Rex stood before a thicker darkness.

He was alone. Or at least, he looked like he was alone, but he’s not.

Behind him, hidden within the winding dark smoke of the Black Rift were dozens of shadowy figures. Shade Crawlers. Each one of them was standing behind him. Alert. Ready. Anything that tries to lay a hand on Rex would be torn to pieces.

And right now, their alertness was more profound than normal.

It was because of what they were facing right now.

“New monarch,” Rex called into the void, eyes glowing red. “I’ve come to bargain.”

No answer.

Almost like there was nothing beyond the darkness.

But the System said otherwise.

Rex extended his arm and summoned a blinding purple light in his hand. It blitzes with purple lightning. Tantalizing enough to make even the Black Rift swirl like a ball of gas around it. The fragrant smell coming from it could be smelled in a ten-mile radius.

Everything within that radius would no doubt be attracted to it.

It was the Crown Embryo he purchased for 500 million gold.

Costly, but it’s going to be well-worth it.

And as expected, the moment the Crown Embryo appeared, a pair of massive eyes appeared.

But what Rex was focusing on was another pair of eyes that were smaller.

A pair that he knew belonged to the White Mask.

“Join me, and I’ll give you this,” Rex said loud enough for the White Mask to hear. “I’m sure with this, your monarchy would be more established—and the other two Voidal Monarchs nearby wouldn’t be able to bully you.”

“What… do… you… want?” the White Mask asked with an astral voice.

One that trembled the heart.

“Just a bit of fun,” Rex grinned maliciously. “Help me destroy an empire, and this will be yours.”

Under the tantalizing scent of the Crown Embryo that’s almost hypnotic, the White Mask nodded.

As long as he can get the Crown Embryo, then anything else doesn’t matter.

…

It was how Rex managed to convince the White Mask to help him.

But convincing the monarch is not enough.

He asked the monarch to make him a Voidal Prince. As insane as that sounds, he needed the power boost. At least for the time being. The massive serpent argued through hisses—but it got smacked away by the White Mask, prompting a triumphant smile from Rex.

Of course, there’s a chance the System would intervene.

Becoming a Voidal Prince is essentially becoming a member of the White Mask’s family.

It would mean abandoning his pack.

He already thought of another way to make use of the White Mask’s power, but he was in luck.

Something went right for him at last.

His Sable Physique passive skill, gained from absorbing the Matter of Monarch, allowed him to accept the White Mask’s power without changing his race into a voidal monster. Not only that, but Rex can also dispel the White Mask’s power at will.

Perfect.

Just thinking about making a deal with a voidal monarch is already insane.

And to accept its power went even beyond that, but Rex’s body was ready for this gambit.

…

<Notice: the Matter of Monarch has transformed into the Monarch of Savage Darkness.>

<Monarch of Savage Darkness>

All of the user’s physical stats and spiritual points are exponentially enhanced while residing within the Black Rift. The user also gained several abilities associated with summoned creatures. The summoning of savage creatures, up to one thousand creatures, which are manifestations of the user’s innate nature. Fusion with the savage creatures. And also exchange places with them.

…

Rex wasn’t surprised by this power.

He had seen the White Mask in action, so he expected this much.

But what surprised him the most was that he could feel a lingering connection with Kraken.

It seemed Kraken was born from the White Mask.

His mother was born from the White Mask, to be exact.

Surprising as it is, he didn’t have time to think about that right now.

The physical augmentation, which had at least doubled his strength, was secondary to his true need: a telepathic conduit to the monarch. The moment Rex’s thought flashed across that link, the monarch obeyed. It tore upward from the depths.

In its waking ascent, half the world above shattered, including the building beneath their feet.

Rex knew that he needed help, and the White Mask was the perfect ally for him.

A Voidal Monarch, though intelligent, is still straightforward.

As long as he has something the monarch needs, then a deal can be made like this.

Extreme situations required extreme solutions. Rex knew that and acted upon it without hesitation. But the White Mask wouldn’t be enough to really destroy the empire. After all, Emperor Dominar was more than capable of stalemating the monarch and led the fight elsewhere.

Rex needed someone even stronger.

Perhaps a stronger faction, and there’s one that came to mind.

<Notice: Berserk stat is rising rapidly!>

“This is nothing personal, Your Majesty! I so happen to want to destroy your empire!” Rex laughed from above, stomping the Voidal Prince like a horse. It was the signal to climb skyward. His tongue was pressed to his cheek as saliva spewed from his mouth. The Blood Moon began to corrode his mind, drawing him closer to going berserk.

Swoosh—!

Inside the belly of the serpent, the White Mask thrummed with power.

He infused more voidal energy into his princes.

And with it, the serpent’s impossibly massive body began to ascend.

It slithered skyward like a dragon wyrm, surprising everyone who watched this abomination.

All were stunned at what they were seeing.

“He… He’s crazy!”

For the first time, there was a violent reaction from Emperor Dominar. Horror. He knew what Rex was doing almost instantly and wasted no time in summoning everything he got. His full Primordial Spirit power erupted.

And the Reap and Sow Echo was activated to the fullest extent.

His energy blasted, shattering the building and the city in a five-mile radius, and spreading.

Right now, he can’t afford to think about the collateral damage. He needs to chase and intercept Rex.

“He’s pitting us with the Skillian Divine Court!!” Emperor Dominar roared at the top of his lungs as he flew. With a flick of his hand, all the silver bracelets that suppressed the nobles shattered. “Stop him right now! Don’t let him reach the Sky People!”

“What?”

“Is he insane?!”

“He’s going to pit us against the Sky People?! The Gatekeepers. The Elders. That’ll be the end of us!”

That was Rex’s plan all along.

Bringing the White Mask would only cause momentary destruction to the empire, not total destruction. If he wanted to utterly decimate the empire, then what better way than to force the empire to fight the only faction it couldn’t go up against?

Rex’s eyes sparkled with anarchy as his blood pumped in excitement from the chaos.

He stabbed his claws into the serpent, his temporary brother, as it slithered skyward nimbly.

“Come on, monster brother. Make some noise! Let’s make sure the whole world knows what we’re doing!”

HISS—!

“Look alive, Devo! I’m coming in hot for you, bastard!”

…

Meanwhile, in the collapsing building, the chaos reached a higher level.

Althea caught the keys from Liliana with her mouth and freed herself from the chains.

She saw how Rex’s aura flared destructively earlier as he transformed into his werewolf form. It looked painful, but she couldn’t think about him right now. Her mind was a mess. She pressed her hands against the marble floor, anchoring herself as everything collapsed around her.

There’s one thing she wanted to do.

But before that, her eyes found Amanir, still bound where he was.

He was looking at her. Surprised to see her free.

Althea tossed the keys towards him without thinking much, and as soon as the keys were out of her hands, she scanned the situation sharply. Many of the nobles regained their powers. Some were overwhelming Linthia, while some tried to chase after Rex.

It was her first time seeing these high-ranking nobles wear such a panicked expression.

Shadows intercepted them from helping the emperor. She recognized them. Shade Crawlers.

Something is happening in the sky, but she didn’t look. Her mind was throbbing from the torture and the suppression she suffered earlier. She was only held a prisoner for a moment, but it changed her. It changed a piece inside her.

A hot breath escaped her lips as it started to pour.

Not a normal rain. But a Black Rain.

Althea didn’t know what the Sky People were doing for letting a Black Rain happen right above the royal bubble, but she didn’t care. Her eyes were fixated on a figure—who was having trouble against a Shade Crawler. Drola—her mother.

Not too far away from Drola, there was her husband. Both were in a similar situation.

Clang!

An immaculate sword fell within her reach. It belonged to one of the royal knights.

He was sent across the air after Linthia, empowered by an unknown energy, swatted him away.

Lightning tears the sky like a slithering snake with a resounding thunder.

Her ears were ringing, making her waver. But her determination was rock-solid.

She grabbed the sword and dove forward.

On the other hand, Amanir stumbled towards the Soul Crusher and reached for April. He cursed Rex for creating this chaos, forgetting that there was April. But then again, he couldn’t blame him with the Blood Moon glaring above.

At least all attention was now fixated on him.

April was still bound to the machine.

Amanir has no idea how to free her from it, but he would try.

“What is Rex doing?” She asked with a weak voice.

“You’re asking the hardest question,” Amanir frantically knocked on the machine’s claws with his ears, loosening their grip on April. It’s working. “I would never guess what that lunatic would do. Let’s hope he didn’t go overboard for now.”

Once April was freed, the building, or what remains of it, tilted.

Resounding cracks echoed. Loud enough to overpower the sky’s thunder.

“Come on, we have to get out of here!” Amanir pulled on her hand, intending to fly away.

“No, wait!” Her eyes caught sight of her mother and father. “I can’t leave yet.”

…

Miles away from the building, right outside of the royal bubble’s border.

A battle was still burning.

Princess Davina managed to lure the nobles to a trap she set, and now the two sides clashed once again. But their battle was interrupted. She stared at the collapsing sky with an evident frown. Her eyes, crimson now, were staring at a particular creature.

She bears witness to a snake tearing a hole in the royal bubble’s ceiling like it was nothing.

It climbed skyward at an incredible speed.

A river of obsidian muscle defied the very concept of gravity. Its scaled body is seething with immense voidal energy. From the serpent’s flanks, two torrents of anti-light branched out like the inverted roots of some world-tree born in the abyss.

Each one screamed skyward at high hypersonic speed.

Ripples of shockwave trembled the sky as they converged into a single, devastating beam of oblivion.

The beam breezed past the grandiose, heavenly architecture of the Sky People. It did not strike the frail and delicate spires and crystalline bridges. Instead, it lanced past their divine artifice—a contemptuous bypass as it struck the sky.

High above, at the start of the atmosphere, the beam exploded.

It rattled the entire world. Raining down a shockwave that pressed down like a rushing wind.

From its point of impact, obsidian clouds vomited forth, unfurling across the expanse with terrifying speed. They blotted out the stars and sky-light. Yet, at their vortex, a single aperture remained. Through it, the Blood Moon glared down. A baleful, crimson eye.

Black Rain started.

Dripping shadow of liquid silence that drowned the land beneath and strengthened voidal energy.

It wasn’t perfect, but enough to create a haunting blackness.

Princess Davina’s eyes narrowed at the serpent. Against this cataclysmic backdrop and the thunderous violet lightning that hammered rapidly, she noticed someone. Each searing, amethyst strike backlit the scene with strobing clarity.

It illuminated the rider on the serpent’s head.

Perched upon the leviathan’s crown was a figure.

Man-shaped. A furred monster. A silhouette of bestial power that reveled under the Blood Moon. He rode the ascent not as a passenger, but as a conqueror. One hand buried in the serpent’s body as if he was gripping the reins of chaos itself, while the other was spread to the side.

His face was lifted to the Blood Moon’s gaze.

His mouth was stretched in a grin of pure, ecstatic annihilation.

His tongue lolled out like a wolf in a hot chase.

And from the sockets of his eyes, hellish red light glowed. Two embers of malice mirroring the Blood Moon above. A blood-red energy seethed from his form. Princess Davina shook her head in a helpless gesture, “So this is why he’s not talking to me. This is irritating.”