The sky above Uranus's hidden domain was vast, infinite, a sea of endless stars that shimmered like frozen fire. Unlike Olympus or the Demon Domain, this place felt untouched by time. Mountains of crystal rose into the heavens, rivers of starlight flowed between them, and the air itself shimmered with the raw breath of creation. It was the first sky, the very canvas upon which existence had been painted.
From within this sanctum, Uranus, Father Sky, stood silently upon a platform of white stone. His human form was radiant yet simple — tall, broad shouldered, hair like liquid silver cascading down his back, his cloak resembling the endless night studded with galaxies. His presence hummed with a weight beyond titans and gods alike. He was the first expanse, the dome of eternity itself. His gaze, though calm, was fixed far beyond the horizon.
Something was stirring.
And then the black flames came.
A tear split across the stars as Leonidas forced open a portal, wings of hellfire unfurling, his face grim with urgency. In his arms lay Megumi Valentine — pale, trembling, his breaths shallow, his once-boundless aura extinguished. Behind them, the sky quivered as if reality itself recoiled from what followed.
Uranus's silver eyes narrowed. He stepped forward, and his voice rolled like the wind that moves entire worlds.
"Leonidas. You come bearing ruin."
Leonidas dropped heavily to one knee, his chest heaving from the effort of the journey. He cradled Megumi with care, lowering him gently onto the crystalline floor. His crimson eyes, so rarely vulnerable, betrayed something raw as they met the Sky Father's.
"He's mortal, Uranus. The ritual failed. Cronos and Hyperion… they freed the King of Erasure."
The great god's face remained unreadable, but his eyes flicked to Megumi. For the briefest moment, his aura shifted — concern flickering beneath eternity's mask.
And then she ran forward.
"Ava."
Her voice cracked as she fell to her knees beside Megumi, clutching his limp hand. Her golden hair spilled across his chest as her tears struck the crystal ground. Her voice trembled with desperation.
"Megumi—! Wake up, please! Don't you dare leave me!"
His eyelids fluttered weakly. The boy who had carried heaven and hell inside him now looked so fragile, so human. His lips parted, a whisper escaping.
"Ava…?"
Her sob caught in her throat. "I'm here. I'm here, love. Please… hold on."
But his eyes slid closed again, and his breathing thinned.
Leonidas looked away, jaw clenched tight, shame and fury burning in equal measure. He had promised to protect Megumi, but the boy was slipping. For all his strength, Leonidas could not keep his student alive without help.
Ava's voice broke again, raw with panic. "Why? Why does he look like this?! Where's his power? His fire?!" She whipped her head toward Leonidas, her eyes wild. "What happened to him?!"
Leonidas's crimson gaze softened just enough to show his regret. "He lost it all. The ritual Cronos attempted… separated him from the King of Erasure. Megumi's divine essence is gone. He's just a man now."
Her hands shook as she cupped Megumi's face, staring into his pale features as if her tears alone could restore him. "No… no, he's more than that. He has to be. He can't—he can't just—" Her words broke into sobs.
Uranus finally moved. His hand, massive and steady, lowered and pressed against Megumi's chest. A deep hum vibrated through the chamber, the sky itself resonating. The Father of the Heavens searched, reaching into the boy's soul.
When he withdrew his hand, the silence was heavy. "It is true," Uranus said, voice low. "The flame of the Fallen King is extinguished. He breathes only as flesh now."
Ava shook her head violently, clutching tighter to Megumi's hand. "No! He's fought too hard, endured too much… he can't be—"
Leonidas stepped closer, his voice quiet but firm. "He's alive. That's enough. We'll keep him alive. But the King of Erasure—"
The chamber shook. A ripple of nothingness split across the stars. Uranus's silver eyes turned sharply toward the horizon. He did not hesitate.
"I will go." His cloak of constellations flared wide, his body blazing like the heavens themselves. He looked once more at Leonidas and Ava. "Protect him. His survival is paramount. I will see to my sons."
And with that, Uranus stepped into the void, his form vanishing into the tapestry of stars.
⸻
The Battlefield Below
The chamber of shattered chains was a ruin. Cronos knelt in blood and ichor, his golden skin torn, his breath ragged as he strained against a wall of collapsing magic. Hyperion's body blazed with fire so bright it had seared the stone black, but even his light flickered against the darkness before them.
The King of Erasure stood tall now, no longer unstable, his void-form more defined, edges sharp as if reality itself had begun to accept him. His hollow gaze burned into the titans as if mocking their struggle.
"You tried to chain me," he said, voice like silence that screamed. "You thought you could sever me from my host and contain me. But now I am more than I was. My ascension is at hand. I will erase the gods, the titans, the mortals… until only nothing remains."
Cronos staggered to his feet, fury twisting his face. "You will not have the boy. You will not have this world."
The King's empty eyes gleamed. "The boy? He was a cage. Nothing more. He is broken. Mortal. And soon, forgotten."
Cronos's jaw clenched, grief flashing behind his rage. His son's gamble — his student's suffering — all for this? To see Megumi reduced to a dying mortal while the monster strode free?
And then the heavens split open.
Light poured into the chamber as the stars themselves bent, and Uranus descended. His form blotted out the darkness, vast and terrible, his voice shaking the air like the roll of thunder.
"Enough."
Even the King of Erasure stilled, his void rippling. For the first time, his grin faltered.
"Father Sky," Cronos breathed, relief and awe mingling in his voice.
Hyperion sagged to one knee, his fire dimming but his eyes blazing with hope.
Uranus's silver gaze fixed on the King. His voice rang with authority older than Olympus itself. "Return to the void that spawned you, wretch. This world is not yours to unmake."
The King tilted his head, his smile returning slow and deliberate. "Even you, Sky Father, cannot erase erasure. You, too, will vanish in time. I will not be bound again. I will unmake every chain, every law, every star. And when all returns to nothing, then I will be complete."
His void pulsed outward, tendrils shattering the stone, devouring the very light around them. The chamber trembled, mountains above groaning as if the world itself would split.
Uranus raised his hand, constellations flaring into weapons of pure creation. The clash was titanic — skyfire against void, eternity colliding with nothingness. For a heartbeat, the chamber was filled with light and shadow so violent it could be seen across realms.
And then… the King stepped back. His body rippled, his grin cutting reality.
"My ascension is at hand," he whispered. "I will destroy everything before long."
And in an instant, he vanished. The void blinked out, leaving only silence and ruin behind.
The titans collapsed to the ground, their bodies scorched and broken, staring into the space he had occupied. The fear lingered like poison.
Uranus lowered his hand slowly, his cloak dimming. His face was grim, unreadable, but his voice carried the weight of inevitability.
"He is free."
Cronos pushed himself upright, trembling, golden ichor streaming from his wounds. His eyes flicked to his father. "We tried to bind him… to separate him from the boy's soul. The ritual worked, but—"
Uranus's head turned sharply. "The boy. Megumi Valentine." His voice hardened. "What became of him?"
Cronos faltered. Shame crossed his face as he bowed his head. "Father… he is no longer the Fallen King. His powers are gone. He is mortal now. Mortal… and near death."
For the first time, Uranus's expression shifted. Concern. Perhaps even sorrow. His silver eyes dimmed, heavy with the knowledge of what had been lost — and what was now at stake.
"The boy was more than a cage," Uranus said quietly. "He was hope."
The chamber fell silent, save for the sound of the titans' ragged breaths.
Far above, in the sky-bound domain, Ava clung to Megumi's fading body, whispering desperate prayers into his hair. Leonidas stood over them both, wings folded, his crimson eyes blazing with silent fury.
And across all the realms, the shadow of the King of Erasure lingered — a promise of destruction yet to come.
END OF VOLUME 5