Chapter 2007: Power of Nihility
Chapter 2007: Power of Nihility
The Samsara Flame consumed the seven monoliths, the corpses of the Prime Deities, and even the body, soul, and will of Dionisio—a Middle ArchDeity—with ravenous hunger. The Flame tore through them without hesitation, breaking them down into purest essence and generating vast streams of Fortune that amassed in the ceiling of the sacrificial ground like a mystical, bright purple sea.
Cain could not help but smile, his lips curving into something fierce and almost feral. His chest rose and fell with exhilaration, and his eyes gleamed with a predator’s thrill as he measured the wealth of Fortune gathered.
"Almost two-thirds of what I obtained from sacrificing Legion’s living remains," he whispered to himself.
It was shocking. Legion had been an entity at the level of an Alpha–Omega Overgod. The difference was quality versus quantity; though none of these offerings matched Legion’s singular power, together their combined weight still reached terrifying heights.
Cain’s gaze fixed on the ceiling, where the Fortune roiled like a golden tempest. Soon, it split apart—eighty percent compressed into a sphere of golden light that condensed into a sphere, while the remainder flashed downward into his right hand, fusing into the Samsara Seal etched upon his flesh.
"Here it comes..." The thought crossed Cain’s mind as he clenched his teeth.
The next moment, pain erupted. An unimaginable agony, far beyond the physical, assaulted him. The runic lines of the Samsara Seal expanded across his existence, searing into muscle, bone, spirit, and will alike. Each time a new line appeared, it felt like a burning knife was being dragged through every inch of his existence. His jaw clenched, veins bulging in his neck, but he endured.
By the time the ordeal ended, Cain was still standing—his shoulders heaving with effort, his skin glistening with sweat. Yet a deep frown formed across his face as he studied the new pattern of runes. They had spread further, yes, but the set was far from complete.
"It seems I miscalculated," Cain muttered, his voice low with both irritation and reflection. "The Merit required to obtain the full Samsara Runic Set is greater than I anticipated."
A sigh escaped him. Yet along with his disappointment came a glint of fierce interest. If the path was this costly, then the reward must be equally extraordinary. The Samsara Immortal Body would be more than a simple transformation; it would be a miracle carved into flesh and will, the kind of power worthy of eternity itself.
But for now, Cain’s attention shifted back to the golden sphere still hovering above him. He extended his consciousness toward it, and at once it burst apart, releasing a crystalline heart the size of two clasped fists.
The heart hovered in the air, rotating slowly. Its surface was smooth and glass-like, but beneath it shadows swirled like trapped storms. At first glance it was perfectly black, darker even than the void between stars. Yet faint veins of violet and silver-grey pulsed within it, flickering like dying stars swallowed by a collapsing galaxy.
Its edges blurred as though it were half-submerged in another dimension. A faint halo of inverted light encircled it, bending the world around it. Nearby objects seemed to fade into monochrome; even sound was dampened, swallowed by the silence it radiated. Each pulse it gave off sent waves of heavy stillness through the chamber—the same suffocating quiet one might feel in the instant after a world-ending storm.
Cain’s eyes widened, awe flickering in their depths. And then the voice of the Samsara Lord echoed across the castle.
"Congratulations. You have obtained the Tier I Treasure—Heart of Nihility. A crystallized pulse of the void before existence itself. Its essence is pure Nihility, the power of absolute nothingness. It leans not toward creation, rebirth, or paradox unless bent by will. It is silence. It is erasure. It is the void."
Cain exhaled slowly, a look of wonder flashing across his features. He did not hesitate. With absolute focus, he imprinted his will and soul into the heart, binding it to his existence.
The Heart of Nihility pulsed once, then streaked toward him, phasing through his chest. Cain gasped as it settled beside his Rebirth Heart, embedding itself into his circulatory system. For a moment it felt as though his heart had stopped entirely. The world fell silent. Then—
Thump. Thump.
Twin heartbeats echoed from within his chest. One carried the Star Power and Astral Origin, along with the might of Entropy. The other carried only silence: a black, starless radiance, pure void crystallized into rhythm.
Cain raised his right hand. At once, black starlight coalesced within his palm. It radiated the power of Nihility, a force so absolute it seemed to erase the edges of his hand itself. It was not destructive fire or entropy—it was simply the absence of all things, the denial of existence.
The Nihility Heart resonated with Cain’s cultivation base, so the stronger he became, the more powerful its Nihility Power would be.
He clenched his fist, and his lips curved into a savage grin.
"Despite being only at the Middle Prime Deity Realm, I can feel it. With this... I could erase an ArchDeity’s defenses. I could burn through their flesh, their soul, even their will."
He studied the starlight further, analyzing the alien sensation it carried. The more he focused, the more its truth unfolded to him.
"The Power of Nihility... it is rooted in the Concept Path itself. It strikes directly at psychic and mental power, severing the foundation of thought."
A cold and brutal light flared in Cain’s eyes. Azazel—his enemy, born of emotions and psychic force—would find this a bane. The Heart of Nihility was a weapon tailor-made to fight him.
Cain was about to disperse the starlight when something in him stilled. A meaningful light flickered in his gaze. His Crown of Ascendance allowed him to see what others could not, to glimpse possibilities hidden beyond the surface.
Slowly, he raised his left hand. White flames of Entropy surged forth from his Rebirth Heart, covering his palm. In his right hand, the black starlight of Nihility continued to blaze.
Cain’s heartbeat thundered—two rhythms, two powers, one body.
His lips curved into a smile of raw excitement as he put both hands together.