"Don’t bite more than you can chew now." Nihil spoke with a chuckle.

Male tilted his head slightly, his void-like eyes fixed on the Idea of Nihil.

"Go on. Spill the details."

Nihil floated a little closer as he spoke.

"The Coliseum is the next stage beyond the True Realities. Though, it’s not much known for our true purpose... It is where the final selection takes place."

"All of us — our arrival should make 23 — are waiting until the final slots are filled.

Then we compete.

From what we’ve all surmised... only eighteen of us will walk away from it. Nine from each side. Existence... and Nonexistence."

Male absorbed the information in silence, his long black hair drifting slowly in the void. The thought of a competition between beings beyond True Reality power it didn’t just excite him.

It made him think of a certain someone as well.

’Ash, is it?’ He wondered, ’I wonder if they will be there?’

He nodded once, processing it all.

"Before we leave... we go fetch someone."

He said thinking of the Merchant, as he couldn’t possibly forget about the one woman that helped him get this far.

With a single step, both of them reappeared where they had left her.

----

The Merchant stood frozen in place, her flame-like hair flickering uneasily in the heavy, oppressive air of the First Reality of Nonexistence.

Her bronze skin, usually warm with inner fire, felt colder now as she stared at Male.

The shift in him was instant and intense—the space around him seemed to warp and vanish, as if reality itself had trouble accepting he was there.

It wasn’t loud or dramatic, just a quiet, creeping feeling all at once—making it all the more chilling.

She narrowed her eyes, far from naive. Her sole purpose had been to guide him into the Realities of Nonexistence, then help him merge with it.

In this moment, only one thought lingered.

’Is my mission finally complete?’

Before she could speak, a final system notification appeared before her — cold, clinical, and impossible to ignore.

[Oh, you’re not done little Genasi. Next... help him become one of the winners in the upcoming Coliseum Tournament.]

She scoffed softly, a wry, bitter smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she lowered her hand. Of course. Minx never made things easy.

"Of fucking course..." she muttered.

Male looked at her, his new void-like eyes swallowing what little light existed.

His voice was calm, almost indifferent.

"We’re leaving. Come with us."

The Merchant opened her mouth to respond — but the entire Reality shook violently before she could.

RUMBLEEEEEEEE!!!!

The ground beneath their feet trembled as if the void itself was convulsing.

The dark, veined stone walls of the castle cracked audibly, fine lines spreading like veins across obsidian skin.

The flickering dim flames on the walls sputtered and dimmed, casting erratic, dying shadows that danced wildly across the chamber.

Then the sky above — or what passed for a sky in this realm of Nonexistence — cracked open with a deafening, world-shattering sound. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

CRACKKKKK!!!!!!!

From the massive fractures in the darkness, three figures descended slowly, their presence alone causing the void to tremble and warp.

Drake led the way, his tyrannical aura radiating like a black sun, his long coat billowing as he floated downward with absolute confidence.

Kade followed close behind, cracking his knuckles with a frustrated scowl, while Quell brought up the rear, arms crossed and looking thoroughly annoyed.

Their voices carried loud enough for the entire Reality to hear, echoing through the emptiness like thunder.

Quell was the first to complain, his voice laced with irritation.

"I miss my harem," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. "We could be back in Pantheos right now, enjoying ourselves. But no — Drake just had to drag us all the way out here into this godforsaken Nonexistence for what?"

"You’ve already collected two entire Realities."

BANGGGG!!!

Kade let out a low, irritated growl, his primal aura flaring as he struck the air with a single punch, sending a shockwave that deepened the cracks in the nearby void.

"Damn right, I haven’t had a chance to get my hands dirty. You’re tearing everything apart before we can even have a proper fight. Where’s the fun in that?"

Drake scoffed, not even bothering to look back at them as he continued descending, his voice dripping with arrogance.

"You two can go home whenever you please. I never asked you to come with me in the first place. If you’re so bored, leave."

Quell rolled his eyes dramatically, floating a bit closer.

"We’re just keeping an eye on you, making sure you don’t lose your screws again." He said with a dramatic pause.

"Who knows, you may try to kill Father next time?"

Drake didn’t respond, simply raising his hands as they neared the ground.

HUMMMMMM!!!!

Pure Divinity began to gather around his palms — laced with raw, overwhelming Existence — preparing to unleash it across the entire Reality.

High above, Nihil watched with quiet curiosity, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied the three brothers.

"They’re pretty strong, aren’t they?" he remarked, still observing.

The Merchant, however, looked as if she had seen a ghost.

Her flame-like hair flickered erratically, her bronze skin paling as recognition hit her. She knew exactly who they were — Ash’s sons. And she had no desire to be anywhere near them right now.

Male, on the other hand, smiled — a cold, eager smile as he felt the new power coursing through him.

"Speak of the devil... and they appear," he said, having just been thinking about the father of these men.

And now, he wanted to test his abilities against them. Wouldn’t that be the perfect way to kick off everything he had planned?

But before he could move, The Merchant grabbed his arm.

"Fuck this," she hissed, her voice urgent. "We are not messing with those crazy bastards right now."

She quickly accessed her system and bought a one-way ticket to wherever she desired — the Coliseum her system had mentioned earlier.

HUM!

Without hesitation, she grabbed Nihil with her other hand and pulled both of them through a sudden rift that tore open beside her.

The three of them vanished in an instant.

The moment they disappeared; Drake unleashed his attack.

HUMMMMM!!!!!!

BOOOOOOOM!!!!!

A cataclysmic wave of pure Divinity laced with raw Existence erupted from his raised hands, spreading outward like a tidal wave of golden-white annihilation.

It swallowed everything in its path — the dark castle, the horrors, the very fabric of the First Reality of Nonexistence — erasing it all in a single, overwhelming surge.

The Reality crumbled and vanished completely, leaving nothing but empty void behind.

Drake lowered his hands, cracking his neck once as he looked at the nothingness where the Reality had been.

"Finally... I can truly get started now."