ocean-life Chapter 574: Arcadia, The First Planet In All Creation (LII)
Chapter 574: Arcadia, The First Planet In All Creation (LII)
At that first thought, Aestrea’s red slit eyes glowed brighter.He gathered his chaotic energy, black and white aura surging violently around him as he tried to manifest his own Domain of Chaos.
But the moment he attempted it...
WOOOOONG!!!
A translucent panel appeared directly in front of his face, glowing with cold, mocking text.
[You do not have the Authority to Summon your Domain.]
"Fuck, another damn rule?!" Aestrea’s eyes widened in complete shock.
At this expression, the black figure laughed.
The laughter echoed from every corner of the domain, layered with Vespera’s voice and something far more ancient.
"Hahahaha... Of course you can’t. The power granted by the Fourth Trumpet was none other than the ability to exert your Domain. Without it, you’re still bound by the Tower’s rules... like an incomplete god."
And just then...
Pffttt!
The domain twisted violently.
Millions of swords, spears, axes, and other weapons materialized in the air around Aestrea, all forged from pure illusory energy and aimed directly at him.
They hovered for a single, terrifying moment, vibrating with deadly intent.
Then they all shot toward him at once.
FWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!
A storm of weapons rained down from every direction, the air screaming as they tore through space.
Some were burning with phantom flames, others glowing with false holy light, and many carried the twisted essence of his own past failures.
Seeing this, Aestrea gritted his teeth, his body already moving.
『 Seventh Move! (✹ Absolute Zero Eclipse ✹) 』
He spun both swords in a perfect cross pattern as an artificial moon of pure ice and chaos manifested above him.
The moon’s light exploded outward in a colossal wave of absolute zero energy, freezing everything in its path.
CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
The incoming weapons froze mid-air, turning into glittering sculptures of black ice.
The entire storm of swords and spears was halted in an instant, the domain’s energy struggling against the overwhelming cold.
Aestrea didn’t stop there.
He thrust both swords forward, and the frozen weapons shattered into millions of razor-sharp shards that exploded outward in a counterattack.
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The ice shards tore through waves of new illusions that were still trying to manifest, buying him a moment of breathing room.
"Fuugh..."
Aestrea took the chance to stabilize himself, breathing heavily.
His chest rose and fell in deep, ragged gasps as the chaotic energy around him slowly stabilized.
The domain was still shifting and twisting around him, but for a few seconds, the onslaught had been pushed back.
Then it hit him.
"Cough...!"
Blood suddenly splurged out from his mouth in a thick, dark spray. I
t wasn’t from any visible wound, instead, it came from inside, as if something had torn apart within his body.
The metallic taste filled his mouth as more blood dripped down his chin.
His vision blurred instantly.
The world around him swayed violently, and a sharp, crushing pain exploded through his skull like a divine hammer striking directly into his mind.
"Ngh...!"
Aestrea dropped to one knee, both swords digging into the fractured ground to keep himself from collapsing completely.
He clutched his head with one hand, fingers digging into his hair as the pain intensified.
The Domain of Illusions wasn’t just attacking his body anymore, and now, it was even starting to attack his own soul.
Multiple voices, voices he knew all too well, began echoing violently inside his head. They overlapped, layered, and screamed at him from every direction.
"You left us behind..."
"We trusted you... and you failed us."
"You’re nothing but a monster who uses people and throws them away."
"All your power... and you still couldn’t protect anyone."
"We hate you."
"We were never enough for you."
"You should have died instead of us."
The voices belonged to his lovers and friends.
People he had cared for across countless reincarnations. Each word they spoke was soaked in complete disappointment, hatred, and raw disgust.
Aestrea gritted his teeth so hard that blood began to drip from his gums.
His red slit eyes were wide with pain as he crouched lower, one hand still gripping his head while the other clutched the hilt of the Heaven Swallowing Sword for support.
The illusions around him took advantage of his momentary weakness.
"You’re a liar..."
"You never loved us..."
"You’re just like all the others who abandoned us."
The pain in his head was so intense that his vision started turning red at the edges.
Blood continued to drip from his nose and mouth as the domain mercilessly tore into his psyche, forcing him to relive every failure, every loss, and every moment of guilt he had ever buried.
Just then, the black figure’s laughter echoed louder than ever.
"This is only the beginning, God of Karma. Your mind will break long before your body does."
Aestrea gritted his teeth so hard that a vein bulged on his forehead.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as he forced himself to stand up despite the crushing mental pressure.
The voices in his head were deafening: Luna’s disappointed tone, Elleonora’s hateful accusations, Vivian’s disgusted words, and many more!
All screaming at once, trying to tear his will apart.
"You failed us..."
"You’re a monster..."
"We hate you..."
But Aestrea refused to fall.
Through sheer willpower, he raised both swords again, his black-and-white aura flaring violently as he charged straight toward the black figure.
"Shut the fuck up!"
He swung the Heaven Swallowing Sword in a wide arc, unleashing a devastating slash of chaotic energy that tore through dozens of illusions trying to block his path.
The Midnight Sword followed instantly, carving through phantom versions of his past enemies that tried to flank him.
SHIIIIIIING!!!
Fwip!
The black figure twisted and dodged, its form flickering as it countered with waves of dark, illusory energy. Aestrea met every attack head-on.
He used Authority of Ruin to decay the false energy projectiles mid-air, then activated Authority of Karma to reflect the pain the domain tried to inflict back onto the illusions themselves.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Explosions of black and white energy lit up the domain as Aestrea fought like a man possessed.
Even as the voices in his head grew louder and more vicious, he kept pushing forward.
Every slash of his swords cut through illusions, and the use of his multiple authorities disrupted the domain’s hold on his mind.
"You abandoned everyone..."
"You’re weak..."
"You deserve to suffer..."
"SHUT UUUUPPP!!!"
『 Seventh Move! (✹ Absolute Zero Eclipse ✹) 』
Aestrea roared and used his sword art once again, creating another artificial moon of ice and chaos above him.
The extreme cold spread outward, freezing entire waves of illusions in place before he shattered them with a powerful downward slash.
KKKRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
For a brief moment, he gained ground.
The black figure was forced to retreat slightly, its form flickering under the overwhelming pressure of Aestrea’s willpower.
But the domain fought back harder.
More illusions spawned, this time taking the form of his lovers in their most painful moments.
Phantom Elleonora screamed at him with tears of blood. Phantom Luna looked at him with pure betrayal in her eyes.
The voices in his head grew even more venomous, trying to drown his thoughts.
Aestrea’s vision swam.
Blood poured from his nose and ears now, but he refused to stop.
He kept swinging his swords, using every authority he had access to: Chaos, Ruin, Time, Destruction, Abyss, while fighting against the mental assault with raw determination.
The black figure laughed again, its voice filled with cruel amusement.
"How long can you keep this up? Your mind is already cracking. Soon, you’ll beg for it to end."
Aestrea didn’t answer.
He simply kept fighting, his body moving on pure instinct and willpower as he cut down illusion after illusion.
The domain around him was a storm of false realities, but he carved a path through it, step by bloody step.
Minutes felt like hours inside the domain.
Aestrea’s body was covered in wounds that weren’t entirely physical, as some manifested from the mental torment.
His breathing was ragged, his vision blurry, but he kept going.
Eventually, the black figure decided to change tactics.
It suddenly surged forward with terrifying speed, its shadowy form shifting and morphing mid-attack.
Before Aestrea could fully react, it slammed into him with immense force, knocking both swords from his hands and pinning him down onto the fractured ground.
THUD!
Aestrea hit the ground hard, the impact sending a shockwave through the domain.
The black figure loomed over him, its form shifting and twisting until it took on the shape of a sexy-looking woman.
She had long, flowing black hair that cascaded like liquid darkness, framing a dangerously beautiful face with sharp cheekbones and full, seductive lips.
Her body was voluptuous and perfectly proportioned with massive, heavy breasts that strained against the shadowy material covering them, a slim waist, wide hips, and long, toned legs.
Her skin was pale and flawless, glowing faintly with dark energy.
She wore a revealing, form-fitting outfit made of pure black energy that clung to every curve, accentuating her breasts and leaving little to the imagination.
Her eyes were glowing crimson, filled with lust and malice.
The woman, the black figure’s new form, straddled Aestrea’s waist, pinning his arms down with surprising strength.
She leaned down slowly, her massive breasts pressing heavily against his chest as she smiled seductively.
She began rubbing her body against him, her hips moving in slow circles as she ground her lower body against his cock.
Even through his clothes, the sensation was intense and deliberate.
"Mmmh~"
Her voice turned into Elleonora’s, coming out in a low, husky purr.
"You fought so hard... but in the end, even the mighty God of Karma can be brought low like this. Doesn’t it feel good? Just give in..."