The halls beyond the black gate were silent.
Not the peaceful kind of silence.
This silence felt ancient.
Heavy.
Like countless beings had walked these corridors before disappearing from existence itself.
Ashura Bellet stepped forward calmly, his footsteps echoing through the dark passage while black light drifted faintly around his body like smoke responding to his presence. The gate behind him vanished the moment he entered, sealing away the Palace of Twelve Shadows and Earth-10 entirely.
Ahead, the corridor stretched endlessly.
The walls were formed from black crystal-like material layered with symbols that shifted every few seconds as if reality itself struggled to define them.
Ashura glanced at the markings once.
"…Different laws."
The deeper he walked, the stranger the atmosphere became.
Even space itself felt distorted here.
Like multiple realities overlapped on one another.
Then—
At the end of the hall—
Light appeared.
Ashura stepped through.
And space unfolded before him.
The stars here were different.
Larger.
Closer.
Some burned gold while others flickered dark blue and crimson. Entire multiverses floated like distant galaxies connected through streams of chaotic energy.
But that wasn't what caught Ashura's attention.
It was the war.
A battlefield stretched across space itself.
Massive fleets of ships fired beams that crossed entire star systems. Explosions erupted in the distance while warriors wearing unfamiliar armor fought creatures larger than planets.
One giant creature swung its arm through a floating world—
—and the world shattered.
Ashura's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Interesting."
Then he felt it.
Something subtle.
Something trying to resist him.
Not attack.
Not suppress.
Resist.
His black light stirred naturally around him.
Ashura slowly folded his palm.
The surrounding space trembled slightly.
"…Hmm?"
For the first time in a long while, he felt resistance against his authority.
Not complete resistance.
But enough to make him notice.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"To even try and resist black light..it's getting more fun."
A massive black-and-silver warship drifted nearby, its engines releasing streams of blue energy across space. Symbols unfamiliar even to Ashura were carved into the ship's exterior.
Then—
Three figures appeared before him instantly.
Fast.
Extremely fast.
Each carried overwhelming pressure.
The one on the left was a woman with silver armor and twin blades attached behind her waist. The man in the middle carried a long black sword resting over his shoulder while the third figure wore dark combat gear with glowing markings running along his arms.
All three immediately drew their weapons.
"Who are you?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Are you one of them?"
Their killing intent spread through space without hesitation.
Ashura merely looked at them calmly.
No fear.
No reaction.
Just observation.
Then—
A familiar voice echoed behind them.
"Stand down."
The three figures froze instantly.
Space distorted slightly behind them before a man stepped forward casually with his hands inside his pockets.
Short white hair.
Blue eyes.
Black pullover.
Black pants.
Slim athletic build.
Veldoza.
The Bearer of Chaos smiled the moment he saw Ashura.
"Well… you actually came."
The three individuals turned immediately.
"Lord Veldoza, do you know this person?"
Veldoza laughed lightly.
"Know him? This is the man I told the others about."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The three warriors widened their eyes slightly before lowering their weapons.
Then all three bowed respectfully.
"Forgive us, Eternal One."
Ashura waved his hand dismissively.
"It's nothing."
His eyes shifted back toward the battlefield.
"I can see you're in the middle of a war."
Veldoza's expression became more serious.
"Yeah."
He glanced toward the distant battlefield where another explosion swallowed an entire fleet.
"Come on the ship. We'll talk there."
Ashura nodded once.
The group descended toward the massive warship together.
As they approached, Ashura could feel countless eyes observing him from inside.
Strong people.
Very strong people.
Not weak at all.
Yet even among them, Veldoza clearly stood above the rest.
The moment Ashura stepped onto the ship, the atmosphere shifted subtly.
Warriors stopped talking.
Engineers paused their work.
Even commanders standing near holographic maps looked over.
Curiosity filled the air.
Who was important enough for Veldoza himself to personally escort?
Veldoza walked forward casually.
"Ashura, this is Hydra."
The woman stepped forward slightly.
Tall black hair flowed behind her while sharp hazel eyes carefully studied Ashura. She wore a fitted assassin suit with twin daggers resting at her sides.
Unlike the others, she didn't seem intimidated.
Just cautious.
Veldoza gestured toward the swordsman.
"This is Damian."
Damian nodded calmly.
A swordsman.
Simple.
But Ashura could tell instantly—
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Then Veldoza pointed toward the last man.
"And this is Jupiter. One of our strongest warriors of chaos."
Jupiter crossed his arms and grinned.
"You actually feel stronger in person."
Ashura smiled faintly.
"You're not weak either."
That answer alone caused Jupiter's grin to widen.
Veldoza continued walking.
"Come."
The group entered deeper into the ship until they reached a large sealed chamber reinforced with countless layers of energy barriers.
Veldoza placed his palm against the wall.
The room opened instantly.
Inside was a giant viewing chamber overlooking the battlefield.
And the moment Ashura saw it fully—
Even he became slightly interested.
Countless armies filled space.
Millions upon millions of warriors.
Some rode creatures larger than moons.
Others fought using giant constructs made of pure authority.
Entire realities trembled from the scale of the conflict.
And standing in the middle of it all—
Was a monster so massive it dwarfed planets.
It walked through space slowly.
Casually.
Its head was bald and smooth with hollow black eyes stretching vertically across its face. Two massive arms dragged through space while its feet crushed fragments of destroyed worlds beneath them.
Ashura stared at it quietly.
"…So what's the origin of the enemy?"
Veldoza looked at the creature with narrowed eyes.
"It's known as the Oki."
"Their race existed before the concept of the multiverse itself."
Ashura remained silent while listening.
Veldoza continued.
"They were once peaceful."
"But recently… something changed."
"They destroy everything they see now."
Hydra folded her arms.
"They don't negotiate."
"They don't stop."
"They don't fear death."
Damian rested his hand on his sword.
"And the worst part?"
"There isn't just one."
As if responding to his words—
Space trembled.
Far in the distance—
Another giant silhouette appeared.
Then another.
Ashura's crimson eyes reflected the battlefield.
Veldoza exhaled slowly.
"They come from Endless Loop."
"A place outside this multiverse."
"One invaded first."
"Then more followed."
"They began feeding on realities."
"Entire multiverses disappeared."
Jupiter clenched his fist.
"So the Oldest formed an alliance."
"We built armies."
"We fight back."
Ashura remained quiet for a few moments before asking:
"So what's their main ability?"
The atmosphere in the room became heavier.
Veldoza answered slowly.
"Absolute erasure beams."
"They can erase multiple universes instantly."
"They possess absurd endurance."
"Most attacks don't even damage them."
Hydra narrowed her eyes.
"Only authority-based attacks can hurt them consistently."
Ashura looked back toward the battlefield again.
Below—
Thousands of warriors charged one of the Oki while giant beams tore through fleets and realities alike.
Despite the destruction—
The giant creature barely reacted.
Then—
Ashura smiled faintly.
"Authority huh…"
Veldoza looked at him.
And for some reason—
He suddenly felt bad for the enemy.
Ashura vanished.
No warning.
No energy surge.
Nothing.
One moment he stood beside them—
The next—
He appeared above the battlefield.
Every warrior froze.
Even the Oki paused.
The battlefield itself seemed to stop breathing.
Far above the war—
Ashura floated silently in space.
Black light drifted around him naturally.
Then—
Kuroha manifested into his hand.
The black blade appeared with a low hum that spread across the battlefield like the arrival of something ancient.
And for the first time since the war began—
The Oki stepped backward.