Chapter 15
The Pantheon Void stretched endlessly in all directions.
It was a place where dying stars drifted like broken memories, their light flickering weakly before being swallowed by the abyss. Space here did not behave like space. Distance was meaningless. Time felt stretched, thin, fragile..like it could snap at any moment.
It wasn't just an authority it was a plane that oversees all universes
No one was meant to know it's location
And back at the dying universe in the middle of it all Renji began to laugh.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah…"
The sound echoed unnaturally, bouncing through the universe as if the darkness itself was listening. It wasn't laughter born from joy and It wasn't madness either.
It was sharp, delicate and bitter.
A laugh filled with anger, exhaustion, and contempt.
Azerin stared at him. His eyes gazed towards Renji
For a brief moment, the faint amusement on Azerin's face froze. His eyes narrowed slightly, studying Renji as if reevaluating him not as a brother, but as a variable that had just shifted.
Then renji's laughter slowly faded.
The smile vanished from his face.
He lifted his head.
And stared.
A cold, merciless stare locked onto Azerin, one that carried no hesitation, no doubt, and no fear. The void around them reacted instantly.
Renji spoke.
"Death."
The single word fell like a verdict.
His aura exploded outward.
You... think I fear death!!
Dark energy surged from his body, flowing through his veins, wrapping around his limbs, flooding the space around him like an endless tide.
And slowly his golden staff began to take form
It wasn't wild , it was simple, controlled, dense and heavy. The kind of power that crushed everything simply by existing.
"You think I fear death?!" Renji said, his voice sharp and steady.
The pressure intensified.
Azerin's lips slowly curved upward.
"Ooooohhh… very good brother " he murmured with amusement, clapping his hands lightly. "Then come at me....."
Come at me brother!!
He spread his arms wide, exposing his chest without care.
"And let me show you what true resolve is."
The two forces collided invisibly.
Not physically...but spiritually and the universe screamed in silence. As thousands of dying stars and galaxies moved in sync, obeying the laws governed by the pantheon void
Not far away, Arin stood watching.
Her hands were clenched.
Her body tense.
What am I going to do she asked herself... her two sons existences pushing against each other, threatening to tear each other apart . Every instinct screamed at her to intervene.
But she couldn't.
She had imposed the law herself.
A law that bound even her.
Renji's aura flared higher, darker, thicker. His eyes glowed, burning with raw power and something far more dangerous.
Hatred.
"You want to know what resolve is?!" Renji shouted. "Then let me also show you!"
"Enough!!"
Arin screamed it wasn't just a scream it was a commandment, a law!
The word carried authority over time and space and Space locked in place. Time froze for a split second. Renji's energy halted mid-surge. Azerin's power stopped expanding.
Both brothers were forced to stop.
The dying universe itself obeyed her.
Arin stepped forward.
Her gaze snapped to Renji.
"Didn't I teach you well?!" she said sharply. "Don't be dumb, Renji!"
Renji clenched his teeth.
"You should know your brother by now," Arin continued. "All of this.. every single thing..is all part of his plan."
She turned to Azerin.
Now!! I know you aren't sloppy and you don't make errors so tell me why??
"You knew I would find you there," she said coldly. "In the Pantheon Void."
Her voice tightened.
"Why?"
The word echoed.
"Why are you doing this, Azerin?" she demanded. "Why would you surrender yourself to hatred just for more power?!"
Azerin's smile faltered.
He opened his mouth.
"Mother… You..." But he didn't get to finish.
Renji moved.
A blur.
A shockwave tore through the void.
"SLIRK!!!"
Renji appeared in front of Azerin in an instant.
His arm drove straight through Azerin's chest.
Blood sprayed outward. And renji pulled back
Holding Azerin's heart.
Still beating.
I knew it Renji said as his cold eyes gazed towards Azerin
Arin's eyes widened in horror.
"NO!!"
Her scream echoed across the void.
Azerin coughed violently.
"Purlp!"
Blood poured from his mouth, staining his chin. His body shook, yet his eyes remained sharp.
With trembling breath, he forced out a word.
"Soooo… You knew."
Renji glared down at him.
"Enough games, Azerin," Renji said coldly. "I know this is just an avatar of you."
Azerin's pupils flickered.
"You forget what our eyes can do," Renji continued. "We can see through deception."
He tightened his grip slightly.
"You might share the same mind with your avatars but not the same power."
Renji leaned closer.
"The real you would've sensed me coming before I even attacked."
His voice dropped.
"Enough games. Come out and face me."
Azerin gulped more blood do you really wish death upon you!!
If you wish death then be patient soon you will die!!
His body began dissolving, black mist peeling away from his form like ash drifting into space.
Yet...
He smiled.
A chilling smile.
"Soon," Azerin whispered. "I will kill and take everything you love."
The dying stars flickered.
"And you will feel pain and despair greater than anything you've ever felt in your entire existence."
Then slowly..
Azerin disappeared his presence scattered into the air of countless dying stars.
Renji stared at the empty space.
His hand trembled.
"Tch…"
He turned toward Arin.
"You knew from the beginning," he said quietly. "That wasn't his real body, right?"
Arin didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
Her silence was already the answer.
Renji exhaled sharply.
"We need to find him, Mother."
Arin shook her head.
"Enough, Renji."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Her eyes hardened.
"Even you right now can't win against your brother."
Renji froze.
"I don't know how," Arin continued, "but he's acquired the power to create perfect avatars that can walk freely in the Pantheon Void."
She clenched her fists.
"It's not possible."
She shook her head.
"No avatar should be able to do that. He's bypassing the laws of the Pantheon Void."
She sighed deeply.
"If he's truly bypassed the law… then he's leagues above you."
Renji lowered his head it doesn't make sense how ?? if he's stronger… way stronger… why hasn't he destroyed the universe yet?"
He looked up.
"He already has the power to do so."
His voice tightened.
"So why hasn't he? Or is he after something more?"
Arin closed her eyes.
"I don't know what he's after," she admitted. "But it's clear he wants something."
She opened her eyes.
"If you want to challenge him again… you need to get stronger."
Her voice softened..but remained firm.
"I can't protect this world anymore."
A pause.
"No… I can't interfere with its laws anymore."
"You need your primordial darkness back," Arin said. "And awaken your full strength."
She snapped her fingers.
"Whoosh!!"
And a portal tore open, swirling with blue and black light.
They stepped through.
"Whooosh…"
The portal closed.
Another opened above Earth just above Renji's apartment.
They hovered gently then slowly descended.
The door opened.
And the next phase of the war began but for now they have to come up with a plan
Slowly The door to Renji's apartment opened s
The familiar creak echoed softly through the hallway before the door shut behind them. The moment Renji and Arin stepped inside, the atmosphere of the room shifted. The air felt heavier, tense, as if something unseen had followed them home. They walked forward....
Straight down into the living room.
Lily, Sakura, and Dracan were already there.
They had been waiting.
The instant Arin entered the room, Sakura's eyes widened and she rushed forward, her face filled with urgency and hope.
"Arin-sama!" Sakura exclaimed. "Did you get it done?! Were you able to defeat him?!"
Arin didn't answer.
Renji walked past everyone without saying a word.
His steps were slow, heavy. The exhaustion in his body was obvious now that the battle was over. He reached the couch near the center of the living room and..
Crash.
He dropped onto it, his back sinking deep into the cushions.
"Sighhhh!!!"
He tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling.
"No," Renji said bluntly. "It was another fucking dead end."
The room fell silent.
"He keeps toying with us over and over again," Renji continued, irritation thick in his voice. "And now…"
He clenched his jaw. "Now we have another problem."
Sakura's breath caught, a way bigger problem..
Dracan stepped forward immediately, his expression tense.
"What do you mean, Renji-sama?" Dracan asked. "What problem?"
"He's stronger," Arin said, cutting in calmly.
Everyone turned toward her.
She walked further into the room, her footsteps slow but firm.
"He's possibly stronger than Januza," she continued, "…even in his prime."
The words hit like a hammer.
Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait what?!" That's impossible she exclaimed. "What do you mean?! How is that even possible?!"
Renji sat up slightly on the couch.
"It doesn't matter how," he said sharply. "What matters is this...Azerin is planning something big."
His eyes darkened.
"He has the power to completely end this universe. This world. Everything."
The room grew colder.
"And yet," Renji continued, "he hasn't."
Dracan swallowed.
"But…" Renji said quietly, lowering his gaze, "what matters now is that I have to regain my primordial darkness."
Lily stiffened.
"Without falling into despair," Renji added.
Arin's expression hardened instantly.
"That was a dumb move from you, Januza," she said without hesitation. "A move that was completely unnecessary."
Renji sighed deeply.
"…I know." The silence that followed felt heavy.
Then Renji straightened slightly.
"But for now," she said, i think there is one solution
Dracan leaned forward.
"What do you mean, my lord?"
Arin raised her hand.
And pointed.
At Lily.
The entire room turned toward her.
Lily blinked.
Once.
Twice.
"Ehh?!" No no no Lily exclaimed, pointing at herself. "Me?! Ehh—what do you mean me?!"
Arin stepped forward.
" Yes so I know I'm in no position to ask you this i only meant what I said earlier as a joke but You ... You carry the power of the Oldest Spirit," Arin said calmly My companion for thousands of years.
Lily's hands trembled.
"You possess power that can rival both my son's at their peak," Arin continued, "or even at there strongest."
Lily shook her head.
"That's not—I'm not—"
Arin sighed.
"If Januza cannot regain his full power in time," she said, "then I will train you."
The room froze.
"In the usage of Spirit Art."
Lily's breath caught.
"And if you bond with Rajah," Arin continued, "you will become one of the most powerful beings in the universe."
Lily stood there, stunned.
"M-me…?" she whispered.
Renji watched her quietly.
Then Arin turned serious.
"There is something you all need to understand," she said.
She raised her hand slightly, and the air in the room shifted.
"The Pantheon Void."
Everyone listened.
"It is not simply another dimension," Arin explained. "It is a domain governed by absolute laws."
She looked at Renji.
"The first law: No false existence may act freely within it."
Sakura frowned. "Meaning…?"
"Avatars," Arin said. "Projections. Copies. They should be restricted. Limited. Weak."
She clenched her fist.
"The second law: No being may surpass the authority of the Void itself. Power must obey hierarchy."
Dracan's eyes widened. "But Azerin—"
"Broke both laws," Arin finished.
She lowered her hand.
"He created perfect avatars that move, fight, and exist as if they were real," she said quietly. "And the Void allowed it."
The room fell silent.
"If the Pantheon Void accepted him," Arin continued, "then he is no longer bound by its laws."
She looked directly at Renji.
"That is why I stopped you. That is why you cannot fight him yet."
Renji clenched his fists.
"That's why," Arin said, "you need your primordial darkness back."
She turned to Lily once more.
"And why you," she said softly, "must grow strong enough to stand beside him."
Not only you but the hunters of this universe should prepare for war !!
Lily swallowed hard.
The future had just changed.
And none of them could turn back now.