Twenty years had violently passed since the day rayn leave this hell with his father.
And absolute power continued to ruthlessly dictate the exact worth of every single living soul.
But some catastrophic things absolutely refused to be forgotten.
GASP!
Jai violently awoke. His body jerked upright from the expensive silk sheets as if his soul had been forcefully pulled from the darkest depths of hell.
His chest heaved erratically. Each breath was sharp, painful, and uneven. A thick layer of freezing sweat violently clung to his skin.
For several terrifying moments, he couldn't even move his limbs. The absolute sensation of the dream lingered. It was far too vivid. Far too fucking real. It felt like profound frost had seeped directly into his meridians.
It was happening again.
It wasn't a normal, mortal dream.
It was never just a fucking dream.
In that hallucinatory world, he was not Jai Chenwongo—the golden-haired, highly anticipated heir of one of the most terrifyingly powerful aristocratic families in Aetheleon.
He was someone else entirely.
His physical vessel felt completely different. He felt lighter, unbound by the pathetic gravity of the mortal realm, yet infinitely more dangerous. His thoughts were absolutely calm, entirely devoid of human hesitation, fear, or doubt.
It felt as if morality itself had been violently carved out of his very soul.
In the dream, he stood upon a shattered, frozen battlefield. It looked exactly like the apocalyptic aftermath of a heaven-shaking god's wrath.
The jagged ground was completely buried beneath the mutilated corpses of supreme cultivators. Their lifeless forms were violently twisted into unnatural, agonizing shapes. Profound blood painted the pristine snow in terrifying colors—neon green, obsidian black, royal purple.
Yet, none of that absolute carnage drew his attention.
Because standing directly before him… was a man.
A terrifying sovereign with white hair flowing violently like a blizzard. He had crimson eyes that burned with a demonic intensity, looking like they could casually tear the fabric of reality apart.
Even in the depths of the dream, Jai knew in his very soul that this was no ordinary being.
Yaowang Ming.
The forbidden name violently surfaced in his mind without his permission.
Jai's body moved.
Not by choice.
His fingers tightly, methodically closed around the hilt of a heaven-defying blade forged of pure void-energy. It was heavy, ancient, and filled with a terrifying spatial presence.
Step by step, he approached the kneeling, white-haired Sovereign.
His movements were incredibly steady, perfectly controlled, and entirely inevitable. It felt less like walking, and more like his body was being violently pulled forward by the absolute chains of fate.
Then—
The void-blade fell.
There was a microsecond of terrifying resistance.
Flesh.
Bone.
And then, the Sovereign's defense completely gave way.
Squelch.
A massive spray of scalding, thick liquid violently splashed across his hand.
It was pure, radiant gold.
The violently severed left arm of the Sovereign fell into the bloody snow. Its fingers twitched faintly, absolutely refusing to accept the reality of its brutal amputation.
The supreme golden blood rapidly spread across the frozen ground, hissing softly as it violently melted the ice.
For a single, apocalyptic moment, the entire world seemed to completely stop.
Yaowang Ming slowly turned his head.
Their eyes violently met.
And in those terrifying crimson eyes, there was absolutely no fear of death. There was only something infinitely worse.
A warning.
A heaven-defying promise of absolute, apocalyptic revenge that felt like it had already been brutally fulfilled.
Jai's vision completely shattered.
He violently gasped, his blue eyes snapping open as the luxurious reality of his bedroom came crashing back.
His hands were clenched so tightly against the sheets that his knuckles were entirely white. His body was violently trembling.
"…Just a fucking dream," he whispered hoarsely.
The weak words felt completely hollow even to him. "Just a dream…"
But it didn't feel like one.
The absolute sensation of that terrifying strike still aggressively lingered in his right hand. The heaven-severing weight of the void blade. The scalding warmth of the golden sovereign blood. It felt exactly like a muscle memory he wasn't supposed to possess.
Unable to remain still in the suffocating silence, he violently forced himself out of bed.
He walked toward the lavish bathroom, his bare feet pressing heavily against the freezing, polished marble floor. The sharp chill grounded his racing thoughts slightly.
He firmly pressed the profound activation rune embedded into the wall.
At once, the high-tier artifact activated with a soft, resonant hum. Streams of pure, refined water emerged, but they absolutely did not flow normally.
Controlled by intricate spatial formations fueled by raw Gnosis, the water took the precise form of translucent, crimson koi fish. They swam through the open air in perfectly graceful arcs before seamlessly dissolving into liquid within the basin.
It was an absolutely unnecessary, arrogant display of luxury. It was specifically meant to casually showcase the Chenwongo family's obscene wealth.
Jai barely even noticed the magic.
He violently splashed the freezing water onto his face repeatedly, forcing his erratic breathing to slowly stabilize.
When he finally lifted his head, his dripping reflection stared back at him. Golden hair slightly disheveled. Sharp blue eyes entirely unsettled.
It looked as if something fundamental within his soul had permanently shifted.
"…Why the fuck does it feel so real?" he murmured, gripping the edges of the marble sink.
Before his mind could spiral any deeper, a sharp, authoritative knock loudly echoed through his private chambers.
"Come in," Jai said. His voice instantly dropped its vulnerability, becoming colder and much steadier.
The heavy oak door opened smoothly. Mable Chenwongo stepped inside.
She carried herself with the absolute, effortless authority of a matriarch who commanded legions. Her elegant, deep blue dress was masterfully woven from Tier 5 spirit-thread silk. It shimmered faintly with concentrated Gnosis with every single step she took.
Her eyes were completely cold and surgically precise. She scanned Jai in an instant. She wasn't looking at him just as a loving mother, but as a ruthless aristocrat evaluating her most critical investment.
She gracefully placed a steaming cup of profound energy-infused coffee on the side table. She pulled him into a brief, entirely calculated embrace.
"Happy Birthday, Jai."
"Thank you, Mother."
She stepped back, her piercing gaze narrowing slightly as she analyzed his posture.
"You look absolutely exhausted."
"I didn't sleep well."
"Hm." She completely dismissed his discomfort instantly. "Irrelevant. What actually matters is what comes next."
Her tone violently sharpened. It cut cleanly through the comfortable air of the room like a physical blade.
"The Awakening Ceremony is near. You will absolutely not fail."
Jai didn't argue.
He simply bowed his head in absolute obedience.
Because in the terrifying, high-stakes hierarchy of the Chenwongo family, failure was not something that could be met with disappointment.
It was something that was completely and violently erased.
The massive dining hall of the Chenwongo estate was far less a place to consume food, and much more a terrifying declaration of absolute dominance.
Massive, towering pillars forged from highly refined Tier 6 Spirit-Iron alloy rose violently toward the vaulted ceiling. Each one was intricately engraved with ancient, defensive runes that continuously pulsed with dormant, lethal Gnosis.
The floor beneath their feet was masterfully crafted from polished Obsidian Marble. It perfectly reflected the arrogant, golden glow of the floating chandeliers above like a dark, bottomless mirror.
At the absolute center of the hall stretched an enormous, intimidating table carved entirely from Black Starwood.
It was a profound material so incredibly dense that even a Phase 4 Lord would severely struggle to leave a scratch upon its surface. Flawless inlays of pure gold and highly conductive crystalline mana threads ran along its surface, depicting violent stories of family conquest.
Absolutely everything in this room spoke of terrifying power.
And absolutely everything in this room demanded it in return.
Jai stepped inside. He immediately felt the crushing weight of countless, calculating gazes fall upon him from the family elders.
"Jai, finally decided to grace us with your presence?" Mable called from her seat, her sharp eyes fixed on his every movement.
He silently took his assigned seat directly beside his father.
Edward Chenwongo didn't bother to smile. A Tier 4 Lord didn't need to smile. He radiated the heavy, oppressive aura of a man who casually held the power of life and death over thousands.
"Eighteen," Edward said calmly, slicing a piece of spirit-beast meat with surgical precision. "The exact age where innate talent permanently becomes destiny."
Jai respectfully inclined his head. "Yes, Father."
Edward's heavy gaze lingered on his son for a terrifying moment longer.
"If your awakening is weak," Edward continued, his voice devoid of any paternal warmth, "you will absolutely not remain where you are."
There was no anger.
There was no raised voice.
Just absolute, unadulterated truth.
Because in the brutal domain of Aetheleon, supreme power was not simply something you desired. It was the absolute requirement needed to simply exist.
Suddenly, the heavy atmosphere of the hall entirely shifted.
Rena had entered the room.
Her mere presence violently clashed with the absolute perfection of the estate. Her clothes were incredibly plain and worn. Her dark hair was slightly unkempt.
She radiated submissive fear. She looked exactly like a pathetic stray dog who absolutely did not belong.
A high-ranking maid immediately turned, her expression violently twisting in pure, unfiltered disgust.
"How many fucking times do I have to explicitly tell you?" the maid snapped, her voice dripping with venom. "Stay in your pathetic quarters. The leftover food will be brought to you when we are finished."
Rena slowly lowered her gaze, completely submitting to the servant's absolute disrespect.
"…I didn't receive absolutely anything yesterday," she whispered quietly, her voice trembling.
No one at the table reacted. The elders continued to eat as if a ghost were speaking.
Beneath the heavy Starwood table, Jai's grip violently tightened. His knuckles turned completely white.
The arrogant maid loudly scoffed. She aggressively shoved a small, cold plate of scraps directly into Rena's trembling hands.
"Then take this garbage and leave before you ruin our appetites."
But before Rena could even turn to retreat—
Absolute, suffocating silence violently fell over the entire hall.
Beatrice had finally arrived.
She did not even need to actively release her terrifying Gnosis aura. Her sheer, absolute physical presence alone was enough to completely suppress the breathing of everyone in the entire hall.
Over six hundred years of ruthlessly cultivated, heaven-defying strength rested entirely within her ancient frame. A true Phase 3 powerhouse.
"Good morning, Mother," Rena whispered, her head bowed in absolute terror.
Beatrice didn't even bother to look at her.
Not even a single, passing glance. She treated Rena like an invisible speck of dust.
She confidently walked past the trembling woman and took her absolute seat at the head of the massive table. Only then did her terrifying gaze shift, locking directly onto Jai and his brother, James.
For a brief, agonizing moment, it physically felt as if the entire weight of the massive hall had suddenly settled onto their young shoulders.
"Jai. James."
Her voice was entirely calm and perfectly controlled. Yet, it carried the absolute, unquestionable authority of a supreme sovereign.
"Happy birthday."
There was absolutely no warmth.
There was no maternal softness.
"And congratulations on your pathetic graduation."
A heavy, suffocating pause followed.
"Enjoy this fleeting moment of comfort while you still can."
Her ancient eyes sharpened slightly, completely piercing their souls.
"Because by the absolute end of the week, your true worth will be violently decided."
The terrifying words settled heavily into the silence of the room like a judge's absolute death verdict.
Jai simply nodded.
Because there was absolutely nothing else he could do but survive.
The rest of the day violently passed in a blurred haze of fake celebration and suffocating expectation. Jai attended his formal graduation alongside James.
They were completely surrounded by arrogant young nobles who laughed freely. Their entire fragile confidence was built strictly on the arrogant assumption that inherited strength was completely inevitable.
But Jai knew far better.
Absolute strength was never fucking guaranteed.
It was violently taken from the weak.
That night, back in the absolute silence of his private room, the isolation felt infinitely heavier than before.
The expensive artifact gifted to him—the Floater—hovered gently in the center of the air. It glowed faintly with highly condensed, contained Gnosis energy.
It was a supreme training tool meant to stabilize raw power.
But it was only useful for those who actually possessed true power.
Jai's cold gaze slowly shifted toward his locked door.
Somewhere far beyond it, in the darkest, dampest corners of the sprawling estate—
Rena existed.
Completely forgotten.
Violently discarded.
"…Absolute power dictates everything," Jai murmured, his voice completely devoid of any childish innocence.
His reflection stared back at him from the dark windowpane.
It looked different.
Infinitely colder.
"I absolutely refuse to end up like her."
His voice dropped even further, taking on a terrifying, sociopathic edge.
"I don't just want a fraction of power…"
A faint, bloodthirsty smile slowly formed on his lips.
"I completely fucking need it."
Deep within his soul, something dark and ancient violently stirred.
A fragmented memory of that apocalyptic dream.
A terrifying shadow of a man with deep, ocean-blue hair.
A void-blade violently falling.
Scalding, golden sovereign blood splashing across his hands.
Jai's blue eyes completely hardened, radiating a terrifying, unadulterated ambition.
"I will violently make this entire fucking world mine."
And this time—
There was absolutely no doubt in his mind.