The trip to the Wildborn's hideout in the subway ended in complete silence. Nyx didn't even try to start any conversation, while Leo just had too much on his mind. Problems were coming at him from every side, and now that he learned just how strong Payne was, he had even more to worry about.

Damn... Lily won't like this at all. He grimaced, stopping in front of the cave-in covered in illusion. At least I'm not injured anymore. One thing less for her to be mad about.

'You're lucky I can't speak out loud yet,' Nyx snorted. 'I bet seeing a human talk down a Prime Akirian would be entertaining. Your memories of your sister are certainly something else.'

"Very funny," Leo rolled his eyes, dropping Stealth Shroud. He then approached the pile of debris and sent a pulse of Essence into it. "Open up!"

At least a minute or two passed before the illusion disappeared, revealing the door hidden within. It opened with a snap, and Lily rushed out with Malcolm slowly trailing behind her. There was another person at the back, but they stopped by the doorframe, standing watch.

"Leo!" His sister engulfed him in a hug. "What took you so long?! You were supposed to be back hours ago."

He winced as mild pain shot through his stomach and back. While the mixture healed him quite well, it was by no means perfect. He still needed at least a night of rest to get back to full strength. It was just a pity that Devour couldn't help any further. He checked it on the way here, and it did nothing.

I really shouldn't be surprised about that with how the day went. He shook his head lightly as he returned the hug. "Things got a bit complicated. I will explain everything, just not here. Can you two come with me for a moment?"

As they separated, Lily turned to Malcolm with a raised eyebrow, to which the man shrugged. "Sure. It wouldn't be the first time we both left at the same time. Just give me a second."

The Abyss Walker turned around and shouted at the man by the entrance. "Benny! You're in charge until we get back. Don't let anyone out. We won't be long."

The guy named Benny just nodded and retreated behind the door, closing it right after. A moment later, the illusion returned, hiding the entrance from sight.

"So what happened, Leo? Spill," Lily broke the silence.

He shook his head. "I said not here. Follow me and try to keep up."

Without another warning, he and Nyx shot back into the tunnel. A quick peek over his shoulder confirmed that the other two were indeed keeping up. Lily used her wings to go faster in short bursts, while Malcolm constantly left a blood-red trail behind him as he ran.

Interesting looking skill. Leo mused and swerved to his left. A quick treck up the stairs had them leaving the subway. From there, he directed them to the nearest building.

For another few minutes, he just ran across the rooftops. Lily, thanks to her ability to fly, caught up easily, while Malcolm stayed a bit in the back. Still, for someone with quite lower level than him, the man was doing quite alright.

And I'm not gonna lie; this looks sick. He commented, watching the Abyss Walker glide from one roof to another with his demonic wing and another one made up of Essence. Like before, the ability left behind a trail in the air.

Finally, once they reached one of the highest buildings in the area, Leo stopped and gazed at the city spread below him. The shadows of the coming night already claimed most of the streets, and now it was only a matter of an hour, if even that, before the System's warning would come.

"So, mate, not that I'm complaining, but why did you take us to the middle of nowhere?" Malcolm asked, stepping next to him. "If I'm supposed to see something from here, then I failed."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"It's not that," Leo sighed, stepping away from the ledge and dropping down next to Nyx. The feline laid a tail on his shoulder. "Come and sit. No need for the flying Voidlings to see us."

Once they all gathered around, he spoke again. "My descent into the Supercluster was a success. I confirmed what you've already seen and found other interesting things about that place. The timer on the Void Gates also didn't speed up, so there is that."

Lily frowned. "If that's what you wanted to tell us, you could have do-"

Leo raised his hand, interrupting her mid word. "Again, it's not that. We're talking here because that Payne guy you told me about was waiting at the exact place where I left the Supercluster. He and a few others. They knew, Lily. They knew even when I had no idea where that exit tunnel led."

His sister's eyes narrowed. "Tell us everything."

With a sigh, he did just that. This time, there was no place for half-truths or made-up events. Although, he might have downplayed the wounds on his stomach a bit. Yet, going by the glare Lily sent at him, she most likely noticed. Which, of course she did. That woman had some sort of a sixth sense when it came to him.

"Their lord," Malcolm muttered after a moment of silence. "So that's really the ancient god you told us about. Geron, right?"

Leo nodded. "Sure looks like it. Payne recognized the name, and I doubt they could have found me without some divine intervention. I refuse to believe that someone on Earth is already strong enough to predict the future."

"Fuck…" The Abyss Walker muttered.

Fuck indeed. He let out a deep breath.

For entities who were supposed to be dead, the Old Ones sure had a lot of impact on the world even now. Nikra with her shards. Geron with this and his planet. The Lone Traveler, once called Tarak, the youngest of the six, still alive and doing well. Hell, all of this made him wonder if any of the Old Ones were really gone.

Knowing my luck, probably not. He held back a snort as his gaze went to his sister, who still hadn't said a word. "Lily?"

She raised her head, her teary eyes meeting his. "He almost killed you, didn't he?"

Leo gulped and gave a shallow nod. "It was close. I didn't expect his affinity to be so powerful... Anything I did, he had an answer. To make it worse, I don't think I've ever seen him use normal skills."

"You did, you definitely did," Lily mumbled, wiping her tears. "His skills are mostly passive from what we've gathered, and his new class works perfectly with his affinity. It's almost the same for me."

"Makes sense, I guess," he clicked his tongue. "I've already noticed that skills are mostly for utility or weapon combat, while affinities are for pretty much everything else."

For a while, they sat in silence. Lily still looked like she couldn't believe her brother had almost died. Leo decided to just give them time to process everything. He already had a few hours to do that, after all.

"Well, that's just perfect, ain't it?" Malcolm scoffed, alerting everyone. "I hoped maybe you could kill that bastard, but he really is just straight-up overpowered, eh?"

Pretty much. Was what Leo wanted to say, but he didn't. In the end, that fight finished in a tie.

"I can kill him," he said firmly. "It won't be easy, but now I know how. I have the right tool."

"That attack of yours?" The Abyss Walker quirked an eyebrow. "The one that forced Payne to retreat? You sure that wasn't just a fluke?"

"No," he narrowed his eyes, calling on the power coursing through his soul.

His bloodlust awoke at the same time, joining with the Essence rushing towards his hand. This wild, almost untamable energy begged to be released as colors of the Void swirled around his fingers.

"This is Ruination, the true power of the Void."

With that said, Leo stood up and hurled the growing mass of Essence at a tall building close to theirs. The black-red sphere expanded until it was large enough to hide a big dog. And that was when it reached the target.

Total annihilation.

It was the only way to describe what happened when the orb entered a wall full of Vetilim and consumed it. Nothing survived as the attack went in, evaporated everything in its path, and then left through the other side. Only then did it disappear, as if feeling there was nothing else for it to devour.

However, this still wasn't the end. The edges of the new hole slowly withered, turning to dust. The entire building shook, losing more stability with each second. And even when the corruption stopped, the swaying continued until it all came crumbling down.

"Holy shit," Malcolm muttered as a massive cloud of dust from the debris filled the area below them. Hell, even the roof they stood on shook a bit.

Not that Leo paid all that much attention to the happenings around him. No, his gaze was firmly planted on the dozens of notifications that came as soon as the other building came down like a house of cards.

Now that's interesting.