"System… system…"

Void called out multiple times, yet he received no response whatsoever. He was only met with the same long silence he had experienced earlier when his soul was separated from his body.

Now, with his powers gone, he didn't even know why it was happening or how it had actually occurred.

Just then, Void felt his body twitch as his power began to return—and with it, the System.

(Host. Her curse has begun to take full effect.)

Void heard the System's voice and felt shaken. There was only one being this could refer to ,the terrifying female angel he had encountered.

Now his hatred toward angels had surpassed its limits. Were they trying to kill him? Erase him? What exactly did they want from him?

Regardless, this curse was one of the most devastating he had ever suffered—perhaps even his first true curse.

Since the beginning, Void had relied only on physical strength and the manipulation of laws and various forms of energy in battle. Now, being subjected to such a strange and terrifying condition had left the young demon confused.

"Haah… mysteries of existence, huh? I'm just a Quasi Rank 4 demon. I could be killed… erased at any moment…"

Void paused, then slowly grinned.

"I'm counting on you, Linkir… don't let me down."

Void felt that the stronger he became, the more he was pushed down. He was constantly reminded that even at the heights he had reached, there were still mountains ahead. What he considered his peak was merely the starting point for others.

Was he angry? Sad? Not exactly. But his eyes had been opened to the truth.

The truth that he was no longer fighting just for survival—it was no longer just him and the world.

Now it was the demon race versus the world.

---

Meanwhile, as all this was happening with Void…

In Linkir's room, a portal opened as steady footsteps echoed through the space.

Pa… pa… pa…

With them came a trail of bloodied footprints.

"You're back so soon?" Linkir asked casually. She was resting on her couch, legs crossed, her hair flowing down with strands covering part of her face.

"Was lucky. Here is the flag," Nyx said, bowing slightly as she handed it over.

Linkir nodded and examined it.

"Impressive. Things from the Abyss really are leagues above those outside," Linkir muttered as she looked at the blood-red Soul Flag, only a few inches long in her hand.

For Quasi Rank 4 beings, creation from nothing was simple—often superior to natural materials. But that only applied to ordinary objects.

Something like the Soul Flag could never be replicated at this level, not even close to its true function.

"So what now?" Nyx asked as she stood straight.

"We wait…" Linkir replied.

"We wait for the Federation to crumble from within."

A knowing smile appeared on her face as she leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

Memories of her past surfaced briefly—before being replaced by images of the sulfur-filled Abyss.

"Home…" she thought, clicking her tongue.

Across from her, Nyx observed the faint smile on her commander's face, then sighed and nodded.

Her task was complete. Now, she would wait.

Wait until all the players revealed themselves…

Then they would cast the net—and harvest everything.

---

Unlike the calmness within Dreadborne…

The Federation had only grown worse.

It had been a month since the Forefathers' attack, and every day brought new devastation.

The wails of mortals had become a daily melody of suffering for the powerful.

One by one, mortals watched as their so-called gods, protectors, and kings abandoned them.

With every abandonment, with every betrayal, humanity was pushed closer to the edge. Hatred toward the Forefathers grew—but it did not stop there.

They also began to hate those who had failed them.

And eventually, that hatred turned toward the Federation itself.

Only mortals within the Federation headquarters remained safe, along with those living under the protection of other organizations.

The rest were left behind… to die.

"Ancestor Hollowind…" Caius spoke in a luxurious room.

Before him sat a man who looked younger than him in appearance.

The room was decorated in shades of blue. Food and wine were laid out between them, while Hollowind sat calmly, legs crossed, sipping his drink.

"King Caius. What brings you here?" Hollowind asked.

Caius smiled.

"Ancestor… you already know. But for formality's sake…"

He straightened his posture, his expression turning serious.

"My people are suffering. They cry out, they die beneath the senseless banners of the Forefathers. I have seen enough… more than enough. Rivers of blood have been ignored for far too long."

He clenched his fists.

"Ancestor, I did not come only to you—but to all the ancestors. It is time we stand. It is time we destroy the Forefathers."

Caius spoke coldly, yet his eyes revealed exhaustion, helplessness, and pain.

Hollowind looked at him for a moment.

"King Caius… I admire your will. Your courage. But…"

He set down his wine glass.

"It is too late. The Forefathers have already regained their strength."

Hollowind said it with a calm smile—neither sad nor happy.

Caius froze.

"...How is that possible?" he asked in shock.

Hollowind simply shook his head.

"Even I don't know. But as long as they have killed enough mortals, they must have used a forbidden method to absorb their essence efficiently. Otherwise, there is no way they could recover so quickly," Hollowind said, shaking his head slightly.

Hearing this, Caius felt deflated, as though his entire world was collapsing.

Any one of those Forefathers was already at Quasi Rank 4. And with dozens of them outside… wasn't the Federation already doomed?

"Ancestor… what can we do?" Caius asked.

Hollowind took a deep breath.

"What can we do but wait… wait for their next move," Hollowind said softly.

"You've just discovered that they used the Tree of Life as their coffin, no?" he asked.

Caius frowned.

"I take that as a yes," Hollowind said with a faint smile.

"But that is not all. The Tree of Life was not just a tree containing traces of the origin of life. It was the origin of life of this multi-universe… and the Forefathers cut it down," Hollowind said. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Caius's eyes widened in confusion.

How… why…?

"But they didn't cut it for that reason alone. We could say they did it to preserve their lifespan—but you might wonder: how could beings who are meant to live eternally suddenly face a shortened lifespan?" Hollowind continued.

Caius nodded slowly.

"Simple. They hit a bottleneck. Not only them, King Caius—I and the other Ancestors did as well. For years, eons, as we watched eras pass one after another, we tried to understand it. But for them, it was worse… they had always believed strength was the only path forward. So when they suddenly reached the end… when they became stuck…"

Hollowind paused.

Caius swallowed nervously.

His eyes locked onto Hollowind, waiting for the truth.

Whatever it was… it would explain everything.

"THEY—"

Shhhhhhh…

Suddenly, silence swallowed the room.

Caius froze.

There was a hole where Hollowind's eyes should have been.

No blood. No resistance. Just a perfectly clean void—so fast it felt unreal.

Behind Hollowind, another figure stood in the broken space… a middle-aged woman.

She calmly waved at Caius.