The creature bowed.
Silence consumed Velkar.
The gigantic shadow beast lowered its head before Kael.
Not because it was defeated.
Not because it was controlled.
Because it recognized him.
The citizens watched in disbelief.
The soldiers forgot to breathe.
Even the Throne Holders stood frozen.
Draven slowly whispered,
“It knows him…”
Selene’s ancient book suddenly flipped open by itself.
Its blank pages filled with golden words.
Her eyes widened.
“The Chronicle…”
She whispered.
“…has begun rewriting history.”
Kael stared at the monster.
“I don’t know you.”
The creature slowly raised its head.
Its voice echoed directly inside his mind.
Not loud.
Not threatening.
Respectful.
“We have waited…”
Kael frowned.
“Waited for what?”
The creature answered.
“Our King.”
Those words struck him harder than any weapon.
“No.”
Kael shook his head.
“You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
The monster remained silent.
Then—
It slowly reached toward its own chest.
With one claw…
It tore out a crystal the size of a human heart.
The crystal floated toward Kael.
Dark.
Transparent.
Alive.
The moment Kael touched it—
A memory exploded inside his mind.
A world covered in stars.
Not planets.
Not galaxies.
Stars.
Billions of them.
Each one connected by black chains.
At the center stood a man wearing a black crown.
His face remained hidden.
Thousands of creatures knelt before him.
The exact same creatures now attacking the world.
One by one…
They called him…
“Your Majesty.”
Then—
The crowned man slowly removed his crown.
And placed it upon…
A small child.
The vision ended.
Kael staggered backward.
His breathing became uneven.
The crystal dissolved into black light.
The mark on his arm expanded.
Dark lines spread across his shoulder.
Like ancient runes awakening.
The First Prisoner immediately grabbed Kael.
“What did you see?”
Kael looked at him.
He hesitated.
“I think…”
“I’ve seen that crown before.”
The old man’s face turned pale.
“No.”
Draven frowned.
“What?”
The First Prisoner slowly whispered,
“The Black Crown remembers.”
Suddenly—
BOOM!!
A second Void creature crashed outside the city.
Then another.
Then another.
The mountains shook.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
The sky turned black.
Every meteor contained another creature.
The Trial had truly begun.
Draven smiled.
Finally.
A real battle.
Golden flames exploded around him.
The War Throne awakened completely.
His massive sword doubled in size.
Every step he took ignited the battlefield.
“Kael!”
He shouted.
“Stop thinking!”
“Fight!”
Without waiting—
He charged.
One slash.
Three Void creatures disappeared instantly.
Their bodies exploded into black ash.
The earth cracked for kilometers.
Kael watched in awe.
This…
Was the strength of someone who had mastered a Throne.
Selene raised one finger.
The floating book behind her opened.
Every page became a glowing magic circle.
She spoke only one word.
“Erase.”
The names of fifty Void creatures disappeared from the pages.
At that exact moment—
Those fifty monsters vanished from reality.
As if they had never existed.
Kael couldn’t believe it.
She hadn’t killed them.
She had erased them.
Orion finally moved.
Golden clocks surrounded the battlefield.
He calmly walked between frozen monsters.
Each time he touched one—
Time accelerated by thousands of years.
The creatures aged instantly.
Their bodies crumbled into dust.
“Time defeats everything.”
He smiled.
“Eventually.”
Astra never attacked directly.
Instead—
Silver threads stretched from her fingertips.
Invisible strings connected every Throne Holder.
Every monster.
Even Kael.
She quietly whispered,
“Fate…”
“…bind them.”
Instantly—
Their attacks began missing.
As if destiny itself had turned against them.
Kael looked around.
Every Throne Holder possessed terrifying abilities.
And yet…
None of them looked hopeful.
None believed they could win.
Why?
The answer came seconds later.
The first creature that Draven had killed…
Moved.
Its body slowly reassembled.
Bones.
Armor.
Shadows.
Everything regenerated.
Selene’s expression darkened.
“They’re immortal.”
Silence.
Even Orion stopped smiling.
The battlefield froze.
If they couldn’t die…
How could they win?
The First Prisoner slowly looked toward Kael.
“There is only one way.”
Kael turned.
“What?”
The old man pointed toward the Black Crown mark spreading across Kael’s arm.
“Only the King…”
“…can command the Void.”
At that exact moment—
The largest creature in the sky descended.
It was larger than Velkar itself.
Six black wings.
A crown of crystal horns.
Silver eyes filled with endless sorrow.
Unlike the others…
It carried a sword.
An enormous black blade.
The creature landed outside the city.
Then—
To everyone’s shock—
It removed its sword.
Knelt.
And placed the weapon before Kael.
Not in surrender.
In loyalty.
The battlefield became silent.
Every Void creature immediately followed.
Thousands of monsters…
Knelt together.
The sight was both beautiful and terrifying.
The citizens of Velkar looked at Kael in horror.
The soldiers slowly lowered their weapons.
One whisper spread through the crowd.
Then another.
Soon…
The entire city was saying the same words.
“The King of the Void…”
Kael stood frozen.
He had never wanted a throne.
Never wanted power.
Yet the world had already chosen a title for him.
Far above—
The cracked eye in the heavens opened one last time.
Its voice echoed across creation.
“The Second Trial shall begin when the King chooses… humanity or the Void.”
The eye disappeared.
The sky became clear.
But Kael knew…
His real nightmare had only just begun.
End of Chapter 18