One could almost feel sorry for you…"

Void's voice came like Death's whisper.

The angel's body was frozen in place, his eyes widening in shock.

"Where did I go wrong? Why… how could a newborn Quasi–Rank 4 demon defeat me…?" the Quasi–Rank 4 angel muttered in disbelief.

His years of battle, his wars, every victory he had ever led suddenly all of it felt meaningless.

How could a demon be the one to defeat him? To destroy his body?

"System, can I kill him?" Void asked as he stared at the angel whose entire life had collapsed before him.

(Negative, Host. You are already at a realm touching existence itself but You cannot kill a Quasi..Rank 4 being at your stage. You can only imprison him, or destroy his body using your Origin. If you do, he will be reborn. In a few years he will regrow unless he has clones, in which case he can merge them and recover faster.)

"Huh? Really? So you're saying I'm basically unkillable?" Void asked with a grin, recalling when he broke through to Rank 3. The system had told him he couldn't die, but… wait.

"System… those Rank 3 beings, are they all dead?" Void asked, referring to the Rank 3 demons and angels.

A brief silence followed.

(Yes, Host.)

The system answered, but Void only grinned.

"They have clones too, so it's fine. Besides, you said they couldn't die because their Origin existed," Void replied casually.

(Yes Host, I said Rank 3 beings cannot die but that is because Rank 4 or Quasi–Rank 4 beings rarely interact with them. To beings at your level, Rank 3s are ants. No one bothers killing them. They can't die… but you can kill them. What power do you control, Host?)

The system's words confused Void.

He felt as though the system had lied.

"What did you say? How is this even possible? So there's no true immortality?" Void asked, feeling cheated.

(Host, the world is vast, existence even more so. How can you be certain someone stronger doesn't exist? Someone powerful enough to kill even you?)

Void fell silent.

"How strong do I have to get… to not fear death?" he asked, his voice deep, blooming with suppressed rage.

(…Host, that—)

"HOW STRONG DO I HAVE TO GET?!" Void roared, crimson light blazing through his eyes.

Space trembled then cracked.

(Above existence. That's all I can say. Even Rank 5 can fall to Rank 6. Without progression, there is regression. Host, these beings sometimes fall, it's fated by Fitel. It is balance. The corpses of Rank 4s and Rank 5s I mentioned earlier should have made that clear. How can you claim immunity to a power you don't understand? One you cannot comprehend or even fathom? Impossible. The only way to be free from death is to surpass everything, Rank 4, Rank 5, Rank 6. Surpass existence, and if possible, surpass what lies beyond it.

Forgive me, Host, but it is naïve to believe nothing could kill you at Rank 3 when higher realms exist. You are a Sovereign, yes but you can still be killed. The only difference is your lifespan has no limit. If you hid away assuming that's even possible you could live for eternity. You could watch the end of existence and still remain.)

(To be honest, I never expected someone from my universe,worse

from Earth to become this powerful. What good thing could ever come from that planet?)

(But you proved me wrong, Host. You became a demon, and the Abyss fused slightly with me, letting me access knowledge I never knew.)

(As a small universe consciousness, I learned there is heaven above heaven, hell beneath hell. In all of existence, Fitel, I was nothing but a common universe. Even multiverses are common the true special ones are omniverses, Alpha-verses, and beyond.)

(Host, Rank 4s are common. Rank 5s are elite. Rank 6s rule, they control everything. Existence is too vast, Host. There will always be someone stronger, faster, better, more efficient. That is the truth. So isn't it foolish to assume that at Rank 3 a level not even close to Rank 6 was immortal?at rank 3

you didn't even know what an Origin was. How could you defend against something you cannot understand? Impossible.)

The system's cold, metallic voice echoed.

Void felt crushed, but everything the system said was true.

How could anyone defend against what they cannot even comprehend?

This was the gap between ranks.

A Rank 2 cut off from existence might believe they've reached the end until they meet a Quasi–Rank 3… or a true Rank 3.

Rank 2s follow laws.

Rank 3s control laws.

The difference was massive.

A Rank 3 could erase a Rank 2 with ease.

And now Void… could erase a Rank 3.

"You are right," Void finally said, his voice calm as he stared at the angel frozen in disbelief at his defeat.

"I don't want him left here. I want to imprison him. Not just him, I'll imprison more Quasi–Rank 4 beings and devour their souls before I break through to Rank 4," Void said, remembering that he still needed to destroy a multiverse and gather enough souls to advance.

(Then Host, to imprison a Quasi–Rank 4 soul, you will need the souls of the main characters of a multi universe.)

The system's mechanical voice echoed, and Void grinned.

How convenient… he already had that. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"I guess I'll have to return to that multi universe. I wonder how Linkir and the rest are doing," Void said with a grin.

The angel's body was stored inside the system's inventory.

For now, it remained frozen but with time, he would eventually be able to break free.

********

Elsewhere.....

Across existence, the war between angels and demons shook countless worlds and among those worlds was Atera, the world of magic.

Atera was a world built on spellcraft: from Level 1 magic, to Level 9, and finally the forbidden Level 10, taboo magic.

A mage's rank depended on the realm of magic they could control and the amount of mana their body could withstand.

It was a standard world, one where powerhouses ruled and protected.

At least until the sky broke.

From deep space, a colossal army descended into their atmosphere, and then all hell was unleashed.

In Atera, beings capable of using Level 10 magic were regarded as gods.

But the beings who appeared… even the weakest among them those who couldn't fly possessed power equivalent to Level 5.

And those who flew with radiant wings wielded Level 10 magic effortlessly.

Worse, none of them cared about Atera's existence.

Two armies had invaded, both from opposing camps:

One side dark and horned, massive, bloodthirsty demons.

The other radiant, white-winged beings whose brilliance shook the heavens.

Their clash tore the world apart.

And in the midst of it all, one girl refused to retreat.

Boom!

An explosion thundered across the land.

A single eye peeked through a narrow metal vent, watching golden blood rain down from the sky.

The eye vanished as its owner pulled back, turning away from the battlefield.

Behind her, dozens of people huddled together, trembling in fear.

Seeing them only made her clench her fists harder.

"Thankfully, I'm back… now I can erase these creatures of darkness once and for all,"

a young girl about seventeen said softly, her star-shaped pupils glowing a deep crimson.

*****

5/10