Beyond the Apocalypse-Chapter 1048: Going alone

Vlad could feel it.

The immense flood of energy, vitality, and shattered souls surged into him at a shocking speed, far beyond anything he had experienced before.

Millions of fallen angels were devoured in less than ten minutes. Their blood, essence, and fragmented souls were stripped apart and absorbed completely, leaving nothing behind. The moment the final traces vanished, Vlad’s body erupted with power.

Ouroboros’ Seal of Sin activated.

The Seal of Sin of Greed pulsed violently, converting the vast influx of energy into pure kinetic reinforcement. Vlad’s muscles tightened, space itself seeming to blur around him as his speed surged explosively. The True Depravita of Wrath became a living embodiment of motion, every action sharpened beyond previous limits.

And that was only the beginning.

The Seal of Sin of the True Depravita of Envy activated next. Purple veins expanded through Vlad’s body as the seal analyzed the core essence of angelic bloodlines, divine spirits, and Heavenly laws.

The result was immediate and terrifying: Vlad’s body adapted to Heaven itself. Divine energy that once threatened to erode or suppress him was now met with overwhelming resistance. His endurance against Heavenly power multiplied, his flesh and soul hardening until they could withstand forces meant only for gods and archangels.

Then came Gluttony.

The Seal of Sin of the True Depravita of Gluttony awakened fully, transforming every single cell in Vlad’s body into a living vortex. His flesh no longer merely contained energy—it devoured it constantly.

Vitality, ambient power, lingering soul fragments, even residual divine essence were drawn in without pause. His stamina became near inexhaustible, his vitality surging to monstrous levels as his body regenerated and strengthened itself endlessly.

"Speed. Defense. Stamina," Vlad muttered as he clenched his fists, feeling the raw force coursing through him. "All of them... more than doubled."

Yet there was still one Seal of Sin left.

The Eye of Pride opened.

Golden light exploded from Vlad’s forehead as the Eye of Pride blazed brighter and brighter, its radiance eclipsing even the divine glow of Heaven’s shattered sky. The light condensed, taking form, until a radiant crown manifested above the True Depravita of Wrath’s head.

"Seal of Sin of Pride," Vlad declared coldly.

"Crown of Unyielding Ego."

The crown came alive.

Its power fused with every enhancement granted by the other Seals of Sin, amplifying them to a higher level. Speed became absolute momentum. Defense hardened into inviolability. Stamina transcended exhaustion. Vlad’s aura surged upward, expanding violently until the very fabric of his being began to crack.

A sharp, internal breaking sound echoed within him.

The limitation shattered.

"Paragon."

Vlad spoke the word without emotion. Any other time, such a breakthrough would have filled him with exhilaration and triumph. But not now. The massacre of Heaven’s First Level had not satisfied his wrath—it had only tempered it, sharpening his focus.

This was merely preparation.

What came next was his true objective.

---

Far away from Heaven, within the Six Sun Galactic Trading Realm, there existed a unique location: a grand hall accessible only to the leaders of the six great powers. It was a neutral ground, designed for matters that could reshape the fate of entire civilizations.

At this moment, four of the six seats were occupied.

Brightkin, Emperor of the Faerathia Empire, sat with regal composure. Beside him stood King Orkin of the Dvergar, his stone-like features unreadable. Merlin, the ancient King of the Obsidian Dragons, radiated quiet authority, while Queen Ankil of the Amazon Kingdom sat upright, her presence both fierce and commanding.

They had gathered at the request of the Xaos King.

The topic was dire: a new and unprecedented threat known as the Alien Powers.

Vlad had already shared everything that had occurred in Valhalla with them shortly after revealing the truth to the White Death. He had not hidden how he had been deceived. The Xaos King understood the risk of exposing such vulnerability, but hiding it would only give the Alien Powers leverage against him in the future.

Transparency, in this case, was strength.

Time passed.

An hour went by, and Vlad did not appear.

Frowns formed among the sovereigns. Vlad had summoned them personally, yet failed to attend. Even with the respect he had earned, such an absence could easily be interpreted as an insult.

Then, suddenly, a figure manifested in the center of the hall.

It was not Vlad.

It was the White Death.

Instantly, all four sovereigns rose and performed deep bows. Respect was demanded by strength, and the White Death was not only the strongest human in the universe—he was widely acknowledged as the strongest life form within the Six Sun Alliance.

The White Death returned the courtesy with a calm nod before gesturing for them to sit.

His gaze swept across the hall before he spoke, his voice sharp and solemn.

"The Xaos King will not be attending this meeting."

The atmosphere immediately grew tense. Discomfort and displeasure flickered across the sovereigns’ faces. Vlad had summoned them, yet did not appear himself.

The White Death continued.

"He shared the reason with me," he said. "It is simple... and dire. The powers of Heaven attempted to invade the souls of his unborn children."

The tension vanished.

Shock replaced it.

Every sovereign present was a parent. The implications were horrifying beyond words. Any anger they had felt toward Vlad evaporated instantly.

"His children..." Queen Ankil began, unable to finish the sentence.

"The Xaos King detected the invasion in time," the White Death said. "He protected them and expelled the Archangel’s soul."

Relief washed through the hall. Shoulders relaxed, breaths released. Whatever else had happened, the children were safe.

"What are the Xaos King’s plans?" Brightkin asked.

Silence followed.

Each sovereign exchanged uneasy glances. They all knew the answer would be grim. An offense of this magnitude could not go unanswered—especially by someone like Vlad.

Yet the target was Heaven.

Unlike Hell or the Abyss, Heaven was not easily attacked. To march armies against it would mean catastrophic losses. Even knowing they owed Vlad support, none of them could lightly condemn their people to slaughter.

The White Death could see the reluctance in their eyes and understood immediately. None of the sovereigns were willing to support a full-scale march into Heaven. And he did not blame them.

Unlike the Vorometallicae race, Heaven was not an existential threat to their civilizations. To them, it was a distant, untouchable power—dangerous, yes, but not one that demanded immediate annihilation.

Asking them to send tens of thousands, perhaps even millions, of their people to die in a war that did not directly endanger their realms was not something anyone could reasonably demand. Not simply because an Archangel had conspired against the king of a far-off world, no matter how grave that crime was.

Without speaking another word, the White Death raised his hand.

White flames surged outward, cold and immaculate, coalescing in the air before them. The fire flattened and smoothed, transforming into a vast, pristine mirror suspended in space. The sovereigns stared at it in confusion—until the image within sharpened.

Their breath caught.

The figure reflected was unmistakable.

The Xaos King.

There were differences in his appearance now: golden draconic scales glinting beneath divine light, immense Archangel wings of golden plasma extending from his back, and a radiant crown hovering above his head. Yet despite those transformations, there was no doubt. It was Vlad.

What truly froze them in place, however, was not him.

It was the world around him.

The land behind the Xaos King was broken and lifeless. Towering ruins stretched as far as the eye could see, once-majestic cities reduced to shattered stone and molten debris. Divine structures lay collapsed, their radiance extinguished, and the sky itself seemed scarred.

"Those ruins..." Merlin’s voice trembled.

"That is the First Level of Heaven."

Shock rippled through the hall.

They had never personally visited Heaven, but as Lord-tier powerhouses, they knew its structure and splendor well. The First Level was vast beyond imagination, home to tens of millions of angels and several Divine Kingdoms.

And it was gone.

Understanding struck them all at once.

The Xaos King had never intended to ask them to fight his war.

He had marched alone.

He had shattered the Pearly Gates, violated the sanctity of Heaven itself, and—by all appearances—slaughtered every angel and god who stood on the First Level.

Within the mirror, the True Depravita of Wrath raised his head and roared.

The sound was silent to the observers, yet they could feel it—raw fury given form. Vlad’s energy surged to its absolute zenith, his aura distorting space around him. Then, like a falling star, he flashed forward.

The massive wall separating the First and Second Levels of Heaven shattered instantly, obliterated by his charge. Stone, divine runes, and sacred barriers disintegrated as he tore through them and crossed into the Second Level.