System: Daily login!!, jackpot on the first day!!!-Chapter 338 - The Beginning of Something
*Twitch*
The space around him twisted, warping unnaturally as if something unseen had snapped the very laws of reality.
Taufik's Absolute Slash, for the first time... Missed
No, it passed through Andrealphus as if he were nothing more than a mirage.
Andrealphus chuckled
"Fascinating, Isn't it? This is not Tartarus anymore, this is my Domain... Domain of Madness~"
After Andrealphus said that, something changed.
*Crack!*
Then, the world broke. Like a glass room that suddenly broke.
The obsidian bridge, the abyss, even the distant statues, all of it collapsed into a chaotic spiral.
The air pulsed with a force of madness, and suddenly, Taufik wasn't standing on the bridge anymore.
He was falling.
No, he was standing on a vast battlefield, surrounded by corpses.
A Corpse he recognized. A battlefield he recognized.
This is The Shadow World.
The very place where he had fought countless creatures to claim dominion.
But something was wrong.
The shadow Creatures here were laughing. They laugh at him.
Not whispering. Not creeping. But Laughing.
Distorted voices, overlapping endlessly, speaking in tones that twisted into an unbearable cacophony.
"You will fall. You will fall. You will fall. You will fall"
Taufik clenched his fists.
"No!"
His Concept resisted.
The battlefield trembled.
Then shattered.
*CRACK!*
The illusion broke apart, The Domain broke apart, shadows recoiling as Taufik forced himself back into reality.
Back onto the bridge.
Back in front of Andrealphus.
But the Cipher of Madness was already waiting.
A single finger extended toward Taufik's forehead. Then it's Diving into Taufik's head without resistance.
A whisper followed.
"... Let's see how deep your mind can fall"
Darkness descended again.
Taufik did not waver.
The moment Andrealphus' whisper reached his ears, the darkness tried to swallow him.
Tried.
In mere seconds, millions of memories played in Taufik's head, memories that he did not recognize, memories that were not his.
But he was there; he witnessed what was happening there, his loved ones dying one by one; it kept happening over and over again, and each time it happened, the way they died was different.
A vision that will make anyone fall into Madness.
But failed.
There was nothing to break. Nothing to twist.
Taufik's mind was an abyss that did not belong to this world, an existence outside the chains of reason. In Taufik's mind resides the system, a power beyond this very universe itself. Beyond any reason itself.
Unreachable. Untouchable, And Unshakable.
Andrealphus paused.
For the first time, true curiosity flickered in his hollow eyes.
"Oh?"
His voice was smooth, but the slight tilt of his head betrayed his intrigue.
"Not even a flicker? As expected of The Defiant, fascinating indeed"
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Taufik didn't answer. He had no time for words.
His Concept surged, and he moved.
Darkness coiled around his body, shadows surging forward to devour everything in his path. His advance was absolute.
Until the ground trembled.
*BOOM!*
Something enormous slammed into the obsidian bridge, cracking it apart.
Then another.
Then another.
Taufik stopped, his eyes narrowing as shapes began to rise from the abyss.
Titanic figures. Twisted forms of powerful beings long imprisoned in Tartarus.
Hyperion, the Radiant Flame, his body still burning with golden embers, now void of reason, his once-proud eyes replaced by empty madness.
Crius, the Pillar of Heavens, his towering frame pulsing with unnatural veins of dark energy, his movements no longer his own.
Brontes, the Thunder Cyclops, his one eye glowing red with insanity, electricity crackling wildly across his deformed
And many, many more.
The Prisoners of Tartarus.
Ancient Titans. Monstrous Cyclopes. Creatures of legend, now nothing more than puppets of the Cipher of Madness.
Andrealphus spread his arms as if welcoming the spectacle.
"... I may not be able to control you..."
Andrealphus said, gesturing around them, the very air trembling from the sheer presence of the imprisoned beings.
"But I can control everything else..."
After he said that, A twisted smile formed on his lips. Looking at Taufik and Said.
"... And they will hold you here"
*BOOM!*
Before Taufik could move, Hyperion descended, a blazing comet of destruction crashing toward him.
Taufik's eyes flashed.
No time.
He had to force his way through.
There's no time for hesitation.
His guts are telling him that the one second he wastes here will bring something worse, something worse than this, for him, for Gaia, and for this world.
The forces of Tartarus, Titans, Cyclopes, and countless ancient monsters, were charging at him, their eyes void of reason, their power turned against him.
He couldn't fight them all.
But he didn't have to.
He was not alone.
"*Hufft~* "
Taufik exhaled.
And immediately, The world darkened.
He reached out, not to the prison of Tartarus, not to the Earth beneath him, but to the realm beyond this reality.
"... Come forth, all who dwell in the hidden realm! Lurking in the shadows, unseen and forgotten... O creatures of an untold tale, bound by whispers of the past... Heed my voice… Answer your Master's Call! Come..."
--------
- Deep Within the Shadow Realm.
A ripple spread through the endless ocean of shadows.
The creatures that lurked within, formless nightmares, crawling horrors, and ancient entities that had never been seen by mortal eyes, stirred.
They heard it.
His call. The Call of the Ruler of The Shadow.
And they answered. The Will of Shadow Realm Answered it.
--------
- Back in Tartarus.
*SHRRAAAAGH!!*
The darkness erupted.
From the void behind Taufik, they emerged.
The Faceless Swarm, a tide of beings that shifted between forms, their sheer presence erasing light.
The Dread Stalkers, silent hunters with glowing violet eyes, leaped from shadow to shadow, tearing apart anything in their way.
The Shroudborne Titan, a colossal figure that seemed half-real, its entire form composed of living darkness.
And many, many more.
The creatures of the Shadow Realm descended upon Tartarus.
Andrealphus' expression changed.
For the first time, the Cipher of Madness looked... Uncertain.
"This... Something like this... Is not supposed to be here"
Andrealphus muttered as he looked at the Shadow Creatures.
Taufik stepped forward. His army had arrived.
"You wanted to hold me back?"
He said, his voice was calm, but behind it, the darkness growled.
"Then let's see if you can handle what's coming"
Andrealphus' expression twisted.
The battlefield had shifted.
His army of controlled Titans, Cyclopes, and monsters should have been unstoppable.
They should have buried Taufik in an endless tide of chaos.
But this?
This was beyond calculation.
Taufik's Shadow Army had thrown the entire battlefield into disarray.
Andrealphus felt it, the balance tipping against him.
"Tch!"
Andrealphus clicked his tongue, he couldn't win this fight. Not alone.
Then He turned away.
His body warped, twisting into fragmented pieces of space, vanishing into the depths of Tartarus.
--------
The moment Andrealphus fled, the oppressive force of his madness collapsed.
The invisible chains that had been tightening around Aksara and Erelythe's minds snapped.
Aksara staggered, his breathing heavy.
"Tch… That bastard was inside my head"
Aksara said as he gritted his teeth, trying to shake off the lingering effects.
"I almost-"
"You almost lost yourself"
Erelythe cut in, her crimson eyes sharp but calm. She looked toward the battlefield, where the madness-controlled creatures were now hesitating.
Without Andrealphus, the influence holding them was unstable.
She turned to Taufik. Said.
"…You forced him to retreat. My lord, But he's not gone"
Taufik didn't respond. He was already moving.
--------
Taufik Leads the Charge
"Forward!"
Taufik ordered, his voice was absolute.
And The shadows howled.
The horrors of the Shadow Realm surged forward, cutting through the disoriented monsters of Tartarus like a storm of living darkness.
The Faceless Swarm wrapped around a rampaging Titan, consuming it whole.
The Dread Stalkers blinked in and out of existence, striking down Cyclopes before they could react.
The Shroudborne Titan roared, crushing a horde of creatures beneath its massive, shifting form.
Taufik walked through the chaos, his steps unchallenged, like a path already being opened up for him.
Aksara, still catching his breath, glanced at Erelythe.
"… He's just walking, Like that? *Sigh* Sometimes I can't understand my Father"
Erelythe smirked.
"He doesn't need to fight... They're fighting for him... Incredible"
--------
Vassago saw it all through the countless eyes of his schemes.
Andrealphus fled toward him, his form flickering in and out of reality as he approached The Earth Core's Area which now was The demon's domain.
Madness still clung to him, like the remnants of a storm that had barely been contained.
"Dukes Vassago"
Andrealphus' voice dripped with frustration.
"He forced me back..."
Vassago did not turn. He stood before a massive, pulsating black monolith, his fingers weaving complex patterns in the air.
Aegis protection was penetrated, and corruption was spreading. Slowly, but surely.
Vassago sighed.
"You disappoint me, Andrealphus..."
"Something Uknown fought with him... That wasn't just The Defiant alone"
Hearing that, Vassago smirked.
"That changes nothing..."
Vassago said, his crimson eyes gleaming with absolute certainty.
"... He is coming?"
"…Yes"
"Good"
After saying that, Vassago raised a single hand.
And then, The entire battlefield shifted.
The Gate of Hell opened.
....
...
..
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