Chapter 167 – "The Parents Return (and the Reluctant Gothic Punk)"
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The Realm of the Architects – A Cosmic Family Reunion
Aeternus reappeared in his realm, one of the oldest and most feared pillars of all Creation.
Immense white structures, infinite energy lines, echoes of fundamental laws rewriting themselves in loops.
Basically: the kind of place where even concepts arrive early just to avoid being scolded.
And of course, the others were already waiting.
— Aedrys, Architect of Stories, seated on a massive living book that turned its own pages.
— Kaeron, Architect of Balance, aligning spheres of energy to "harmonize the vibe."
— Erwin, Architect of Realities, holding a cosmic coffee pot.
— Erik, Architect of the End, dramatically posing in a corner (his passion).
They all turned to Aeternus.
Aedrys, with the tone of a son who's seen his father mess things up again:
— "Dad… why do you always intervene? Seriously. It wasn't even necessary."
Kaeron, arms crossed:
— "Besides, Orvyn was there. You know perfectly well he would've stopped his son if things got out of hand."
Erwin took a sip of his drink:
— "You could've let us handle it! You could've just said, 'Erwin, go manage it.' That's LITERALLY my job."
Erik, dramatic:
— "Father, Erwin is right. Why should someone like you even move? I could've handled it. Me. The Architect of the End."
He made a theatrical gesture. A cosmic fracture appeared in the scenery.
Aeternus closed it with a snap of his fingers.
Then said, totally relaxed:
— "I just wanted to scold the kid… and flex a little aura."
Silence.
Aedrys, flipping through his massive book:
— "You'll never change, Dad."
Kaeron nodded:
— "Never."
Erwin:
— "Never ever."
Erik:
— "Absolutely never."
Aeternus:
— "…You're exaggerating."
All four architects in unison:
— "No."
---
The Palace of Nothingness – The Judging Committee
Death reappeared in the Palace of Nothingness.
Vael looked up at her, big smile:
— "You're back."
Death shrugged:
— "Yep, here I am."
Nyxa, arms crossed in full "disappointed mom" mode:
— "You took your time. What were you doing with Elyon? He's not chaotic anymore, you know. He's changed."
Death raised her hands:
— "I know! But he summoned me! What was I supposed to do? Say no? It's Elyon! And besides, I didn't even do anything, really."
Valt, very serious:
— "She's telling the truth. She did absolutely nothing. For once."
Vael smiled.
A smile that said: "I've seen worse, I'm not making a fuss."
— "You're free. Do what you want.
Besides, I saw old Aeternus over there… he just wanted to farm aura, that cosmic boomer."
Death burst out laughing.
Nyxa too.
Valt as well.
Even the shadow behind Vael laughed.
No one knew who it was.
---
Back on Earth – The Arena That's Seen Too Much
Orvyn became Liora again with a single breath.
She dusted off her kimono-turned-hoodie and sighed:
— "Alright, my son, time for us to head back to HQ."
Elyon, packing his wounded ego into a small mental box, nodded.
But Lya stepped in:
— "Wait. I need to deal with the Duplicator. I need his power."
The Duplicator, still on the ground, bleeding like a badly tuned fountain:
— "What do you mean? My power is USELESS."
Lya raised an eyebrow:
— "Your power is useless because YOU are useless.
If you let me eat you, I'll build you a special body. I'll fix your essence. I'll buff you. Promise."
The Duplicator, coughing:
— "If it hadn't been for Némésys, I'd still be handsome and alive…"
Nova, nose in a book:
— "You don't have a choice. Do what she says."
The Duplicator:
— "…Fine."
Lya touched him.
And *slluurp.*
Absorbed.
---
Inside Lya – A Place No Doctor Recommends
The Duplicator opened his eyes in an infinite black space.
— "I hope she didn't lie…"
Dozens of eyes opened around him.
They analyzed everything:
— his soul,
— his essence,
— his search history,
— even his forgotten lies.
A multiform voice echoed:
— "Normally I'd have digested you. But I promised."
The Duplicator sweated from the nothingness.
Lya copied his powers.
Then… broke him down like cosmic LEGO.
Respectfully.
But still.
---
Outside – The New Body
Lya summoned a new body:
A condensed shadow silhouette, compact, stylish.
She placed the Duplicator's enhanced essence inside.
The clone opened his eyes:
Short black hair.
Black eyes.
Chains hoodie.
A look that screamed "cool-goth-200%-stylish-but-not-on-purpose."
He looked at himself.
Then screamed:
— "UGH! WHAT IS THIS GOTHIC PUNK LOOK?!"
Lya replied with the calm of an active volcano:
— "If you don't like it, that's YOUR problem."
Beatrice observed:
— "Lya's changed… Looks like Ryn's been a very positive influence."
Arthur added:
— "Yeah. She used to be cold and ruthless.
Now she's just… nice."
Lya:
— "I can hear you, you know."
The Duplicator:
— "And I'm goth against my will!!"
Nova turned a page:
— "That's called personal growth."
Valor, very serious:
— "It suits you."
The Duplicator:
— "ARE YOU MOCKING ME?!"
Valor:
— "…Yes."
---
Liora sighed.
Elyon sighed.
The Duplicator sighed.
Lya did not sigh (she never wastes air unnecessarily).
The sky cracked a little for no reason.
The narrator considered taking a coffee break.
And Creation mentally whispered:
> "Tomorrow… will be worse."
Chapter 169 – Blackstar and the Stellar Lies
The hunters finally stepped out of the HQ arena.
At the front, Liora walked calmly, chatting with her son Elyon as if nothing had happened just minutes earlier.
Behind them, it was… organized chaos.
Valen discussed strategy with Zarion.
Naël complained about being hungry.
Arthur tried to figure out why Nova could read while walking without ever bumping into a wall.
Beatrice scolded Drake for some unknown reason.
Lya observed the new Gothic Duplicator, who was still grumbling.
Valor and Ryn gave Annabelle and Marie an impromptu lesson on "how to survive in this group."
In short: the noise behind Liora was louder than the arena itself, which was still reconstructing.
---
### Lysandra's Side – Northern Pantheon
Meanwhile, Lysandra, leader of the Northern Pantheon guild, was finally finishing the countless problems left behind by her forced absence.
She sighed, arms crossed:
— "Because of Elyon, there was damage everywhere… even the Sanctuary took a hit. Luckily, everything's fixed now."
The Northern Pantheon, one of the four global guilds, counted among its ranks some of the most dangerous hunters in the world.
Which didn't help much when they themselves cracked under pressure.
Lysandra closed her hand. A faint cosmic vibration rippled through the air.
— "After all that time under Elyon's influence… I gained phenomenal power."
At that precise moment, a shadow slid behind her.
A click echoed:
a cold barrel pressed against her temple.
A deep, steady voice, clearly ready to fire:
— "Are you really Lysandra? You were supposed to be dead. And your aura… it's nothing like the one I know."
Lysandra slowly raised her hands, exasperated:
— "Yes, it's really me. You can check."
Silence.
Then the figure stepped back slightly.
— "…You're not lying."
He holstered his weapons.
The light revealed Kaelo "Blackstar" Rynn, the Astral-Resonant hunter.
A nickname even monsters pronounced carefully, out of respect.
He carried two pistols at his waist:
**Orion** and **Vesper**, his twin weapons.
Not ordinary weapons.
Orion fired fractured resonance projectiles, compressed waves capable of destabilizing anything.
Vesper fired condensed stellar fragments, mini star-shards that pierced matter and energy alike.
With his locks tied back, dark skin, and astral coat that floated independently of gravity…
he was exactly the kind of guy people said:
"If you provoke him, you did it on purpose."
Blackstar sighed, shaking his head:
— "So all this happened while I was gone…"
Lysandra:
— "Yes. Some guild members were tied to the Cult of Chaos. They wanted to summon Elyon. They used me as a vessel…"
She raised a finger.
— "…And before you ask: yes, I was alive. Technically."
Blackstar crossed his arms:
— "I was told you were 'dead' and that your assistant betrayed the guild before being eliminated. Seriously, I leave for two weeks and it's civil war."
Lysandra:
— "You know the guild. Without you, they panic as soon as a lamp flickers."
Blackstar rolled his eyes.
— "They knew perfectly well that if I'd been here, I'd have seen through their lies. With my Astral Sight, I can perceive vital frequencies, stellar threads, detect flaws, sense intentions…"
Lysandra smiled:
— "That's why you believed me right away."
Blackstar:
— "Exactly."
She added with a sigh:
— "And besides, if you'd been here, your mere gaze would've dissuaded them. I mean… you're scary."
Blackstar blinked, surprised.
— "Me? Scary?"
Lysandra:
— "You shoot star-shards with a bored expression, Kaelo. Yes, you're scary."
He shrugged, mock-modest:
— "I'm a simple guy. I see a threat, I shoot. I see danger, I shoot. I see someone lying—"
— "—You shoot?"
— "I aim first."
They burst out laughing.
Then Blackstar added, more serious:
— "Alright. Where's Liora? I've got a couple of questions, and a report to update. And… I'd like someone to explain why the Pantheon HQ now has a hole shaped like a human silhouette."
Lysandra raised her hands:
— "It's Elyon. It's always Elyon. We don't even ask anymore."
Blackstar sighed deeply.
— "…I was gone two weeks."
— "Well, welcome home."
He looked at the destroyed building, the cracked walls, the still unstable atmosphere.
Then said, hand on his face:
— "…I'm never taking vacation again. Ever."
The sky vibrated softly above them.
As if to say:
"Good luck, Blackstar."
He was going to need it.
Chapter 170 – *Back to HQ… And Already Noise*
The chaotic squad finally arrived in front of HQ.
The façade was still cracked, the ground vibrated slightly, and a sign reading *"Repairs in progress"* desperately tried not to fly away.
In short: a normal return, for them.
Liora clapped her hands:
— "Alright, everyone back to your tasks."
Everyone nodded… or something resembling it.
Nova, still reading, literally walked upside down in the air, head down, feet on an invisible ceiling.
— "Okay."
She continued her book as if gravity were just a suggestion and not a rule.
Lya grabbed the arm of the Duplicator — who was still complaining about his catastrophic, dramatic gothic look.
— "Duplicator, you're coming with me. I'm going to find you a name because 'Duplicator' is exhausting. Very exhausting."
The Duplicator crossed his arms:
— "But look at me! I look like a rejected emo NPC from an MMORPG."
Ryn, passing by, looked him up and down with a confident smile:
— "Actually, you're super stylish."
The Duplicator froze:
— "…That's true."
(He cleared his throat.)
— "…But I could've been even more stylish."
Lya, sighing but amused, put an arm around his shoulders:
— "You're very handsome. Come with me, I'll find you a name. And you don't have a choice, you know."
— "Fine, fine…"
He followed, sulking, but clearly flattered.
Valen raised a hand toward Zarion and Naël:
— "We're going to a restaurant. I'm hungry. And Naël is threatening to eat a wall."
Naël, already sniffing the nearest wall:
— "I'm not saying it smells appetizing but I'm not saying it doesn't."
Zarion tapped his head lightly:
— "We're going to the restaurant BEFORE you start nibbling on HQ."
Annabelle grabbed Valor by the collar like he was an object:
— "Come! I'll teach you the technique I mentioned. The one that goes BOOM but not too much."
Valor, panicked:
— "Not too much? What do you mean, not too much? Annabelle? ANNABELLE?"
And she carried him off like a sack of potatoes.
One by one, all the teams dispersed, heading off to blow up a kitchen, do research, train, or vaguely attempt to be productive.
Finally, only Liora… and Elyon remained.
Elyon looked at the HQ doors with a neutral expression — which was reassuring.
His mere presence no longer made the ground tremble.
A gigantic improvement.
Liora placed a hand on his head:
— "See? You're calm. Well done, my son."
Elyon gave a small, satisfied "Hmph."
At that moment, a silhouette descended from the sky in a blue starry halo, landed flawlessly in front of them, and said in a deep voice:
— "Liora. It's been a while."
Blackstar was there.
His astral coat flapped in a nonexistent wind.
Orion and Vesper gleamed at his waist.
His dreadlocks floated slightly as if space itself were greeting him.
He smiled:
— "How are you?"
Liora answered with a calm smile:
— "I'm fine. And you? Did your trip go well?"
Blackstar lifted his chin slightly, like someone returning from intense dimensional tourism:
— "Oh, fascinating. I eliminated several monsters from other dimensions. Just a normal day."
Then he noticed Elyon.
He pointed at him.
— "Wait… Who's that?"
Liora, proud:
— "My son. Elyon."
Blackstar blinked.
Then very slowly, Vesper slid into his hand, and the barrel leveled at Elyon:
— "Elyon.
The same Elyon.
The one who caused all the damage in OUR guild?
That's him, right?"
Elyon, impassive, raised an eyebrow as if accused of stealing a cookie.
Liora placed a firm hand on the weapon:
— "Calm down. He's changed. Now, he's good."
Blackstar stared at her.
Then at Elyon.
Then back at Liora.
— "…I believe you if you say so."
He holstered Vesper.
Then walked past Elyon, sizing him up from head to toe like an expert analyzing a nuclear bomb while thinking: *"Yeah… we'll pretend this is fine."*
— "Just one thing. If you ever turn evil again, warn me ten seconds beforehand, so I can run very far."
Elyon:
— "…I'm good now."
Blackstar, narrowing his eyes:
— "Hm. He speaks. That's already impressive. He's more human than I thought."
Liora burst out laughing.
Blackstar added:
— "Well… I'm glad to see you again.
Even if technically, I just arrived, and I already feel like I'll regret coming back."
The sky vibrated slightly.
As if it too said:
> "Good luck, Blackstar."
He was clearly going to need it.
Chapter 171 – Forbidden Comparison Between Guilds (And Awkward Silence)
Blackstar crossed his arms, observing the massive HQ building hastily reconstructed.
— "The situation in the guild has improved."
Liora raised an eyebrow, interested.
— "Good."
Blackstar nodded.
— "Lysandra also asked me to pass along her greetings. And… her thanks for preventing the situation from getting even worse."
Liora made a small gesture with her hand, humbly:
— "It was nothing. Besides… we have to help each other between world guilds."
Elyon, scanning the surroundings as if it were potential territory to conquer, frowned slightly.
— "Still strange. Don't tell me there weren't other hunters in your guild? A world guild, no less…"
Blackstar sighed softly, then shrugged.
— "Of course there were. A world guild must meet certain criteria to be recognized. Yours is perfectly within the standards too, by the way."
He gestured toward the building.
— "You've got… the most powerful human alive."
He looked at Valen in the distance, yelling at Naël not to order the entire menu at once.
— "The divine hunter… Valen."
Then at Naël, counting how many desserts he could technically eat without dying.
— "The transcendent-rank hunter: Naël."
He continued, listing precisely:
— "You, Liora. Arthur. And Drake. All three SSS rank."
Drake, in the distance, was still being scolded by Beatrice for some unknown reason.
— "Ethan, Marie, Annabelle, and Beatrice, SS rank."
Annabelle was already making Valor do fifty push-ups.
— "And finally… Lya, Valor, Nova, and Ryn: S rank."
A small silence settled.
Blackstar nodded, impressed:
— "…Honestly, you're a completely absurd team."
Liora smiled:
— "See? And that's not even counting Elyon… and Zarion."
At those words, Blackstar's left eye glowed faintly, like a cosmic scanner.
— "Interesting…"
He looked at Liora with much more attention.
— "You're stronger than you were. I'm very shocked you're officially SSS rank."
He narrowed his eyes.
— "You're way stronger than that."
Then tilted his head.
— "And who is Zarion? I don't know him."
Liora answered simply:
— "He's new to you… because he's not human."
Long silence.
— "…Ah. Okay."
Blackstar accepted that far too easily.
Elyon crossed his arms, slightly vexed:
— "And you? Aren't you going to tell us the hunters you've got in your ranks?"
Blackstar smiled softly.
— "You want to know? Fine, I'll tell you."
He straightened, taking an almost dramatic tone.
— "The Northern Pantheon is composed of 11 main members."
He raised a finger:
— "Me: Kaelo 'Blackstar' Rynn — SSS rank, Astral-Resonant hunter."
Then a second:
— "Lysandra — SSS rank, control of psychic and dimensional flows. You already know her."
Third finger:
— "Kronn — SS rank, reinforced biological Titan. Sleeps 20 hours a day but when he wakes up… nobody talks."
— "Veyra — SS rank, gravitational acceleration. She can send you to the Moon if she's in a bad mood."
— "Oris — SS rank, runic hunter. Tattooed a spell on his own heart. Yes. It's as stupid as it sounds."
Elyon blinked:
— "Why?"
— "We asked him too. He answered: 'For the art.'"
Blackstar continued:
— "Harlan — S rank, dimensional trap specialist. He even traps his own teammates."
— "Nyss — S rank, absolute camouflage. In theory… she's been here with us since the beginning."
New silence.
Elyon stepped aside.
— "I don't like that information."
— "Kae — S rank, energy support. Without her, we'd all be dead at least four times a week."
— "Dervan — S rank, close combat. But he cries during romantic movies."
— "Seline — S rank, harmonization song. She even calms monsters."
Then he finished:
— "And finally…"
He looked at Elyon.
— "…our last official member. Unknown. Rank: Undetermined. He appeared, signed, and left. We don't even know if he still exists."
Liora:
— "Charming."
Elyon frowned:
— "Your guild is weird."
Blackstar replied simply:
— "So is yours."
Small silence.
Then he smiled.
— "That's why we're world guilds."
Suddenly, a huge noise echoed from inside HQ.
BOOM.
Valen shouted:
— "NAËL! I SAID NO CHOCOLATE BOMBS!!!"
Naël, from the kitchen:
— "TECHNICALLY IT WAS AN EXPERIMENT!!!"
Blackstar looked at Liora, very serious:
— "…Confirmed. You're worse than us."
Liora, proud:
— "Maybe. But at least we're having fun."
The sky vibrated once again above them.
And Blackstar sighed:
— "I have a bad feeling about this alliance."
Elyon smiled faintly for the very first time:
— "You'll get used to it."
And in the distance, something laughed…
Chaos had just found new friends.