in the defiled cathedral within the Dead District, the descending darkness heralded the beginning of a battle for the soul.
Ravenna Cruor stood at the library's threshold, her calm smile as sharp as the obsidian dagger in her grip. "Are you not joyful?" she whispered, her words hanging in the frigid air.
Nihil did not respond. His crimson eyes scanned the room, counting the guards, gauging the distance to the door, processing thousands of variables in a split second. Heze's mind had fully taken over, pushing emotions like fear or surprise to the background. Panic was a luxury he could not afford.
He stared directly at Ravenna, his silence becoming a weapon. He decided to attack, not with force, but with logic—striking straight at the heart of their fanaticism.
"If this ritual is the will of the Void," Nihil said, his voice flat and toneless, breaking the silence. "Why do you need to explain it to me? Shouldn't the 'Avatar' already understand his own destiny?"
The question was not for Ravenna—he knew the woman's mind was closed. It was for the two armed acolytes guarding the door. Nihil saw a flicker of doubt in their eyes, a small crack in the wall of their blind faith.
Ravenna laughed, a melodious yet empty sound. "A final test! Of course! You test our faith until the very end, my Lord. To ensure we are truly worthy!" She was unshaken. "Our honor is not to inform you, but to guide, to whisper the path you have already chosen, so that we may share in your glory."
She raised her obsidian dagger. "The time has come. Acolytes, prepare the Sacrificial Altar in the main hall! The Avatar has given his blessing!"
The command was the signal. Time for talk was over.
As the guards were momentarily distracted by the order, Nihil moved. His target was not Ravenna. His target was the environment. He extended his hand to the side, toward the largest and oldest bookshelf in the library.
[Void Grasp activated. Target: Support beam of ancient wooden bookshelf.]
[Capacity: 25/25 -> 22/25]
The support beam, standing for centuries, vanished into nothingness. With a deafening screech, the massive bookshelf filled with heavy scrolls began to tilt, then collapsed with terrifying momentum, heading straight for the exit.
"Stop him!" Ravenna shouted, her composure finally shattered by rage at the desecration of her sacred property.
One of the acolytes who had wavered earlier snapped out of his daze and attempted to cast a containment spell. But Nihil had anticipated this. His gaze locked onto the man.
[Suppressive Gaze activated.]
[Capacity: 22/25 -> 21/25]
The acolyte gasped, clutching his head as his mana flow was disrupted. The spell in his hands dissolved. That moment was enough. The massive bookshelf crashed to the floor with a deafening BRAKKK! Sending a cloud of dust and ancient parchment fragments into the air. One acolyte guard didn't have time to dodge. He let out a brief scream before his body was crushed under the weight of knowledge. The exit was now blocked by rubble.
Nihil did not stop. He turned toward the large stained glass window on the other side of the library. He needed another way out.
The remaining acolytes, now recovered from their shock, began attacking in unison. Shadow bolts and bone spears flew toward him. Nihil activated the skill that had become his staple.
[Paradox Mirror activated.]
[Absorbing Medium-Level Shadow Energy.]
[Capacity: 21/25 -> 18/25]
A thick shadow bolt vanished into his palm. Without hesitation, he released it.
[Releasing Shadow Energy.]
The bolt flew and struck another acolyte who was casting a fire spell, piercing his shoulder. The acolyte screamed in pain, and the fireball in his hand exploded uncontrollably, burning his companion who stood beside him. Screams of agony now filled the once-quiet library.
Amid the chaos, only Ravenna remained a real threat. The woman moved with unnatural speed, her obsidian dagger now coated in a pulsating aura of darkness. She chanted no spells. She was an assassin.
"You profane this sacred place, ungrateful vessel!" she hissed, lunging forward.
Nihil knew he couldn't engage Ravenna in close combat. He leaped onto a table, then onto a stack of books, heading for the window. As he was about to jump out, Ravenna's dagger sliced through the air, grazing his calf.
The pain was sharp, but that was not the danger. The dark aura from the dagger began to creep into his wound, trying to corrupt his cells from within. However, the Void power within Nihil instinctively reacted. The dark aura shrieked upon contact with pure nothingness and vanished. Nihil's power was the best antidote for dark magic.
He successfully leaped out of the window, landing in the outer corridor. He was not free. He had merely escaped the first cage, now finding himself within a larger labyrinth—the cathedral itself.
Behind him, Ravenna stood in the shattered window frame, her beautiful face twisted by fanatical rage. "Sound the alarm! Seal all exits! The Avatar is playing hide and seek! Let us show him there is no hiding from his destiny!"
Nihil ran down the cold stone corridor, the sound of magical alarms and footsteps echoing behind him. The battle had just begun, and his energy was already drained.
The cathedral had become a war zone. The Cult of Nullity's acolytes moved with trained efficiency, sealing every exit. They were no longer kneeling worshippers; they were soldiers of a deadly belief.
Nihil was now in the main hall, where the ritual had nearly taken place. He was surrounded. Dozens of acolytes blocked every door, while others stood on upper balconies, armed with bows and spells. Amid it all, Ravenna Cruor slowly descended the main staircase, her obsidian dagger dripping with darkness.
"Your game is over, Avatar," Ravenna's calm voice echoed through the vast hall. "Accept our final offering. Embrace your glory."
Nihil had no time to respond. The attack began.
A hail of cursed arrows shot down from above. Binding spells crept across the floor like shadow snakes. Nihil moved, his mind working faster than ever. He used the massive marble pillars as shields.
He extended his hand toward a large pillar near the archers.
[Void Grasp activated. Target: Base of marble pillar.]
[Capacity: 18/25 -> 14/25]
The massive pillar lost its foundation and began to topple with a terrible roar. The archers on the balcony screamed as the pillar crashed into their position, destroying part of the balcony and sending them plummeting to the floor below. Three lives vanished in an instant.
But the attack created an opening. Nihil dashed forward, heading for the altar in the center. He needed space.
"Fool!" Ravenna shouted. "Do not let him reach the Resonance Altar!"
Several acolyte knights with large shields barred his path. They used no magic, only steel and strength. Nihil knew physical combat was his weakness. But he had the Paradox Mirror.
A mage behind the knights fired a purple energy spear. Nihil, while running, caught it in his palm.
[Absorbing High-Level Curse Energy.]
[Capacity: 14/25 -> 10/25]
He did not reflect it back at the mage. Instead, he directed it at the floor in front of the shield-bearing knights.
[Releasing Curse Energy.]
The purple explosion struck the floor, creating a field of corruption that made the knights stagger, their armor beginning to rust rapidly. Nihil used the moment to pass them.
He now stood before the altar, but he was completely surrounded. His energy was draining rapidly. Every spell, every movement, every decision drained his reserves. Ravenna was now directly in front of him, her eyes blazing.
"Enough," hissed Ravenna. She raised her hand, and all the shadows within the cathedral seemed to come alive, crawling and gathering into her hand, forming a pulsating sphere of darkness far more concentrated and dangerous than anything Nihil had ever faced.
Nihil knew he couldn't absorb the attack. It was too powerful. He also couldn't dodge. He was trapped.
There was only one option left. A last-ditch gamble that was extremely dangerous. He wouldn't attack Ravenna. He would attack reality itself.
He looked up at the massive stained glass window on the cathedral ceiling depicting the forgotten deity. Ignoring Ravenna and the acolytes, he focused the last remnants of his strength on that single target.
[Using Atomic Manipulation. Target: Entire Cathedral Window Structure.]
[WARNING! THIS ACTION REQUIRES A MINIMUM OF 15 CAPACITY POINTS. CURRENT CAPACITY: 10 POINTS.]
[FORCING THE PROCESS WILL DRAIN ALL ENERGY AND CAUSE SYSTEM FAILURE!]
Heze's mind shouted no. But Nihil's survival instinct said yes.
"Do it," he whispered.
[Capacity: 10/25 -> 0/25]
All remaining energy within him was sucked away in an instant. It felt as if his soul was being torn out. Darkness engulfed his vision.
But above, something happened. The massive stained glass window did not explode. Instead, every glass molecule within it began to vibrate at an impossible frequency. The glass turned into fine dust within a fraction of a second, creating a shower of glittering particles that blinded everyone in the hall.
A massive hole now gaped in the roof, revealing the pale night sky. It was his exit.
With his last flicker of consciousness, Nihil tried to leap. But his body refused. His legs buckled. He fell to his knees, then collapsed onto the cold stone floor. Everything went black.
Ravenna, whose attack was disrupted by the glass storm, saw Nihil lying helpless. Victory was within her grasp. She lunged forward, her obsidian dagger raised high, ready to deliver the final blow and complete her ritual.
"Return to the Silence, my Lord!" she cried in triumph.
As the tip of the dagger was mere centimeters from Nihil's motionless chest, a final, cold notification appeared in the darkness of his mind.
[CAPACITY REACHES ABSOLUTE ZERO. EMERGENCY PROTOCOL: LAST RESORT SELF-DEFENSE ACTIVATED.]
[INITIATING... VOID SHIFT.]
Just before the dagger struck, Nihil's body ceased to be matter. He dissolved into swirling particles of shadow and nothingness, then vanished without a sound.
Ravenna's dagger struck the stone floor with a clang, creating sparks. She stared emptily at the spot where Nihil's body had been. Silence.
The acolytes looked on in terror and confusion. But Ravenna Cruor slowly rose. Her face showed no disappointment or anger. Instead, a horrifying, understanding smile spread across her lips.
"He did not flee," she whispered to herself, gazing at the night sky through the hole in the roof. "He... has ascended. He has accepted our sacrifice and begun the cleansing."
For Ravenna, this was not a failure. It was the holiest confirmation of her madness. She now had a new mission: to prepare the world for the return of her "risen" deity. And she would begin by hunting down everyone who had ever come into contact with the Avatar.