From the shimmering ripples of warped space, the massive figure stepped through.
Its form blotted out the rising sun, fifty meters of pure nightmare. Dark skin like blackened iron, twin jagged horns curling upward from its skull, and three enormous crimson eyes that burned with a malice so dense it felt physical.
The moment its aura washed over them, Luthor froze. His knees buckled involuntarily. A crushing weight pressed down on his chest until breathing felt like trying to inhale molten lead.
There was no mistaking it.
That meant it was on par with an S-Rank Evolver, perhaps even stronger. Luthor's fear was no weakness; this was the kind of presence that could shatter minds before even lifting a claw.
"W-Who are you? Why are you here?" Luthor's voice trembled, but he forced himself to lift his gaze toward those three ominous, unblinking eyes. His fingers gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Ryu stood a few steps behind him, unshaken by fear, yet even he felt the cold ripple of shock. The sheer oppressive weight rolling from this Hollow was beyond anything he had faced, even greater than the Titanic-class monsters Blood Legion had slain.
And the worst part was its gaze. It was intelligent. Calculating. That made it far more dangerous than the mindless beasts.
The towering demon's central eye narrowed on Luthor.
"Human…" its voice rumbled like a distant earthquake. "I have no reason to answer your questions. I am not here for you. Begone from my sight."
Its tone dripped with contempt, like a king addressing an insect.
"N-No… do not—" Luthor's voice cracked.
The demon did not give him the chance to finish. In an instant, the space around him warped violently, forming multiple spinning vortexes. Each one twisted with abyssal force, sucking in the very light around them.
Luthor was yanked off his feet, his scream cut short as his body was twisted apart mid-air, limbs, flesh, and bone torn into fragments before being swallowed whole by the vortexes.
Ryu moved a heartbeat too late. His legs blurred as he sprinted forward, claws outstretched, but by the time he reached the spot, there was nothing left. Not even a drop of blood.
Ryu stood frozen, eyes locked on the empty space where Luthor had been. The last thing he saw, burned into his mind, was the raw helpless terror in Luthor's eyes before he was erased.
The reminder that before certain devils, even warriors were nothing more than dust.
It finally turned to Ryuzen.
The towering Hollow's lips curled into a grin far too wide for its face, jagged teeth glinting under the dim morning light.
"So, you're the Dragonborne who dared to touch my people?" its voice rolled like thunder, shaking the ground beneath them.
Ryuzen said nothing at first, his eyes narrowing, mind already calculating. He could use the Fusion Lab to tear himself from this place in an instant if needed. Escape was an option. But his instincts told him this being's appearance was no coincidence. That grotesque blobous Hollow he had slain earlier… it must have been connected to this one.
"What's your name?" Ryuzen finally asked, his tone calm but sharp, the unshakable pride of a dragon carrying each word.
Golden light flared from his body as he shed his human guise, scales blooming across his skin, wings unfurling with a crack of air. In moments, the Solarfrost Imperial Dragon stood in his place, his presence like a sun of ice and flame.
The creature's crimson eyes widened slightly in recognition, then narrowed into a sneer.
"So, that mongrel wasn't wrong after all. You do carry the bloodline of the Sun Dragon. But wait you also have Ice Dragon's power. How?" It tilted its monstrous head, voice intrigued.
The air grew colder, heavier.
"Anyway… I will let you feel the honour of knowing my name."
Its three eyes burned brighter, and when it spoke, the ground trembled.
"I am Void Lord Azathoth. Seventh Seat of the Darkness Council."
Its grin widened again, teeth glistening with hunger.
"I could tell you more… but what is the point of speaking to the dead? You won't live long enough to remember."
It chuckled, a sound like grinding boulders, before leaning closer.
"Still… I would have enjoyed seeing the face of your parents when I kill you. Sending Dragonbornes to interfere with the Grand Awakening… laughable. The cowardice of your kind speaks volumes about our inevitable victory over the Dragon Realm. It is only a matter of time before your world burns under our wrath."
Its words hung in the air like poison, and the ground beneath Ryuzen began to crack under the pressure of Azathoth's rising power.
Ryuzen's claws dug into the earth as his aura exploded outward.
Crimson Apex Frenzy (D) ignited his veins, his muscles bulging with draconic fury. At the same time, Ice Guardian Armour wrapped around his body like a crystalline fortress, jagged plates of frost shimmering with lethal cold. Power surged through him, his strength spiking by nearly seventy percent in an instant.
The very ground cracked under his feet as he reared his head back, gathering an immense storm of energy in his throat. Red light swirled with white frost, merging into a spiraling mass of annihilation.
Eclipse Cataclysmic "ROARRRR"
The ground and air shook as he unleashed it. A beam of searing crimson and frigid white tore through the air, vaporizing everything in its path as it hurtled toward Azathoth. The sheer force alone was enough to split boulders and shatter the sky's haze.
But the Dark Lord only chuckled.
A swirling black void blossomed before him, devouring the cataclysmic breath as though it were nothing more than a candle's flame. The blast vanished without a trace, its titanic energy swallowed whole.
In the next instant, a golden-white flare appeared above Azathoth—Solar Cryo Lance—descending like divine judgment. It ripped through the air at impossible speed, just as it had ended the blobous Hollow before.
Yet Azathoth had lived far too long to fall for such low tactic.
He lazily raised one clawed hand, flicking a single finger.
The lance was deflected mid-descent, spinning away like a discarded spear before it struck a far-off mountainside.
A deafening explosion followed, the shockwave flattening the forest. A mushroom cloud of golden fire and frost bloomed into the sky, painting the horizon in chaos.
Azathoth didn't even glance at it.
"Child's tricks," he said, his three eyes glimmering with cruel amusement. "You'll have to do better than that if you wish to leave here alive."