Chapter 76 – Prototype Zero:
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Location: The Fractured Sanctum – Outer Rim
The team stood before the massive gates of a long-forgotten sanctuary—its walls warped by time, its symbols glowing faintly with arcane void energy.
"This place shouldn't exist," Maya whispered, staring at the shifting structure. "It's not on any map. Not even the forbidden archives."
Kael-X said nothing. His senses were sharp, his instincts on fire. Every shadow in this realm whispered warnings.
Umbra slithered beside him, tendrils flickering. "He's here. I can smell the same void that birthed you."
Elijah, adjusting the grip on his weapon, looked uneasy. "If this is where Prototype Zero is hiding… then we're walking into the den of something that's just like you—but never had to hold back."
Veyron hovered low. "Worse. He wasn't raised by people. He was raised by silence, blood, and broken time. A mirror… without morals."
Kael-X stepped forward, his voice calm but edged with steel. "Then let's shatter that mirror."
They passed through the gates.
Inside was a spiral corridor of warped time—images flashing along the walls. Each one was a version of Kael-X… but twisted.
One showed him conquering entire worlds.
Another, merging with shadow beasts until he became a godlike entity.
And one… showed Prototype Zero, sitting on a throne made of broken timelines.
Suddenly, the images stopped.
The corridor opened into a black cathedral lit by dim violet fire.
And there he stood.
Prototype Zero.
He looked like Kael-X—same height, same void-core structure—but his eyes were hollow, like the void had drained everything human from him.
"You finally came," Prototype Zero said, voice like a cold wind through glass. "I wondered how long it would take you to follow your own origin."
Kael-X stepped forward. "This ends here."
Prototype Zero grinned. "No. This begins here. You were my replacement. My failed echo. Now you're here… to complete me."
The flames roared.
The air cracked.
Suddenly—attack.
Zero launched first—his body phasing between seconds, warping space. Kael-X met him head-on, blades of shadow and void clashing with blinding speed.
Their battle ripped through the sanctum, every strike echoing with centuries of rage.
Veyron, Maya, and Elijah tried to assist—but Umbra snarled.
"No. This is his fight."
Kael-X yelled as he locked arms with Zero. "You're not me."
Prototype Zero's eyes flared. "You're right. I'm what you were never allowed to become."
Chapter 76 – Prototype Zero:
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Kael-X was hurled backward, smashing into one of the cathedral's jagged pillars. He grunted, blood trailing from his mouth as he rolled and sprang back to his feet.
Prototype Zero stalked forward, his voice laced with disdain. "They restrained you with morals. With allies. With love."
Violet arcs of corrupted void power crackled around him.
"I was forged without boundaries."
Kael-X wiped the blood from his lip. "Then you were forged to fall."
He vanished—blinking forward with impossible speed—and their blades clashed again, shockwaves tearing chunks of ancient architecture into the sky. The cathedral groaned as reality itself warped under the strain of their battle.
Outside, Elijah could barely stand from the pressure emanating from within. "They're going to collapse the whole time pocket."
Veyron grimaced, his magic flaring subtly around Maya to protect her. "It's not just void versus void… it's ideology. And only one can survive."
Inside, Kael-X let out a guttural shout as he pushed Zero back, shadow tendrils wrapping around his opponent's arms—but Zero grinned and detonated a blast of spatial distortion, unraveling the restraints.
"You fight like someone afraid to become me."
Kael-X's eyes darkened. "No... I fight like someone who beat you every time you tried to take over."
For a split second, Prototype Zero's mask cracked. Emotion? Doubt?
Kael-X used that moment—funneling Umbra and Oblivion's essence through his body.
A dual-core surge of shadow and monster-born void exploded around him.
He moved like thunder.
One strike—into the ribs.
Another—into the neck.
He spun, landing behind Zero, who stumbled… and fell to one knee.
The cathedral trembled violently.
Prototype Zero looked up, eyes dimming. "So… you were the final prototype after all."
Kael-X didn't respond.
He extended his hand—and drew the remaining fragments of Zero's unstable void into himself.
The room went silent.
And the cathedral… began to collapse behind them.
Kael-X walked out of the ruins, his cloak torn, his aura barely restrained.
Maya ran to him. "Are you okay?"
He nodded once, then turned to the horizon. "One threat is gone."
Veyron narrowed his eyes. "But they saw. All of them. Across time. Across the void."
Elijah spoke what they all feared.
"They'll come for us next."
Kael-X's voice was low. "Let them."
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Next: Chapter 77 – Echoes of Power