Earth's Greatest Magus

The god-level beast loomed in the void stream, its sheer presence exuding an oppressive aura that pressed down on Emery’s very soul. It was a monstrous entity, comparable to the Hydra he faced on the Serpent planet, a creature so fearsome it had required a dozen Grand Magus to subdue.

Its previous attack had cracked Tolaro’s defensive barrier and left deep fractures along the surface of the flying platform. The artifacts groaned under the stress, barely holding together as they sped through the chaotic streams of the void.

With grim determination, Tolaro raised both his arms, dark energy spiraling around his palms as he invoked his powerful spell.

[Spatial Prison]

The air around the beast warped violently, as countless translucent walls of compressed space materialized, folding and layering upon each other to form a perfect trap. The beast roared in defiance, its glowing purple eyes blazing with raw fury as it thrashed against its confinement.

“I can’t hold this for long!” Tolaro’s voice cracked under the strain. “Retreat, Go now!”

Emery gritted his teeth and pushed the damaged platform to its limits, accelerating away from the thrashing serpent. But mere seconds later, an ear-splitting CRACK echoed through the void as the beast shattered the spatial prison. Fragments of warped space disintegrated into nothingness, and Tolaro staggered backward, blood spilling from his lips.

The colossal serpent slithered effortlessly through the void, weaving between streams of black lightning with terrifying grace, closing the gap between them with alarming speed.

“ROOAARR!!!”

Its guttural roar reverberated through Emery’s bones, shaking his very soul. Its relentless pursuit made one thing clear—they couldn’t escape it.

Realizing their peril, Tolaro made a split-second decision. He let go of the residual barrier energy, allowing the full gravitational pressure of the void to flood their surroundings. The dark elf raised his hands, and threads of spatial energy coalesced into an unstable, flickering portal.

“I need time to stabilize the gate!” Tolaro barked. “Hold it off! Just for a few moments!”

Hold off a god-level beast? Emery’s mind raced, searching for any tactic that could buy them seconds against such a monstrous foe. His eyes glowed with spectral energy as he unleashed his most potent soul technique.

[Spectral Gaze!]

A searing beam of ethereal light shot from Emery’s eyes, slamming into the beast’s massive head. The serpent recoiled slightly, its colossal jaws snapping shut as it blinked away the lingering spectral energy. But the reprieve lasted only for a heartbeat.

The beast lunged forward, its jaws wide enough to swallow them whole. Emery’s instincts screamed at him, and he activated his [Ocean Heart Vest]. The artifact flared to life, water energy bursting forth in swirling torrents, forming an iridescent defensive barrier.

BAMMM!!!

The impact was cataclysmic. Light energy erupted outward in a blinding flash, scattering fragments of shattered water shields into the void, Emery was thrown back violently.

His chest heaved with labored breaths, his vision swimming from the force of the blow. As the light faded, Emery glanced down and saw—the Ocean Heart Vest was ruined. Jagged cracks ran across its once-glowing runes, its divine light extinguished. The tier-7 artifact was broken.

And the serpent? It was unscathed. Its massive form coiled back, eyes fixed on Emery like a predator ready for the final strike.

Tolaro’s voice cut through the haze of Emery’s exhaustion.

“I need a few more seconds! Hold it back a little longer!” Find your next read at empire

Emery’s hands trembled as he pushed himself to his feet. His body screamed in protest, and his soul energy flickered weakly.

The beast’s jaws opened wide again, black lightning arcing between its fangs as it prepared to unleash another devastating attack.

In that fleeting, desperate moment, Emery’s mind raced. His options were dwindling, his strength nearly depleted, and the Ocean Heart Vest—his most reliable defense—lay shattered.

Worse still, Tolaro would have no reason to cooperate with him now. With the platform damaged and Emery weakened, the dark elf would likely use him as nothing more than a meat shield. And even if Emery managed to escape through the gate, the dark elf would be his doomed.

Emery wouldn’t let that happen.

[Spatial Bending]

Instead of trying to stop the beast, Emery focused on subtly altering its trajectory—just enough to redirect its immense bulk away from him. The beast’s massive head lunged forward, narrowly missing him as it barreled toward Tolaro.

“YOU DAMN HUMAN!!” Tolaro’s enraged scream echoed across the chaotic expanse as he realized Emery had shifted the danger onto him.

But Emery couldn’t afford to dwell on guilt or consequences. With a flicker of light, his [Soaring Wings] burst from his back, glowing faintly as they carried his battered body forward. The gravitational pressure was relentless, crushing his lungs and grinding his bones, and without his enchanted vest to shield him, every movement felt like swimming through molten lead.

His target wasn’t the unstable spatial gate Tolaro was forming—it was something far riskier: the spatial tear the beast had emerged from. It was a gamble, but it was the only way out.

As Emery shot through the turbulent void, a chain of black lightning lashed out in his path, missing him by inches. The bolt sizzled through the air, leaving a lingering scorch in the space around it. A single strike would have reduced him to ashes.

But Emery’s focus was unwavering. His wings flared brighter, his dwindling energy poured into them, and with one final burst of effort, he dove into the tear.

On the other side, Emery found no air, no landscape—only more void.

The gravitational force here was even stronger, crushing down like an invisible mountain.

But it wasn’t the gravity that froze Emery’s heart—it was the serpents.

More of them. Colossal godly beasts, slithering through the void with terrifying grace, their glowing eyes fixed on him like tiny stars in an endless night.

There was no escape.

A hollow chuckle escaped Emery’s lips as he hung suspended in the crushing void. The cruel irony of it all—the tear wasn’t an escape, just a doorway into the serpent’s den.

For a brief moment, he accepted his fate. His mind drifted to Shinta, his daughter. He could at least use these final moments to speak to her, to say goodbye—

But then, the chaos ceased.

The roaring void went still, the chains of lightning froze mid-strike, and the crushing gravity seemed to vanish. Emery blinked in stunned confusion as an eerie silence engulfed him.

“What… is happening?”

In the endless black, a faint wisp of light appeared. It floated toward him, carrying a presence so familiar that Emery’s breath caught in his throat.

Khaos.

The wisp hovered before him, its glow pulsing gently. And then, a message—an unyielding command—pierced his mind like a blade.

“ESCAPE.”

The word wasn’t spoken; it was etched into his soul.

The wisp flared brilliantly, expanding into a radiant cocoon of warm energy that wrapped itself around Emery. The warmth pushed back the crushing gravity and deafening silence, shielding him from the chaotic void.

The serpents noticed. They lunged.

But Emery was moving now—no, soaring.

Wings of flaming energy erupted around him, carrying him forward at blinding speed. The protective warmth of Khaos’ blessing surged through him, driving him past the monstrous serpents as their massive jaws snapped shut just behind him.

And then he realized—he wasn’t flying alone.

Beneath him, carrying him across the chaotic void was a majestic, flickering dragon—Killgragah.

The mighty beast’s flames sputtered and flickered, its power clearly waning with every second. But its wings still carried Emery with fierce determination, cutting through the oppressive currents of space and void energy.

Then a second tear appears—a flickering gateway surrounded by spiraling energy. Killgragah’s flames flared one final time, pushing them through the shimmering portal just as the serpents closed in behind them.