[Prologue: Beyond the Crack]
Between existence and the void, there was no sky—only fragments of broken stars suspended in endless nothingness.
This was the Realm Between Worlds, where time bled into itself, where echoes of gods and demons rotted side by side.
And within that void, something stirred.
A figure knelt upon a throne made of light and shadow, its form shifting between humanoid and beast. Six black wings arched from its back, pulsing like living fire. Around it, countless eyes floated—spirits of long-dead realms whispering fragments of fear.
> "A mortal… consumed a fragment of the Abyss."
The voice was neither male nor female. It was everything, layered, vibrating through the broken world like thunder.
> "Impossible… unless the seed survived."
A second voice answered, mechanical and cold, echoing from the depths of the dark sea that surrounded the throne.
> "The Black Core has awakened in a human host. His energy signature breaches both divine and demonic spectrums. Shall we intervene, Archon?"
The being's head tilted upward. Through the rift above, it could see Earth—a small, bright world floating in the dark, fragile yet defiant.
> "The Core must never reach maturity," it said softly. "If it does… even the Great Order will fall."
Its wings spread, shadows bending reality itself.
> "Open the way. I will go myself."
The eyes surrounding it screamed as the realm cracked apart. A storm of black fire spiraled outward, ripping through space-time and forming a single, blazing rift—
the same kind of crack Arin had seen two months ago.
> The Archon had come.
---
[Earth – Capsule Corp, Training Arena]
The alarms went off first.
Bulma's entire system lit up red, her monitors flashing endless warning codes.
> ⚠ Dimensional Breach Detected. Energy Reading: Unknown Tier.
Location: Stratosphere above Earth.
Gohan ran into the lab, half-transformed, aura already flaring.
"Bulma, what's happening?"
She typed furiously. "Something's tearing through the sky again—same type of energy as the Demon, but… bigger. Way bigger."
Vegeta appeared at the window, aura burning gold. "Tch. Don't tell me another freak's come crawling out of a hole."
Then the air outside ripped open.
A spiraling black hole bloomed above West City. Clouds twisted into a whirlpool of light and shadow. Electricity danced across the horizon as something massive pushed through—a winged silhouette, glowing red like a bleeding sun.
The Archon had arrived.
---
[Arin's Perspective]
Arin felt it before anyone else.
One moment he was standing in the gravity room, controlling his breathing after another session with Goku.
The next—his entire body froze.
The Black Core pulsed violently.
> [Warning: Abyssal Entity Detected.]
[Designation: ARCHON.]
[Tier: Unknown – exceeds System range.]
Arin gasped. "What the hell is that…?"
Then he felt it—the same energy that had come from Montess, but multiplied a thousand times. It wasn't just darkness; it was creation turned inside out.
He didn't hesitate. In an instant, his aura burst to life, shattering the chamber walls as he launched into the air. Goku and Vegeta followed seconds later.
---
The world above had turned black.
The Archon's presence warped the atmosphere; the sky cracked like glass, and light itself bent around the being's form.
When Arin arrived, he saw it clearly for the first time—
a humanoid shape, draped in silver and black armor, its wings stretching wide enough to blot out the moon.
Its voice echoed inside his mind without moving its lips.
> "So… you are the vessel. The mortal who devoured Montess."
Arin's fists clenched. "You know him?"
> "He was my creation. A seed. And you… stole what was mine."
The words burned in his head. The pressure alone nearly forced him to his knees.
Goku and Vegeta appeared beside him, both already in Super Saiyan Blue.
"Guess we're skipping introductions," Goku muttered, cracking his neck. "That thing's not here to talk."
Vegeta scoffed. "Then we crush it and go home."
Arin didn't answer. His gaze locked onto the Archon, and the Core inside him pulsed faster.
> [Hunger Level Rising: 20% → 37%]
"Fine," he whispered. "Let's see what gods bleed like."
He vanished—appearing in front of the Archon midair and driving a punch into its chest. The impact shook the sky. The Archon barely flinched, its six wings folding to block the strike before slamming outward, sending Arin hurtling through the clouds.
Vegeta charged next, roaring. "FINAL FLASH!"
The golden beam exploded against the Archon's form, lighting up the horizon—
and when the light faded, the Archon was still there. Barely scratched.
It looked down, unimpressed.
> "Saiyans. Always so noisy."
A flick of its wrist—and the shockwave hit like the hand of a god. Both Goku and Vegeta were thrown hundreds of meters back, crashing through mountain ridges.
Arin reappeared behind it, his Change skill activating. His hands turned metallic, forged with glowing runes of Qi and Core energy. He slashed downward, leaving trails of black light that cut through reality itself.
The Archon turned, blocking with one wing—but the metallic blade left a deep gash.
For the first time, it bled.
Black ichor spilled, evaporating into mist.
The Archon stared at the wound, then at Arin.
> "Interesting. You wield the Core's hunger without losing your form. A paradox in flesh."
Arin smirked through the pain. "Guess I'm full of surprises."
The Archon smiled back—eerily calm.
> "Then show me… if you can feed your hunger before it feeds on you."
Its wings spread again—and suddenly, a storm of blades made of pure darkness filled the sky.
Arin dodged one, two—but the third sliced across his shoulder, burning like acid. He retaliated with Absorb, pulling in a nearby blade and crushing it into pure energy that flowed into his body.
> [Energy Absorbed: +300,000 Qi, +250,000 CP.]
His power flared—now nearly rivaling Goku's current output.
He charged forward again, vanishing in a blur. Fist met wing, claw met metal, sky met chaos. Every impact split the air like thunder, shockwaves rolling across continents.
Goku and Vegeta joined again, their combined blasts lighting up the atmosphere. The Archon raised a barrier, blocking most of it—but Arin slipped through the cracks, his aura turning black and red, Core energy bleeding into reality.
For a split second, his eyes weren't human. They were void.
He struck the Archon full in the chest, shouting—
"ABSORB!"
The black mist erupted, swirling like a hurricane as he drained raw energy from the being itself.
> [Warning: Overload approaching 92%]
[Absorption unstable.]
The Archon roared—not in pain, but amusement.
> "So the child dares to eat his parent."
It thrust a hand forward, plunging directly into Arin's chest. The world froze.
Arin gasped—pain unlike anything before tearing through him. He could see his own Qi being pulled out, light and darkness twisting together.
> [System Lock Engaged.]
[Core Integrity: 45% and dropping.]
Goku shouted his name, charging with Vegeta at his side. The Saiyans struck the Archon together, forcing it to pull its hand back. Arin fell, crashing through the clouds and into the mountains below.
The Archon hovered above, wings folding.
> "This world shelters too much defiance."
It raised one hand. The sky dimmed. Space itself screamed.
But then—
A pulse.
From below the mountains, a black light surged upward, cutting through the storm.
The Black Core within Arin flared to life again, burning hotter than ever. His body floated upward, covered in streams of black and silver energy. His voice was calm, too calm.
> "You made a mistake."
The Archon tilted its head. "Oh?"
> "You gave me exactly what I needed… a taste of your essence."
His System flickered violently.
> [New Passive Unlocked: Assimilate → converts absorbed divine or demonic energy into personal Qi.]
[Power Surge detected. CP ×2.]
[Current Status: Tier 1 Peak approaching Tier 2 threshold.]
The air trembled.
Goku and Vegeta could feel it—Arin's power was no longer rising; it was evolving.
The Archon smiled for the first time.
> "Now you begin to resemble what we feared most… a true Blackstar."
Arin's aura exploded outward, black and silver colliding like two galaxies at war.
The battle of existence itself had only just begun.
---
Complete Chapter 9: