The Evolution of the Void God: King of Cosmic Monsters

Chapter 4: The Flame of Rage in the Depths of the Soul

The world around Jaden Grey seemed to fade into a dull grey. The sound of Ares’s laughter and his men’s retreating footsteps grew fainter, replaced by his own heartbeat thumping like a war drum in his chest. The pain in his ribs, the sting on his face, and the humiliation of seeing his caterpillar imprisoned... it all melted into a single, boiling black liquid within his soul.

"Give him back..." Jaden whispered. His voice was no longer human. There was a double resonance accompanying every word, as if another entity were speaking through his throat.

In his darkening consciousness, Jaden no longer saw the grimy concrete alley. He saw an endless vacuum—a Void. There was no light there, no sound, only a silence that preyed on everything. And in the heart of that emptiness, a pair of giant, dark purple eyes opened, staring directly into the core of Jaden’s being.

[Soul Synchronisation: 15%...]

[Mental Pressure Exceeding Maximum Threshold.]

[System Safety Protocol: FAILED.]

[Unlocking Forbidden Access: 'The Void Evolution Eye'.]

Suddenly, an excruciating pain stabbed through both of Jaden’s eyes. He screamed, clutching his face as blood began to seep through his fingers. It felt as though someone were pouring molten metal directly into his eye sockets. The heat raced to his central nervous system, incinerating bad memories and replacing them with a horrific vision.

"Aaaarrghhh!"

Jaden fell to his knees, slamming his head against the asphalt repeatedly to distract himself from the pain. Yet, amidst the suffering, a new sight emerged.

The world before his eyes changed. He no longer saw physical matter. He saw the flow of mana. He saw the thin, fragile threads of fate. He saw Ares—now fifty metres ahead—not as a man, but as a cluster of energy riddled with blood-red fracture points.

This was the power of the Void Evolution Eye. An eye that didn't see what existed, but saw what could be destroyed.

Ares stopped walking. He frowned, feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up. A piercing chill suddenly enveloped the alley, despite the scorching midday sun.

"Young Master, what is it?" Korg asked, noticing his master had stopped abruptly.

Ares looked back toward the spot where he’d left Jaden for dead. "Something... feels wrong. Do you feel that, Korg?"

Korg looked back and gave a small chuckle. "Just a loser mourning his fate, Sir. Probably crying because we took his worm."

However, Korg’s laughter died instantly when he saw Jaden’s silhouette rising.

Jaden stood stiffly, like a doll moved by invisible strings. His head was bowed, his messy hair covering his face. Yet, from behind the fringe, a dense purple light emanated, cutting through the shadows of the alley.

Sreeeeeek... Sreeeeeek...

The shadow beneath Jaden’s feet began to writhe unnaturally. It stretched, expanded, and slowly swallowed the surrounding asphalt. Most terrifying of all was the vacuum tube in Ares’s hand. The Moss Caterpillar inside, which should have been limp, suddenly snapped its tiny eyes open—now turned the same shade as Jaden’s.

"What on earth is this?!" Ares stared at the tube in his hand. The glass tube, made of anti-magic material, began to crack.

KRAK!

The cracks spread like a spiderweb. A black aura erupting from the tube began to sear Ares’s hand.

"Damn it! It’s burning!" Ares threw the tube to the ground.

The tube shattered into pieces. But instead of a green grub emerging, a pulsating mass of black mist appeared. The mist seemed connected to Jaden by an invisible thread of energy.

"Jaden... what are you doing?" Ares shouted, his voice now carrying a note of fear he couldn't hide. "Are you using forbidden magic? Do you know the consequences of consorting with demonic powers?!"

Jaden lifted his head. His eyes, now entirely dark purple—The Void Eye—were fixed on Ares.

"Consequences?" Jaden spoke, and his voice caused the windows of the surrounding buildings to vibrate violently. "Consequences are a word used only by those with something to lose. Me? I’ve already lost everything."

Jaden stepped forward. Each footfall caused the ground beneath him to crack and blacken, as if his very presence were poison to this world.

[Skill Activation: Void Gaze.]

[Target: Ares (Human Rank C), Silver Wolf (Monster Rank C).]

[Effect: 30% Stat Reduction, Absolute Fear Activated.]

Ares’s silver wolf, Geryon, suddenly howled in terror. The mighty creature recoiled, its tail tucked between its legs, and began to shake violently. The monster’s instincts screamed that the being before them was not human. It was a predator from a higher dimension.

"Geryon! Attack! What are you waiting for?!" Ares screamed in a panic. He kicked the wolf’s stomach, but Geryon remained motionless, eyes locked onto Jaden’s hypnotising purple gaze.

"Those eyes..." Korg whispered, his face pale. "Those aren't human eyes... They’re the Eyes of the Void..."

Jaden didn't stop. Within his soul, he felt the bond strengthening with his caterpillar, which was currently mutating amidst the plumes of black smoke. He could feel the creature's rage, its pain, and its desire to destroy anything that had touched it so roughly.

"My world was destroyed because of people like you," Jaden said, his voice growing colder. "You trample the weak because you think they can never strike back. You feel like Gods because you have a caste."

Jaden raised his hand, pointing toward the black mist where his caterpillar waited.

"Let’s show them, little one... how vast the void they created within us truly is."

[Evolution Process Reaching Critical Point.]

[Void Essence Perfectly Gathered.]

[Commencing Transformation: Stage 1.]

Suddenly, a blast of black energy slammed into the alley. A gale erupted, throwing Korg and the other guards against the walls. Ares was forced to use both hands to shield his face from flying asphalt shards.

In the heart of the energy storm, the once-weak caterpillar began to change shape. It elongated, hardened, and emitted an aura capable of paralysing the mana of anyone who drew near.

Jaden stood in the eye of the storm, his hair whipping wildly, his eyes glowing brightly in the darkness. He no longer felt pain. He felt... whole. For the first time in his life, he had the power to take his revenge.

"This is just the beginning, Ares," Jaden whispered amidst the roaring wind. "The gates of hell have just opened for you."