The Box: Fate
Chapter 54 — The Harbinger of Collapse
The heavy smoke from the explosion hung over the ruined valley, smelling of burnt copper and raw ozone Azureus stood at the center of the crater, his high-collared obsidian robes completely untouched by the dirt His vertical slit eyes remained locked on Vahn, who was wiping the single line of blood from his lip with the back of his hand
The rest of the squad—Axel, Sharky Bee, Hina, and Monk Fish—stayed back, their souls still humming with the latent energy of their bound cards They were ready to jump back into the fray, but the massive aura radiating from the Dragon King signaled a clear command: Stay out of this
Vahn let out a low, gravelly laugh, his tattered grey cloak falling away completely to reveal dark, steel-plated leather armor underneath "A genuine primordial entity I wondered how long a three-thousand-year-old soul could stay hidden inside a child's flesh"
"You speak of strength as if you understand the weight of this world, mortal" Azureus spoke, his voice vibrating the pebbles on the ground He didn't look at Vahn with anger; he looked at him with an ancient, exhausting pity "You spent your years fighting through the Zero Zone, thinking you were reaching the peak of existence You hide your status from the local guilds, playing your petty games of hide-and-seek"
Azureus slowly raised his head, his sharp silver hair catching the dull purple light filtering down from the massive rift in the sky The violet clouds were swirling faster now, creating a vortex that seemed to swallow the natural light of the sun
"You think the threat is the Second Monarch, Malakas" Azureus continued, his hand tightening into a fist as blue sparks danced along his knuckles "You think the threat is the awakening of the Demon King You understand nothing Those entities belong to the natural order of this world They are forces that the native kings and hunters have fought for generations"
Vahn's expression darkened, his obsidian pressure flaring defensively "What are you talking about?"
"The Architect did not build this cage to breed an army for the Demon King" Azureus said, his voice dropping into a cold whisper that reached every corner of the valley "He built it to trap Him The one who sleepwalks beneath the bedrock of reality The true cataclysm"
The Dragon King pointed a single, long-nailed finger toward the center of the purple rift
His name is Crash: The Sovereign of Nullification" Azureus revealed, the name itself causing a violent tremor to ripple through the earth "He is not a demon lord He is a glitch that predates the creation of the continent If Crash awakens, he will not conquer this world or yours—he will simply unravel the code of both Neither the top five native hunters nor the Demon King himself can stand before him He is permanent deletion"
Vahn stood perfectly still, his level 65 composure cracking for the first time He had traveled the entire continent, but the lore of the native world had never mentioned a being named Crash To Vahn, everything was measured by the numbers and status menus the WhatsApp link had given him—but Azureus was speaking of a history that existed long before the interface was ever written
"And you" Azureus said, stepping forward as the sapphire lightning around him turned into a raging torrent, "are wasting our time testing children when the clock is running out"
Vahn's eyes flared with an aggressive, defensive fire "If this 'Crash' is what's coming, then I need that Zenith card even more! I won't let my dead comrades be forgotten in a world that's about to be deleted!"
With a deafening roar, Vahn unleashed his full, unrestricted power The obsidian knight behind him grew into a towering giant of pure kinetic force He launched himself forward, his fists fracturing the air itself
Azureus didn't flinch He met the attack head-on, his dragon speed matching Vahn's line for line The two powerhouses collided in the center of the valley, their clash completely sealing off the area with walls of blue lightning and black pressure, leaving Zanaki and the others to watch the battle of gods from the sidelines