Chapter 2576: Your justice... or my conviction!

Those final words made Anark’s eyes tremble.

His will was unshakable, forged through endless battle and sacrifice, and he had long since accepted that he might have to give his life to achieve his goal. He had come here to kill the betrayer, to bring justice to the one who had slaughtered his brothers. Yet no matter how deep his hatred ran, no matter how fiercely his killing intent burned, there was one truth he could not deny.

Adam had faced impossible choices.

During the war against Paradise, he had borne burdens that would have broken anyone else. The sacrifices he had made, the decisions he had taken—those were not the actions of a coward or a traitor acting without cause. They were the actions of someone who had been pushed to the edge of existence and forced to choose between horrors.

If there was a single weakness in the will of a Lord of the Emptiness, it was this: the ability to acknowledge truth, even when it conflicted with hatred.

Anark could not deny it.

But Adam did not press the matter.

Instead, he turned his gaze away, looking around at the ruined landscape of Earth. The once-proud structures lay shattered, the ground fractured and scorched by the clash of Fourth Realm beings. What had taken ages to construct had been reduced to ruin in mere moments.

"Ah..." Adam exhaled softly, his voice carrying a trace of regret. "It took a great deal of effort—and incredible resources—to create this place."

He gestured faintly toward the broken horizon.

"I used fragments of the Tower left behind by the Creator, along with materials harvested from the Emptiness itself. And now..." He paused, a faint bitterness flickering in his eyes. "A large portion of it lies in ruins."

For a moment, silence lingered between them.

Then Adam continued.

"Earth," he said, almost to himself. "It is a strange name, I know. But it was the name of my home... and my first great failure."

A shadow passed through his expression.

"I watched as greedy men poisoned that world, exploiting it without restraint. Then, when the damage became undeniable, they offered solutions designed only to preserve their own power. I saw it happen... and I did nothing."

His voice remained calm, but there was weight behind every word.

"I brought humanity to a new universe—a place of grandeur, but also of danger. Yet we lost our home. And if I had been more decisive... if I had acted sooner... perhaps it would not have come to that. Perhaps exodus would not have been our only salvation."

Adam took a deep breath before turning back to Anark. The red light in his eyes intensified, burning with a resolve that rivaled the stars themselves.

"I will not fail my home again," he said. "I will not run. I will save my people and give them a place where they can live in peace and prosperity. No matter how cruel or terrible the decisions I must make... I will succeed."

Anark’s expression hardened.

"I don’t care about the excuses you tell yourself," he replied coldly. "You killed those who fought by your side. Nothing will change that."

His gaze shifted briefly toward the six Aspects standing around Earth, blocking every escape route, and a faint, mocking smile appeared on his face.

"Seven against one will be difficult," he added, "but it doesn’t matter. Weaklings always tend to fight together, after all."

Adam’s eyes narrowed slightly at those words. He glanced at the Aspects, his expression unreadable for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"Leave."

The single word carried absolute authority.

"Go as far as you can," Adam continued. "No matter what happens, do not return until this battle is over."

Anark’s eyes widened slightly.

He had not expected that.

Truthfully, facing all seven of them at once would have been nearly impossible, even for Lord of the Emptiness. However, he was not going to cry about it. After all, since when had the universe been fair?

The mockery from before had just been a way to release some pressure. He never expected that Adam would be willing to discard that advantage without hesitation.

The Lord of the Emptiness was not the only one surprised.

"That is not wise," Devil Child Adam said, his voice solemn as he voiced the thoughts of the others. "He is incredibly strong."

His gaze shifted toward Anark, filled with caution.

"He can kill you. And you are the one among us who cannot return. The best course of action would be—"

He stopped.

Two red eyes fell upon him.

The authority within that gaze was absolute, overwhelming, and unquestionable. For a brief moment, even an Aspect of Adam was frozen in place, unable to continue speaking.

Devil Child Adam exhaled slowly, then nodded.

Without another word, he turned and departed, the other Aspects following him as they vanished into the distance, diving toward the void and retreating far beyond the battlefield.

Anark watched them go.

As a Lord of the Emptiness, his attunement to space and time was extraordinary. He could perceive their movements clearly, sense the way they distanced themselves without hesitation or hidden intent.

There was no deception.

No hidden trap.

This would truly be a one-on-one battle.

"Anark."

Adam’s voice drew his attention back.

"I once considered you a brother," he said quietly. "As did all the Primordials who fought by my side against the forces of Paradise."

He paused, and for a moment, something heavy flickered in his eyes.

"Killing them... was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Even now, I remember every single one of their faces."

The red light in his eyes began to rise once more.

"However," he continued, his voice steady, "I have no regrets. This is my path. And I will walk it to the end."

The pain, the memories, the weight of his actions—none of it disappeared. It was not suppressed or ignored.

It was crushed.

Overwhelmed beneath the absolute dominion of his will.

"I owe you a debt," Adam said. "So I will give you this chance." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

His aura surged, cracking the ground beneath his feet as his Wings of Order pulsed with overwhelming power.

"This is your opportunity for revenge," he declared. "To obtain justice for all those I killed."

His gaze locked onto Anark’s.

"Let us see," he said, "which is stronger."

"Your justice... or my conviction!"

Anark did not respond with words.

He did not need to.

The intent in his eyes was more than enough.

The ten suns orbiting his head flared with blinding radiance, drawing power from the universe itself and flooding it into his body. His muscles expanded, his frame growing larger, denser, as unimaginable physical might surged through every fiber of his being.

Adam felt it.

He felt the overwhelming presence of a Lord of the Emptiness, the sheer physical dominance that came with such an existence.

In response, the Light of the Flow cascaded through his body, spreading across every vein before concentrating into his limbs. His form shone with controlled brilliance, every movement refined, every ounce of power perfectly directed.

The air grew heavy.

The sky trembled.

The ground beneath them cracked and groaned as the power of both beings rose higher and higher, pushing the very fabric of the world to its limits.

For a moment, everything stood still.

Then—

They moved.

Both dashed forward at the same instant, their figures blurring as they closed the distance between them, carrying with them the full weight of their will, their power, and their resolve.

The final battle had begun.