The Fall Of A Sovereign

"Fall back! We'll keep losing lives if we advance without a solid plan!" The voice of a Sovereign carried weight as it commanded the attention of others.

"Sovereign Yen, while we've lost ten billion souls to the war which is insignificant compared to the number of enemies we've killed, nothing seems to be changing. The enemy number seems endless!" Another voice resounded.

"There's no way we can let the deaths of our companions go to waste! Kill brothers! Kill!!"

"Silence!"

His voice, which thundered down, cracked the very fabric of space like it was a mirror. The wrath hidden within brought terror to the heart of all who heard it.

Standing at the center of the battlefield that was in space, Sovereign Yen stared down at every living being present.

Floating in space with the others, he stared far into the distance where there was a mass of moving objects like dust heading their way.

They looked to be that way because of the distance but the Sovereign could tell what they were.

Then he continued speaking after causing total silence around him with a range of millions of miles.

"As I speak, the next batch of Dark Ones are upon us and they number ten times what we are right now."

Dark Ones. Evil Beings that spawned from the depths of space no one has ever explored.

They simply arrived one day, killing everything in their way. Through a tear in space, they rushed out of the void with their ultimate goal being to bring chaos to all of existence. Ruination was their end goal.

"Who can tell me the exact number of people that'll die this time? Not even I, a past Sovereign can do that!"

"The three thousand worlds had to come together to amass this many Cultivators and while we seem like a great number, we're severely lacking compared to what's coming."

"Cultivators from all three thousand worlds under the Nine Heavens are here. We're the only defense. If they manage to get past us, their ultimate goal would come true. Only ruins would be left." Sovereign Yen spoke, explaining the severity of their situation.

He pointed to the cultivator who had spoken previously about the enemy numbers. "As cultivator Yang Ming said, they seem endless. Now, imagine ten billion of us dying each batch that arrives."

"By the tenth batch, we'd be left with barely half of what we came with. You all think we can win against them with only half our numbers?" Sovereign Yen asked.

"What do you suggest we do, O great sovereign?" Another high-ranking cultivator asked.

His words weren't directed at Sovereign Yen this time. It was to a different existence on equal footing.

This Sovereign looked like a young man in his early thirties. White long hair that cascaded down to his waist. And blue eyes that seemed to see through everything. Soft pink lips like plum blossoms and a handsome face that put many men to shame.

With a calm voice, the Sovereign replied to the cultivator's words. "While I'm the current Sovereign of Existence, I still lack greatly compared to my master and I'm certain his words would be the best possible path to take."

Sovereign of Existence. A position given to only one being under the Nine Heavens. This being usually held the position of the strongest in all of existence and the center of cultivation.

It was a position handed down through apprenticeship. The current Sovereign would pick a worthy disciple and train them into being the next sovereign and the disciple would take on the position when his master either died or retired.

So was the case with Sovereign Yen and the current Sovereign. After fully developing his disciple, Yen retired and his disciple took over.

At the end of his words, he looked toward Sovereign Yen and nodded.

Every eye present landed on Sovereign who rose higher than others. Nodding back at the other Sovereign, Yen began speaking. "Hold the line. I'll be advancing alone."

"Under no circumstance should you get too close to the void portal. I can't guarantee the safety of everyone that comes close." Sovereign Yen instructed and every living being that heard his instruction nodded their head.

"For now, we'll advance together and you'll all stop when instructed."

"Yes, Sovereign Yen!" They answered in unison.

"While I can't guarantee the life of everyone in the battle about to ensue, I'll do my best to minimize the death of our brothers and sisters." Sovereign Yen spoke with utmost confidence.

"My instructions include you. Sovereign Zheng." Yen smiled at the other Sovereign.

"You know I won't listen, Master," Zheng replied with a smile so handsome it would make women fall in love if this wasn't a time of war.

"Fine. There's nothing I can do to the current Sovereign of Existence." Yen shook his head.

"Let's proceed. We've got a lot of work to do."

Every being under the sound of Yen's voice advanced along the two sovereigns.

After traveling at speeds faster than light for over ten minutes, they spotted the swarm of 'dust' heading toward them.

They were so tiny due to the distance still between them. Though such a distance could be covered in a matter of minutes as the fifth battle was about to commence.

"Ready." Sovereign Yen's voice was heard as they flew toward their enemies, each of them with the resolve to die while fighting.

Their enemies were now in view. Abominable creatures of all forms as they shared one thing in common. Horns jutted out of their heads. Some of these creatures had various heads, some with one head but various faces.

Some even had horns growing out of their eyes as they relied on their soul energy to sense targets.

Balls of large eyes, humanoid creatures with four hands, two serving as legs. Strange things of all manners were what the cultivators were up against.

The leader of the Dark Ones earned the name Devils as they had human-like features. Their skin was covered in pitch-black scales with tails that slithered like serpents and they really were. The end of their tails had heads of snakes with venom strong enough to incapacitate even the strongest cultivators as there was no cure for this poison at the moment.

These devils had black scales horns on their heads ranging anywhere between one and six. Their horns took different forms on the heads of these devils. Their teeth were jagged and out of line. Their scarlet red eyes spelled terror on those who looked directly into them.

"For Existence!" Sovereign Yen shouted valiantly.

"For Existence!" The others responded with greater fervor.

Destruction rained down as both sides clashed with death tolls rising on both ends.

"Let's go." Sovereign Yen spoke to his disciple.

Yen split in two, one being a clone. "Watch over the battlefield." He instructed his clone.

Following the steps of his master, Zheng did the same, leaving his clone behind to avoid the massacre of their subordinates.

While carnage broke loose all around them, Sovereign Yen and Zheng flew even further away, heading toward the direction these things had come from, killing obstructions in their path.

Yen, along with his disciple kept flying at a speed way faster than light until they came across a huge tear in space.

It was square and over a thousand meters wide and high. Both figures looked insignificant in front of the tear. Looking past the hole, there was nothing but darkness. A darkness that could consume light itself.

They floated closer and Yen made the first move, entering into the hole.

Wooong~

Zheng heard the vibration of something and before he could register what was happening, a Barrie spread out at the speed of light, covering the large hole.

"What did you do?" Sovereign Zheng asked with squinted eyes.

"You said you'd come with me and I agreed. I never said I'd take you in. What I'm about to do, you should be close to me when it happens but knowing you, you'd refuse so I sealed the entrance."

"I plan to self-detonate in here and it'll kill us both if you come along."

"Don't worry, even after my death, the seal will remain as only my blood and qi are capable of breaking it," Yen said.

"No! Don't do this, Master!" Zheng pleaded with his master.

"You've become a fine Sovereign. I can't let you go down with me. Not without you training a disciple."

"Please, I don't think I can carry this burden alone." The first teardrop left Zheng's eye.

"I have to. It's the only way they can survive. I'll lure them towards me and end this all-out war. I'm leaving the rest to you, I know they're in good hands." Yen smiled at his student's pleading.

Both shared a bond deeper as when Yen turned to fulfill his last mission, Zhneg called out differently this time.

"Dad! Don't! We'll find another way. Please, just wait."

Yen's heart ached at Zheng's words and he froze in place.

He turned back to look at his only son and disciple.

"You've become a man, my dear son. While we wait, looking for alternative methods, more people will lose their lives."

"If my single life can save trillions, why not give it up? Look after them well, my son. And also take good care of yourself." Yen smiled at his son who was a perfect copy of what he looked like while he was younger.

Without any more words, he ignored the pleading of his son and floated deeper into the void.

Everything was dark and Zheng couldn't see into it until…

Boom!

He heard an explosion and everything brightened for a second.

He saw his father still advancing deeper.

Another flash of light and Zheng saw a multitude rushing toward his father.

Flash after flash began occurring as Zheng saw his father personally taking action after centuries of retirement.

The more Yen killed the more creatures that swarmed toward him.

He kept killing nevertheless as his goal was to draw out as many as possible.

After hours of battle in the void, seeing that his enemies had gotten out of hand and he couldn't even number them, Yen made up his mind.

"I'm sorry, my son Zheng. You'll be a great Sovereign." Yen smiled as his final teardrop left his eyes.

Igniting his dantian, the source and storage house for his qi, Yen sighed.

"Hope to see you all in the underworld. F**king bas***ds!" His last curse left his mouth.

Boom!!!

The explosion of a dantian so terrible that the void itself quivered and the fall of a Sovereign.

Everything returned to calm as Zheng watched his father die. Even with the power he had as a Sovereign, there was nothing he could do.

"The war is as good as over." He cleaned the tears on his face and turned to return to the battlefield to put an end to the war still ongoing.

He wouldn't let his father's sacrifice go to waste.