Chapter 172 —Intermission— Dark Spirit, Umbra? (I)
A ruler whose past was shrouded in ancient legends.
Umbra.
A dark spirit, who was once known as Zephyra Shivarath, the Void Emperor.
As an awakened Ludonian, Zephyra reigned supreme over the treacherous Dead Zone, his territory in Ludonia.
The Cosmic Sea, a vast and boundless realm, served as the primary multiverse that encompassed countless worlds and dimensions.
One such dimension was Ludonia, a realm inhabited by Ludonians - ethereal beings composed of pure energy.
Among their kind, Ludonians held a higher rank than the Trifects, although this distinction only came into play when they awakened to their full potential.
Unlike the Trifects, who were born awakened, Ludonians had to consume an immense amount of energy to ascend to their awakened state. For these energy beings, the pinnacle of their evolution was to become an Aetherion - the epitome of pure energy. Only five extraordinary individuals had achieved this level of ascendance, earning them the esteemed title of Empyreans.
The five Empyreans were:
"Veligryph" the Abyssal Sovereign,
"Amarisah" the Storm Empress,
"Dagrun" the Infernal Overlord,
"Histonius" the Living Chaos,
and the central figure of this enchanting tale - "Zephyra".
Upon the momentous ascension of these five Empyreans, they enacted a law that forbade Ludonians from absorbing excessive energy, for they claimed it would drive them to the brink of madness.
However, behind this seemingly altruistic law lay a hidden motive - the Empyreans feared the rise of potential rivals to their own ranks.
...
Zephyra arrived at the Astral Plane known as Alaskair Spiritus.
He had long black hair, piercing red eyes, and wore a loose-fitting clothing exposing his chest and abdomen to full view.
He strolled amidst the spirits that roamed the Alaskair Spiritus. A confident smile graced his face.
His enigmatic presence caused the spirits to scatter in fear, no words necessary.
"Why do you run from me?" he asked, his arms outstretched and amusement ringing in his voice. "Am I truly so repulsive that you treat me like a mere pestilence?"
Yet, his jests were met with no response, the spirits continuing their desperate attempts to flee. Sighing softly, Zephyra raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself, "Very well, be that way. But mark my words, I will not be ignored."
In that moment, a figure materialized before him, radiant and otherworldly, wielding a shimmering golden spear. She was Olen, one of the Spirit Guardians.
"What brings you to our realm?" Olen inquired, her voice authoritative.
Zephyra smirked as he replied, "Oh, just a simple desire to have a little chat with the Great Spirit King."
Olen shook her head, a mild annoyance lingering on her face. "That won't be possible," she stated firmly. "You'll have to return in a few centuries, as he is currently indisposed."
"Hm," Zephyra rubbed his chin and looked to the starlit skies. "You misunderstand. I'm not here for idle conversation or well-meaning advice," he said with a calm yet chilling certainty.
He walked closer, his crimson gaze falling on Olen, "No, I've come to inform the Great Spirit King, with utmost courtesy, that I plan to eradicate Alaskair Spiritus and absorb every spirit lingering here."
Olen's eyes widened, defiance flashing through her ethereal form.
She gripped her golden spear tightly and declared, "If that is truly your intention, then I shall be the one to meet you at your end."
Zephyra's chuckle filled the air, almost a melody in its own right.
"How cute," he remarked.
Olen wasted no time in preparing her golden spear, channeling an immense amount of energy that caused the very fabric of the realm to tremble.
The sheer power she gathered transcended the limits of the Astral Plane, shaking the dimension itself.
Olen charged towards Zephyra at a speed that surpassed the swiftness of light, her spear poised to deal a devastating blow to his very soul.
She knew that to protect the spirits and the sanctity of Alaskair Spiritus, she had to eradicate the threat before her.
However...
Zephyra effortlessly neutralized Olen's attack.
His form flickered in and out of reality as he dodged her strike.
This was [Void Magic], Zephyra's affinity.
Olen's eyes carried disbelief.
Her spiritual assault was useless against him.
And just like that, Olen vanished into the eternal darkness, her existence drowned out by the abyss.
"Well, that was quite anticlimactic," he chuckled, a slight boredom in his voice.
As he continued his journey towards the domain of the Great Spirit King, Zephyra activated a wide range absorption magic.
A feat possessed by [Void Magic].
Effortlessly, a wave captured the a good number of spirits fleeing to safety.
They entered his being willingly, succumbing to his dominion.
Of the five Empyreans, Zephyra was considered the third strongest, with a considerable gap between him and the second in rank. His plan to completely devour Alaskair Spiritus and absorb every lingering spirit was not born out of necessity or vengeance; rather, it was driven by a deep-rooted boredom and a desire for rapid evolution. Zephyra yearned to push his soul to new heights, to surpass the limitations of his current form. Training, to him, was a path meant for lesser beings. He sought the quickest and most efficient way to gain power, and in his twisted perspective, this was the answer.
Zephyra continued his relentless stride.
Then, the path before him seemed to converge into a dead end.
Its walls radiated an oppressive spiritual pressure that clutched at his very soul.
Most would have heeded the warning signs and turned back, but Zephyra's pride would never allow such a retreat.
With a smirk, he mused aloud, "Hmph, must be getting close to the Great Spirit King's domain."
A deep voice reverberated through the air, booming with a weight that matched the heaviness in Zephyra's soul. "Turn back now, wanderer," it warned, "or suffer the consequences."
An Empyrean such as himself called a wanderer? Zephyra thought.
"So, you must be the Great Spirit King," he scoffed, his disdainful voice ringing. "Come out from wherever you're hiding and face me like a true ruler."
Suddenly, an immense shadow descended upon Alaskair Spiritus, consuming the astral plane in its ominous embrace.
Zephyra craned his neck, his breath catching in his throat as his gaze locked upon the gargantuan object descending upon him.
"Don't tell me that's his finger..." he muttered, disbelief tainting his voice.
It was indeed the finger of the Great Spirit King, a colossal digit that defied rhyme or reason.
As it hovered above, its mere presence distorted and twisted the entirety of Alaskair Spiritus, reducing everything in its wake to nothingness.
Desperation gripped Zephyra as he glanced around, only to find that all the spirits he had captured were gone.
Using [Void Magic] Zephyra cast layers of anti-spiritual and anti-energy barriers.
In the end, it was snuffed out by the impending doom.
And then, with a deafening crash, the colossal finger of the Great Spirit King descended upon Zephyra, obliterating him and his very soul into nonexistent fragments.
In the wake of the cataclysmic clash with the Great Spirit King, Zephyra found himself in an unnerving predicament.
Despite all odds, a fraction of his soul managed to endure, albeit trapped in a situation where time and reality intertwined like knotted threads.
Empowered by the spirits he had absorbed, Zephyra powered [Void Magic] which he channeled into reinforcing this delicate remnant of his being.
But even with his magic bolstering its existence, the fragment of Zephyra's soul struggled against the gravitational pull of the Great Spirit King's colossal finger.
Like a monstrous hand tugging at reality itself, the appendage twisted and stretched the very fabric of existence with an otherworldly force, akin to molten taffy being pulled and shaped.
Each passing second subjected Zephyra's conscious essence to years of agonizing torment, as he experienced the eons-long passage of time within the span of a mere blink.
This temporal distortion left no trace of the vibrant, exuberant spirit he once was.
Instead, he emerged from the relentless onslaught several thousand years into the future, transformed into a mere collection of spirit particles.
Yet, his consciousness clung stubbornly to existence, reduced to the faintest flicker.
Zephyra landed deep within the heart of the Great Forest.
It was no coincidence, for the Spirits' Domain—the sacred dwelling place of spirits—coincided with this sprawling woodland.
Though not the primary abode of these ethereal beings, it served as one of the many branches of their vast domain.
During this time, Zephyra unwittingly became entwined with the process of Lumiere's creation of artificial spirits, forged from the essence of artificial souls.
Fused with this carefully fashioned conduit, Zephyra's conscious particle was finally able to manifest as a dark spirit.
Remarkably, he retained remnants of his previous abilities.
The exponential growth of his energy reserves remained, ensuring his power surged forth relentlessly.
Yet, even more intriguing was the acquisition of a Unique Skill—『Black Hole』.
It was a mere reflection of his original [Void Magic].
A short story on how Umbra came to be.
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