Chapter 125 – Even Chaos Has a Headache
Death was still slouched on the throne, looking like he was supervising a construction site he never signed up for.
Nyxa, meanwhile, was fully hidden behind it, holding the Domain of Nothingness together with her presence as if trying to keep the house from collapsing during a hurricane.
Nihil sighed:
— Vael… stop playing with him. He's going to end up damaging the house.
Valt shrugged with a wicked grin:
— Let him play. Death's the one who'll fix it anyway.
Death raised his head, exasperated:
— I'm not your handyman.
Suddenly, an explosion erupted, and Nyxa instantly formed multi-layered dimensional barriers to protect everyone.
Then Vael, with a casual flick of his hand, made the attack vanish like a badly written memory.
His multicolored eyes gleamed, and a terrifying smile stretched across his face.
— I'm disappointed. Looks like my toy isn't working anymore… I'll have to break it.
The Nameless Balance widened his eyes.
In an instant, Vael appeared before him and kicked.
The Balance ducked to dodge… he dodged, but the kick still landed.
Vael chuckled:
— A dodge? You think I'm bound by logic? I can kick left and hit right.
Then he exhaled, almost bored:
— I think I've played enough with you.
The Nameless Balance, still slowing mid-air, was suddenly assaulted by strikes from all directions — blows without cause, without meaning, without origin… even though Vael hadn't moved an inch.
— I have to dodge these… even his normal hits can annihilate existence… the Balance groaned.
Vael extended his hand.
An irresistible force pulled the Balance toward him.
He grabbed him by the throat.
— I'm disappointed. King Aeternus could've given you more power… the abilities of the Architect of Narratives… or even the Architect of the End.
In the end, he gave you overpowered gifts, sure… but ones designed solely to be my perfect counter.
He tightened his grip slightly:
— But tell him to carve this into his mind: nothing and no one can even hope to stand against me.
He hurled him away.
The Balance rose, trembling, fractured, but his gaze still burning:
— That's what you think. Know this — even if I disappear… I won't vanish without taking you with me.
Vael raised an eyebrow:
— Take a break. You're starting to sound delusional.
A massive aura burst from the Nameless Balance.
— You're wrong, Vael… I'm perfectly lucid. And my goal is to make you pay for your past offenses.
Vael smiled, hands in his pockets:
— You're wrong… even if the plot favors you, you wouldn't stand a chance against me.
The Balance lifted his face.
His aura was unraveling like a universe burning in reverse.
— I'm ending this… AAAAAH!
He charged.
Vael blinked:
— What's he planning? According to his logic, even if he dies, he'd eliminate me?
He raised his hands.
— He's losing it.
The Balance vanished, then reappeared in front of Vael, unleashing a strike meant to erase seven layers of reality.
Bam.
Vael blocked the blow with one hand, the other still in his pocket.
— Oh, that's impressive, he admitted, almost proud.
— I'M NOT DONE!
And the Balance unleashed his full arsenal.
---
The Nine Primordial Techniques
Fracture of the First Concept – a slash that severs the very notion of cause
Judgment Balance – two spheres compressing everything they touch
Zenith of Absolute Harmonization – a wave that forces all things to become "equal"
Entropic Reversal – a strike that flips the direction of destiny
Inverted Paradox – an attack that occurs before it's launched
Remanence of the Whole – a copy of himself striking from every angle
Bilateral Grip of Extremes – two giant hands emerging from the void
Shroud of Equalization – a cloak of light that suffocates all imbalance
Final Equinox – a flood of light delivering a cosmic verdict
All these attacks surged toward Vael without giving him a moment's rest.
And despite all that…
Vael dodged with his hands in his pockets, wearing the most insolent smile imaginable.
Nyxa, floating behind the throne:
— Don't tell me he's actually going to beat him…
Nihil, without lifting his head:
— Don't panic. When Vael smiles like that, it's bad… but for the other guy.
Valt sipped a glass of light like it was lemonade:
— I give the Balance three rounds before he's out.
---
The Balance gathered everything.
His form became unstable, his concept burning.
He vibrated like a living supernova.
He raised his hand.
— ALPHA-ZERO OF DESTINY!!
And everything exploded.
Not a normal explosion.
A forbidden one.
The Domain of Nothingness trembled.
The Realm of Origins too.
The Primordial Void clenched.
Even a corner of Zero-Time gave a sideways glance.
Death sat up:
— … Okay. That's excessive.
Vael was engulfed by conceptual light, swallowed by a force determined to balance his existence.
The nothingness screamed.
Valt chuckled:
— Relax. He's probably chatting with the explosion. It's already regretting being born.
The light faded.
Silence.
Smoke.
Melted concepts.
And at the center…
Vael.
Standing.
Hands still in his pockets.
He tilted his head:
— That's it?
All those lights… and all those dramatic names?
The Balance felt his soul begin to uninstall itself.
Vael sighed, almost sad:
— It pains me to say this… but you're boring me.
Chapter 126 – "The Old Man Doesn't Even Have Patience Anymore"
Vael once again unleashed his presence across his domain.
Instantly, the entire Domain of Nothingness reformed: the walls, the palace, the fractal skies—everything returned to its original state as if no damage had ever occurred.
He exhaled:
— There… clean again. And for now, I'm keeping my palace from plunging you into Oblivion… but good news: the function is reactivated. The one that erases absolutely everything… except me, my avatars, or my incarnations.
The Nameless Balance felt its existence tremble—like an alarm clock that knows it's about to be thrown against a wall.
Nyxa stepped forward, arms crossed, visibly tense:
— You planning to eliminate him, old man?
Death sighed, slouched on his throne like a jaded grandfather:
— That's not even a question. You know the old man… he's not *into* this. He *is* this.
Vael grabbed the Balance's throat with one hand—calmly, almost bored:
— Right. I'm going to finish you off. You've been… too disappointing.
The Balance smiled—the smile of someone who knows they've got nothing left to lose—and his body began to crack, ready to explode like a suicidal star.
Nihil raised a hand, in a "I'm so done with this crap" gesture:
— Oh great, now this…
Vael barely turned his head:
— Lower your hand.
Death materialized his scythe, looking surprisingly concerned:
— Wait… you're not going to erase him?
Vael smiled—a grin too wide to be legal:
— I am. But even if he exploded, my domain would've wiped him out. I'm just thinking… about how I want to eliminate him. Aesthetics matter.
Valt gave a thumbs-up:
— Phew. For a second I almost thought you cared about him.
The Balance glowed brighter and brighter, his body becoming a kind of sickly sun. Then suddenly—
Everything shifted.
A jolt, a distortion, a flash.
They were thrown into a white, empty, silent place: the World Oblivion.
There, the Nameless Balance was erased…
Like a bad memory. Like a message deleted without being read.
Just a soft poof, and he was no more.
---
A breath swept through the Nothingness.
Vael reappeared, hands in his pockets, casual as ever.
— Alright. Problem solved. But since Aeternus, King of the Architects, decided to send someone to me… I'm going to pay him a visit. Just to have a little chat.
Nyxa nearly jumped:
— Let me do it. It's been ages since I stretched my legs.
Death groaned:
— No. Especially not you. You'll just wreck the place. You'll come back with three broken dimensions and a cosmic lawsuit.
Nihil raised his hand:
— I can go.
Valt burst out laughing:
— You?! You want to go see Aeternus? After you eliminated the one who shares his name? Bro, the king's gonna incinerate you before you even touch his soil.
Nyxa added:
— You neither, Valt! It's because of YOU and Vael that Nihil killed Aeternus in the first place!
Valt raised his hands:
— False. I just watched and laughed. Big difference.
Vael shrugged:
— I don't care. He's the one who sent someone to my place. So I'm going to see him. Seems fair.
Valt wrapped it up like a game show host:
— The candidates are: Death… and Vael.
— Cast your votes now to see who's about to get caught in cosmic drama.
Death raised a finger slightly:
— I'm too lazy.
— Perfect, said Vael.
He vanished in a breath—no dramatic effect, no light.
Just poof, like the Nothingness itself blinked.
Chapter 127 — "The King Awakens His Throne"
The Domain of Nothingness finished absorbing the last conceptual dust left behind by the Nameless Balance.
Vael pulled his hands from his pockets, brushed off his imaginary coat, and sighed like someone who had just finished a chore.
— Alright. The error sent by King Aeternus has been dealt with.
Nyxa rubbed her eyes, still dazzled.
— So you're really going to see Aeternus? The real one? The King of Kings?
Valt raised a finger:
— Not the Aeternus Nihil erased, right? That one was just "Aeternus Beta Version."
— Yeah, agreed Nihil. A living update.
Death tapped his scythe — for no clear reason, probably just to exist in the scene.
— The King Aeternus… you're really going to speak to him? Him?
Vael turned slowly toward them, a bored look on his face.
— Why are you all so shocked? It's just Primordial Aeternus.
He's annoying, but he doesn't bite.
Nihil burst out laughing:
— The King of Architects hates you.
— It's mutual, replied Vael.
Nyxa frowned.
— But wait, if the other Aeternus is dead…
— Doesn't change a thing, cut in Vael. The one who died was "Aeternus the Architect of Balance and the one who killed Valt's Mom."
— The one I'm going to see is "Aeternus-the-Father-of-All-Architects," "Aeternus-before-the-Laws," "Aeternus-whose-name-your-Archives-hate-to-cite-because-he-breaks-hierarchy-charts."
Even Death hesitated.
— Vael… it's still risky. The King doesn't have the easiest personality.
— Do I look scared? asked Vael.
Nihil:
— You're afraid of nothing.
Vael nodded, satisfied:
— Exactly. So that's settled.
---
The Journey to One of the Pillars of Creation — The Realm of Architects
Vael snapped his fingers.
The Domain of Nothingness opened like a curtain tearing through the fabric of reality.
Before him appeared a vast corridor of black gold: a space that didn't truly exist, but behaved as if it existed just for him.
Nyxa caught up to him at the last second:
— Wait! If you're going to talk to him, what exactly are you planning to do?
Vael smiled with those infamous "impending catastrophe" teeth.
— I'm going to have a calm and peaceful conversation.
A terrible silence fell.
Valt burst out laughing:
— So you're going to cause chaos. Thanks for the clarification.
Vael ignored him and kept walking.
---
Warning from the Nothingness Itself
As he walked through the passage, a voice echoed behind him.
A deep, ancient voice… and slightly tired:
"Vael."
Everyone froze.
Nihil looked up.
— The Nothingness is calling you?
Vael raised an eyebrow.
— No.
He rubbed his ear.
— That's the welcome protocol of King Aeternus. He just activated his Realm.
Nyxa paled.
— Wait… you mean the King just activated his Pillar?
Vael nodded.
— Yes. It's been a long time since he last did that.
And it means only one thing.
He stopped, the shadow of a smile appearing on his face.
— The King of Architects wants to see me immediately.
Nihil murmured:
— Or kill you immediately…
Vael shrugged.
— Same thing in his language.
---
Death stepped forward.
— Vael.
His voice rang like a guillotine.
— This time… be careful. The King — Aeternus — is dangerous.
He's the one who shaped all the Architects.
He's the one who wrote the rules before the Origins even existed.
Vael smiled.
— That's exactly why I'm going. And don't twist the truth — the way you say it, it sounds like he created the Origins themselves.
Then he vanished in a breath.
---
Nihil crossed his arms.
— This is going to end badly. I can feel it.
Valt:
— It always ends badly with Vael. That's what makes it fun.
Nyxa, trembling:
— The King Aeternus… and Vael… in the same room…
Death sat back on his throne.
— Maybe we should prepare a coffin.
Nihil:
— For whom?
Death:
— Good question.
Chapter 128 — "Audience with King Aeternus"
The path Vael walked wasn't a road.
It was an intention.
A concept of access, sculpted in black gold and white light, shifting with the mood of the one who ruled at its end.
Vael walked it like it was a sidewalk.
— Hope he doesn't keep me waiting, he sighed. If I have to hear another monologue about "cosmic order," I might actually die… of boredom this time.
A vibration shook the space around him.
Boom.
The corridor lit up like a sun taking a photo.
— Oh, he heard that, Vael muttered.
— Still got that fragile ego, the old man…
Suddenly, the passage twisted, folded, and opened like a massive mouth.
And Vael stepped into the Realm of King Aeternus.
---
The Realm of Architects
It was… vast.
Not large.
Vast.
As if the place had no limits, but chose to have some anyway—just for style.
At the center stood a titanic throne, formed from layered realities, each sculpted in a different cosmic language.
Constellations built and unbuilt themselves around the seat like domesticated creatures.
And on that throne…
Aeternus. The real one.
Not the one Nihil erased.
Not an architect version.
Not a copy.
Not an avatar.
The King.
His silhouette sat on the throne, head resting on his hand.
Long white hair tied back, covering his eyes.
A crown rested on his head.
His presence: too vast, too stable, too… absolute.
The kind of presence that looks at you and instantly sorts you into a category ("can break things," "can't break things").
Vael was clearly in the first.
Aeternus looked him in the eyes.
— …So here you are.
Vael raised a hand.
— Yo.
A conceptual murmur shook the entire realm.
Aeternus:
— "Yo"?
— That's your official greeting?
Vael shrugged.
— I could say "hello, your majesty" if that helps. But you'd think I'm mocking you, so let's skip the pretense.
Aeternus stood.
The ground bent under his conceptual weight.
Entire worlds shifted cycles for no reason.
Time rewound a day just to watch him walk.
— You eliminated the one I sent.
Vael nodded, calm.
— He came to break down my door. I erased him.
Simple. Efficient.
Aeternus clenched his fist, and myriads of stars cracked across the realm.
— I didn't send him to die.
Vael smiled:
— Neither did I. But hey… he threw himself into my hand.
Hard to miss a pitch like that.
---
Aeternus stepped down from his throne.
Each step sent out a wave that slightly rewrote the realm's logic.
— Vael…
His voice vibrated like a cosmic law being installed.
— I've tolerated your provocations. Your absurd wars. Your insolent nonchalance.
But killing one of my superior Architects—even if he wasn't me… he still bore my name.
He raised his hand.
— …That's a declaration.
Vael stopped, smiled, and replied:
— No. That's a reaction.
You sent someone to my place. I sent one back.
Perfect symmetry. That's literally your thing, isn't it? Balance?
Aeternus gritted his teeth.
— You're nothing but a problem.
A walking chaos.
An anomaly that refuses its place.
Vael took a step forward, hands in his pockets.
— And you're a king who thinks everything should revolve around his throne.
We've all got flaws.
The entire realm shivered.
---
Aeternus raised his hand.
The sky cracked.
Constellations began spinning in reverse.
A burst of raw power—the kind that could crush a conceptual being with a glance.
— You will regret your insolence, Vael.
Vael blinked.
— Let's skip the regrets. They're exhausting.
But if you want to fight…
He smiled.
Both hands still in his pockets.
— I'm game.
---
Aeternus pointed a finger.
— Absolute Paradox: Royal Erasure.
The beam wasn't a beam.
It was a will.
An order.
A law.
It crossed the realm.
It crossed the meaning of the word "crossed."
It even pierced the defenses Vael claimed not to have.
And when it reached Vael—
Boom.
A blast devastated an entire portion of the realm, which instantly rebuilt itself out of reflex.
The dust settled.
Vael stood.
Unscathed.
Hands still in his pockets.
He raised an eyebrow.
— Starting strong, huh…
Couldn't just say hello like everyone else?
Aeternus, furious:
— You are unbearable!
— I know, said Vael.
— That's what makes me charming.
Aedrys, the Architect of Stories and Narratives, stepped forward.
Short white hair, golden ink-like eyes, holding a book with blank pages and a quill in hand.
He looked at Aeternus, visibly annoyed.
— Father…
You're being incredibly irresponsible for a king.
You're throwing an ego tantrum in front of someone who lives to provoke ego tantrums.
Aeternus fumed.
— I am not irresponsible!
Vael raised a hand.
— Technically, you are.
— I didn't do anything. He started it!
— See, Father? He provokes, and you charge right in.
You're like a child with an infinite kingdom.
Vael added calmly:
— And if I destroy one or two Pillars, you'll all cry about it later.
Just saying.
The constellations around Aeternus trembled.
Aedrys murmured:
— Father… do you really want to repair a Pillar?
Because that's what's going to happen if you keep this up.
Aeternus stared at Vael.
Vael stared back.
Silence.
Then Vael smiled.
— So. Are we talking… or are we going to keep breaking the furniture?