Chapter 105: The Void King
The Void did not exist in the literal sense; it was the absence of everything. The lack of existence itself had become what countless races called the Void.
So how could anyone devour the Void?
It did not exist in the first place.
The Void King was merely an intent born from that endless nonexistence, a will that had formed within the emptiness itself.
Yet now, that very intent was cracking apart.
For the first time in a very long time, panic appeared within the Void King’s consciousness.
"Nexus, what you’re doing is against the laws of the Systemverse," it threatened.
"So?" Nexus replied casually.
The Void King’s consciousness trembled.
"You..."
It had encountered countless World Administrators throughout the ages. Entire worlds had fallen into the Void under its influence. Civilizations had vanished. Realities had collapsed.
Yet it had never met an Administrator like Nexus.
This system was infuriating.
Not only was it irritatingly calm, but its capabilities were far beyond what should have existed in a world of this level.
If not for the foolish Ghoul Conqueror failing his ascension and allowing the Void King to slip into his soul, the Void would never have gained access to this place.
After countless failures, it had finally found an opening.
That alone had been enough.
The Void only needed a single crack.
Once it entered the Crusade, corruption would eventually spread. It did not matter if the process took a thousand years or a million.
Time held no meaning to the Void.
But now, things were different.
The Void King could feel pieces of its consciousness disappearing.
Something was consuming it.
At first, the loss had been insignificant. Then it became noticeable. Now it was impossible to ignore.
Its consciousness was being devoured bit by bit.
The Void King had entered the Spiritual Realm of the dead Ghoul Conqueror, making it effectively trapped within the corpse. If it wanted to discover what was consuming it, it would have to leave the body and investigate directly.
But that was not an option.
The moment it exited the corpse, it would be pushed outside the world’s boundaries.
And once that happened, Nexus would have every right to erase it as an extraterritorial entity.
That was one of the fundamental laws of the Systemverse.
Even the Void could not ignore it.
The Void King remained where it was, enduring the loss while searching for another solution.
But as the minutes passed, the situation only worsened.
The devouring accelerated.
Small fragments became larger chunks.
Large chunks became entire sections of its consciousness.
The speed increased so rapidly that a horrifying realization appeared within its mind.
At this rate, everything would be gone within an hour. The thought sent genuine fear through its being.
For countless ages, the Void had consumed others. Now something was consuming the Void.
"Damn you, Nexus!" the Void King roared.
The entire Ghoul Spire shook from its fury.
"Don’t think you’ve won this time. The Void never lacks fools driven by greed. There will always be another. I will return!"
"So dramatic."
Nexus sounded thoroughly unimpressed.
"Call me when you do. I’ll prepare a glass filled with the mixed shit of every Infinite Race in the Crusade."
The Void King’s consciousness nearly exploded from rage.
"You dare..."
Before it could finish speaking, Nexus’s presence vanished. The connection was severed instantly, and silence returned to the Ghoul Spire.
The Void King’s consciousness remained behind, trembling with fury as pieces of itself continued to disappear into the unknown.
For the first time in ages, it was no longer the hunter.
It had become the prey.
[TRAIT UPGRADE: EMPTINESS (COMMON−C+)−> EMPTINESS (RARE−A+)
The changes happening to Ayla’s Voidling form were nothing short of monstrous.
She was no longer just a shadowless hole. She had become a literal tear in existence itself, a crack where reality ended and absolute nothingness began.
The nonexistence leaking from that tear continuously poured outward, but before it could spread any further, Ayla greedily devoured every bit of it.
The Void produced more; Ayla consumed more.
The cycle continued without pause.
Every moment her Emptiness trait grew stronger, and every moment her existence drifted further away from anything that could be considered normal.
If Grandpa Roric stood before her right now, he would not even be her opponent.
The strength radiating from her current form had already surpassed Diamond Rank and was rapidly approaching Crown Rank.
And the most ridiculous part was that Ayla had not even reached Silver Rank yet.
If someone from Solgrace could witness her current state, they would probably faint from shock.
Without realizing it, Ayla had become the strongest individual in the entire Solgrace.
Perhaps she was even stronger than every known existence within the continent except the ascendants.
Unfortunately, Ayla couldn’t care less about any of that.
Power meant nothing. Ranks meant nothing.
Being strong meant nothing.
The only thing occupying her thoughts right now was food.
Delicious food.
Very delicious food.
The Void was unlike anything she had ever devoured before.
Whenever she consumed brains, fragments of memories would slowly mix with her own thoughts. Some emotions would occasionally remain behind, influencing her little by little.
The same happened with certain monsters.
Instincts, desires, and habits sometimes lingered after consumption.
But the Void was different.
There was absolutely nothing inside it.
No memories. No emotions. No thoughts. And so, there was no corruption.
The experience felt surprisingly similar to devouring Kenji’s brain.
Pure nourishment and nothing else. Ayla happily swallowed another massive chunk of the Void.
The amount disappearing into her mouth would have terrified countless worlds if they witnessed it.
"Little girl, do you know you have indirectly called your mate dumb?"
A teasing female voice suddenly echoed inside her mind.
Ayla immediately paused. Well, she paused mentally.
Her devouring never stopped.
She quickly looked around for the source of the voice while continuing to consume the Void.
The possibility of an intruder instantly raised her vigilance.
What if they wanted her food?
That was a serious problem.
"Tsk..." The voice clicked its tongue.
"That is such a strange thing to worry about."
Ayla swallowed another enormous piece.
"You should be wondering how I’m speaking directly into your mind or how I’m reading your thoughts."
Another section of the Void vanished.
"But I suppose that is just how you are."
"Mmmph." Ayla made a small sound while continuing her meal. She couldn’t sense any danger from the mysterious existence. More importantly, the voice wasn’t trying to steal her food.
That automatically placed it into the harmless category.
At least for now.
The amount of Void surrounding her continued shrinking.
Ayla’s eyes widened.
’Nuoooo...!’
She screamed inwardly. The food was disappearing too quickly. Without hesitation, she increased her devouring speed.
Entire portions of nonexistence vanished into her mouth.
Faster.
Even faster.
For one of the few times in her life, Ayla genuinely wished she had a larger mouth.
Far away, a consciousness silently observed everything. Nexus watched the little creature greedily devouring a Void King.
Several times she nearly burst out laughing. The contrast was simply too ridiculous.
A being feared across countless worlds was currently being eaten alive by a tiny slime who was upset because she couldn’t eat quickly enough.
’The little thing has almost completely devoured a Void King.’
Nexus struggled to maintain her composure.
’I wonder what expression that cheat of an idiot would make if it learned the culprit was sad about her eating speed.’
The thought alone nearly made her laugh again. The Void King had spent countless ages corrupting worlds and devouring civilizations. Yet now it was being treated as a particularly tasty snack.
Nexus honestly wanted to return and mock it one last time. Unfortunately, she didn’t dare.
Her attention remained fixed on Ayla.
Who knew what that lunatic Void King might do if she looked away for even a moment? A trace of melancholy appeared within Nexus.
Her gaze softened as she observed the small existence.
’Little thing...’
A complicated emotion surfaced inside her.
’Are you what she left behind?’
That question had lingered in her mind ever since she discovered Ayla. Everything surrounding the little slime felt too deliberate.
Too perfectly arranged. Meeting the future Administrator. Not only meeting him, but forming a connection that grew deeper with every passing day.
A connection that was becoming far more than friendship. Nexus could not shake the feeling that someone had planned everything long ago.
’What exactly are you trying to accomplish?’ she wondered silently.
Before she could continue that train of thought, the remaining consciousness of the Void King suddenly disconnected from the Crusade.
It fled.
Just like that.
Without checking what had nearly devoured it. Without investigating the source of its destruction. It simply ran. Nexus blinked.
Then she laughed.
The Void King was somehow an even bigger coward than she had expected.
Ayla suddenly froze. The delicious food was gone. She looked left, then right, then up, then down.
Nothing remained. The Void had escaped. For several moments she simply stood there in silence. A sense of loss slowly filled her heart.
Then a chuckle echoed around her.
"That coward ran away."
Ayla immediately turned toward the voice. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. When she believed it originated inside her mind, it sounded there. When she thought it came from behind her, it shifted accordingly.
The strange phenomenon quickly attracted her curiosity.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I am Nexus."
The voice paused briefly.
Then it added in a cheerful tone, "But if you want, you can call me Mama~"
"Nexus?"
"Tsk."
The disappointment in that single sound was obvious.
"Yeah."
"Oh..."
Ayla suddenly remembered the task Kenji had given her. She was supposed to report the Voidling problem. A tiny bit of guilt appeared, only for her expression to brighten moments later.
Nexus was already here. That meant she didn’t have to go looking for her anymore.
Problem solved.
After thinking for several moments, Ayla tried to speak formally.
"I request your attendance regarding this incident involving..."
"Bah, bah." Nexus interrupted immediately.
"Speak normally."
"Um..."
Ayla swallowed her prepared speech.
"There are Voidlings eating humans, and they want to eat all the other races too."
"You solved it."
Nexus answered as if stating an obvious fact.
Ayla blinked.
"Eh?"
Then realization dawned on her.
"That food?"
"Yeah."
"Oh..."
Ayla nodded thoughtfully. After a brief pause, she asked another question.
"Was it important?"
Nexus nearly laughed.
"Important? That was a Void King."
"Oh."
Ayla considered that information.
Then she spoke honestly, "It was delicious."
Nexus became silent. For a moment she genuinely didn’t know how to respond.
"I suppose it was."
Silence followed. One was an ancient existence responsible for overseeing worlds. The other was a slime who had accidentally eaten a Void King.
The absurdity of the situation finally caught up to both of them.
Ayla started laughing. Nexus laughed too.
Their laughter echoed throughout the empty space as the remains of the Void disappeared completely from the Crusade.
