Rayon's aura was no longer suppressed.
The moment he fully released it, the skies of Tiamat darkened.
Not metaphorically.
The entire atmosphere dimmed as if existence itself instinctively lowered its head before the Endless Abyss.
The floating islands trembled.
Massive beasts hidden beneath oceans larger than continents suddenly retreated into the deepest parts of the world.
Even the rivers falling endlessly into the void below began to distort unnaturally.
Nyk looked around slowly.
The pressure here was absurd.
The air itself felt alive.
Every breath carried ancient energy dense enough to crush lower beings instantly.
"So this is Tiamat…" Nyk muttered.
Rayon stood calmly with his hands in his pockets.
"This is Tiamat," he repeated casually.
"And by now…the law enforcement will be here soon."
Luminous smiled faintly beside him.
Her golden hair danced softly in the wind.
"Rayon, I'll be back soon. I'll go look for my people."
Rayon glanced at her.
"You know where I'll be."
Luminous nodded.
Then her body dissolved into countless particles of golden light before vanishing entirely.
Nyk looked around and said:
"This place is huge for no reason."
Erethon laughed loudly and slapped him on the back.
"Grow some balls, kid. You're a monarch now. Technically, you should be here."
Nyk rubbed his shoulder.
"Old man damn near broke my spine."
Rayon smirked slightly.
"Get used to it, Nyk."
They descended slowly toward the ground of Tiamat.
The scenery below was surreal.
Entire mountains floated upside down.
Gigantic birds larger than cities flew through the clouds.
Some creatures had multiple suns orbiting around their bodies like decorations.
Others merely slept and their breathing caused storms across entire regions.
Nyk stared for a long moment.
"This place feels like constant paranoia."
Erethon folded his arms.
"On that note… things have really changed."
Rayon slowly held out both hands.
Then he exhaled.
Feeling relieved for finally letting go of the suppression he had maintained for thousands of years.
BOOOOOOOOM—
The planet trembled again.
This time harder.
The sky itself cracked slightly.
In the far distance, countless beings abruptly stopped moving.
Some looked toward the horizon in terror.
Others immediately concealed themselves.
A few smiled.
Nyk looked at Rayon.
"So big bro… what's the next move?"
Rayon smiled faintly.
"No rush."
"A few individuals will pay us a visit soon."
"If we should make a move, it would be based on them…"
His black eyes darkened.
"If they feel froggy…"
"They can take a leap and die."
Far away on another part of Tiamat—
Inside a massive black hall.
Four figures sat around a table.
Their faces were hidden in shadow.
One sat with his foot on the table and both hands inside his pockets.
Another sat directly on top of the table itself with folded arms.
One sat calmly at the far end.
And another sat at the head of the table.
The man with his foot on the table spoke first.
"Why send the enforcers?"
"You know they won't stand a chance."
The man at the top of the table smiled faintly.
"I didn't send them to fight."
"That's not their purpose."
"Their true purpose is to welcome Darkness as if everything is alright."
"They may find it suspicious that they welcomed them instead…"
"But that's the goal."
"To keep them on guard."
The man sitting on the table frowned.
"Darkness is no fool though."
"We haven't fought him personally, but you heard how the Great Ones talk about him."
The man sitting at the far end finally spoke.
"I find this approach useless."
"And none effective."
He slowly stood up.
"Darkness is a being you cannot threaten."
"Especially with meaningless mind games."
"The only way I follow this plan…"
"…is if it's solid."
The man at the head of the table chuckled quietly.
"Don't worry about it."
"Have you ever seen me plan a meaningless approach?"
"Everything has its purpose."
Back on Tiamat—
The sky distorted suddenly.
One after another—
figures appeared in the air.
Silver armor.
White cloaks.
Spears carrying the laws of Tiamat itself.
The Law Enforcement Squad.
Their presence alone distorted the atmosphere.
The leader stepped forward.
He looked down at Rayon.
"Congratulations on your return, Darkness."
"We are here to welcome you."
Silence.
Then Rayon tilted his head slightly.
"Wow."
"Did you read that from a script?"
The leader stared blankly.
He stayed silent.
Rayon's smile widened slightly.
"I'm sure the law enforcement has one job."
"And that is to follow the teachings of the Spirit of Tiamat."
"But now that things have changed…"
"A lot has happened since I wasn't here."
His eyes narrowed.
"So you guys must be following the orders of someone else."
"Because if it were the Spirit of Tiamat…"
"One of my artifacts wouldn't have fallen to the lower realms."
"It would've been secured."
"And in her presence."
Rayon looked at them coldly.
"So stop bullshitting."
"If you're so afraid to start a war…"
"…then let me help you."
The atmosphere froze.
Then—
Rayon disappeared.
The leader's eyes widened.
Too late.
CRACK—
Rayon appeared behind one of the enforcers.
The first thing the man saw—
was his own body.
His head twisted completely backward.
Then Rayon casually grabbed his skull—
and ripped.
RRRRIP—
The enforcer's head tore clean off alongside his entire spine.
Blood exploded everywhere.
The corpse dropped lifelessly to the ground.
The remaining enforcers froze in horror.
Blood dripped from Rayon's hand.
Erethon smiled slowly.
"It's been a while since I've seen him like that…"
"Reminds me of the old times."
Nyk grinned lightly.
"Damn…"
"Was bro always this brutal?"
Erethon laughed.
"You haven't seen anything yet."
The enforcers finally reacted.
"ATTACK HIM—!"
They rushed forward desperately.
But Rayon vanished again.
SHHK—
A head separated from a body.
SHHK—
Another.
SHHK—
Another.
One by one their heads slid cleanly off their necks.
Bodies collapsed from the sky like rain.
Until only the leader remained.
The leader trembled violently.
"Darkness… we didn't want any trouble…"
Rayon slowly walked toward him.
One of the severed heads dangled from his hand.
Blood dripped steadily onto the ground beneath him.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The leader's breathing became erratic.
Rayon smiled.
Then looked directly into his eyes.
The moment their gazes met—
the leader experienced Existential Fall.
He saw endless darkness.
Infinite death.
The complete absence of meaning.
His soul collapsed instantly.
His heart stopped beating.
THUD.
The leader dropped dead without another word.
Rayon stood there quietly among the corpses.
Blood covered his clothes.
The wind blew softly across the battlefield.
Then Rayon smiled faintly.
"You sent them with greetings knowing they were meant to cause trouble…"
He slowly looked toward the distant skies of Tiamat.
"What will you do…"
"…now that I did the unexpected by killing them all?"