The black energy that had surrounded their comrade began to fade away. They all waited, but as the black energy faded completelyā
Their comradeā¦ had faded out of existence as well.
His Aura, the Golden Energy he released, their connection to himāit allā¦ vanished.
And what was left wasā¦
Silence.
The remaining Light Borns froze, their glowing eyes widened.
"Whatā¦ what did you do to himā¦?"
One of them whispered.
Nux, who was staring at his hand, slowly turned to them, and a faint grin appeared on his face.
"Do you finally realize it nowā¦?"
He spoke in a soft, calm, but chilling voice.
"This is not the Afterlife, nor is this the Cycle of Reincarnationā
None of you are dead.
You are very much alive."
He revealed.
"Whatā¦?"
The Light Borns stiffened, their auras flickering in disbelief.
Nux's grin widened, twisting into something demonic. His golden eyes burned brighterābut the golden shade in his eyes was different compared to the Light Borns'.
His eyes did not reflect holiness or graceā¦
His eyes showed hunger.
A predatory hunger prepared to devour it all.
"But don't worry,"
He spoke in a low, almost playful voice.
"I've prepared a fate far worse than death for you."
Before they could react, he vanished again. Once more, his hand grabbed another Light Born, and the same dark energy wrapped itself around him.
Again, the Light Born screamed, he struggled, just like the one before him did, butā¦ the result was no different.
Another light disappeared into the void.
And this time, the Light Borns felt itā
This time, they felt itāthe dangerous, devouring force that threatened their very sense of existenceā¦
The Light Borns stared at the monster in front of themāand finally, realization dawned.
The Anomalyāhe wasn't lying, nor was he trying to trick them.
This wasn't the end.
This wasn't the afterlife.
This wasā¦ the beginningā
The beginning of their battle against the Anomaly.
The Light Borns stared at each other, their Auras flaring brightly as they all nodded, preparing themselves for the battle ahead.
Once again, the Light Borns stared at the being in front of them, their expressions now different from before.
It was about to begin.
The battle between the Golden Light and the Endless Darknessā
And Nuxā¦
He grinned as he moved forward.
But this time, the Light Borns didn't just let him do what he wantedā
BOOOOOM
This time, they released their Auras strongly. More than a hundred Light Borns released their energies at the same time, trying to suppress the enemy with their Aura. And this wasn't allā
The group had prepared something else too.
At the same time, all hundred Light Borns released their Domains. The goal was simpleāsuppress the enemy's Domain with theirs, and once the Anomaly was inside their Domaināthe battle was as good as over.
Or at leastā¦ that was what the Light Borns believed, butā¦
The moment they activated their Domainsāor tried toāthey realized something.
Their Domainsā¦
They could not release them.
While their Laws still worked, theyā¦ for some reason, couldn't extend them to Domainsā¦
"Whatā¦?"
One of the Light Borns muttered aloud, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Iā¦ I cannot release my Domainā¦"
Another muttered.
"Me neitherā¦"
The rest of the Light Borns faced the same problem. A wave of confusion spread through the place, the Light Borns staring at each other in disbeliefābut suddenlyā
"Let me GO!"
A shout was heard.
The Light Borns turned toward the sound and saw another one of their comrades in the enemy's hand, struggling with everything he had. The same black energy surrounded himā
As for the enemyā¦
He stared at them andā
"Oh right, I think I forgot to tell you."
He began, as if he had just remembered.
"This isn't the Afterlife or the Cycle of Reincarnationābut that doesn't mean this place isn't specialā"
He smiled. The Light Borns narrowed their eyes at those words, and heā
"You cannot use your Domains here."
Nux revealed with an innocent smile as the black energy he released faded again, taking another one of their comrades with it.
And Nux's grin widenedā
"So you, my friends, are on your own.
I wish you the best of luck."
The Light Borns clenched their fists in anger and frustration. Seeing the clear disdain and mockery in Nux's eyes made their bodies tremble.
He was openly provoking them.
And heā¦
He would pay the price for thatā
"Spread formation,"
One of them ordered, and without wasting any time, the hundred and one Light Borns left got into formation, forming concentric rings of radiance that instantly surrounded the enemy.
Their Auras flared again, their bodies burning with endless energy, and in perfect synchronization, they moved.
"Solar Dominion: Nova Bloom!"
The Leader of the Formation announced, and the rest moved accordingly. They had used the same formation so many times that it was instilled into their very bodiesāit was next to impossible to make a mistake.
The dark void exploded into gold.
BOOOOOOOOOM
Hundreds of miniature suns detonated around Nux, the energy tearing space apart, reducing everything within range to molten particles of light.
The explosions were so bright that even time itself seemed to stutter.
An attack capable of wiping out even the strongest beings out of existence, an attack that Nux couldn't possibly escape since he was caught right in the middle of itā
It was over.
So quickly that honestly, the Light Borns were taken abackā
"Wasn't itā¦ too easyā¦?"
One of them said aloud.
"So much forā"
Another one wanted to nod with a grin butā¦
But when the light fadedā¦
Every single Light Born could see itāa faint figure that became clearer and clearer.
"Whatā¦?"
One of them muttered, his mouth agape.
"Heā¦ survivedā¦?"
"Butā¦ howā¦?"
None could believe it.
He was there.
Standing stillāuntouched.
No injuries, no bruisesā¦
The combined attack of a hundred Eternal-Level Light Bornsā¦ did absolutely nothing to him. And as if he were trying to rub it inā
Nux scratched his arm with a somewhat annoyed look on his face andā
"That felt itchy."
He then stared at the Light Borns and frownedā
"But wasn't it too much work just for a mere light show?"