After Niara and Darian collapsed, the entire World of Life fell into silence.
The dwarf Risen was already dead. At the moment of his death, all the few remaining Risen still alive also dropped dead, suddenly. All of it had been to empower that skeletal figure that had appeared.
That thing had no life, no thoughts, no consciousness. It was just a final defense mechanism, created only after Athven had been captured. It held only a fraction of the ancient bloodline power and followed an extremely simple defensive protocol: kill anything not corrupted.
When the Risen Lord sacrificed himself to seal that place, his body hadn't been destroyed. It stayed behind, at the core of the world, sealed in a terrifying spatial rift — which made it undetectable to Athven.
The Celestial Shadow, aware of this, had gradually guided the Risen to his body, building everything around it. The last bits of bloodline power were sealed in his third eye. When offered the sacrifice of a Risen well above average — like that dwarf — this power could be unleashed to wipe out any threats.
Up in the sky, it turned and raised its hand.
Every living being fighting on the ground — allies and enemies alike — felt death wrapping around them. They couldn't move. Couldn't even breathe.
But... the twins' eyes, along with all the allies', were locked on Niara and Darian.
First came the shock. Then, fear. Then disbelief — and finally, despair and tears.
The creature's power was limited. It couldn't kill in the usual way, so it invaded its targets' souls and minds, turning them into lifeless puppets. Soon after, their souls would break and die anyway. It was just another way of killing — using its dark lineage.
In that moment, everyone felt their souls being crushed, no resistance at all. Like violet chains tightening deep inside them. Their minds started to empty out.
Suddenly, a black wave exploded violently.
Time and space flipped inside out. The ones being overwhelmed didn't even have time to pass out; those chains were instantly shattered, startling them.
Everyone was thrown back dozens of meters, crashing into the broken ground and rolling helplessly for seconds.
When they finally got their bearings, they looked around and saw only darkness. The world was completely devoid of light...
Instinctively, everyone turned in the same direction, feeling something unbelievably oppressive coming from over there.
The dust started to settle slowly...
Then, they saw a small dragon floating.
It wasn't colorful — it was completely black, cloaked in shadowy miasma. Endless negative emotions radiated from it.
It trembled. Its ethereal body expanded and twisted as if undergoing some kind of metamorphosis. Then, a humanoid figure emerged and began to solidify.
The twins swallowed hard. It looked like Darian... but now he seemed like a demon who had slaughtered countless people, taken over by a murderous aura.
His red eyes were like fresh blood, glowing fiercely. His hair stood on end, as if he'd entered some frenzied state.
"A dead guy thinks he can chain me up?! What a joke!"
Darian's voice was the same — but also not. It sounded like two voices layered together: one his, and the other from someone the twins didn't recognize.
Darian threw his head back and roared. Waves of black power erupted around him like a tsunami. That power cracked the space itself, sending fissures in every direction.
A terrifying wave of power surged outward. The creature in the sky felt it coming right at it... It was wild, uncontrollable power — so intense that even its own influence started to waver.
"Disappear!" Darian shouted, voice ice-cold. He didn't seem human anymore — more like a hellish god.
Up in the sky, everything collapsed in an apocalyptic explosion.
The entire World of Life shook, like it couldn't handle the chaos. Everything was thrown into a twisted, horrifying storm.
Everyone turned pale, consumed by despair. But... the seal on that place managed to stabilize things. In just ten seconds, everything returned to normal.
When they looked up...
There wasn't a single trace left of that skeletal Risen Lord.
A devilish laugh echoed as Darian's dark power spread in every direction.
Niara woke up when Darian attacked the skies. She was thrown several meters away, but she was still the closest one to him.
At first, she was confused. But as she focused on him… she felt, through the bond they shared… something terrifying.
It was like Darian was trapped in an illusion or a nightmare — a twisted reality made by his own mind. And what stood in front of her… wasn't exactly him, but a totally insane and evil version of himself.
Niara muttered, turning pale. That term was ancient, from a time when the universe hadn't yet been taken by the Risen and people could live freely, dedicating their lives to inner growth.
The Heart Demon wasn't something you could fight directly. It was more like an inner manifestation.
It came from someone's deepest fear, hatred, and obsession. A Heart Demon shaped by someone's greatest fear had unbelievable power and control. The more intense the obsession, the more violent the Heart Demon became.
But its strength didn't come from nowhere… it came from burning everything the person had in exchange for power. Soul, mind, life force, everything got consumed. And eventually, it would kill the person.
His soul was freakishly strong, his powers terrifyingly abnormal. His whole existence radiated infinite potential. And his Heart Demon… could do everything he could — and even more.
Right then, as he laughed like a maniac, the demonic Darian was devouring the heavy karma in that place without mercy.
Normal people would die not long after their Heart Demon took over. But him…
He could destroy, burn, and devour without ever dying. Just growing stronger… endlessly.
Niara knew Darian's power better than anyone. And at that moment, she was completely shaken and terrified. What stood before her…
…if no one stopped it, would be the greatest calamity ever — the cruelest demon, able to grow endlessly and devour everyone in the world. Alone, he could bring about the end of life wherever he went.