Six months passed.
On Purgatoria, time didn't feel real.
Only pain did.
For half a year, the Nocturne siblings trained under gravity strong enough to shatter gods. Their bodies adapted. Their souls hardened. Their powers evolved beyond what they were before.
Hex stood taller.
Faster.
Colder.
Kael's spatial control became flawless.
Umbrael's darkness became absolute.
Aetherion's magic learned new laws.
Lyra's speed surpassed perception.
Seraphyne's Phoenix force stabilized... barely.
They were no longer just monsters.
They were weapons.
⸻
The call came without sound.
A signal that echoed across universes.
Twelve thrones ignited.
Not eleven.
Twelve.
For the first time in history, the reigning champion universe refused to step aside.
They would fight again.
The balance of power... had shattered.
⸻
They arrived in the Colosseum of Null Eternity.
A battlefield the size of a continent, floating in the void between universes. Stars burned beneath its transparent floor. Reality bent at its edges. Time slowed at its center.
Around it—twelve massive thrones.
Each occupied by a King.
Narrator — Voice of the Universe:
These are the Sovereign Kings.
Rulers of galaxies.
Tyrants of fate.
Each one capable of erasing worlds.
⸻
The Kings of the Twelve Universes
1. King Chronos Nocturne — Ruler of the First Universe
Hex's father.
Master of Time Authority.
He could stop, reverse, accelerate, and fracture time itself.
He sat calmly, one hand resting on the arm of his throne, eyes older than stars.
2. King Varkhael the Void Tyrant — Universe of Oblivion
Controlled absolute emptiness.
3. Queen Serastra of the Endless Light — Universe of Radiance
A goddess of burning suns.
4. Emperor Dravik the Iron Warden — Universe of War
A living fortress.
5. Lord Nyxara the Dream Eater — Universe of Illusion
Devoured minds.
6. Sovereign Zareth the Stormbound — Universe of Tempests
Controlled cosmic lightning.
7. King Maltheon of the Abyss — Universe of Darkness
Older than recorded time.
8. Empress Kaoryx the Flesh Sculptor — Universe of Mutation
Shaped life like clay.
9. Archon Pyrrhus the Worldburner — Universe of Flame
Planet-killer.
10. Oracle Veyra the Fate-Weaver — Universe of Destiny
Saw outcomes before they happened.
11. King Targus the Titan Eternal — Universe of Giants
Unmovable.
12. And the returning Champion...
King Aurelion the First Sun — Ruler of the Previous Winning Universe
The one who should not be here.
But was.
⸻
Above them...
Another presence watched.
Not a King.
A Legend.
Hex's grandfather.
⸻
The Grandfather — The Sovereign Before Kings
Name: Vaelor Nocturne — The Eternal Apex
He was the reason the First Universe still existed.
Long before thrones...
There was war.
A universe-ending war.
And Vaelor stood alone against annihilation.
⸻
Flashback — Vaelor's Prime
Young.
Untouched by time.
Power pouring from him like galaxies being born.
His rival stood across from him.
Name: Ryzephar the Endbringer
A being born from entropy itself.
Power equal to Vaelor.
Their clash erased stars.
Time collapsed.
Space screamed.
They fought for ten years straight.
At the end...
Vaelor stood.
Ryzephar fell.
But both lost limbs.
Both lost youth.
Both survived.
⸻
Narrator:
They do not age like humans.
One hundred human years...
Is one year to them.
They were ancient.
But still terrifying.
⸻
The Tournament — Dark Name
The Oblivion Ascension War
Rules were spoken by the Universe itself:
• 12 Universes
• 5 Champions each
• 5 vs 5 matches
• 30 minutes per battle
Win Conditions:
✔ Kill all opponents
✔ Push all opponents out of the ring
✔ Or have more fighters left when time ends
If a fighter dies or is thrown out and their team wins...
They do not return next round.
Final Round:
Only 3 Universes advance.
The end...
Will be a Three-Way War.
Winner becomes the Supreme Universe for 100 years.
⸻
Hex looked up at the thrones.
At the kings.
At his father.
At the legend watching above them all.
The universe was about to remember the Nocturne name.
And fear it.