The new portal pulsed with an eerie, almost familiar energy — smaller than the previous ones, but far more unsettling.
From the swirling darkness stepped a figure that wasn't a towering monster.
It was humanoid. Roughly three meters tall, cloaked in shifting shadows that seemed to drink in the light. Its face was hidden beneath a cracked obsidian mask, only two glowing purple slits visible where eyes should be. In its right hand, it held a long, jagged blade made entirely of condensed void energy — the same kind that now flowed through Kai's veins.
The figure stopped ten meters away and tilted its head slightly, as if studying him.
Then it spoke, its voice a low, distorted echo that sounded strangely… familiar.
"Void Sovereign… you've grown quickly. But you're still incomplete. Still clinging to useless things like mercy… and them. How long until you realize they are just weights dragging you down? How long until you understand that I am what you will become?"
Kai's eyes narrowed. The void inside him stirred violently — not just with hunger, but with uncomfortable recognition.
It knows me. It knows exactly what I'm becoming… and it wants me to accelerate.
Elena's breath hitched behind him. She felt a cold dread settle in her stomach, but it was mixed with something warmer, more shameful. Every surge of Kai's power made her body react strongly. Her nipples were painfully tight against the torn blouse, and a deep, slick heat was building between her legs again. She hated how her eyes kept drifting to Kai's broad back, how the sight of him facing danger made her core clench with unwanted need. Why does my body betray me like this? Why do I feel jealous when he protects her?
Sophia gripped her rifle tighter, jaw locked. She was angry — at the new threat, at the situation, but mostly at herself. The familiar heat was spreading through her again, making her skin prickle and her breasts feel heavy. She wanted to shoot something. Preferably the masked figure… or maybe Kai for making her feel this weak. "I'm not supposed to feel like this," she thought bitterly. "I'm not supposed to want him this much."
Kai took one slow step forward, his voice cold and steady.
"Who are you?"
The masked figure let out a low, rasping laugh.
"I am what you will become… if you keep walking this path. A hollow shell. A vessel for the Void. You still fight for them. Still pretend you have control. But the Void doesn't share. The more power you take, the more it takes from you. Soon you will have nothing left but hunger."
It raised its blade. The air around it distorted as void energy gathered.
"Then let's see which one of us is more hollow," Kai replied.
The figure moved.
It was fast — faster than any Sovereign they had faced so far. In a blur of shadow, it closed the distance and slashed downward with its jagged blade.
Kai barely managed to block with Void Claw. The impact sent sparks flying and pushed him back several meters. Pain shot through his arms.
The masked figure didn't stop. It attacked relentlessly — a storm of precise, void-infused strikes. Each slash carried the same dark energy that Kai wielded, but somehow purer. Wilder. More controlled.
Kai countered with Shadow Step, blinking around the battlefield, trying to find an opening. He landed a solid hit with Void Claw across the figure's shoulder, but the wound closed almost instantly.
Void Drain!
Dark tendrils shot forward, but the masked figure waved its hand and dispersed them with its own void energy.
"You still rely on the System's gifts," it hissed. "I am the Void itself. You are merely borrowing it. Soon you will understand… the Void doesn't give. It only takes."
Kai's eyes flashed with anger. The void inside him roared louder than ever.
No one takes what is mine. Not power. Not the women behind me. Not my future.
He expanded Void Domain Lv.3 to its limit and charged.
The two void users clashed violently in the center of the ruined street. Shockwaves rippled outward with every collision. Kai's claws against the jagged blade created bursts of dark energy that shattered nearby concrete and sent debris flying.
For the first time since gaining the System, Kai was actually being pushed back. The masked figure's strikes were precise, relentless, and carried a cold intelligence that made every exchange feel deeply personal.
The figure suddenly spun and slashed toward Elena and Sophia.
Kai reacted instantly. He used Shadow Step to appear in front of them, taking the hit on his own shoulder. The blade cut deep. Blood sprayed. Pain exploded through his body.
But instead of retreating, he grabbed the blade with his bare hand, ignoring the searing pain, and pulled the figure closer.
His voice came out as a low, dangerous growl filled with pure possessiveness:
"They. Are. Mine."
He ripped the blade aside and drove his claws straight into the figure's chest.
Void Drain — Maximum!
Dark tendrils exploded outward, sinking deep into the masked figure's core.
The figure let out a distorted scream as its body began to disintegrate from the inside.
Before it fully vanished, it whispered one last sentence directly into Kai's mind, cold and mocking:
"When you finally become whole… you will wish you had stayed broken. The Void doesn't give power. It takes everything — including them."
Then it dissolved into black mist.
The battlefield fell silent once again.
Kai stood there, breathing heavily, blood dripping from his hands and shoulder. The void inside him felt heavier, hungrier. For a moment, the old Kai's voice was completely silent.
He slowly turned to Elena and Sophia.
Both women were staring at him with wide eyes.
Elena's legs were shaking violently. The sheer overwhelming presence radiating from Kai made her feel small, vulnerable, and strangely safe. Shame burned hot in her chest as her body reacted intensely — her nipples painfully tight, her core aching with a deep, slick heat that made her thighs tremble. She couldn't stop the quiet jealousy she felt when Kai had protected her and Sophia together. Tears of frustration and unwanted desire pricked her eyes. Why does his darkness make me feel like this? Why do I want him to look at me that way?
Sophia's expression was a storm of conflicting emotions — anger, fear, and something dangerously close to surrender. Her body was hot, her core pulsing with unwanted need. She hated how safe she felt when Kai stood in front of her. She hated how much she wanted that protection. Her pride screamed at her to resist, but her body refused to listen.
Kai walked toward them slowly, his voice low and rough, carrying a new weight:
"Are you hurt?"
Neither woman answered immediately.
The air around them still hummed with residual void energy.
And in the distance, the sky remained dark… as if waiting for something even worse.