Adam wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes fixed on the towering figure of the Void Manifest. His body trembled, his regeneration struggling to keep up with the damage the Crown had inflicted. But his voice, when it came, was steady.

"Haha... seems like I made it angry."

He let out a low, strained laugh, shaking his head slowly. Dark ichor still dripped from his wounds, but he forced himself to stand straighter, forcing his body to obey.

"You really live up to your name, don’t you? Gluttony. Even my own body can’t handle you." He glanced at the Crown on his brow, then back at the Void Manifest. "But with this... I can match you."

The Void Manifest’s twin stars blazed brighter, its form shifting as the constellations across its surface writhed. Its voice echoed, layered with ancient fury.

"Empty words. Don’t be arrogant just because you managed to wound me once."

It raised its hand, and a wave of pure void energy erupted from its palm—denser, more concentrated than anything it had unleashed before. The wave tore through the void, aimed directly at Adam.

Adam’s Apex Instinct screamed. He threw himself sideways, Abyssal Step carrying him through a patch of shadow as the wave passed through where he’d been standing. It struck a stone pillar behind him, and the pillar didn’t just break, it ceased to exist, erased from reality.

Adam emerged from the shadow of a fallen rock, his eyes wide.

"That’s new."

The Void Manifest’s head tilted, its hollow voice echoing through the void.

"Observe."

The darkness around the Void Manifest contracted, then expanded violently, as if the void itself was giving birth. From that churning darkness, shapes began to crystallize—copies of the Void Manifest, forged from the same abyssal essence that made up its body. They rose like a tide, their forms flickering with the same ancient hunger, their hollow eyes locking onto Adam from every direction.

Adam’s fists clenched. "Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me."

The copies surged forward, their movements coordinated, relentless. Adam’s Abyssal Step carried him through the chaos, his claws raking across one copy’s form, Ouroboros’s Fang carving through another. But for every one he destroyed, two more emerged.

"This is getting old," Adam muttered, his voice tight with frustration.

He planted his feet, his eyes blazing.

"[Tempest Sovereign]!"

The vortex of cutting wind and crackling lightning erupted from his palm, tearing through the swarm of copies. But the Void Manifest simply raised its hand, and the copies reformed, their forms flickering back into existence.

Adam’s gaze snapped to the Void Manifest’s core, the crimson light pulsing in its forehead. "So the copies are tied to its core. I need to destroy that."

He shot forward, Abyssal Step carrying him through the chaos, weaving between the copies. The Void Manifest’s twin stars blazed, tracking his movements.

Adam emerged directly in front of the Void Manifest, Ouroboros’s Fang already swinging.

"[Prismatic Edge]!"

The blade blazed with rainbow light, carving a deep gash across the Void Manifest’s chest. The creature recoiled, its form flickering, and Adam pressed the advantage.

"[Serpent’s Wrath]!"

The storm of void, nature, and draconic energy exploded from his palm, tearing through the Void Manifest’s form. The creature convulsed, its twin stars dimming for just a moment.

Adam’s chest heaved. He was running on empty, his mana reserves nearly depleted. But he forced himself to stand, his eyes blazing.

"Come on. I’m still standing."

The Void Manifest’s twin stars blazed brighter as it straightened, the gash on its chest already beginning to seal.

"Foolish. Your defiance only prolongs the inevitable."

It raised its hand, and the darkness around them began to compress, forming a sphere of absolute void energy, dense and terrible. The copies dissolved, their energy flowing into the sphere, making it grow larger, more unstable.

Adam’s eyes widened as he felt the sheer force of the attack. "This... is not good."

The sphere shot toward him.

"[Aegis of the Colossus]!"

The barrier flared to life around him just as the sphere struck. The impact was immense—the barrier held for a moment, then cracked, then shattered. The sphere drove through, slamming into Adam’s chest and hurling him across the void. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He crashed into a stone pillar, the impact cracking the ancient rock. He crumpled to the ground, gasping, blood pouring from a dozen wounds.

The Void Manifest drifted toward him, its hollow eyes fixed on his broken form.

"This is the end."

Adam’s vision swam. His body screamed in protest. But then, a thought surfaced, unbidden, defiant:

’No.’

Adam pushed himself up, his arms trembling, his blood pooling beneath him.

"I’m... not done yet."

The Void Manifest’s twin stars blazed with cold, absolute certainty as it raised its hand, the sphere of condensed void energy pulsing with devastating power. Its voice echoed through the chamber, layered and final.

"It’s pointless. Your struggle ends here."

Adam’s eyes widened as he felt the sheer force of the attack bearing down on him. His internal voice was sharp, desperate.

’Damn it... at this rate, I’m going to die. I need to use Avarice’s Maw at the right moment. I can’t afford to miss. I can’t die here.’

The Void Manifest’s form surged, the sphere reaching its peak. It thrust its hand forward, and the attack shot toward Adam with devastating speed.

"DIE!"

Adam’s eyes blazed. He thrust his hand forward, and the air before him tore open.

"[Avarice’s Maw]!"

A swirling, gaping maw of darkness erupted before him—lined with teeth of shadow and starlight, pulsing with ancient hunger. The sphere struck the maw and the impact was cataclysmic.

The shockwave rippled outward, cracking the void itself, sending fractures racing across the invisible ground. Adam’s feet slid back, his body straining against the immense force as the maw struggled to contain the attack.

"No... I won’t lose!" Adam’s voice cracked with effort, his body trembling as he poured everything he had into the maw. "I have to absorb it!"

The Void Manifest’s hollow eyes narrowed. Its form flickered as it pressed forward, pouring more power into the sphere.

"You cannot hold it!"

The pressure intensified. The maw began to crack. Adam’s body convulsed as the strain pushed him past his limits. His vision blurred. His limbs screamed. But he held on.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

A violent explosion ripped through the chamber. The maw shattered. The sphere detonated. A massive crater of absolute nothingness carved itself into the void where Adam had been standing.

The Void Manifest’s form flickered as it stared into the emptiness. Its voice echoed, cold and hollow.

"Foolish. In the end, you were nothing but—"

It stopped.

A barrier of pure darkness hovered in the center of the crater. It pulsed gently, like a heartbeat, its surface smooth and impenetrable. The Void Manifest’s twin stars narrowed, its form shifting with unease.

"What... is this?"

The barrier dissolved like mist, revealing a figure standing within.

She was young, her black hair cut short, falling in soft waves around a face that was striking in its quiet beauty. Her eyes were dark violet, calm and steady, framed by delicate features. A pair of cat ears twitched atop her head, and a long, elegant tail swayed behind her. She wore a simple black dress that fell just above her knees, her bare feet barely touching the ground.

Adam’s breath caught. His eyes widened as recognition struck him like a physical blow. His voice came out cracked, barely a whisper, as a single tear traced its way down his bloodied cheek.

"Alice..."

Alice’s dark violet eyes swept the void. They landed on Adam’s broken form, and something flickered in their depths—recognition, warmth, and a quiet, unwavering resolve.

She smiled.

"Adam. I’m back."