Silence.
An endless silence surrounded Aizen Arcime as he sat motionlessly within the vast emptiness of the universe.
There were no ordinary sounds around him. No footsteps, no voices, and no signs of life nearby. Only the distant lights of countless galaxies illuminated the darkness, their stars shining like tiny fragments of light scattered across an endless ocean of nothingness.
Yet, despite the peaceful scenery, something terrible was happening.
Black miasma slowly flowed around Aizen's body.
It was not ordinary darkness, nor was it the familiar black aura that had once surrounded the Legendary Black Lion. This substance was far more ominous. It twisted through space like a living entity, spreading into the surrounding void and swallowing the faint light that approached it.
Even the emptiness seemed to grow darker in its presence.
It was as though the Void itself had begun to fear what was sitting within it.
Aizen's eyes remained closed.
His breathing was slow and steady as he entered a deep meditative state, concentrating entirely on the power that had awakened within him.
The memories of AzaiZenith VaelorKhan had returned.
Along with them came the ancient techniques, forgotten experiences, and extraordinary powers accumulated throughout his original existence.
However, merely remembering those abilities was not enough.
He needed to understand them.
He needed to master them.
And, most importantly, he needed to make them his own.
Back when he had been AzaiZenith VaelorKhan, there had been thousands of fighters whose strength stood on the same level as his own. Some possessed strange abilities that could interfere with the laws of existence, while others wielded powers capable of threatening entire realms.
He had never been the only monster on the battlefield.
No matter how powerful he became, there had always been opponents who could challenge him.
There had always been enemies who forced him to fight with everything he possessed.
And because of that, even AzaiZenith had never been able to fully explore every possibility of his own power.
There had been too many enemies.
Too many battles.
Too many circumstances in which he had been forced to prioritize survival over perfection.
But things were different now.
The universe had changed.
The enemies who once stood at his level had either disappeared, died, or become irrelevant to his current circumstances.
Only three beings remained whose power could truly be compared to his.
Three.
Compared with the thousands of powerful fighters he had once faced, the number was almost laughable.
Aizen slowly exhaled.
Only three.
His expression remained emotionless.
Then there is no reason for me to hold back anymore.
He began his training.
But this was not ordinary training.
There were no training dummies, no sparring partners, and no physical exercises designed to strengthen his body.
Instead, Aizen created simulations within his consciousness.
One after another, countless scenarios appeared in his mind.
In the first simulation, he stood against a powerful Celestial God whose divine energy could tear through the fabric of space. The opponent attacked with overwhelming speed, unleashing a series of techniques designed to destroy Aizen before he could react.
Aizen observed the battle.
He analyzed the enemy's movements.
He studied the flow of energy within the simulation, searching for weaknesses that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Then he altered the scenario.
The battle began again.
This time, he used one of his recovered techniques.
The result was different.
The enemy's attack was avoided, and Aizen's counterattack struck directly at the opponent's weakness.
The simulation ended.
Another began.
This time, he faced multiple opponents.
Then dozens.
Then hundreds.
He experimented with different combinations of techniques, testing the limits of his recovered powers and examining how each ability interacted with the others.
Some techniques required almost no movement.
Others demanded precise control over his energy.
Some could destroy an opponent in a single attack, while others were designed to weaken an enemy gradually until resistance became impossible.
Aizen tested them all.
He repeated each simulation until he understood the outcome.
Then he changed the circumstances and started again.
If a technique failed, he analyzed why.
If an opponent managed to counter him, he developed another approach.
If his own power became unstable, he examined the source of the instability and adjusted his control until the problem disappeared.
The process continued.
Simulation after simulation.
Battle after battle.
Every failure became information.
Every mistake became an opportunity to improve.
Every successful technique became another weapon he could wield against the Celestial Gods.
And with every repetition, his control grew more precise.
His understanding deepened.
The powers of AzaiZenith VaelorKhan were no longer merely memories inherited from his past.
They were becoming part of Aizen Arcime's present existence.
He was no longer simply recovering what he had lost.
He was rebuilding himself into something greater.
The black miasma surrounding him thickened.
It spread farther into the surrounding emptiness, forming enormous waves of darkness that twisted around his body. Space distorted wherever the miasma passed, while the distant stars appeared to dim beneath its influence.
The familiar aura of the Black Lion was gradually disappearing.
In its place emerged something ancient.
Something that had existed long before the name Aizen Arcime had ever been spoken.
The Abyss.
Aizen's golden eyes opened.
For a brief moment, a faint golden glow appeared within the surrounding darkness.
Then the glow disappeared beneath the black miasma.
His expression remained cold.
His body remained motionless.
Yet the presence he released was enough to make the surrounding space tremble.
The Black Lion was changing.
The Black Lion was evolving.
And the Black Lion was becoming the Abyss.
Far away from Aizen's location, at the lowest reaches of the dimensions, something unusual appeared.
A crack.
It was a thin fracture in the fabric of the Void, almost invisible against the surrounding darkness. At first, it resembled nothing more than a small distortion in space.
But the crack gradually widened.
A faint light emerged from within it.
Then the light disappeared, replaced by the silhouettes of numerous beings.
One after another, the Celestial Gods began emerging from the fracture.
Their divine presence spread through the surrounding darkness as they crossed into the lowest dimensional region of the universe.
Yet they were not alone.
Behind the gathered Gods, an enormous cage floated through the Void.
It was a strange structure, surrounded by restraints that held its occupants in place. Within it were several familiar figures.
Lyra Subaru.
Theodore Ivalisk.
Mikaela Ivalisk.
Lina Taileon.
Amethyst Evaryn.
Crystal Evaryn.
Aizen's family.
They were unconscious.
Their bodies floated helplessly inside the cage, their heads lowered and their limbs hanging without strength. Their faces looked pale, and their usual vitality had almost completely disappeared.
Even from a distance, their condition was alarming.
They looked weak.
Far too weak.
Whatever the Celestial Gods had done to them, it had left them in a terrible state.
Lyra's silver hair drifted gently around her face as her unconscious body floated within the restraints. Her expression was unusually peaceful, but the paleness of her skin betrayed the condition she was in.
Nearby, the children remained equally motionless.
Theodore and Mikaela were unable to move.
Lina's ears and tail hung limply.
Amethyst and Crystal showed no signs of waking.
None of them appeared capable of defending themselves.
The Celestial Gods continued moving through the lowest dimensions, seemingly unaware that someone was watching them.
But they were not as alone as they believed.
Hidden at a considerable distance, Naris Nia observed the entire scene.
Her attention had initially been drawn to the strange crack that had appeared in the Void. However, once she noticed the Celestial Gods emerging from it, she had immediately concealed her presence and begun watching their movements.
Then she saw the cage.
And the people inside it.
Her expression changed.
She recognized them.
More importantly, she understood exactly what their presence meant.
She had finally found the place Aizen had been searching for.
The location of the Celestial Gods.
And the location of his family.
Naris Nia remained hidden, carefully observing the surroundings to ensure that she would not accidentally reveal herself.
Her gaze returned to the floating cage.
The sight of Lyra and the children being held captive made her expression grow serious.
"What are they doing?"
Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
She watched the Celestial Gods continue onward, memorizing their direction and the unusual dimensional passage they had used to arrive.
"I should tell Levi and Aizen about this."
She could not afford to waste time.
If the Celestial Gods discovered her presence, they might move Aizen's family somewhere else before he could reach them.
Worse, they might decide to do something to their captives.
Naris Nia refused to let that happen.
She immediately sent a signal through the connection she shared with her allies, transmitting the information she had gathered.
The message traveled through the vastness of the universe.
It carried the location of the Celestial Gods.
The presence of the cage.
And the confirmation that Aizen's family was still alive.
For the first time in what had seemed like an endless search, they had found what they needed.
Now, they had to act.
Several moments later, Leviatharion received Naris Nia's signal.
The enormous Leviathan had been traveling through the vast universe, searching for any trace of the Celestial Gods and the people they had taken.
He immediately stopped when the message reached him.
His attention focused on the information Naris Nia had transmitted.
The location.
The dimensional fracture.
The Celestial Gods.
And, most importantly, the captives inside the cage.
Aizen's family was alive.
Leviatharion's expression became serious as he processed the information.
Then he released a low, satisfied sound.
"Nice work, Bakunawa."
His voice carried across the surrounding space.
He was relieved that the search had finally produced results.
But relief alone would not solve their problem.
They had found the enemy.
Now they needed to inform Aizen.
"I will inform Sir Aizen."
Without wasting another moment, Leviatharion turned toward the direction in which he sensed Aizen's presence.
Then he began to swim.
Across the vast universe.
Through countless galaxies.
Past stars that burned with brilliant light and worlds that floated silently through the darkness.
Leviatharion moved with extraordinary speed, his enormous body crossing distances that would have been impossible for ordinary beings to traverse in a reasonable amount of time.
Galaxies passed behind him.
The spaces between celestial systems disappeared beneath his movement.
He followed the faint trace of Aizen's presence, expecting to find the same Black Lion he had spoken with earlier.
At that time, Aizen's aura had been powerful, but it had not been overwhelmingly different from the presence of a Celestial God.
It had been an aura Leviatharion could recognize.
An aura he could approach without hesitation.
But as he drew closer to Aizen's location, something began to feel wrong.
The surrounding space grew darker.
The familiar flow of energy became distorted.
Even the distant light of the stars seemed to weaken as Leviatharion entered the region where Aizen was meditating.
Then he saw him.
Aizen Arcime was sitting motionlessly within the darkness.
Except that the darkness surrounding him was no longer ordinary.
Black miasma flowed from his body in enormous waves, spreading through the Void like a living sea of corruption.
It was darker than the Void itself.
No.
Calling it the Void would have been inaccurate.
The Void was merely an emptiness in which light and matter could exist or disappear.
This darkness felt different.
It was oppressive.
It carried a sensation of ancient hostility, as though something had emerged from a place that should never have been reached.
It was the Abyss.
Leviatharion slowed down.
His eyes widened as he felt the overwhelming presence radiating from Aizen.
"What...?"
He could barely believe what he was sensing.
"Wh-what is this strange and ominous aura?!"
The words escaped him before he could stop himself.
He had known Aizen for some time.
He had seen the Black Lion's strength.
He had witnessed the development of his abilities and understood that Aizen was far more powerful than most beings could imagine.
But this was different.
The aura before him did not merely feel stronger.
It felt fundamentally different.
It was as if the being sitting in front of him had crossed a boundary that separated one kind of existence from another.
Leviatharion's instincts warned him to be cautious.
Something had changed.
Something enormous.
And it was not good.
The Leviathan watched Aizen carefully, trying to understand what had happened during the short time they had been separated.
Had he absorbed more of his former power?
Had he awakened another ability?
Or had the memories of AzaiZenith VaelorKhan triggered an evolution that even Aizen himself had not anticipated?
Leviatharion could not answer those questions.
He only knew that the presence before him was terrifying.
Then Aizen moved.
His eyes opened.
The black miasma continued to swirl around his body as he slowly rose from his seated position.
He had already sensed Leviatharion's arrival.
In fact, he had recognized the Leviathan long before the latter could approach him.
Aizen turned his head.
"Leviatharion."
His voice was calm.
Cold.
There was no surprise in his expression.
"You're here."
Leviatharion remained silent for a brief moment, still trying to process the aura surrounding Aizen.
Aizen continued speaking as though nothing unusual had happened.
"I imagine that you and Naris Nia found where they are?"
His tone was flat.
There was no excitement.
No visible relief.
Only the cold certainty of someone who already knew what he intended to do.
Leviatharion finally recovered enough to answer.
"Yes."
He approached carefully, maintaining his composure despite the pressure radiating from Aizen.
"They are at the lowest form of the universe. Naris Nia is currently keeping an eye on them."
He paused briefly.
"We found the Celestial Gods, and your family is with them."
Aizen listened without interrupting.
The black miasma continued to flow around him.
His expression did not change when he heard that his family had been found. There was no sudden smile, no visible release of the tension that had surrounded him since their disappearance.
But something in his golden eyes became sharper.
He had been waiting for this information.
Now that he had it, the next step was obvious.
He would retrieve his family.
And the Celestial Gods would pay for what they had done.
However, before Leviatharion could say anything else, Aizen spoke again.
"Good."
He turned his gaze toward the distant universe.
"Your little sister and brother are still alive."
Leviatharion's attention immediately returned to Aizen.
"They are currently wandering between the Blood Continent and the Desert Continent."
Aizen spoke as though he were simply sharing an ordinary piece of information.
"And Naris Nia's children are behind the Moon of Tellus."
Leviatharion froze.
For a moment, he wondered whether he had heard correctly.
Aizen had not merely discovered the location of his family.
He had also discovered the whereabouts of Leviatharion's younger siblings and Naris Nia's children.
The information was precise.
And Aizen delivered it without hesitation.
Leviatharion could not help but feel astonished.
How had Aizen found them?
Had he sensed their presence across the universe?
Had his newly awakened powers allowed him to perceive their locations?
Or had he discovered their whereabouts through the knowledge inherited from AzaiZenith VaelorKhan?
Whatever the explanation, the difference between the Aizen he had known earlier and the one standing before him was becoming impossible to ignore.
Before, Aizen had possessed an aura that could be compared to that of a single Celestial God.
Powerful, certainly.
Dangerous, without question.
But still within a range that Leviatharion could understand.
Now, his aura had skyrocketed.
It had risen to a level that made the previous comparison seem meaningless.
Even if Leviatharion and Naris Nia combined their full strength and fought Aizen together, they would no longer stand a chance.
The gap had become too enormous.
They could sense it instinctively.
They would be overwhelmed before they could meaningfully challenge him.
Aizen had evolved into something new.
Something that belonged to the past but had returned to the future.
The original divinity had awakened.
And the Black Lion was no longer merely a Black Lion.
He had become the Abyss.
Leviatharion stared at him, his thoughts racing.
What happened to you, Aizen?
He wanted to ask.
He wanted to understand what had changed and how Aizen had managed to reach such a terrifying level in such a short period of time.
But the cold expression on Aizen's face discouraged unnecessary questions.
There was something else he needed to understand first.
The rescue.
Aizen had found his family.
And now, he was going to get them back.
---
Aizen did not waste any more time.
The moment Leviatharion confirmed their location, Aizen prepared to move.
The black miasma surrounding him expanded, briefly swallowing his entire figure before contracting once again.
Space distorted around his body.
Then, without any elaborate movement, he disappeared.
Leviatharion immediately followed.
The distance between them and the lowest dimensions collapsed beneath Aizen's movement, and the vastness of the universe became little more than a series of fleeting impressions.
They crossed the darkness between galaxies.
They passed through the boundaries separating dimensions.
And soon, the presence of the Celestial Gods became clear.
Aizen could sense them.
Every single one.
Their divine energies were gathered in one place, surrounded by the structures of the Celestial Palace.
More importantly, he could sense the people inside the cage.
Lyra.
The children.
His family.
They were still alive.
The knowledge should have brought him relief.
But the moment he sensed their weakened condition, the black miasma surrounding him grew denser.
The darkness became more oppressive.
The space around him trembled.
His golden eyes narrowed.
Hold on a little longer.
He did not know whether his family could hear him.
He did not know whether Lyra was conscious enough to sense his presence.
But the thought remained within him.
I'm coming.
Aizen turned toward Leviatharion.
"Listen carefully."
His cold voice immediately drew the Leviathan's attention.
"Once I reach the Celestial Palace, I want you and Naris Nia to take my family away without being noticed."
Leviatharion listened closely.
"Take them to Tellus. To the Green Continent."
Aizen paused for a moment.
"Bring them to my mansion in Ravaryn."
The instructions were clear.
He did not intend to bring his family into the battlefield.
They had already suffered enough.
Whatever happened next, he would not allow them to remain in the hands of the Celestial Gods any longer.
Leviatharion nodded.
"Understood."
Aizen's gaze remained fixed on the distant destination.
"This is also part of our deal."
Leviatharion understood what he meant.
Their agreement had not been limited to finding the Celestial Gods. It also involved protecting those who mattered and ensuring that the people caught in the conflict could be brought somewhere safe.
Aizen was keeping his word.
Even now, as his power evolved into something that seemed to defy the ordinary boundaries of existence, he had not forgotten the arrangement they had made.
Leviatharion lowered his head slightly.
"We will get them out safely."
Aizen gave no further response.
He simply turned toward the Celestial Palace.
The black miasma surrounding his body began to spread.
The atmosphere changed.
A terrifying presence emerged from the darkness, moving toward the gathering of Celestial Gods like an approaching calamity.
Aizen Arcime was coming.
And this time, he had no intention of leaving without his family.
Inside the Celestial Palace, the atmosphere had already begun to change.
The enormous structure stood within the depths of the dimensions, its walls and towers surrounded by the power of the Celestial Gods.
It was a place designed to represent divine authority.
A sanctuary for beings who believed themselves to stand above the ordinary inhabitants of the universe.
The Celestial Palace had endured countless conflicts throughout its existence.
Its guardians had been entrusted with protecting its halls, while the Gods who resided within it maintained their power and influence over the surrounding realms.
But now, something had begun to disturb that order.
A Celestial God rushed into the area where Olivierr and the other powerful Gods had gathered.
His expression was tense.
His breathing was hurried.
He immediately approached Olivierr and lowered his head.
"Lady Olivierr!"
Olivierr turned toward him.
"What is it?"
The Celestial God swallowed nervously before delivering his report.
"The slaves disappeared!"
Olivierr's expression changed.
"What?"
The God continued.
"And a large amount of divinity is rising by the second! Its power is on par with the First Celestial God, Shizuoka Aurelisse!"
The surrounding atmosphere grew tense.
Several Celestial Gods turned toward the messenger.
Others exchanged uneasy glances.
The name Shizuoka Aurelisse carried enormous weight among the Celestial Gods.
She was the First Celestial God, a being whose power had become the standard against which extraordinary divine presences were measured.
For an unfamiliar source of energy to rise to her level was no ordinary matter.
It meant that something extremely powerful had appeared.
Something that could threaten their plans.
Olivierr's expression hardened.
"What?!"
She stepped forward.
"The slaves disappeared? And a monster is coming our way?!"
Her voice echoed through the chamber.
The news had come too suddenly.
Their captives had been secured, and the Celestial Gods had believed themselves to be in control of the situation.
Now the slaves had disappeared, and an unknown being was approaching with power comparable to Shizuoka's.
Olivierr could not immediately determine what had happened.
Had someone infiltrated the palace?
Had their enemies discovered the location of the captives?
Or was the approaching presence connected to the Black Lion they had been searching for?
The possibilities were troubling.
But before Olivierr could continue questioning the messenger, Raxietil spoke.
"Lady Olivierr, don't worry."
The turtle Celestial God remained composed.
His enormous presence radiated confidence, and his expression showed little concern about the report.
"We would deal with them."
Olivierr turned toward him.
Raxietil continued speaking as though the approaching threat were merely another obstacle they would soon eliminate.
They were Celestial Gods.
They had survived countless conflicts.
They possessed divine abilities that ordinary beings could barely comprehend.
And they had numbers on their side.
Benechtaf, the Silver Wolf Celestial God, also stepped forward.
"He's right, my lady."
His voice carried a similar confidence.
"We are currently an army of fourteen Celestial Gods."
He raised his head slightly.
"Four have died, and the Two Calamities are sealed. We would deal with whoever that monster is."
Benechtaf's words were filled with arrogance.
In his eyes, the situation was simple.
Four Celestial Gods had already fallen, and the Two Calamities remained sealed, but fourteen Celestial Gods were still available to fight.
That was an enormous force.
Even a powerful enemy would struggle to survive an encounter with so many divine beings.
And if the approaching monster was truly as powerful as Shizuoka Aurelisse, then they would simply have to work together to defeat it.
At least, that was what Benechtaf believed.
The other Celestial Gods seemed to share his confidence.
Some began discussing how they would confront the intruder.
Others prepared their divine powers, ready to unleash their abilities as soon as the enemy appeared.
The atmosphere gradually shifted from alarm to anticipation.
They had an unknown enemy approaching.
But they had fourteen Celestial Gods.
What could possibly go wrong?
Olivierr listened to their words.
Slowly, the tension in her expression began to ease.
Raxietil was one of their strongest members.
Benechtaf was another.
And with the remaining Celestial Gods gathered within the palace, she believed they possessed enough strength to deal with the situation.
Perhaps the approaching monster would prove troublesome.
Perhaps it would even force them to fight seriously.
But she could not imagine that a single being would be enough to destroy their entire force.
Still, one thought continued to bother her.
Would Aizen Arcime come here himself?
The Black Lion had been their target, and his family had been among the captives they had taken.
Yet the Celestial Gods had not received confirmation that he would come to the palace personally.
Olivierr considered the possibility that he might remain hidden somewhere else, unwilling to risk his life by confronting so many Celestial Gods at once.
If that happened, they would need to find him themselves.
She was still debating what to do when something unexpected occurred.
A Celestial Guardian standing near the entrance suddenly stopped moving.
There was no warning.
No opportunity to defend himself.
One moment, the guardian was standing there.
The next—
CRACK!
His head shattered into dust.
The sound echoed through the Celestial Palace.
The surrounding Gods fell silent.
Fragments of the guardian's shattered form scattered through the air before disappearing into the darkness.
For a brief moment, nobody moved.
The Celestial Gods stared at the place where the guardian had stood.
Then they turned toward the source of the attack.
A figure was standing nearby.
Black miasma surrounded his body.
The darkness flowed around him like an endless storm, swallowing the surrounding light and distorting the space around his presence.
His black hair remained motionless despite the movement of the ominous energy.
His golden eyes looked toward the gathered Celestial Gods without a trace of fear.
Aizen Arcime had arrived.
He glanced at the shattered remains of the guardian, then slowly raised his gaze toward the Gods standing before him.
His expression was cold.
There was no smile.
No anger displayed through exaggerated movements.
No unnecessary declaration of his intentions.
Only a terrifying calmness.
"I..."
His voice echoed through the chamber.
"Found you."
The Celestial Gods stared at him.
For an instant, the entire palace seemed to fall silent.
Olivierr recognized him immediately.
Aizen Arcime.
The surviving Black Lion.
The very being they had been searching for.
Then her expression twisted into anger.
"Ha!"
She laughed sharply, attempting to hide the uneasiness that had begun to rise within her.
"That was a guardian!"
Her voice grew louder.
"Don't be too arrogant!"
She pointed toward Aizen, her eyes burning with hostility.
"This place will be your grave!"
Her anger echoed through the palace.
"Aizen Arcime, the surviving Black Lion!"
The name carried across the chamber as Olivierr addressed the intruder.
She had expected an enemy.
She had expected a battle.
But she had not expected Aizen to appear before them so suddenly, standing in front of an army of Celestial Gods without showing the slightest sign of hesitation.
Still, she refused to let his arrival shake her confidence.
She had fourteen Celestial Gods at her disposal.
Raxietil was there.
Benechtaf was there.
And the rest of their forces stood ready to fight.
They would not allow a single Black Lion to intimidate them.
Olivierr raised her arm.
"Kill that cursed cat!"
Her command rang throughout the Celestial Palace.
The gathered Gods immediately responded.
Divine energy erupted from their bodies.
The atmosphere trembled as countless powerful presences awakened at once, filling the chamber with an overwhelming pressure.
The Celestial Gods prepared their abilities.
Other Gods who had been inside the palace joined the formation, their attention fixed on the black figure standing before them.
The strongest among the gathered Celestial Gods were Raxietil, Benechtaf, and Olivierr.
They stood at the forefront of the force, ready to lead the battle against the intruder.
The remaining Gods gathered behind them.
One after another, their divine auras spread throughout the palace.
The Celestial Palace, once a place of authority and security, had become a battlefield.
Fourteen Celestial Gods.
Numerous other Gods.
An army of divine beings preparing to kill a single enemy.
And at the center of it all stood Aizen Arcime.
The Black Lion.
The being who had once struggled to recover the power of his former existence.
The man who had lost his family to the Celestial Gods.
The reincarnation of Raizen Hayashi.
The future of AzaiZenith VaelorKhan.
Now, the Abyss had awakened within him.
Aizen looked at the gathered Gods.
He could sense their strength.
He could feel their divine energies gathering around him.
He could see the confidence in their expressions, the certainty that their combined numbers would be enough to destroy him.
But he did not retreat.
He did not raise his voice.
He did not bother explaining why he had come.
His family was here.
That was all that mattered.
The Celestial Gods had taken them.
Now, they would face the consequences.
The black miasma surrounding Aizen spread across the floor of the palace, slowly swallowing the light beneath his feet.
His golden eyes remained fixed on the Gods standing before him.
And as the entire army prepared to attack, the Black Lion stood motionless in the heart of the Celestial Palace.
The battle was about to begin.
End of Chapter 94.