[: 3rd POV :]
The battlefield remained deathly silent.
The shattered glaciers no longer moved.
The corrupted sky above no longer roared.
Even the violent dark energy leaking from the Black Meridian Leader had become unstable.
It trembled as if it no longer dared to exist too loudly in Daniel's presence.
Meanwhile, Daniel simply stood there calmly.
Golden eyes quietly observing the kneeling abomination before him.
And the more he observed, the more absurd the situation felt.
"…So even if I don't do anything,"
Daniel muttered softly, almost amused to himself, "it would still have this kind of effect…"
He slowly looked down at his own hand again.
Not a single ability had been activated.
Not a single ounce of intentional pressure had been released.
And yet, a being powerful enough to dominate countless worlds was currently kneeling like a broken insect unable to even look at him directly.
Even Daniel himself found it difficult to properly adjust to this change.
His passive existence alone had already become dangerous.
The space surrounding him subtly bent inward.
Tiny fractures occasionally appeared and disappeared around his fingertips.
Even the laws of the battlefield seemed unstable, as though reality itself had become uncertain how to properly process him anymore.
Daniel exhaled softly.
"…That's honestly ridiculous."
[: You are beginning to understand your current existence, Host :]
The system replied calmly.
Daniel let out a faint chuckle.
"I haven't even used anything yet."
His gaze slowly returned toward the Black Meridian Leader.
The grotesque creature was still trembling violently.
Its body convulsed uncontrollably.
Black blood continued leaking endlessly from the exploded remains of its countless eyes.
Its corrupted flesh twisted unnaturally as instinctive terror consumed every fragment of its existence.
And for some reason Daniel no longer felt anything from looking at it.
He didn't feel anger, tension or hatred.
There was only indifference.
The Black Meridian Leader no longer felt like an enemy.
It felt small.
Insignificant.
Almost fragile.
A being so far beneath him now that even attacking it seriously felt excessive.
"…Honestly," Daniel said quietly, "I don't even think you're worthy enough for me to use my abilities properly."
The creature trembled harder after hearing those words.
Because deep within its instincts, it understood.
Daniel was not mocking it.
He genuinely meant it.
And somehow…that truth was far more horrifying.
Daniel remained silent briefly before his eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Still," he muttered softly, "I should at least test something."
Almost immediately...
[: Codex of Origin :]
The moment the ability surfaced within his mind, Daniel felt something strange.
There was no activation process.
No chanting.
No gathering of mana.
No sensation of "using" power.
Instead, it felt like opening an infinite library that had always existed inside him.
Countless records, concepts impossible abilities beyond understanding.
All of them waiting for a single thing and that was imagination.
Daniel remembered the system's explanation clearly.
To manifest a skill…
He simply needed to imagine it.
So he did exactly that.
His golden eyes calmly stared toward the Black Meridian Leader.
And within his mind, Daniel imagined a black hole.
Not a massive one.
Not some world-devouring cosmic phenomenon.
Just a small one.
Tiny enough to fit within a chest.
The very moment the thought formed, a microscopic portion of Primordial Mana disappeared from within his Infinite Vessel.
And then, reality obeyed.
There was no sound occurred.
No energy explosion followed.
No warning signs appeared.
One moment the Black Meridian Leader was kneeling there, and the next, a tiny black orb suddenly existed inside its chest.
The creature froze.
Its remaining instincts immediately screamed in terror.
Because although the black hole itself was small…the density contained within it was incomprehensible.
The surrounding space instantly began collapsing inward.
The creature finally realised something was wrong.
Its distorted body trembled violently.
"W-Wha—"
It never finished speaking.
*BOOM*
Its chest imploded instantly.
Not exploded.
Collapsed.
The black hole activated fully.
And in a single horrifying moment, everything began getting pulled inward
.
Its flesh twisted violently before being
stretched apart unnaturally.
Its bones shattered into fragments before being compressed into nothingness.
Its corrupted bloodline screamed as dark energy spiraled helplessly into the singularity.
The Black Meridian Leader tried to resist.
Tried to stabilise itself.
Tried to regenerate.
But the moment the black hole existed…
The outcome had already been decided.
Its entire existence was being devoured.
Not just physically.
Its soul itself began getting dragged inward.
The creature finally screamed.
A horrifying distorted scream filled with terror beyond comprehension.
Because for the first time, it understood true helplessness.
Not defeat.
Not suppression.
Absolute helplessness.
There was nothing it could do.
Its existence folded inward endlessly as the black hole consumed everything without mercy.
Even the surrounding corrupted energy vanished into the vacuum.
The battlefield itself distorted violently from the density of the singularity.
And then, silence.
The black hole disappeared.
Just like that.
No explosion followed afterward.
No dramatic aftermath.
The Black Meridian Leader was simply…
Gone.
Entirely erased from the battlefield.
Everything had been devoured completely.
Only distorted space remained where it had once existed.
Meanwhile Daniel stood there motionlessly.
His expression slowly became strange.
"…That's it?"
He blinked once.
"…It died that easily?"
Even Daniel himself looked mildly disturbed by how casually it had happened.
Because from his perspective, he had merely imagined something.
And reality had obediently executed it immediately.
The system remained silent briefly before answering.
[: Host. :]
[: You created a singularity capable of devouring existence itself using less than a fraction of your Primordial Mana. :]
[: Please stop underestimating your current abilities. :]
Daniel stared quietly at the empty battlefield.
Then lowered his gaze toward his own hand once more.
"…Right…"
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
Not arrogance.
Not madness.
But dangerous understanding.
Because Daniel had finally realised something terrifying.
His imagination itself…had now become lethal.
[: Congratulations, you have obtained a total of 1,000,000,000,000 Exp :]
[: As you have become a Divine Rank, your exp has been converted into High Exp. Every 1,000,000 Exp equals 1 High Exp :]
[: Total obtained: 1,000,000 High Exp :]
[: Current Requirement for Rank 2: 1M / 100M :]
[: Congratulations. The existence of Zenoia Killai has been assimilated into your True Existence Tier. All abilities have been absorbed :]
For a moment…Daniel did not move.
Then it hit him.
Not like a surge of raw power.
Not like an explosion.
But something far deeper.
Something…internal.
A quiet, overwhelming wave spread through his entire being.
From the very core of his soul…to the edges of his existence.
His body trembled slightly, not out of pain, but something dangerously close to exhilaration.
"…Ah…"
A soft breath escaped his lips.
It wasn't loud.
But it carried a strange weight.
Every single cell within him reacted.
They pulsed.
They awakened.
His blood flowed faster, brighter, as if responding to something nourishing it beyond comprehension.
His bones hummed faintly, the ancient inscriptions carved within them glowing for a split second before settling again.
Even his core, that no longer resembled a heart, beat once.
Thum.
And that single pulse sent ripples across space itself.
Daniel slowly raised his hand.
He clenched it.
Tightly.
And in that simple motion…he felt it.
There was growth.
Not massive.
Not overwhelming.
But undeniable.
"…So this is what it feels like…"
His voice was low, almost thoughtful.
Not amazed.
Not shocked.
But…acknowledging.
Because what he felt wasn't just power increasing.
It was his existence becoming…denser.
More complete.
More real.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
Not wide.
Not arrogant.
Just…satisfied.
"…Even now, I can still grow."
There was something comforting about that.
After everything he had become…
After crossing a threshold no being should have…
There was still progress.
Still a path forward.
Still something beyond.
Daniel slowly lowered his hand.
His golden eyes flickered faintly as he glanced at the empty space where the Black Meridian Leader once existed.
Gone.
Completely erased.
Not even a trace remained.
Not even resistance.
"…That was…too easy," he muttered.
But there was no pride in his tone.
Only observation.
Because deep down…he already knew.
That being…was never meant to stand before him in the first place.
A brief silence followed.
Then...
"…Well."
He exhaled slowly.
"I guess it's time to head back."
The moment those words left his mouth, reality itself reacted.
The distorted sky above him, warped and corrupted from earlier, began stabilising.
But not naturally.
Not gradually.
It changed because he decided it should.
The fractured space stitched itself back together.
The lingering corruption vanished.
The laws governing the environment realigned instantly.
Not repaired.
Redefined.
Daniel didn't even raise his hand.
Didn't speak.
Didn't activate anything.
It simply…happened.
Because his existence allowed it to.
Then...
Space folded.
Silently.
Effortlessly.
And in the next instant…
He was no longer there.
The world of Virexia Minor came into view.
A vast planetary landscape stretched endlessly beneath him.
And above it...Daniel floated.
From afar, he appeared small.
But the moment one truly looked...
They would realise something terrifying.
The space around him was subtly bending.
But as if the world itself was adjusting…just to allow him to exist within it.
His golden eyes observed everything below.
Not as a ruler.
Not yet.
But as something…beyond.
A faint wind passed by.
But it never touched him.
It curved around him.
Avoiding him.
As if even something as natural as wind understood its place.
Daniel remained silent for a long moment.
Then a faint smile appeared again.
"…From here on…"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"…things are going to change."
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