The endless white void remained perfectly silent.
No wind.
No motion.
No flow of time.
It was a realm where existence itself stood still.
Yet despite that stillness, the pressure surrounding Holy Astoria continued growing heavier with every passing moment.
The visions floating around the group slowly faded away.
Destroyed universes.
Fallen gods.
Burning timelines.
Everything vanished back into the infinite white abyss.
Chaos Tenno narrowed his eyes.
Chaos Tenno:
(Serious)
"What exactly is awakening?"
Holy Astoria remained silent for a brief moment.
Even his expression darkened slightly.
Holy Astoria:
(Calmly)
"Something ancient."
"Something that predates even this cosmology."
Those words alone caused everyone to tense up.
Gray Magpie stopped smirking.
Zarvoth's gaze sharpened.
Even Luna looked unsettled now.
Luna:
(Quietly)
"Something older than creation itself…?"
Holy Astoria nodded.
Holy Astoria:
"There are beings that existed before reality gained structure."
"Before dimensions."
"Before causality."
"Before the laws that define existence."
His golden eyes slowly glowed brighter.
"And one of them has begun moving again."
Suddenly—
BOOOOOOOMMMMM—
The white void shook violently.
Cracks of black energy spread across Heaven itself.
Everyone immediately turned toward the disturbance.
Rowena's eyes widened.
Rowena:
(Shocked)
"Heaven is cracking?!"
Holy Astoria frowned.
For the first time since meeting him—
He looked genuinely concerned.
Holy Astoria:
"…They're already here."
Then the cracks exploded open.
CRAAAAASSSHHHH—
Massive waves of distorted energy flooded into Heaven itself.
The entire realm trembled violently.
And from the darkness beyond the cracks—
Figures began emerging.
One by one.
The first was a tall man wearing a long black coat lined with silver markings. Sharp crimson eyes scanned the area calmly while a dragon-shaped aura twisted behind him.
Finn Zhao:
(Smirks)
"Took long enough."
Beside him appeared a woman with long platinum-blonde hair flowing down elegant royal armor decorated with ancient runes. Her presence radiated overwhelming nobility and power.
Isodle Viktoria Von Aethelgard:
(Calmly)
"So this is Heaven."
"Interesting."
A third figure stepped forward lazily with his hands in his pockets.
Golden energy sparks danced around him constantly.
Leon Felix:
(Amused)
"I expected something more dramatic honestly."
A girl with glowing violet eyes emerged behind him quietly. Cosmic flowers of light bloomed beneath her footsteps despite there being no ground.
Eiridis Luvie:
(Softly)
"The balance here feels unstable…"
Then came a massive armored being whose body looked fused with celestial machinery and cosmic flames.
Hydra Nova.
Every step from him caused Heaven itself to vibrate.
Hydra Nova:
(Deep Voice)
"So the Creator truly summoned everyone."
Another figure appeared floating above the others.
Dark tendrils twisted around his body like living shadows.
His glowing green eyes stared directly at Holy Astoria.
Vorthax:
(Coldly)
"I knew this silence wouldn't last forever."
Then—
A burst of overwhelming force erupted across Heaven.
BOOOOOOOMMMMM—
A muscular man landed heavily in front of everyone with enough pressure to distort the surrounding void.
Maximum.
He cracked his neck casually.
Maximum:
(Grins)
"So who's the problem we're fighting?"
Paxton walked out shortly after adjusting his glasses calmly while observing the realm analytically.
Paxton:
(Calmly)
"The structure of this place is fascinating."
"Space-time genuinely does not function here."
Finally—
A wave of crimson flames exploded from the crack itself.
FWOOOOSSSHHHH—
A young man stepped through the fire smiling confidently.
Natsu.
Natsu:
(Excited)
"Now THIS looks awesome!"
Gray Magpie blinked slowly.
Gray Magpie:
"…Why is there always one loud guy in every cosmic gathering?"
Natsu pointed at him immediately.
Natsu:
"Because quiet people are boring."
Gray Magpie:
"…Fair enough."
Chaos Tenno observed the newcomers silently.
Most of them radiated absurd levels of power.
Not ordinary divine power.
Not multiversal power.
Something higher.
Something capable of affecting the very framework of existence itself.
Holy Astoria looked at all of them carefully.
Holy Astoria:
(Calmly)
"You all felt it, didn't you?"
The atmosphere became heavier.
Finn Zhao's smirk disappeared.
Finn Zhao:
(Serious)
"Yeah."
"That thing waking up."
Hydra Nova crossed his arms.
Hydra Nova:
"It has already begun consuming outer realities."
Paxton adjusted his glasses again.
Paxton:
"And based on my calculations…"
"If left unchecked, every cosmological layer will eventually collapse."
Rowena looked horrified.
Rowena:
"Every layer…?"
Eiridis lowered her gaze sadly.
Eiridis Luvie:
(Quietly)
"Entire existences are disappearing."
"Like they never existed at all."
Luna clenched her fists.
Luna:
"So what's causing this?"
Holy Astoria slowly turned around.
Then with one movement—
He raised his hand.
The white void suddenly transformed again.
A massive black sphere appeared before everyone.
No—
Not a sphere.
A hole.
An absence.
A place where existence simply stopped.
The moment everyone looked at it—
Their instincts screamed in terror.
Even Chaos Tenno narrowed his eyes immediately.
Holy Astoria:
(Serious)
"That…"
"…is The Hollow Beyond."
The sphere pulsed once.
BOOM.
And instantly—
Several nearby realities shown within the vision vanished completely.
Erased.
Without destruction.
Without explosion.
Without remnants.
Simply gone.
Zarvoth's expression darkened.
Zarvoth:
"…Impossible."
Holy Astoria lowered his hand.
Holy Astoria:
"It is not destruction."
"It is absolute erasure."
Natsu stopped smiling.
Maximum's grin faded.
Even Vorthax looked disturbed now.
Holy Astoria slowly looked toward Chaos Tenno.
Holy Astoria:
"And unfortunately…"
"It has begun searching for you specifically."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Chaos energy flickered violently around Chaos Tenno.
Chaos Tenno:
(Calmly)
"…Why me?"
Holy Astoria stared directly into his eyes.
Holy Astoria:
(Barely Above A Whisper)
"Because you are not supposed to exist."