The victory on Varron-5 did not feel like victory.
Not truly.
The fires still burned across the planet long after the Concord forces retreated into orbit. Entire cities had been reduced to blackened skeletons of steel and ash. Saiyan banners hung torn from shattered towers while the smell of smoke and blood lingered in the air like a curse that refused to leave.
I stood atop the ruins of an old war monument overlooking the capital district. Wind swept across the battlefield, carrying embers into the night sky.
Thousands had died here.
And this was only the beginning.
Behind me, the sound of boots crunching over broken stone pulled me from my thoughts.
Ryza stopped beside me, arms crossed over her damaged armor. The bandage around her temple had already been stained red again.
"You're brooding," she said.
"I'm thinking."
"That's usually worse."
A faint smirk tugged at my mouth before fading just as quickly.
Below us, survivors moved through the rubble while medics carried the wounded into temporary shelters. Rebel fighters gathered around supply drops from liberated Concord ships. Children peeked out from hiding places, staring at me whenever they thought I wasn't looking.
Like I was something mythical.
Something dangerous.
Ryza followed my gaze. "You gave them hope."
"I gave them a battlefield."
"You gave them a chance to survive."
I didn't answer.
Because part of me wasn't sure if she was right.
The Last Warden power still burned beneath my skin like a living thing. Ever since defeating the Echo-Warden, it had changed. Evolved. Sometimes I could hear whispers at the edge of my thoughts—echoes of ancient Saiyans whose names had been erased by time itself.
Warriors.
Kings.
Monsters.
All of them tied to the mantle I carried now.
And deep down…
I feared what would happen if their voices ever became louder than mine.
"You feel it too, don't you?"
I looked toward Korr as he approached from the shadows.
The old warrior's expression was grim.
"The Warden power," he continued. "It's reacting."
"To what?"
Korr stared toward the stars overhead.
"To him."
The air suddenly became heavier.
Eryx emerged moments later from the command bunker beneath the ruins. His face looked worse than before—pale and exhausted, like he'd seen something he wished he hadn't.
"We intercepted a transmission," he said quietly.
Taro dropped down beside us holding a crate of stolen Concord rations.
"Please tell me it's good news for once."
Eryx ignored him.
"The Concord has officially declared allegiance to Xyros."
Silence.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Ryza's eyes narrowed. "Then the rumors are true."
"They're worse than rumors," Eryx replied. "He's gathering the Black Core fragments."
That got my attention immediately.
"How many does he have?"
Eryx hesitated.
"Three."
My fists clenched instantly.
The Black Core fragments were remnants of the ancient corruption that nearly destroyed the Saiyan Empire during the Eclipse War. Each fragment amplified power beyond reason—but at a cost. They twisted the mind, corrupted the soul, and consumed entire worlds if left unchecked.
One fragment was enough to destroy armies.
Three?
That was extinction-level power.
Taro let out a low whistle. "Yeah… that's bad."
Korr's eyes hardened. "If Xyros gathers them all, he won't just rule the galaxy. He'll rewrite it."
A cold sensation crawled down my spine.
Because for the first time since this war began…
I felt fear.
Not for myself.
For everyone.
Eryx activated a damaged holo-projector and a flickering star map appeared above the rubble.
A single world pulsed red near the outer systems.
"Drakthar Prime," he said. "One of the oldest planets from the First Empire."
Ryza's expression shifted immediately.
"That place should be dead."
"It was," Eryx replied. "Until now."
The hologram zoomed inward.
Massive energy readings covered the planet's surface like spreading infection.
Korr's face darkened.
"The Shadow Saiyans are awakening it."
Taro blinked. "Awakening what exactly?"
Nobody answered right away.
That alone told me enough.
Finally, Eryx spoke.
"The Vault of Origins."
The name hit the air like thunder.
Even Ryza stepped back slightly.
I narrowed my eyes. "What is it?"
Korr looked toward me carefully.
"You've heard the legends about the Ancient Legendary Origin Super Saiyan God?"
The title alone made the atmosphere shift.
Every Saiyan child grew up hearing whispers of that myth.
A warrior said to exist before the First Empire.
Before the Saiyan bloodlines split apart.
Before the Eclipse.
A being so powerful that entire civilizations worshipped him like a god.
Most believed it was just mythology.
Korr did not look like a man speaking about myths.
"The Vault," he continued slowly, "is where the first God-warrior vanished."
The Warden mark on my arm suddenly pulsed violently.
Pain shot through my body.
I staggered.
Visions exploded inside my mind.
Fire.
Galaxies burning.
A colossal figure standing against an endless black storm.
Golden hair flowing like solar flames—
But his aura…
It wasn't normal Super Saiyan energy.
It was ancient.
Primal.
Divine.
Then I heard a voice.
One sentence.
One warning.
"The bloodline must not awaken."
I snapped back violently, breathing hard.
Ryza grabbed my shoulder. "Akuma!"
I shoved her hand away instinctively as energy erupted around me.
The ground cracked beneath my feet.
Gold and violet lightning exploded outward in chaotic bursts while the Warden sigil blazed across my skin.
Everyone stepped back.
Even Korr.
The voice still echoed inside my skull.
The bloodline must not awaken.
But something inside me answered it.
Too late.
My aura erupted again—larger this time.
And for a split second…
My golden energy turned crimson.
The entire battlefield froze.
Taro's grin vanished instantly.
Ryza stared at me wide-eyed.
Eryx looked horrified.
But Korr…
Korr looked like he had just seen a ghost.
"No…" he whispered.
I looked down at my hands as crimson-gold energy flickered around my fingers before vanishing completely.
"What was that?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Eryx finally spoke the words none of us wanted to hear.
"The Origin Bloodline."
Silence consumed the ruins.
Korr slowly clenched his fists.
"That power was never supposed to survive."
I looked up sharply. "Then start talking."
The old warrior's expression hardened.
"Your father lied to you, Akuma."
The air turned cold.
Korr stepped closer.
"You're not just a hybrid of Saiyan bloodlines."
His eyes locked onto mine.
"You're the last descendant of the Ancient Legendary Origin Super Saiyan God."
The world stopped.
Everything.
The fires.
The wind.
The battlefield.
Gone.
Only those words remained.
And somewhere far beyond the stars…
Something ancient awakened.
Far away, deep within the darkness of Drakthar Prime, a pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.
And the being attached to them smiled.
"...So the heir finally lives."
Find out next time on Ancient Legends: Ancient Legendary Origin Super Saiyan God!