Volume 2 — Chapter 8: The First Invasion
The sky above the plains had grown strangely quiet.
Forty thousand warriors marched across the vast land, their footsteps shaking the earth in slow rhythmic waves. Banners of different factions moved in the wind—some bearing golden sigils of divine blessing, others marked with dark infernal runes.
What should have been rival factions had gathered together under one goal.
The destruction of the Void.
Armored soldiers marched in formation while magic users floated slightly above the ground, maintaining spells that strengthened the army's morale and endurance.
At the front of the army, several faction leaders stood upon elevated beasts or floating platforms.
One man in radiant armor raised his hand.
"Stay focused!" he shouted. "We are nearing the Void territory!"
Another leader beside him, cloaked in dark flames, scoffed.
"Relax. It's just one ruler. Even if the Void is powerful, no one survives forty thousand fighters."
Murmurs of agreement spread through the army.
Some of them were nervous.
Others were excited.
But most believed this would be a glorious victory.
High above them, several observers floated in the sky.
These figures were not ordinary humans.
They were representatives.
Servants and agents sent by higher powers.
Some carried divine signatures.
Others carried infernal energy.
They watched the approaching army carefully.
One observer spoke calmly.
"Let them test the Void ruler first."
Another replied with quiet amusement.
"Yes… entertainment before the real war begins."
The massive army continued advancing.
But suddenly—
The air changed.
A strange pressure appeared in the sky.
At first it was subtle.
Then it became impossible to ignore.
Soldiers began slowing down.
"Do you feel that?"
"It's getting heavy…"
"Something's wrong."
The pressure grew stronger.
Then someone pointed upward.
"Look!"
Every head turned toward the sky.
A black figure was descending slowly through the clouds.
Wings stretched wide behind him.
Reality itself seemed to bend around those wings.
The army stopped moving entirely.
Silence spread across the plains.
The figure continued descending until he stopped high above the army.
Icarus Grimm hovered in the sky.
His eyes calmly scanned the massive army beneath him.
Forty thousand warriors.
Thousands of weapons.
Hundreds of magic users.
Multiple faction leaders.
And above them—
Observers sent by gods and devils.
Nexus activated.
[Enemy forces detected.]
[Estimated participants: 43,172.]
[Combat probability analysis: insignificant threat.]
Icarus remained silent.
Below him, the faction leaders began reacting.
One of them shouted upward.
"So you're the Void ruler!"
Another raised his weapon.
"You've caused enough chaos in this world!"
Several warriors raised glowing weapons toward the sky.
"Come down and fight!"
Icarus simply looked at them.
The soldiers felt something strange in his gaze.
Not anger.
Not hostility.
Just indifference.
A leader wearing golden armor shouted again.
"Everyone! Prepare to attack!"
Thousands of weapons began glowing.
Magic circles appeared across the battlefield.
Arrows were raised.
Spells gathered.
And then—
They attacked.
Thousands of arrows shot into the sky.
Dozens of large-scale spells erupted upward.
Flames.
Lightning.
Explosions.
A storm of attacks raced toward Icarus.
For a moment the sky was completely filled with destructive power.
Then—
Reality moved.
Icarus's wings unfolded wider.
The moment the attacks approached him, the wings reacted on their own.
Reality warped around them.
Arrows disintegrated before touching him.
Flames twisted away into nothingness.
Lightning curved around him like water flowing around stone.
The sky cleared again.
Not a single attack had reached him.
The army froze.
"What…?"
"That's impossible…"
Even the observers in the sky narrowed their eyes.
One infernal observer muttered quietly.
"Interesting."
Icarus finally moved.
He raised one hand.
Void energy gathered instantly.
A long spear formed in his palm.
But this was not a normal weapon.
It looked like a piece of darkness condensed into shape.
He threw it.
The spear vanished.
Then it reappeared in the middle of the army.
The explosion that followed was silent.
A massive sphere of Void energy expanded outward.
Thousands of soldiers disappeared instantly.
No screams.
No resistance.
Just erased existence.
The army staggered backward in shock.
"What… what was that?!"
"He wiped them out in one attack!"
Panic began spreading through the ranks.
But the faction leaders shouted again.
"Don't panic!"
"Attack again!"
"Overwhelm him!"
Thousands of spells erupted once more.
But this time—
Icarus descended.
He moved through the sky like a falling shadow.
His wings cut through the air as he entered the battlefield.
Reality warped around him as he landed.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
Soldiers closest to him stepped back instinctively.
One warrior charged forward with a glowing sword.
"For the Heavens!"
The sword never reached him.
Before it could touch Icarus—
The wings moved.
One wing shifted slightly.
The warrior's body was sliced apart instantly.
Another group attacked from behind.
Infernal fire erupted toward him.
Again—
The wings reacted.
The flames were torn apart.
The attackers collapsed before they even understood what had happened.
Chaos spread through the battlefield.
Icarus walked forward slowly.
Every step erased dozens of enemies.
Void weapons formed around him constantly.
Blades.
Spears.
Fragments of darkness.
Each weapon shot through the battlefield with perfect accuracy.
Entire formations collapsed instantly.
Magic users tried to cast large spells.
But Nexus analyzed their spells before they completed.
Void energy disrupted the magic circles mid-cast.
Explosions backfired.
Hundreds more died.
The army that had arrived confidently now descended into terror.
"This isn't a battle!"
"It's a massacre!"
"Run!"
But running was impossible.
Icarus had already reached the center of the army.
Above the battlefield, the observers watched silently.
One divine representative spoke quietly.
"The system cannot analyze him."
Another responded.
"That means he exists outside the Creator's system."
The infernal observer smiled.
"Now that is interesting."
Below them, the battlefield continued collapsing.
Thousands of warriors fell within minutes.
Entire faction leaders were erased instantly.
The once proud army had become nothing but scattered survivors trying to escape.
High on the mountain far away—
Seraphine watched the battle from the castle platform.
She stretched lazily while observing the distant flashes of destruction.
"Hmm…"
She smiled softly.
"I expected it to be quick."
She leaned forward slightly.
"But not this quick."
Far away on the battlefield—
Icarus stood among thousands of fallen enemies.
The surviving warriors had already begun fleeing in every direction.
The army was gone.
The invasion had lasted only minutes.
Icarus looked up toward the sky.
Toward the observers.
For a brief moment—
Their eyes met.
The observers understood the message clearly.
This was not a ruler they could control.
And the war they were about to start…
Would not be easy.