The Sixth Vision…
It belonged to an old man standing before Shi Yun Lan.
"You are dead," the old man declared.
The power of Shi Yun Lan's existence at that time erupted outward, as though chains restraining his very life had begun trembling within him. For the first time in his life, hope—and the desire to live—appeared in the eyes of Shi Yun Lan, the creator of the Art of Annihilation.
But the moment he breathed in that unfamiliar air, an overwhelming pressure descended upon his soul. The atmosphere itself became unbearably heavy.
And for the first time in his life, Shi Yun Lan felt fear.
True terror.
The old man's eyes were sharp beyond measure. His gaze pierced directly into Shi Yun Lan's spirit, examining every inch of it. Then he noticed the curse Shi Yun Lan cultivated.
"That curse…? I thought your father had killed the last member of that group. Yet it seems you are the second survivor… and the bearer of this curse."
Shion, who was witnessing and hearing this entire scene, could not understand what was happening.
The old man continued,
"That curse is capable of drawing a line between life and death. Its wielder devours the vitality of others and leaves only death for the cursed."
"But you are different, boy. Not only did you resist death… you turned it into your own life force as well. The life within you was never consumed."
Although it was merely a vision, Shion felt as though he had truly entered a vein memory. Everything around him was perfectly clear—except the place where they stood.
Shi Yun Lan's words were still inaudible, but they sounded like a question, because the old man answered,
"You ask too many questions. But there is only one answer…"
His eyes became powerful.
"Supreme Level."
He stood up as he declared,
"I am Sero Dem of the Supreme Level—the one and only."
The Sixth Vein Vision activated completely.
Then Shion returned to reality.
...
His hand was gripping Furo Lebent's neck while the latter had already lost consciousness.
Yet despite the bizarre situation around him, that crushing feeling of oppression remained carved into his mind.
He had not fully awakened yet and merely muttered the thoughts in his head,
"I felt...
...an overwhelming terror."
When Solan Neumann and the girls heard his words, anxiety filled their hearts.
But Am Wish's voice dragged them back to reality.
"As expected from trash like that fool."
No one could determine her location.
Solan ignored everything else and hurriedly shouted toward Shion,
"What are you doing?! Stop that technique before you hurt yourself!"
Shion raised his hand slightly, signaling her to calm down, and spoke with a voice mixed together with Shi Yun Lan's,
"I hate that talking corpse."
Am Wish mocked him.
"You really do have a decent sense of humor. But how exactly do you intend to end this?"
Shion looked ahead.
"(Death of the Stars: Death of the Domain)."
Starlight aura burst from his body as darkness once again consumed his appearance.
"You think a mere domain spell can keep me trapped?" he said coldly.
"You insult me, piece of trash."
The Fifth Vein got the power from the Sixth and exploded inside him.
Six stars and seven circles within his domain shone with a sinister, deathly light. Even the girls sensed the danger.
The most shocked among them was Celesia Joul, who no longer dared use her eyes to inspect what was happening.
Solan tried to stop him—
But the tiny point of light still preserved within his eyes halted her.
Shion smiled faintly.
"Take good care of me."
Then he stomped the ground.
All the stars in the area exploded outward.
But they were merely a disguise for what was truly happening.
Shi Yun Lan's power spread throughout the domain.
His deadly voice echoed,
"(Art of Annihilation: Domain Destruction)."
Am Wish's domain shattered instantly.
"Huh?!"
Am Wish didn't expect such a thing.
Shion immediately shouted,
"Violet! Contact your uncle immediately!"
"Your Highness! Spread the news and inform the king about everything happening here!"
The moment he said those words, he felt his strength draining rapidly.
'According to Shi Yun Lan, nothing can kill me…'
He felt heavy as his body got tensed and he found it difficult to breathe.
'But that doesn't mean I myself won't die from using his art.'
Without warning, his balance collapsed.
He fell—
But Solan rushed forward and caught him.
Violet Night immediately spoke,
"We don't have time! Each of us has something to do—but first, we need to announce what happened!"
The Second Princess Jina Joul hurried away alongside Violet.
But Solan stayed behind to care for Shion.
Then she noticed something horrifying.
The injury within his soul was even worse than before.
Her teeth clenched in fury.
"I… will kill her."
To Solan, Shion Lan was someone she had lived beside for fifteen years. He was closer to her than anything else in the world.
And now—
That doll had pushed him into such suffering.
She could no longer control herself.
Her appearance reverted to her original form as Solan Neumann.
"Polter. Bloom."
The swordsman spirit and the mage spirit appeared instantly, bowing before her.
They saw Shion's condition and immediately awaited her orders.
Solan did not disappoint them.
"Kill....that ....DOLL!!"
The two spirits nodded and vanished at once.
Meanwhile—
Inside Kedna Kito's room—
—or rather, Am Wish's room—
the doll stood examining the shattered domain circle.
It had been completely destroyed beyond repair.
"What kind of monstrous power does that boy possess?!"
At most, she had expected him to escape the domain—
Not destroy it entirely.
That realization forced her to reconsider whether obtaining him was even worth the risk.
Unfortunately for her—
It was already too late.
"That boy has discovered my identity. He will tell everyone. The only option left… is escape."
"But you won't be able to."
Polter and Bloom appeared before her, glaring furiously.
"You made our lady's beloved collapse unconscious," Bloom declared coldly.
"And for that… you'll pay with your nonexistent life."
Polter glanced toward Bloom.
"If that's true, then why did you waste time talking?"
The doll's expression twisted in rage.
"You dare ignore my existence?!"
Bolter answered indifferently:
"You're just a doll without a domain. Either one of us could kill you a thousand times over. If our lady wasn't enraged, I would've simply let that witch finish you herself."
The doll's smile distorted grotesquely.
Her form—and even her aura—changed completely.
Everyone sensed it instantly.
Even Violet, who had already fled the mansion, suddenly froze.
"That level… I recognize it."
"The Eighth Level!"
At the same moment, Princess Jina Joul reached the rooftop of the mansion.
She raised her hand and released a signal into the sky.
A brilliant golden light exploded overhead, illuminating the skies of Kito Province.
Nearby provinces saw the signal as well—including the Great Jura Province.
Military forces immediately mobilized toward Kito Province to rescue their princess.
...
Elsewhere—
Asin Night saw the signal too.
At that moment, he was guarding Mel Tri.
"What in the world is happening inside Kito Palace?! Has that doll gone berserk?!"
Mel Tri asked nervously,
"Are you saying everything that happened was caused by that doll made from a corpse's remains?!"
Asin nodded grimly.
"Yes. When creations left behind by ancestors run loose, the consequences are catastrophic."
"But that one is the worst of them all. It can alter its appearance freely."
"Because my father and uncle hold important positions, they cannot leave the palace during times like these—not while the succession struggle and the Amoritchi Kingdom threat still exist."
Suddenly—
A familiar presence struck Asin's senses.
"Stay behind me and do not move!"
Violent tremors erupted beneath them.
Asin instantly released both his aura and domain, sensing movement underground.
He grabbed Mel's arm.
A split second later, his body vanished to another location.
The ground where they had stood moments earlier bulged upward into a dome before exploding in dust and debris.
Asin frowned.
"Wasn't Davey helping us deal with that doll? Then why is he attacking us now?!"
A stone puppet emerged from beneath the earth.
Asin recognized it immediately—
It was the same puppet that had knocked him unconscious earlier.
He stared at it calmly.
'Could Davey be trying to send me a message?'
He shook his head.
'And if so… why send such a powerful puppet instead of a fifth-level one… unless…'
A terrifying possibility crossed his mind.
Davey had betrayed them.
The puppet moved as though confirming his suspicions and attacked with a crushing punch aimed directly at his face.
Yet Asin remained perfectly calm.
"You think the title of Star Instructor is meaningless?"
Darkness spread around him instantly.
The puppet attempted to sense him—
But failed.
Within the darkness, Asin spoke calmly
"I am Asin Night.
I was born with an element no one could teach me—not even my father or uncle could understand it."
The darkness thickened further.
"Corroding Darkness."
The stone puppet's body immediately began crumbling and decaying.
But as a puppet, it felt no pain.
It continued attacking.
Asin sighed quietly, almost as if speaking to himself.
"Because my element is fused and inseparable, I cannot use ordinary darkness techniques. Any sword or weapon I touch would corrode."
He raised his shoulders in frustration.
"And I cannot use corruption-element techniques either, because darkness interferes with them."
He raised his hand.
"So I was forced to create a palm technique."
Aura gathered within both his hands.
"(Merciful Death)."
His palm swept across the puppet at blinding speed.
Dark corruption spread wherever he touched.
The puppet took another step—
And the stone where darkness had touched instantly disintegrated.
Without another word, Asin formed an aura blade along the edge of his hand.
"(Final Severance)."
His arm moved with the speed of darkness itself.
Before his strike even fully touched the stone, the puppet's body had already begun collapsing apart.
His hand passed cleanly through it—
Splitting the puppet in half.
The battle ended instantly.
Asin turned toward Mel.
"Follow me. Let's see what's happening in that palace."
The two moved rapidly.
Even without using a movement technique, Asin's speed vastly surpassed Mel's, who was already using his full strength just to keep up.
Midway there—
They encountered Violet running toward them.
Everyone stopped immediately.
"Uncle Asin," Violet said while catching her breath.
"Move first. I'll explain on the way."
As they ran, Violet explained everything that had happened.
Asin's eyes widened.
"The forbidden technique?!
I've heard of it, but I've never seen it before. I actually wanted to witness it."
Violet immediately denied that thought.
"It was horrifying.
Far worse than the last time I saw it."
As she remembered the battle against the Dark Crows.
"The atmosphere became unbearably dark.
He destroyed the domain… and destroyed himself alongside it.
Sol Hart is taking care of him now."
Asin fell silent.
'That girl would never panic without reason…
Yet she's genuinely terrified of what's happening.'
He sharpened his senses and accelerated even further.
...
Meanwhile—
Inside Kedna Kito's room—
Am Wish had transformed once more.
Her appearance was grotesquely distorted now, resembling a twisted fusion of man and woman.
Polter and Bloom could no longer stand against her pressure.
Bloom stared in horror.
"You… you're a guardian spirit of a legacy!"
The doll spoke with the voice of an old man,
"You truly are intelligent.
But unfortunately… your danger level is too high."
The doll pointed at her,
"You must die."
The doll struck the ground and activated a new domain.
"(Corrupted Domain)."
The domain spread instantly.
Polter and Bloom's spirits began decaying at terrifying speed, rapidly losing power.
Polter's eyes widened.
"This domain… I know you!"
He stared directly at the creature.
"The strongest corruption mage…
You are Roto Night!"