Arkhoth stood motionless, gazing down at the lifeless darkness.
The Darkness was no longer merely defeated.
It had been incapacitated.
It had been killed.
It had been erased.
No residue remained—no echo, no concept, no afterimage.
Arkhoth turned, prepared to carry on Raziel's command.
But it was already too late.
The remaining nine individuals were a breath away from victory.
They were mid-air, bodies wrapped not in armour or robes, but in Darkness itself. Weapons gleamed in their grasp as they encircled Raziel-pressing inward, converging, seeking to overwhelm through numbers, position, and inevitability.
They attempted to corner him.
They failed.
Raziel was not an existence that could be pressured.
Nor one that could be surrounded.
Their weapons halted-mere inches, mere centimeters from his throat.
No.
They did not stop.
They could not reach him.
No matter the strike—ability, weapon, skill, law, fury, or power drawn from the most sacred of entities-it would never touch Raziel.
Yet he could touch them.
They tried to adjust. To retreat. To strike again.
They couldn't.
They were suspended in mid-air—frozen between intention and action. Thought ceased. Motion died. Time itself had been rendered irrelevant.
Then-
The Great System appeared.
A faint chime echoed through the lobby
["Great One, these individuals are not the Darkness."]
["They are exiles—sent and trained by the True Darkness to eliminate you."]
Raziel tilted his head slightly, curiosity flickering for the briefest moment.
"Why didn't they come here themselves?" he asked.
The System responded without delay.
["There are other realms beyond this one, Great One."]
["The True Darkness cannot descend freely. Each realm follows strict rules and regulations."]
A pause.
["Of course, those rules do not apply to you."]
"Huh," Raziel muttered.
He strode past the frozen exiles, leaving them suspended-unfinished thoughts locked behind unmoving eyes. He stopped before Arkhoth, towering over him, and placed a single finger on his shoulder.
"Deal with these fools," Raziel commanded.
The moment the words left his mouth-
Arkhoth vanished.
Arkhoth had already acquired two Arts: Imaginative Speech and Touch of the Living One. He had devoured the exiles' memories, their fights, their abilities, condensing all into pure experience, mind, and instinct. While the exiles remained frozen by the Great System, Arkoth transcended leaps and bounds-every millisecond, every yoctosecond, evolving. There was no limit to how far he could push, no ceiling to his potential. The exiles, even in their frozen state, were no longer threats—they were just lessons, absorbed and nullified.
Raziel, however, remained completely unbothered. He muttered softly, almost casually:
"Ah… his three minutes are almost over."
In the next instant, Raziel's form shifted. The Sandbox appeared around him: a realm entirely white, ethereal, without sky, ground, walls, front, or back. There were no boundaries, no limits-his dimension transcended infinity itself.
Seated in the centre was Esau, calm, serene, perfectly still in a lotus position, hands resting gently on his knees. His spine was a straight pillar of composure, and his majestic blue-icy eyes were closed in meditation.
[2:58]
[2:59]
[3:00]
Esau's eyes opened slowly, a faint shimmer of surprise crossing his gaze at Raziel's sudden appearance, though he betrayed none of it in expression.
"I see… you did not go into the house," Raziel observed.
"Great One, I wish I could. I truly do," Esau replied calmly, standing now, "but the others there… they would kill me."
Raziel knew it to be true. While Esau could not die permanently, he would face certain temporary annihilation:
I-AM-NOT would strike him for existing.
Eshtrahtunul would join without hesitation, loyalty to I-AM-NOT absolute. as they were best friends.
Daniel… would simply stand by, watching, creating popcorn perhaps, entertained by the spectacle.
Shinji would betray for amusement, he would snitch with no hesitation.
Kami, if he saw Esau first, might ignore him-but friendship was a distant chance.
Raziel tilted his head, thoughtful. "So… what are the authorities you've considered?"
Esau's gaze hardened, meeting Raziel's. "Great One… the first authority I thought of was the authority of Nothingness, Negation, Finality, Inevitability, and Irreversibility."
Raziel sighed, placing a hand on his face. "Esau… that's already more than one authority."
"That's exactly why I combined them into a single entity," Esau replied confidently.
"And what would that be?" Raziel asked, intrigued.
"The Black-Root," Esau said simply.
["?!"] "?!"
Raziel blinked, then laughed-a deep, resounding laugh, enough to reach every corner of the mansion. Every facet of the mansion instinctively froze in awe; all who were present stopped, sensing the power behind the sound. They appeared in front of the mansion only witness their Reverend standing in open white space, laughing. Relief washed over them-they feared the worst, only to see him amused.
"You are completely extraordinary," Raziel said, regaining composure. ["As expected of the Absolute One."] the system added.
But his smile faded. "I cannot simply give you that authority," he said calmly.
"Oh… that's fine, Great One," Esau replied, his tone polite but unwavering.
"No," Raziel interrupted. "I will give you The Black-Root-not just as an authority, but as a Totality."
"What… do you mean, Great One?" Esau asked, curiosity brightening his expression.
"I mean this," Raziel continued. "You will be granted Totality—your first Totality. When you step beyond the mortal realm and transcend even the gods, divinities are no longer sufficient. There are seven ranks beyond Divinity."
Esau already understood. Divinity meant you you understood the element enough to use the power of the elements itself through skills or abilities. Authority surpassed mere comprehension or skill. It represented perfect personification and control over the chosen element, ability, or law.
Raziel enumerated:
"The 7th rank is Authority.
6th is Concept.
5th is Embodiment.
4th is Law
3rd is Totality.
2nd is Essence.
1st is Soul.
"The Black-Root is a Totality," Raziel explained. "It transcends all the authorities you mentioned, Esau. Since you combined them into one, I shall give you the totality itself."
Esau bowed, grateful. "Thank you, Great One."
Raziel nodded and continued, his tone calm but commanding. "Now… what is the second authority you desire?"
"I… I would like the authority of Imagination and Reality," Esau said, a subtle glimmer of excitement in his gaze.
"Interesting. I can grant that. And the third?" Raziel asked.
"I want to ascend my authority over Blood into a Law," Esau replied. "It is my primary weapon… it must become stronger."
Raziel regarded him, approvingly. "Very well. And one more thing-if you wish, you may request a skill or a weapon tied to any of your authorities."
Esau nodded. "Then… I would like a Nameless Sword Art-an embodiment of all my abilities, elements, authorities, laws, and totalities."
"You are ambitious," Raziel remarked, a trace of amusement in his tone. "Very well. It shall be yours."
He extended his hand and touched Esau's forehead.
A soft chime resonated, and a notification appeared before Esau, floating in the white void. The sound was gentle, almost ceremonial, but it carried the weight of absolute authority.
[Ding!]
[You have been given the Totality: The Black-Root]
[Totality Function Unlocked]
[Shop Upgrade: 7 → 16]
[Totality]
[Name: The Black-Root]
[Classification: Totality]
[Type: ?]
[Rank: ????]
[Form: ??]
[Origin: ??????]
[Aspects: ????, ?????, ??????????, ??????, ?????, ???????, ?????????, ?????, ?, ????, ??]
[Description:]You are nothingness. You have transcended nothingness itself—the domain, the concept, the law, the embodiment, and the authority of nothingness. Negation is your physique. Finality is death within you. Inevitability is the mindset and outcome of your decision. Irreversibility is the personification of your will. You are the root of the Other Side… you are the Black-Root.
A faint chime echoed again.
[You have been given an Authority]
[Name: Imagination & Reality]
[Classification: Authority
[Rank: Existence
[Form: Mind
[Origin: ???
[Type: Domain / Manipulation / Word / Will / Creation / Discretion / Infinity
[Aspects: ????, ??????
[Description:]You command the thoughts and imaginations of all. You control the anchors of reality, shaping what comes into existence and what remains a dream. Imagination is the dream; Reality is the inevitability of that dream. You are mind. You are thought. You are the personification of Imagination and Reality.
[Ding!]
[The Authority of Blood has ascended]
Authority of Blood → Law of Blood
[Name: Blood]
[Type: Manipulation / Discretion / Will / Existence / Domain / Conceptual]
[Classification: Law]
[Rank: Primordial]
[Form: ?]
[Origin: ?]
[Aspect: ~&**"!##*!&"??##]
[Description:]If Divinity is understanding, Authority is personification and control, Concept is sovereignty, and Embodiment is the whole—then Law is the way of Blood. You control blood. You personify it. You are its sovereign, the entirety of its essence. You are the path, the king, the governance of blood itself.
Another chime rang, softer this time.
[Raziel has erased your previous Art: INFINITE PRIMORDIAL OMNI-ORIGIN FORMLESS WORD BLOOD ART]
[You have been given a new Art: Absoluity]
[Name: Absoluity]
[Type: Sword / Manipulation / Word / Will / Existence / Conceptual / Discretion]
[Classification: ????? (specialized for weapons)]
[Rank: ???]
[Form: ???]
[Origin: ?????]
[Aspect: ?????????]
[Description:]This sword is your soul given form.
The soft echoes of the chimes faded, leaving a profound silence.
[You have met the requirements to take the next step.]