The moment the white-haired youth uttered those words—
The world shuddered.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Two enormous crimson moons appeared in the distance, their eerie light piercing through the darkness.
The instant Lady Nova witnessed them, an overwhelming sense of despair washed over her.
She ignored it.
She knew exactly what was happening.
Her emotions were being manipulated by the Abyss.
The white-haired youth teleported several meters away and chuckled.
“You’re worthy of my ascension.”
Lady Nova narrowed her eyes.
Her voice became low.
“Apotheosis…?”
The white-haired youth laughed like a madman.
“Ah, you caught me.”
His smile widened.
“Once I ascend to godhood, I’ll consume these three realms and usher in my divinity.”
He spread his arms.
“And after that…”
His eyes gleamed.
“I’ll continue consuming everything.”
Lady Nova stared at him in surprise.
“A new god hasn’t risen since the war.”
Her expression became increasingly serious.
“You’re nothing more than a demigod.
Divinity is dangerous enough, but godhood is even more harrowing.”
She took a step forward.
“That final step can obliterate your entire existence if performed incorrectly.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Are you really so confident that you can evolve into a god?”
The white-haired youth merely chuckled.
“We’ll just have to see.”
Suddenly—
A crushing pressure descended upon him.
The white-haired youth’s smile disappeared.
He immediately realized what had happened.
His domain authority…
Had been forcefully suppressed.
Lady Nova began walking toward him.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
White and sinister wings erupted from her back.
The white-haired youth’s eyes widened.
His body froze.
Above them, the twin crimson moons began losing their brilliance.
Their light dimmed.
Their once-powerful presence faded.
Lady Nova raised her hand.
Then she channeled her spirit energy into a specific concept within creation.
The result was instantaneous.
A supernova erupted.
An incomprehensible sea of scorching white light swallowed the darkness.
The white-haired youth disappeared beneath the overwhelming radiance.
The Second Realm shattered.
Back in the First Dragon Realm
Reality cracked.
A massive fissure opened within the air.
A white-haired youth and Lady Nova stepped out of it.
The white-haired youth chuckled.
He looked toward her with a mocking expression.
“I definitely felt that one, Miss Nova.”
Lady Nova smiled.
For the first time, she actually looked amused.
“Don’t ever attempt your puny ascension to godhood in front of me again.”
The white-haired youth bowed.
“Gladly.”
He straightened himself.
“I suppose I’ll stop playing around…”
His smile widened.
“…and start pushing my plan forward.”
Far From the War
The boy lay unconscious upon the jagged wasteland.
Slowly—
His eyes opened.
He groaned and pushed himself upright.
“Dammit…”
He breathed heavily.
The corruption within his soul had grown even further.
Yet somehow…
He hadn’t transformed into a mindless beast.
He was still himself.
The boy looked around.
The battlefield was nowhere in sight.
He frowned.
“Where’s Zuko?”
Before he could search any further—
A mysterious force seized him.
His body was violently pulled away.
The boy was launched through the air at impossible speeds.
The world became nothing but a blur.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Then—
A destroyed city appeared beneath him.
Its buildings had been reduced to rubble.
Something terrible had clearly passed through the area.
The boy suddenly descended.
BOOM!
Charred rubble exploded outward as he crashed into the ruined city.
A young man sat casually upon a nearby rock.
Long, messy black hair.
Completely black clothing.
The boy recognized him instantly.
Veroth.
The flesh figure he had fought within the Abyss.
The creature had been wearing human skin.
Veroth smiled.
He slowly stood and began walking toward him.
“I had a feeling that exerting some of my authority would bring you out.”
The boy struggled to stand.
He stared at Veroth.
His eyes widened.
Veroth chuckled.
“Do you have any idea…”
He stopped in front of him.
“…how long I’ve been waiting for this moment?”
The boy barely had time to react.
Violence erupted.
Veroth’s punches were heavier than before.
His kicks were deadlier.
Every attack carried overwhelming force.
BAM!
Two brutal punches struck the boy in the face and chest.
The boy staggered backward several meters.
He coughed and spat out another mouthful of blood.
Then—
A strange force suddenly pressed down upon his entire body.
The pressure was immense.
Yet Veroth seemed completely unaffected.
He threw his head back and released a blood-curdling laugh.
“I can feel it!”
His eyes widened with exhilaration.
“I can feel everything!”
Suddenly—
A gigantic silhouette appeared in the distance.
A vast dragon blinked into existence.
At the same time, countless white strings of light emerged from the void and wrapped around Veroth.
Then—
A pillar of light descended from the sky.
It struck the center of the ruined city.
Everything disappeared beneath the radiance.
The boy lost his sense of direction for a moment.
The blinding light eventually began to part.
The boy fell from the sky.
BOOM!
He crashed into the jagged ground far away from the city.
He slowly raised his head.
His eyes locked onto the enormous dragon lingering in the distance.
The boy immediately recognized it.
A Dragon of Old.
The ancient being appeared to be deliberately restraining its authority.
Then its divine voice echoed throughout the realm.
“Stay out of this, child.”
The dragon’s voice carried unimaginable weight.
“I can reason with it.”
The boy immediately shouted back.
“No, Lord!”
He pushed himself upright.
“You cannot!”
The boy looked around.
Veroth was nowhere to be seen.
Then—
Veroth’s voice echoed throughout the ruined city.
“You can’t stop me!”
His laughter followed.
“No one can!”
Veroth suddenly blinked into existence directly in front of the boy.
His fist came crashing forward.
The boy blocked the attack and staggered backward.
But this time—
He didn’t fall.
He shrugged off the impact.
Then he counterattacked.
The two exchanged another furious barrage of blows.
Every collision produced shockwaves that made the surrounding air groan.
The boy blocked another punch from Veroth.
Then—
He retaliated.
His fist slammed into Veroth’s skull with tyrannical force.
Veroth staggered backward.
Instead of anger, he laughed.
A wild, ecstatic laugh.
“Yes!”
His eyes burned with excitement.
“Yes!
More!”
He spread his arms.
“I feel amazing!”
The battle continued.
Blow after blow.
Kick after kick.
With every exchange, the boy learned more about spirit energy.
Veroth was channeling his spirit energy through madness.
And madness was one of the most dangerous forces in existence.
Spirit energy could be channeled through emotion.
Through intent.
Through desire.
And Veroth’s method was brutally aggressive.
The boy adapted.
He drove a punch into Veroth’s neck.
Then grabbed his face.
BANG!
He smashed Veroth’s skull against his own.
Finally, he seized Veroth and threw him roughly twenty meters away.
The boy immediately began sprinting toward him.
But the Dragon of Old moved.
A gigantic illusory fist descended from above.
BOOM!
It crashed into the ground between the boy and Veroth.
The boy didn’t stop.
He dug his hands beneath the enormous fist.
Spirit energy surged throughout his body.
He pushed.
Every muscle strained.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
But slowly—
The gigantic fist began rising.
The boy roared and poured even more strength into the effort.
With one final heave—
He lifted the massive construct completely from the ground and hurled it several meters away.
Veroth stood.
He looked at the boy.
Then he began laughing again.
“This is amazing!”
His voice echoed throughout the ruined city.
“I’ve never felt so alive!”
Suddenly—
Dragon men blinked into existence all around them.
They appeared one after another, weapons drawn and ready for battle.
The boy looked toward the Dragon of Old.
The ancient dragon continued observing the fight.
A small smirk appeared on the boy’s face.
“Seems to be his doing.”