*Content Warning: This chapter contains mature themes, violence, blood, and morally dark actions. Reader discretion advised.*
**Author's Message:**
Readers, a word from the author. This is my first novel, and I'm growing with every chapter I write. This story is something I'm truly passionate about, and I promise to keep improving—chapter by chapter—until it becomes something worthy of your time.
Thank you for reading and staying with me on this journey. Your comments, thoughts, and support genuinely motivate me, so feel free to share how you feel about each chapter. I read everything.
***
"Well then," the Heavenly Demon said, clapping Void on the shoulder with enough force to stagger a lesser man, "you should get ready. Change into proper cult robes first."
Void smiled warmly, bowing his head.
"Yes, my lord. Of course."
As Void turned to leave, the Heavenly Demon's voice boomed like distant thunder.
"Wait."
Void paused mid-step, his back to the demon. Internally, annoyance flickered across his thoughts: Now what? Does he demand my origins? My path here? Or something more personal—family, past sins? Let's see how deep his curiosity runs.
The Heavenly Demon's expression softened unexpectedly into something almost paternal, a rare crack in his demonic facade.
"Hey, brat," he said, kinder now. "Now that you're my personal servant, I realize I don't even know your name. What is it?"
Void's inner disappointment hit like cold rain. This? he thought. So disappointing. I expected a great leader to probe deeper—weaknesses, loyalties, hidden blades. But he's just another human, brain half-asleep. What a pity. Mortals squander their sharpest tool.
He turned slowly, fixing the Heavenly Demon with a smile that lingered just a fraction too long on his face, as though weighing something unseen in the torchlit shadows.
"My name is... Kevin, my lord."
The Heavenly Demon's smile froze mid-formation, surprise flashing across his features.
"Kevin?" he echoed, brow furrowing. "Strange name. Well then, Kevin it is. Do you have a family name?"
Void stood motionless, his face draining of expression—no smile, only a mask of quiet sorrow that seemed to pull light from the room. His eyes drifted downward, distant, as if tracing invisible scars etched into the stone floor.
Then, like the sun breaking through storm clouds, his smile returned—bright, radiant, flawless.
"No, my lord," he said softly. "I have no family name."
The Heavenly Demon shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his neck. Did I strike a nerve? he wondered. Parents lost? Some deeper wound? No matter—if he wants to share when he's ready, I'll listen. For now, let it lie.
Void bowed smoothly.
"Well then, my lord, I should change now. Please excuse me."
The Heavenly Demon nodded, smiling once more.
"Yes, go ahead, Kevin."
Void's eyes widened almost imperceptibly at the name—testing it, tasting it. Huh, he thought as he departed. Did I just discover a new emotion? This could prove... useful.
***
In the dim servant quarters, Void sank onto the edge of a simple bed, the frame creaking under his weight. For a moment, he simply sat, savoring the unremarkable comfort.
"Wow," he murmured. "This feels... adequate."
His thoughts sharpened, dissecting the unfamiliar sensation. First, identify it. Sadness? Too shallow. Anger? Too hot. Sorrow? Closer, but not quite. Intriguing. No time for full analysis now.
He smiled faintly to himself. "Irrelevant. I must grow stronger—hide behind the demon dog's shadow while I do."
His gaze drifted inward, to the God of Void sword humming faintly at his side—a presence he'd overlooked amid the chaos of acquisition.
*When I first claimed it, I didn't notice properly. But now... its divine forms remain locked. Or rather, unknown.
He leaned forward, elbows on knees, mind weaving through possibilities like threads in a loom.
"I believe the first divine form is Void Cut."
The words hung in the air, heavy with implication. Void's eyes gleamed as he unpacked the theory, layer by layer, his voice a precise murmur in the empty room.
"Understand this: Void Cut isn't a slash meant to wound or destroy in the conventional sense. If I swing this sword, it doesn't cleave flesh or shatter bone. No—it momentarily denies existence itself.
"The space the blade passes through rejects reality. Whatever lies in its path—man, god, mountain—cannot persist. It vanishes without resistance, without pain, without aftermath. No impact shockwave ripples outward. No explosion scatters debris. No energy clashes in brilliant displays.
"Only absence. To any witnesses, it manifests as a silent cut: the enemy simply ceases, erased as if the world rewrote itself to forget they ever existed. No corpse. No blood spray. No lingering echo of their scream.
"That's my theory, drawn from fragments of knowledge in my past life. Elegant, isn't it? Effortless annihilation."
His smile faded, replaced by cold calculation.
"But even if I master it, this body cannot contain the backlash. Not yet—not even with my transformation. The strain would shatter meridians, boil blood, collapse my core. This vessel needs tempering, endurance forged like divine steel."
He straightened, resolve hardening.
"So I remain his 'personal servant.' I'll study the Heavenly Demon's weaknesses firsthand—map his techniques, expose his blind spots. Along the way, I'll unlock at least four divine forms here, under his unwitting protection."
A pause. His eyes narrowed.
"It will take time. But strength demands patience. No matter the wait, I'll surpass what I am now—inexorably."
***
The door burst open without warning. Three guards stormed in, faces twisted in contempt, spears leveled.
"Oi, new rat," the leader spat, sneering at Void's pristine robes. "Who said you get a bed? Servants sleep on the floor like dogs."
The second guard laughed crudely. "Lord picked up another stray? Prove you're worth the space—or we'll drag you out ourselves."
Void sat motionless on the bed, expression utterly blank. He didn't speak. Didn't rise. Didn't even meet their eyes.
The third guard shoved forward, spear tip inches from Void's throat. "You deaf, brat? Answer us! Or are you too stupid to—"
Still, Void said nothing. His silence stretched, heavy and deliberate, as if the guards were shadows flickering against a greater darkness. The air in the room thickened, torches guttering unnaturally.
The leader faltered, grip tightening on his spear. "What the hell? Say something!"
Void remained silent, a statue carved from indifference.
***
**Author's Note:**
Void Cut theory dropped—pure erasure, no mess. Guards sense something wrong but can't name it. Drop "Silence is the blade" if you see Void's next move coming, or guess how many "emotions" he'll weaponize. Your reads sharpen the edge.