The darkness that had swallowed the sky did not behave like ordinary darkness. It had no stars, no clouds, and no visible boundary. It simply replaced everything above the Forgotten City, leaving the battlefield beneath it in an unnatural silence.Julius stood with Noah beside him, watching the enormous white eye beneath the ruined city. For once, Julius did not immediately attack. There was something different about this presence, he had faced gods who believed themselves immortal, ancient beings who had existed before entire civilizations, and creatures capable of tearing dimensions apart. He had fought versions of himself born from realities that should never have existed.The thing beneath the First World wasn't merely powerful. It was ancient in a way that made the word ancient feel meaningless, had existed before the laws of time, before space, before the concept of power itself and yet Julius could still feel its limits, that was what interested him as everything had limits.Ev

Everyone else seemed ready to leave the collapsing realm, but he remained where he was, his eyes fixed on Cael.“Before we go anywhere, there is something we need to settle” Julius said,Cael looked at him, while Julius continues and mentioned, “Trust”The word immediately changed the atmosphere. Noah stood beside Julius while Adrian and Gabriel exchanged a glance. Dark Julius folded his arms, clearly interested in what was about to happen, even Kael remained silent.Julius continued, “You expect me to walk into the heart of the First World with someone who spent thousands of years trapped inside the First Consciousness and suddenly decided to help me”Cael's expression didn't change, “That's fair”“You know things about me that I didn't know about myself, you knew about Noah, you knew about the Origin” “Yes” Cael responded Julius took a step closer, “And yet you never told me” Julius added.Cael didn't answer immediately, Julius's voice became colder, “So give me one reason I shoul

Julius released his power, gor one terrifying moment, nothing happened. The ancient woman watched him with the same calm expression, almost as though she had been waiting for this exact decision. Around them, the First World remained frozen in the middle of its attack. Gabriel was still on one knee, blood spreading from the black wound across his chest, Adrian struggled to keep him conscious while Dark Julius leaned heavily against a broken structure, his breathing uneven. Cael's hand was pressed against the wound in his chest, and even Kael had been forced down onto one knee. Noah was the only one Julius had managed to completely shield but Julius could feel all of them. Their pain, fear, fading strength and something else.The First World was trying to make him believe that saving everyone was impossible.Julius closed his eyes, “No”The word was quiet, but the world heard i, “I don't accept that”The ancient woman frowned, “You cannot deny the structure of this place”“I've denied

The laughter from beneath the First World stopped, then the ground split open. Julius didn't wait for whatever was coming to reveal itself. He immediately gathered Noah, Adrian, Gabriel, Dark Julius, Cael, and Kael within his power and pulled them away from the collapsing section of the First World.They landed on a distant platform just as the land behind them disappeared into the abyss.Cael stared at the destruction, “She wants us below”Julius nodded, “I know”Kael looked at him, “And that's exactly what she wants”“Then we'll give her what she wants” Julius replied Kael frowned, “Julius…”“But we'll decide how it ends” Before anyone could argue, the First Consciousness appeared. She didn't arrive through a portal and simply stood among them.Her eyes moved from Julius to Cael, “You finally brought him back”Cael stepped forward, “You used me”“I preserved you” “You destroyed me” Cael insisted “I gave you another purpose” Kael muttered Cael's expression hardened, “You took my

The portal closed behind Julius, leaving the ruined Forgotten City strangely quiet.For several seconds, nobody moved. They had spent so long fighting inside the First World that returning to familiar air, familiar ground, and an ordinary sky felt almost unnatural. Noah was the first to react as he stepped away from Julius, looked around the ruins, then turned back with a small smile, “We're really home”Julius smiled and placed a hand on his head, “Yes, We're home”The relief lasted only a moment. Gabriel suddenly dropped to one knee and Adrian caught him before he fell completely, “Easy”Gabriel tried to wave him away,saying “I'm fine”“You almost died in there,” Adrian replied “You don't get to decide you're fine” Gabriel managed a weak smile, but Julius could see the exhaustion in his face. The wound that had nearly erased his existence was gone, yet the damage had clearly taken something from him. Adrian stayed beside him without saying anything else.Dark Julius was in no bette