Four days…

Four days had passed since he made a deal with the System—since he agreed to stand against the entire multiverse in hopes of fixing it. He knew it was the right choice, but some doubts still lingered in his mind. After all, his new ally couldn't even help him further until he gathered another link to the Main Core. The entity did all it could and left, unfreezing the world—though it gave him one very important warning.

According to the entity, Geron was right when he said Ruination wasn't a power meant for mortals, just not in the way he thought. Someone like Leo, who had just obtained stage three evolution, couldn't handle the strain the Void's true affinity put on his body and soul for too long. Its destructive and corruptive energy was just too much.

He avoided any kind of permanent damage only thanks to Nikra's shard and the Spark of the Void installed in his soul. If not for those two things, he would have already been crippled or worse. Not even his status as Prime Akirian could save him at this time. For now, he had to forget about training Ruination and only use it in small doses or if he had no other choice.

Disappointing?

Definitely, but it was this or slow death caused by his own power. And after everything he had gone through in the past few weeks, he refused to go out like that. He now had plans, big plans, that would most likely kill him anyway, so there was no reason to die just because he didn't listen to a simple warning.

However, all of that didn't stop him from asking the System how to fix this issue. Ruination was way too powerful to be allowed to gather dust on the shelf. The entity agreed, but its answer was far from hopeful.

Solution number one pretty much consisted of gaining at least stage five evolution. At that point, his body and soul should be able to withstand the strain and allow him to channel Ruination for prolonged periods of time. Unfortunately, this fix wasn't perfect, as his affinity could also grow stronger over this time, pretty much canceling any gains from the new evolution.

The next solution was quite impossible at this point in time, as it required him to gather the other two shards left behind by Nikra. Thanks to Nyx, he might know how to search for one of them, but reaching it was a completely different story. And the less said about the third shard, the better. Even the System had no clue where it was.

Finally, there was the third potential fix. When he first heard about it, he called the System mad, but after some explanation, it convinced him this was his best bet. And well, compared to the other options, maybe it was.

Hunting godlings… Leo shook his head. That I'm even thinking about it…

The System didn't have enough time to explain everything in detail, but apparently, every universe housed hundreds or even thousands of gods, some weaker, some stronger. No matter the Outbreak, most would always hide in their divine realms and try to avoid anything to do with the Void. Quite shameful of them, but he had a hard time getting mad, as without access to the interface, they couldn't even grow stronger like other survivors.

Also, their lives definitely weren't made any easier thanks to being hunted by almost every being from the Void. Why? For the same reason Leo needed to find and devour a few of them—the Seed of Divinity.

The System described it as 'a part of something greater,' an item that could change his body and soul enough to handle the power of Ruination—or at least raise his tolerance. It had many more uses, thus its importance for those inside the Void, but Leo didn't care about any of that. He just had to get to a few of those godlings first.

Gonna need Naz'Tor's help with that. I have no idea where to even start searching. He sighed. If those seeds are really that important, I can probably cut a deal with him. I have to devour at least three anyway. Might as well get him one or two in return.

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"What got you thinking so hard?" A female voice came from his right.

Leo turned and smiled wryly as Nyx sat down next to him. "What doesn't these days?"

The feline hummed. "Fair… We both thought this mess would end with Payne, yet here we are… Maybe that's just our fate. No rest, always chasing after something."

"At least we have a clear goal now… well, goals." He chuckled, patting her head. "Honestly? Even with the entire third Cataclysm hanging above our heads, I feel a bit better now. Geron's little farewell gift might be annoying, but we can handle it. And then… then we can work on closing the Void."

"I'm sure Lily will be happy when she hears that."

Leo flinched. While Nyx took the news about the deal with the System well, his sister just punched him and refused to talk with him for two days straight. Neither of them had mentioned this subject since then. They both acknowledged it would only end in another argument, and now just wasn't the time for that.

The feline let out a long sigh. "I wish you two would start acting like adults and finally talk properly. You can't avoid this forever."

He snorted. "Watch us… I might be stubborn, but I'm nothing compared to Lily. If she doesn't want to do something, it ain't gonna happen. People better than us have tried and failed. Trust me on that."

"You two really are idiots. I was right all along."

"Now you're just being rude." He rolled his eyes and stood up. "Come on, break time is over. Back into the abyss, we go."

Nyx huffed and stretched like a cat. She then joined him on the edge of the Supercluster and looked down. "Less than thirty hours left…"

"Then let's make them count." Leo grinned, extending his blades. At the same time, the six floaters on his back sparked with lightning as dark as night. They took their sweet time to move onto the next stage of development, but at least now they were usable—if just so.

Without another word, he jumped right into the Supercluster head first. Each floater activated at full power, erupting in lightning that formed two tiny draconic wings. They were far too weak and small to let him fly, but at least they slowed down his descent and allowed him to glide.

Soon, Nyx appeared beside him, and after sharing a nod, they released their main affinity.

Shadows exploded out of their bodies and walls of the Supercluster, swallowing the Crawlers waiting there in the blink of an eye. Below, Koukars of all kinds dived out of the tunnels, only to share the fate of their lesser kin and die the moment the massive wave of elemental Essence hit them. Devour had another busy day.

As the bottom of the Supercluster neared, Leo pushed more power into his lightning wings. His descent slowed more, and he braced his entire body for impact.

Ouch. He grimaced at the rough landing but ignored the pain in favor of taking control of the giant mass of shadows coming from above.

It instantly separated into two equal parts and crashed into the ground. With another command, two waves of darkness arose and dove in opposite directions, ready to consume anything that would stand in their way. Mastered Resonance and Creation was paying dividends.

"And that's done," he muttered, turning to Nyx. "Which way was the second Nightmare Factory again? I completely forgot…"

The feline gave him the driest stare she could muster. When it didn't work, she slumped. "Just follow me."

Leo shot her a grin, allowing more shadows to slither over his skin. A piece of his soul surged into his body, giving Manifestation a ground to stand on. It was time to start another hunt. Level forty-nine was waiting.

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"We're not going inside?" Nyx asked as they stopped near their London safe zone.

Leo shrugged, sitting down and leaning against a wall. "You're free to go, but remember we're going back in an hour. I need this last level. I will go without you if I have to."

The feline nodded, but instead of leaving, she lay next to him. "Might as well take a nap then… I think I will sleep for two days straight once we fix this mess. I never thought I would say it, but I had enough hunting for at least a week, maybe two."

"Fourteen hours left. Then we go in, destroy the core, and come back." He smiled, running a hand across her fur. "Once we do that, you can rest even for a week. I might even join you."

"I guess…" She yawned and tilted her head, looking at him with one eye open. "Are you taking the next trial?"

"In a moment… First, I got a call to make."