While Ethan and his close companions were going through a cosmic ascendance that would put them at the pinnacle of the world in the mirror dimension, the world outside was also plunged in darkness... half of it.

It had been only three days in the outside world, but half of it had already fallen, mostly small and rising kingdoms or civilizations.

Debranlith had been plunged into darkness. Even from afar, you could sense the aura of death and darkness in the air. The whole world was in panic at this, and Anbord especially was filled with tension.

The people were afraid, scared... they were at a loss as to what to do. Entire kingdoms had fallen. Even a newly established empire had just disappeared off the map, as if it had never existed. They asked where their emperor was. Some even proclaimed that they’d been abandoned.

But today, they felt something... Something that only happened when their emperor was involved. That gave them a bit of hope, only for it to be doused in cold water as the sky darkened all of a sudden.

It wasn’t gradual like how clouds formed to bring rain. One moment it was a clear sky, the next... it was dark.

Huge purplish portals opened up in the sky, bringing with them a severe wave of chillness and death that froze the very air.

"People of whatever you call yourself... This is your doom!" A deep, almost angelic voice resonated in all corners of Anbord, sounding like the voice of a saviour rather than a destroyer.

Zark watched from afar, his face conflicted.

’Sorry, Ethan... I cannot partake in this battle,’ Zark thought in his mind.

’It’s alright, Father. The guardians will handle everything. The ascension is now reaching the final stages, so they can stall until we are done. Don’t worry.

No one will die!’ Ethan’s voice sounded in his head, making him smile.

’Hades really picked up the wrong fight, huh...’

...

Kassiel and Nyxirra hovered above the large empire, staring disdainfully at it. Kassiel’s six wings flapped slowly to keep him afloat. The broken halo above him glowed with a dark power, nothing like the angel he should have been. He was very tall, easily 7’5 feet, with very pale skin that rivalled Trevor’s skin.

His eyes were twin orbs of purple, with a sin mark on his forehead. The chains that tied his wings floated around him, releasing waves of pure destruction around.

Nyxirra, on the other hand, sat arrogantly in the air, her six feline tails coiled together as one. Her long black hair reached her feet and even covered her face. Her skin was tanned with void-marked fur all over. She held her chin up with clawed hands as she stared down at the quiet empire.

"Hmm? Something is wrong... Where are the void-borns?" Kassiel suddenly asked, looking above him. The portals were still open, but nothing was coming out of them.

"I don’t sense fear from the empire too..." Nyxirra added, her voice almost like a whisper.

"Did they know of our coming?" Kassiel wondered out loud.

"No need to ponder. You trespassed on the land of the Lord, and for that... You will pay." A deep voice sounded very close to them, and their eyes widened in shock. They quickly flashed away and turned to see a golden being made of rotating light-gears. It was a living construct, nothing humanoid, but the power it radiated made their expressions sink.

"Who are you?" Kassiel asked as the chains floating around him became broken halos, floating around him.

"I’m a Guardian of Origin," the golden being answered as it slowly transformed.

Right in front of them, it transformed into an 8-foot-tall creature with tendril-like hair, three eyes, four arms, and four tails, but all golden. Its hair moved like energy, rapturing space continuously.

"A Void-born!" Nyxirra exclaimed, her eyes widening behind her hair.

"So that’s what they are called... They are tasteless," the now transformed guardian spoke with disdain as its three golden eyes stared at them.

Then it moved...

Space collapsed and constructed a rift in a second, allowing it cross a distance of 3 kilometers in a second. Nyxirra failed to follow its movement and couldn’t dodge in time.

BOOM!

The force of the attack caused the sky to crack, making a portal collapse inwards and explode.

Kassiel’s halo glowed with a deep purplish light, shooting a deep wave of light towards the golden being.

The air screamed and disintegrated everywhere the wave passed, but the moment it reached the guardian, the wave changed color to gold and turned to a ring of light in front of it.

"What?!" Kassiel exclaimed in shock at this. That wave was enough to wipe out a city!

’How strong is Ethan!’ he thought in shock as his wings flapped, shooting him backwards, to escape the onslaught of the guardian.

He travelled 12 kilometers in a second, only to see the guardian still hovering in its position.

His instincts suddenly went into overdrive, screaming for him to move, but he was locked in place.

He managed to turn his head in time to see a golden arrow shoot through his head like a sniper bullet. His face was still in shock as his head exploded into mist.

But that wasn’t enough to kill the dark seraph.

The broken halo above him pulsed with purplish light, causing his body to dematerialize. He materialized a good distance away, his expression full of shock and fear.

This wasn’t what they expected. They had had it easy with other parts of the world, but Anbord was like an enigma.

That was when it hit him... They were not even in Anbord in the first place. They had been lured into a trap, an illusion from the very start. Anbord was still there, very close by, but they were in an illusion.

This deduction caused him to feel chills... something he hadn’t felt in ages. He was always the one to bring fear and despair. Even his master, Hades, didn’t incite such a sense of fear in him.

But, now, he was feeling fear in every aspect of the word.

...

Nyxirra found herself in a skyscraper. Her collision had destroyed the building to the last stone, showing just how powerful the attack had been.

She shrugged off some bricks, metals, and dust as she stood, only to see a golden being in front of her.

This one was slender and feminine. She wore a golden silk armor, with twin daggers strapped at the sides. Her face was fully covered, just like her head, which was covered with a hood. Only her piercing dark golden eyes were visible through the hood... Eyes that instilled an existential fear in Nyxirra.

She unconsciously took two steps back, but the assassin guardian just stood quietly, looking at the feline like she was... something.

"DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!" Nyxirra exploded as her six tails uncoiled and shot dangerously at the guardian.

The tips of the tails glowed crimson, causing space to crack. They stretched, reaching the guardian in seconds, only for her to disappear.

Nyxirra jumped to the left, just in time to see space being slashed. Nyxirra heaved a sigh of relief, only to see one of her tails fall off. It had been sliced... cleanly.

"AHHHHHHH!" she screamed in pain, a sensation she hadn’t felt in ages. It was agonizing. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

It was something she thought... no, she knew she would never feel it again, but now... it was clear. This was her reality.

She was feeling pain. Hot, agonizing pain.

All the heralds of Hades were dead beings, souls that were chosen to be his champions. They were dead, and the dead felt no pain.

But this... this was true pain.

The guardian, though, just tilted her head silently, looking at Nyxirra holding the stub where that tail used to be. It couldn’t even regenerate.

It should be known that the heralds were all very powerful, with the weakest being at the fifth ascension of the Saint Realm. The most powerful of them all was a Demigod Realm being!

So getting beaten down by these guardians came as more than a shock to Nyxirra and Kassiel.

Just how strong was Ethan currently?

Nyxirra’s screams gradually turned to roars as her body bloated.

Her hair fell off as she transformed into a 10-foot-tall feline monster with five tails, since one had been cut off. Her eyes were piercing red slits with black scleras that glowed with a dark, destructive light.

The void marks on her body glowed as she pounced at the guardian.

Her claws slashed at the guardian, but she twisted in a weird, mechanical way and dodged the attack. Her daggers flashed with golden light that blinded Nyxirra for a second.

She then appeared above her and slashed, causing two powerful energy slashes to shoot at Nyxirra, which she blocked with a slash of her own.

The force of the collision sent them skidding back by a good distance, but distance was nothing to the two fifth ascension stage Saint Realm beings.

With a bang, they clashed again.