you-?â
âI experienced Soul Rebirth.â Raven looked directly to the Phantomâs eyes.
Ravenâs eyes flashed with a colorful light. The Phantom found himself unable to look away. The next thing he notices, he was surrounded with a black flame consuming everything.
He was in a vast field littered with corpses, death and decay. The sky was weeping, worlds were ruined. Thereâs was famine and humanity was dying. The scene was apocalyptic that it made the phantomâs skin crawl.
He was surrounded with cries of agony and wails of despair. There were flashes of light but none brought hope to the despair-filled battlefield.
Right above him, he saw them.
Clad in a scaled black armor. Faces cold and indifferent sending shivers to his body. Apathetic as they ordered thorough destruction. The Phantom watched as they siphoned everything. Resources, treasures, attacks, Laws.
Life, hope, courage, determination, futureâ¦
Everything was drained out of humanity, not even a speck left behind. Yet even though thatâs the case. Some people still fought for their race.
The Phantom saw Raven silhouette. This Raven was different for he wasnât nearly as strong nor as capable as the Raven he met just now, yet this one is just as audacious and determined as the one he knows.
He fought. Giving everything he got. Not even taking a moment of rest. He saved his comrades. Protected as many as he could. Killed as many as he could.
Even when heâs outnumbered, he persevered and managed to inch closer to the Abyssal Emperor. He challenged him despite knowing that he will lose. He was the last hope, the last beacon for humanity. The last spark of life and unbending spirit remaining. He will not go down without a fight.
They clashed. And even with Ravenâs severely exhausted state, he managed to injure the Abyssal Emperor greatly.
Nevertheless, he felt just a smidge short. He failed. And thus, as a last ace in the hole. He ignited his cultivation base. The Phantomâs eyes widened when he felt the fluctuations of the fabled realm from Raven.
From that moment on, he knew that this Raven managed to reach the Realm Beyond Divinity, even just for the briefest of moments. Nevertheless, itâs all too late. The ignition of his cultivation base has already started and merely seconds away from detonation.
A white noise and blinding flare encompassed his surroundings. It was then that the Phantom returned from the present and saw Raven looking at him solemnly.
The phantom was understandably gobsmacked.
Thereâs no what in hell someone can convince him that the scenario he witnessed just now was fake. And that really frightened him.
Thereâs no doubt that he believed Raven when he said that he experienced Soul Rebirth. The world is vast and profound, a rebirth isnât really something out of place to occur.
This meant that Ravenâs worries arenât completely unfounded. He does have every right to be worried and feel responsible. He has every right to make sure that everything went well. He has every damn right, to accumulate as he could in order to prepare for their arrival.
ââ¦Iâm starting to see why the Last Fragment of Chaos chose you as itâs host.â The Phantom said, sighing ruefully.
If he was confused and dumbfounded earlier, now heâs just depressed. It isnât because Raven got the fragment of Chaos. Its because he canât be of any help.
Heâs a dead person. Nothing more than a lingering attachment thatâs trapped in this place. His consciousness and awareness served as a curse. Knowing that his race if facing an impeding crisis, his heart was torn on agony, he wanted to help, yet he canât since heâs long dead.
âIâll leave the Dawn Council to your capable hands, Young Hero.â The Phantom said, âIt pains me to not be of any help but know that I will support you in any way that I can.â
âThank, Lord Flender.â Raven smiled a nodded.
The phantom was taken aback for a bit.
ââ¦itâs been quite sometime since someone referred to me by that name.â
âThe magnanimous Hero, the Founder and Father of the Dawn Council. You are Humanityâs first elected Leader â Flender Silverstreak. Your era passed a long time ago but thereâs no way I will forget someone like you.â Raven stated.
Thatâs right. The phantom â the mysterious entity thatâs standing in front of Raven. A mere fragment and a lingering attachment to this place. He was once the brightest star, the first leader of humanity, the most respected person back in his time. Flender Silverstreak.
People nowadays donât remember him anymore since heâs long dead. He passed away in closed-doors, dying in pursuit for the realm Beyond Divinity. He thought that he already released all of the burdens that he was carrying. He thought that thereâs nothing keeping him from moving on yet he still woke up here.
He knew that he failed. He knew that he died. He knew that no matter what he does, he wonât be able to revert time. He wallowed in despair and hid in the depths of the Divine Land. Not knowing his purpose yet also determined to no longer interfere with the outside.
Heâs merely a spectator now. Thereâs nothing he could aside from waiting until his attachment to this place vanish on its own, then heâll truly die.
âIt was nice meeting you, Sir.â Raven gave him a curt nod. âI appreciate your support. Donât worry, leave the rest to me. Iâll do my best. After all, Iâve been planning for this since I woke up after my rebirth.â
Flender nodded and didnât say anything. He just watched as Raven walked away and disappeared from the core of the Divine Land.