Chapter 494: This is my domain, you low-born creature

"RRRRROOOAARRRRRRRR!!!"

"LET ME GGGOOOOO!!!!!!"

"YOU FILTHY LOWBORNS! WHOEVER DARES TO DO THIS TO ME, YOU WILL PAY FOR IT WITH YOUR LIVES!!!!!!!"

Aether stood frozen, staring blankly at the enormous blue-scaled dragon thrashing within the grasp of black chains.

The dragon’s massive body strained against its bindings, desperate to break free, but the chains held firm, wrapping tighter with every movement.

"What... is going on?" Aether mumbled, his voice barely audible, his face a mask of confusion as he took in the surreal scene before him.

Only moments ago, he had been holding the Dragon Emperor’s horn, and now he found himself standing within the dark and white expanse of the Umbra/Ethereal Domain.

"LET ME GO!!" The Dragon Emperor’s voice boomed again, this time with even more fury as his body shimmered.

A searing blue sparkled flame flickered near his gaping maw, preparing to unleash its destructive power. However, before the flame could even leave his throat, another chain shot out, wrapping tightly around his mouth.

"MMFFFFFFFFF!!!!!" The Dragon Emperor let out a muffled, enraged roar.

"Hey, Log... what’s going on? Answer me..." Aether muttered, his voice calm but hollow.

His feet moved slowly, deliberately, as he approached the bound dragon, but no response came from the voice in his head.

The Dragon Emperor, his body still straining against the chains, suddenly froze as his gaze locked onto Aether. His eyes widened in an instant, In the blink of an eye, the enormous dragon form shifted, shrinking down into a human shape. Yet the black chains remained, tightening even further around his new, smaller body.

"I-It’s you... Victor? VICTORRRRRR!!!" The Dragon Emperor’s voice cracked as he screamed, the terror in his tone unmistakable.

"YOU WRETCHED LOWBORN! What have you done to me?!" He spat, thrashing violently.

Aether’s face remained blank, cold, as he watched the scene unfold with an almost detached interest. Slowly, methodically, he approached... He stopped just a foot away, standing before him with a look that betrayed no emotion.

"You think chaining me in this dark, unknown prison will make me beg for mercy? You must be a fool, a naive lowborn!" the Dragon Emperor snarled, his eyes blazing with defiance, "Lowborn scum! I will annihilate you, just like my ancestors slaughtered yours! There won’t be a single descendant left of the Origin Emperor’s bloodline when I’m through with you! HAHAHA!"

Aether blinked a few times, his gaze narrowing as his eyes drifted toward the two gaping holes in the Dragon Emperor’s forehead... right where his horns used to be. A glint of blue light shimmered in Aether’s hand as the missing crystal horn materialized as the fresh blood dripped from it.

The Dragon Emperor’s eyes widened in horror. "HOW DARE YOU HOLD MY—"

"Shut up!"

Aether’s voice, sharp and commanding, echoed throughout the domain with a force that made the entire domain tremble.

The Dragon Emperor’s mouth snapped shut instantly, almost involuntarily, as though the sheer presence of Aether’s words had bound his very will.

After a tense silence, Aether nodded to himself, as though finally understanding something. "You’re not the current Dragon Emperor, are you? You must be him," he mused aloud, turning the crystal horn over in his hand, "This horn... it carries part of your soul, doesn’t it? That’s why I couldn’t store it without backlash...

it was never just an object." he recalled the restriction in his Eternis Storage about ’Objects possessing souls that could harm the user if stored.’

!~Ding~!

[The Horns of the Dragon Emperor hold a remnant of his soul. What you see before you is nothing more than the lingering essence of the Arkanis Dragonheart.]

Aether’s eyes darkened as he processed the information, his body trembling slightly with barely contained fury, ’Does that mean... the real Dragon Emperor wasn’t replaced in this reality?’ Aether thought, though his internal voice was tinged with a dangerous edge. ’LOG, ANSWER ME!!’ His eyes turned pitch-black as an overwhelming killing intent radiated from his body.

[... No. Since this is just a remnant, his full soul remains untouched in this reality.]

Aether exhaled slowly, regaining his composure, "I see..." he stared coldly at the Dragon Emperor. "Arkanis..." Aether said softly.

The Dragon Emperor flinched at the sound of his name. "How dare you call me by my—"

"Did you enjoy it? Killing them!" Aether’s voice was calm. He leaned in closer, pressing a finger into Arkanis’s cheek, watching as blood slowly oozed from the puncture, "Even a remnant of your soul... still bleeds," Aether murmured, his tone eerily detached.

Arkanis glared, his teeth bared in a twisted snarl. He tried to move his hands, to strike back, but the chains kept him locked in place. "You’ll suffer for this, Victor! I’ll make sure of it!" Arkanis sneered, as he smirked suddenly saying, "Are you referring to the ones I crushed beneath my feet? The worthless lives I snuffed out like they were nothing? Is that what you mean by ’enjoyment’?"

Aether didn’t flinch. He simply stared into Arkanis’s eyes, unblinking, emotionless. The lack of reaction made Arkanis’s frown deepen.

"You know... there are many things in this life I’ve regretted," Aether whispered, his voice almost too low to hear, "But what I regret most of all... is letting you go... that I couldn’t K.I.L.L you myself" As moved his hands near to Arkanis’s neck but stopped it.

Arkanis narrowed his eyes, confusion and anger swirling in his gaze, "What are you talking about? You were only spared because something protected you from my power on the battlefield! If not for that, I would’ve killed you a thousand times over, and you know it!" Arkanis spat.

Aether’s eyes flickered with understanding, ’Protected? So... my contractor planned all this?’ he thought, piecing things together. His gaze refocused on Arkanis. "Do you honestly believe you can kill me.. now?"

Arkanis’s prideful grin spread across his face once more. "Of course I can. If you’re so confident, why don’t you remove these chains and see what happens?" His voice was laced with malice, his grin wide and sinister.

Aether stared at him for a long moment before, "Heh... Hehehe... HEHEHEHEHE!!!"

His laughter echoed through the domain, growing louder and more unhinged with each passing second. The entire realm trembled in response!

Arkanis’s smug expression faltered, a sense of unease creeping up his spine.

Crack!

The chains around Arkanis began to crack, fragments of the black bindings splintering apart. Arkanis’s eyes widened in shock before a wicked grin spread across his face once more. ’You pathetic human... you’re about to meet your end,’ he thought, bracing himself to break free.

Meanwhile, Aether’s laughter faded, and his attention shifted to his Arcane card, hovering a short distance away in the void between the two domains. The card pulsated with an eerie glow, its surface almost completely consumed by the swirling darkness of his Umbra side.

The balance was tipping, dangerously close to being lost. Summoning it now would mean inviting corruption to his very soul.

’The Umbra side… it’s not about me being tainted,’ Aether mused, his eyes narrowing as thoughts swirled in his mind. ’It only amplifies the darkest, most impure desires already within me... It doesn’t create the darkness; it just pulls out what’s buried deep... my own emotions… my own shadows.’

He turned his gaze back to Arkanis, who had just managed to break free from the chains. The Dragon Emperor’s face twisted with triumph as he rushed forward, hand outstretched, ready to strike.

"YOU DIE NOW!" Arkanis bellowed, lunging at Aether with fury.

But just as his hand was about to touch Aether, he froze. Aether’s lips curled into a slow, unsettling grin.

His voice, cold and emotionless,

"Arcane"

Thud!

In an instant, the half-black domain of Umbra expanded, engulfing the remaining white space completely. The world around them plunged into a deep, oppressive void, a darkness so thick!

Arkanis’s eyes darted around wildly, his vision completely useless in the pitch-black space. Panic flickered across his features as he realized he could no longer see or sense anything. His heart pounded in his chest. "W-What is this?! What’s happening?!" his voice trembling.

The Dragon Emperor spun in place, trying to find some sense of direction, but the endless dark swallowed him whole, "A-Are you hiding from me?!" he shouted, forcing a laugh that barely masked the growing unknown fear. "You coward! Come out and face me like a man, you bastard!" His voice echoed in the void, met only with eerie silence.

A sense of dread began to creep into Arkanis’s mind. His instincts screamed at him, warning him that something was terribly, terribly wrong, "Y-You think this scares me?!" he called out, but his voice shook.

Clap!

Suddenly, a sharp clap rang out behind him. Arkanis whipped around, eyes wide, but there was nothing... just the suffocating darkness.

His heart raced faster. "A-Are you trying to play games with me?" His voice cracked slightly as he tried to laugh, the sound forced and hollow.

Clap!

Another clap echoed, this time from the opposite direction. Arkanis spun again but saw... nothing. His fists clenched tightly as he growled under his breath, "This won’t work on me—"

Suddenly, a sharp burning sensation flared across his back. His eyes widened in shock, and he instinctively reached back, only to find his skin peeling away, his fingers touching raw, torn flesh.

"W-What the—"

Clap!

The skin on his leg ripped apart as if an invisible force was tearing it from his body.

"W-What is happening?AArrrHH!"

Clap!

Clap!

"MY HAIRRRR!!" Arkanis screamed, clutching his head in agony.

His once proud mane of hair had been ripped clean off, leaving his scalp raw and exposed.

"COME OUT AND FACE ME, YOU COWARD!!" he howled, his voice a mixture of rage and sheer terror. But before he could gather himself,

Clap!

His arm’s skin was torn away next.

"NO! STOP IT!! AAAARRGGHH!"

Clap!

Clap!

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Clap!

Clap!

Clap!

....

....

Each clap was followed by searing pain, as more and more of Arkanis’s skin was stripped away.

His muscles burned, exposed to the open air, every inch of his body consumed by a stinging, fiery sensation. He writhed in agony, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"YOU BASTARD!!" he screamed, desperate to regain control. He tried to shift back into his dragon form, hoping to use his full strength to break free, but—

"It won’t work"

A motionless and cold voice echoed through the dark void.

Arkanis flinched at the sound, "W-What do you mean?!" His voice was shaking now, his confidence shattered.

His dragon form refused to respond, no matter how hard he tried.

"This is my domain, you low-born creature,"

A deep sense of terror etched itself onto Arkanis’s face. He turned, searching desperately for the source of the voice, but all he could see was darkness.

Then, slowly, a massive, white, arched grin appeared in the distance, glowing faintly in the void.

"W-Who... who are you?!" Arkanis’s voice was barely a whisper, his once-mighty arrogance crumbling in the face of this terrifying unknown.

The grin seemed to stretch, growing impossibly wide, and with every second it loomed larger, consuming the space around him.

"N-No... NO... STAY AWAY..." Arkanis stammered, stumbling backwards, his legs shaking. His body flickered, his form wavering, as if it was on the verge of disappearing entirely.

Fear gripped his heart, unlike anything he had ever felt before... even when he fought Noirix, this fear was far different!

The last thing he heard before the void swallowed him whole was a low, sinister chuckle.

"Heheheh..."

The massive white grin zoomed in, filling his entire vision and,

Chuckk!