Looking at Lucan’s arrogant smirk, Aeris exhaled through her nose, clearly unimpressed.
“Brats,” she muttered. “They think one fancy ability makes them invincible.”
Her gaze stayed steady, calm, unblinking.
“If you believe you can kill me just because you wield causality,” she said flatly, “then you’ve made a grave mistake.”
Lucan raised his sword casually with one hand, pointing the blade at her with a crooked smile.
“Come then, Empress. Let’s see how you deal with what cannot be stopped.”
Aeris stepped forward, her stance shifting.
She raised her right leg high, knee bent, toes pulled back, foot angled directly at Lucan’s chest. Her left leg remained firmly grounded on the void beneath her. Her right fist clenched tight at her waist while her left hand hovered near her face, fingers slightly open and ready.
Her long blonde hair shimmered, each strand gradually turning into pure, blinding gold. Then her eyes ignited—the omega symbol in both irises glowing a deep, crimson red.
“I’ll remind you,” she said, her voice cold and steady, “why they used to call me the greatest prodigy this universe ever birthed.”
“Voidflow Forms.”
Aeris spoke the words slowly, with weight behind each syllable.
Lucan tensed. Her expression had shifted—no longer just focused, but sharp, solemn.
She wasn’t toying with him anymore.
He didn’t know exactly what she was about to do, but his instincts screamed at him not to relax. Even if he didn’t fully believe the old stories about her, he had no intention of lowering his guard.
He remembered the rumors—how, hundreds of millions of years ago, she had been called the greatest prodigy of her race. Some claimed she was once the bane of humanity’s rise, the wall that delayed their conquest of the stars. If she’d been born in his father’s era, they said, she might’ve rivaled him… perhaps even changed the course of the war entirely.
But then she married. Had children. And over time, the universe forgot her.
Lucan never believed all of it. To him, his father was still the true god of this universe—absent or not. But being cautious cost him nothing.
He narrowed his eyes and watched her closely.
All around Aeris, space began to ripple. The void shimmered—not just nearby, but across entire sectors of the universe.
What is she doing? Lucan thought.
Aeris lowered her raised leg, shifted her stance, and smoothly pivoted on her foot. With the motion, she spun into a full arc and launched a precise back kick—aimed straight ahead, as if Lucan were right there.
“First Form: Fold Kick.”
Lucan blinked.
She wasn’t even near him.
It looked like she was kicking at empty space.
Then—
BOOM!!
“ARRGHH!”
Space collapsed.
Lucan’s head snapped violently sideways. In an instant, Aeris appeared in front of him—her foot connecting squarely with his jaw. His mouth burst with blood as the strike broke his jaw instantly, sending him hurtling backward like a meteor.
He tumbled through cosmic winds, past shattered planets and scattered stars. Solar systems blurred in his vision as he flew uncontrollably across the galaxy.
Then—he stopped.
His body halted mid-flight, forced still through sheer willpower.
He panted, regaining focus.
When he looked around, he realized—he was now in the center of the universe. Billions of light-years from where they had just fought.
His jaw realigned itself with a sickening crunch and healed.
“That wasn’t speed…” he muttered, brow furrowed. “She didn’t move fast—she collapsed the space between us. A spatial fold.”
Another ripple shimmered through the void.
Aeris appeared again.
This time, Lucan was ready.
The moment she came into view, he moved—his body already in motion, sword drawn back, swinging horizontally at waist level with full force.
But just as the blade began to cut forward—
“Second Form: Space Seal.”
Aeris reached him and tapped his chest with her fingers.
Lucan froze mid-swing.
His body locked completely. Muscles paralyzed. The blade stuck in the middle of its arc. He couldn’t push forward, couldn’t pull back.
It was like space itself had turned solid around him.
Aeris drew in a breath, beginning to speak again.
“Third For—”
SLASH!
A sudden burst of blood interrupted her.
Her eyes widened.
She looked down.
A thin red line had appeared across her waist.
The line split open—clean and even. Her upper and lower body began to separate, a wave of pain and disbelief overtaking her face as blood spilled freely into the void.
Lucan remained locked in place, but a twisted smile spread across his lips.
Then came the laughter.
“Hahahahah!!”
“Even if you lock me in space…” he said, eyes gleaming with cold triumph, “once my sword moves—even just once—the result is already determined.”
“I don’t need to complete the swing. The moment I begin it… causality takes care of the rest.”
Before her body could split fully, Aeris pressed both hands to her sides. A flash of golden energy surged across her midsection, sealing the wound in an instant. She straightened slowly, calm and composed, as if nothing had happened at all.
“It doesn’t matter how many times you cut me,” she said coldly, locking eyes with Lucan. “If you can’t finish me in one strike, then you can’t do anything to me.”
She inhaled slowly, her gaze sharpened.
“Our race is blessed with vitality and energy. We’re the hardest to kill in this universe. But you humans… how many times can you survive my blows?”
Her voice was level, almost quiet.
“It’s said a cultivator in the False God Realm can recover even after being reduced to ash,” she added. “But that comes at a cost—immense vitality. So tell me, Lucan…”
She raised her chin slightly
“…how many hits can you really afford to take?”
Lucan gritted his teeth. Rage twisted across his face.
“You… fucking slut!” he spat. “Let’s see who breaks first!”
His energy exploded outward. Space cracked violently around him as his limbs moved, his body pushing against the sealed dimensions through brute force. The pressure of his eruption rippled outward, spreading across galaxies. Stars trembled. Planetary systems shook.
But Aeris didn’t wait.
She moved.
“Third Form: Spiral Echo — Angled Fury.”
Her back foot pivoted as she twisted her body sideways, torso tight and coiled. Her left arm bent sharply near her ribs while her right leg shifted to maintain balance.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Then—she struck.
She snapped around in a controlled, explosive spin, launching a powerful backfist straight through empty space where Lucan stood.
The strike wasn’t just one attack.
As her arm carved through the air, the surrounding space warped and rippled. A wave-like distortion followed the arc of her swing, spreading outward. Along that path, faint images of the punch flickered briefly—slightly delayed afterimages that hung for only a moment before vanishing.
Lucan let out a roar and unleashed another surge of power. The spatial lock cracked, then shattered. A shockwave blasted outward.
In a blink, he dodged. Aeris missed by a margin, and Lucan flashed thousands of meters away, hovering in the dark, staring at her with burning eyes.
“You missed,” he growled.
But Aeris hadn’t moved.
She remained where she stood, arms relaxed at her sides, calm as ever—watching him.
Lucan’s eyes narrowed.
Then space shimmered around him.
Ripples.
Again.
He turned his head sharply—but saw nothing. Aeris hadn’t moved a step.
Then he heard her voice.
“Do you know what an echo is?” she asked, quietly.
Her voice repeated unnaturally—once… twice… again.
“Echo.”
“Echo…”
“Echo…”
The word reverberated through space like a haunting rhythm.
Lucan’s heart jumped.
Then—
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
The first hit struck his jaw.
Then his side.
Then his spine.
Blows rained down from every direction—his face, his chest, his stomach, neck, ribs. One after another, invisible strikes hit with crushing precision, each delayed echo of the original punch arriving from different angles.
He tried to dodge, to react, to escape—but every time he moved, another blow landed before he could finish the motion.
Each impact sank deeper.
His armor cracked.
Blood splashed out and drifted in every direction.
By the end, Lucan floated silently in space—gasping, shaking.
Bruised. Bleeding. Barely recognizable.
Enraged, Lucan exploded in a surge of crimson energy. Galaxies around him trembled under the pressure—some even began to show signs of collapse, their light dimming as space cracked along their edges.
His body healed rapidly. Skin, flesh, armor—restored in seconds. Even his tattered clothes reformed.
Then suddenly—
Cough!
Despite the regeneration, Lucan bent forward, coughing up blood.
He stared at it, confused for a moment.
Then—space collapsed again.
Aeris reappeared just a few meters in front of him.
Without thinking, Lucan reflexively shot backward—putting hundreds of thousands of meters between them in an instant.
Aeris tilted her head slightly and smiled, just a little too smug.
“Oh, Lucan... why are you running?” she said, her voice playful.
Lucan’s fists clenched as anger surged again. Her tone. Her confidence. It stung deeper than the wounds.
This wasn’t supposed to be a real fight.
He was the son of the Chosen One—the one his father had left behind to finish the extermination of all non-human species while he ventured beyond the universe.
Now he stood in front of a wall.
What would Father say if he saw me like this…?
He was supposed to be the strongest now that the throne was empty. But here she was—an elf—forcing him to retreat.
He could call for his guardian. Someone equal to him in cultivation. Together, they’d crush her.
But no.
That would be disgraceful.
She looked at him again with that smug confidence.
That was enough.
No more.
He’d end it now.
Lucan raised his sword once more and spoke:
“Prepare yourself. This will be the last time you see me swing my sword—because this time, you’ll die.”
Instantly, his aura shifted.
The pressure spread like a shockwave—rippling across the stars. Aeris’s expression tightened. She could feel the weight settle across the entire universe.
What is he doing...?
Another Fated Slash? That won’t kill me in one hit—he knows that. So what is he planning now?
She focused on him—and in the next blink, he vanished.
She turned.
Lucan stood behind her.
A portal shimmered open beside him, and she saw him calmly returning his sword into it, as if the battle were already over.
Then she heard the words:
“Fated Slash — Final Form: Judgement Cut.”
Her entire body tensed.
He had already attacked. She didn’t know how or when—but the technique was already activated.
But then... why store the sword?
If it was just another Fated Slash, it wouldn’t be enough to kill her. So what was different?
Suddenly—
A flash of energy sliced through the space above her, aiming for her neck.
She barely reacted in time—dodging it by a hair’s breadth.
But—
SLASH!!
A horizontal line burned across her from shoulder to waist.
Blood exploded outward before her body was enveloped in golden energy, rapidly sealing the wound.
She grit her teeth, her eyes narrowing.
Then—she saw them.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
No… millions of faint glowing cuts appearing in space all around her. They hovered for a moment, suspended across the void, converging like a collapsing net.
So that’s what he meant...
Each slash shimmered faintly, curved and slow-moving—just visible enough to track, but far too many to count.
In that moment, it felt as if time itself paused.
Aeris moved—dodging again and again, her body weaving between the slashes, avoiding them all with precision.
But deep down, she knew—if this was anything like Fated Slash…
The same slashes she had just dodged began to land.
One after another.
Dozens. Thousands. Millions.
She was cut again and again—sliced down to particles, then atoms—but golden light burst from within her each time, forcing her body to reassemble.
Desperate, Aeris folded space and vanished—reappearing millions of light-years away in an instant.
But even there—
Slash!
Another cut tore through her shoulder.
She blinked again, teleporting across galaxies, trying to outrun it.
Slash!
Her leg was severed—only for it to reform mid-jump.
No matter how far she ran, how many times she disappeared and reappeared, the slashes always found her.
Again and again, her body was destroyed and restored—an unending cycle of pain and regeneration.
“Hahahahaha!!”
Lucan laughed as he chased after her, watching as she struggle.
Lucan laughed, following close behind, watching her flee, watching her be destroyed and regenerated repeatedly.
“Where’s that proud attitude now, Empress Aeris?” he mocked.
“You said your race had limitless vitality, didn’t you? Then let’s see how long it lasts.”
He grinned wider.
“Let’s see where your limit really is, Empress.”
Aeris continued to teleport, her body flashing in and out of existence as she fled from the onslaught, with Lucan chasing her across the stars.
And suddenly—they were at the edge of the universe.
Aeris was still regenerating, but it was slower now. The golden light around her was flickering, dimmer with each cycle.
Her breath was unsteady.
Is this… really how I die?
She remembered her son's voice.
“What future would I fight for if you and everyone else are already dead?”
That moment. His eyes. His plea to fight alongside her.
No. I can’t die like this. I told him to grow strong and return. I have to be there when he comes back…
She gritted her teeth as another slash carved into her back—and again, she regenerated.
Her mind raced, searching for any solution.
Then a thought came.
I can observe other universes… what if I could step outside this one? Even for a moment?
His causality doesn’t extend beyond the universe… right?
She had never tried it. Not even once. She didn’t know if she could. And if she did—what would happen? Would she die instantly? Would she be erased?
She didn’t know.
But now? There was nothing left to try.
She raised her head slowly, her body still being cut and reformed as Lucan hovered across from her—grinning wide.
“Beg for your life, Empress,” he said, voice laced with sadistic joy. “Maybe if you do, I’ll spare you. Maybe.”
Aeris didn’t respond. She didn’t even look directly at him.
She was still thinking—still measuring the risk.
And then… she smiled.
Lucan’s grin faded slightly. He frowned.
She was smiling.
Bleeding. Dying. Healing. Again and again—and still, she smiled.
He didn’t understand.
She should be desperate.
She should be begging.
Why wasn’t she?
His eyes narrowed.
But it didn’t matter. When she died, he would take his time. The rest of her race would suffer for everything she made him feel today.
Then suddenly, Aeris spoke.
Her voice was calm, unwavering.
“Every technique has a solution, Emperor Lucan…”
“…and today, I’ll show you how to avoid the inevitable.”
Lucan stiffened.
Emperor?
That was the first time she had ever called him that.
Before he could respond, Aeris’s form began to twist—space around her bending and spiraling unnaturally. Her body distorted, drawn into overlapping folds of dimension.
And then—
She vanished.
Completely.
“What?!” Lucan shouted, his voice sharp. His eyes scanned the void in every direction.
“Where is she?!”
He expanded his divine sense, stretching it across the universe.
Nothing.
No presence.
No Qi.
No trace.
Then—
“Ssskrrr—whipp—sskrrr!”
The remaining slashes of his Judgement Cut, without a target, converged on the empty space she had left behind.
The impact struck nothing but vacuum—yet it cracked the void itself.
A massive rift opened in the cosmos, stretching across thousands of light-years like a gash in space.
A void inside the void.
Lucan's breath caught.
What... was that?
Then—
She reappeared.
Behind him.
Her breath came uneven. Her hands clenched into fists. Her eyes were cold, but something deeper stirred behind them.
She had gone outside the universe.
And returned.
The pressure she had just felt... it was suffocating. Crushing. The moment she crossed into the Outer Abyss—the space beyond the universe—she questioned whether her son would survive it. The young universe she had sent him to was in that abyss. If she, with all her strength, could barely withstand it for seconds…
She didn’t know if he could make it through the travel.
But now wasn’t the time for doubt.
She had no space to waste on fear.
As soon as she stabilized her footing behind Lucan—
She struck.
“Fourth Form: Bloom of the Black Star!”
In what World Lorion should land ?
