"They are already stirring, little Emperor. You have bought us precious time by fleeing here, but the veil that hides these ruins is thinning. They felt the activation of the gate. They felt your blood," the Guardian said, his voice now urgent, filled with a dire warning. "They will seek out the source of the Void’s resurgence. They will seek you. And they will bring the full might of their false heavens to bear."
Xiaochen looked at Pedang Neraka, its crimson eye now burning with a steady, fierce light. He felt the vastness of the ruins around him, a sleeping giant awakening to his touch. He was the master here, but even mastery might not be enough. The burden, the terrifying, cosmic burden, pressed down upon him once more.
The true war begins now, he thought, his heart a cold, steady dr
