THE LAST HEIR OF THE VOID KINGDOM

CHAPTER 10

The Last Heir of the Void Kingdom

Chapter 10: The Champion of Ruin

The giant figure within the northern storm kept walking.

One step.

Then another.

Every movement shook the distant horizon.

Black fire wrapped around its body like living armour.

And still it smiled.

A terrible smile.

The kind that belonged to something that enjoyed destruction.

Something ancient.

Something cruel.

Arin felt cold despite the fires burning around Castle Noctis.

"That's the Champion?" he whispered.

Seraphine nodded.

Her eyes never left the distant silhouette.

"The first servant of the Hollow King."

Silence fell.

Even Malakar seemed disturbed.

The immortal warlord stared at the approaching figure.

For the first time, uncertainty crossed his face.

Ash noticed immediately.

"You're afraid of it."

Malakar's jaw tightened.

"I respect it."

"Same thing."

The dragon spread its wings.

Ancient starlight covered the battlefield.

"His name was forgotten long ago."

The Champion took another step.

Mountains cracked beneath his feet.

"Before kingdoms existed, before the Guardians were chosen, he was known as Veyr."

Arin frowned.

"Was?"

The dragon lowered his head.

A shadow crossed his glowing eyes.

"Once, he was a hero."

The words hit harder than expected.

"A hero?"

The dragon nodded.

"The greatest of them."

Images suddenly appeared in the air.

The dragon was sharing a memory.

A young warrior stood beneath a sky of stars.

Bright armour.

Golden sword.

A symbol of hope.

People cheered his name.

Children ran behind him.

Entire cities celebrated his victories.

He looked nothing like the monster walking through the northern storm.

"What happened?" Arin asked quietly.

Seraphine answered.

"He fought the Hollow King."

The memory changed.

Darkness.

War.

Endless battlefields.

A world burning.

"The Hollow King could not defeat him."

The image twisted again.

A wounded warrior.

Alone.

Exhausted.

Broken.

Then a hand emerged from the darkness.

Offering power.

Offering strength.

Offering victory.

"And eventually," Seraphine whispered, "he accepted."

The memory shattered.

The smiling monster remained on the horizon.

Arin could barely believe they were the same person.

Veyr.

A hero who had become a nightmare.

Suddenly the northern sky exploded.

The Champion had vanished.

Arin blinked.

"What happened?"

Ash's eyes widened.

"He moved."

BOOM!

The ground erupted.

A crater formed less than a hundred metres away.

Everyone jumped backwards.

Dust filled the battlefield.

When it settled...

A man stood there.

Not a giant.

Not a monster.

A man.

Tall.

Broad-shouldered.

Wearing black armour blazing with dark fire.

Silver hair flowed behind him.

His eyes burned crimson.

And that terrible smile remained.

The Champion had crossed hundreds of miles in a single leap.

Arin's heart nearly stopped.

This creature wasn't merely powerful.

It was beyond powerful.

Veyr glanced around casually.

At the Titans.

At Malakar.

At the dragon.

At Seraphine.

Then his gaze landed on Arin.

The smile widened.

"Found you."

Every instinct inside Arin screamed danger.

The Champion wasn't interested in conquest.

Wasn't interested in the battle.

Wasn't interested in Castle Noctis.

He had come for one thing.

The heir.

Veyr walked forward.

Nobody dared stop him.

Not at first.

Then the World Titan moved.

Its enormous hand descended from the sky.

A mountain-sized strike.

Enough force to destroy cities.

The Champion looked up.

Almost bored.

Then he raised one hand.

CRACK!

The impossible happened.

He stopped the Titan.

One arm against a mountain.

And he won.

Shockwaves ripped through the kingdom.

The World Titan staggered backwards.

The Champion didn't move an inch.

"No..." Lyra whispered.

The dragon stared in horror.

"His prison is weakening faster than predicted."

Veyr brushed dust from his shoulder.

"Still asleep, old guardian?"

The World Titan roared.

For the first time, genuine anger filled its voice.

The Champion simply laughed.

Then he looked at Arin again.

"You're disappointing."

Arin felt anger replace fear.

"Thanks."

"I expected more from the King's bloodline."

"People keep saying that too."

To everyone's surprise, Veyr laughed.

A real laugh.

For a moment he almost seemed human.

Then the darkness returned.

"You carry the Seventh Key."

The Champion pointed directly at the crown.

"I need it."

Arin took a step back.

"Not happening."

"That's unfortunate."

The smile vanished.

Dark fire erupted across the battlefield.

The sky turned black.

The ground split apart.

Every living creature felt a wave of terror.

The Champion was finally showing a fraction of his true power.

Then something remarkable happened.

Seraphine stepped forward.

The Eighth Guardian.

The destroyer of worlds.

And for the first time since arriving...

She looked angry.

Golden light exploded from her body.

The darkness recoiled.

The clouds shattered.

The oceans in the distance glowed.

Reality itself seemed to bend around her.

Veyr's smile disappeared completely.

"Seraphine."

She said nothing.

But her power continued rising.

Higher.

Higher.

Higher.

The Champion finally sighed.

"Oh."

For the first time...

He looked worried.

Arin realised something terrifying.

The being capable of ending the world was not the Hollow King.

It was not Malakar.

It was not even the Champion.

It was Seraphine.

And she was losing patience.

A golden symbol suddenly appeared above her head.

An ancient seal.

Cracks spread across it.

The dragon's eyes widened in horror.

"NO!"

Ash froze.

"She's breaking her restraints."

Malakar stepped backwards.

Even he looked frightened.

Seraphine stared at Veyr.

When she finally spoke, her voice echoed across the heavens.

"You should have stayed asleep."

The Champion's smile was gone.

For the first time in thousands of years...

The Hollow King's Champion looked genuinely afraid.

And high above the battlefield, the ancient seal cracked again.

To be continued...