The Evolution of the Void God: King of Cosmic Monsters

Chapter 7: Vibrations of Wrath from the Red Light Sect

The wail of magical sirens pierced the silence of District 13. A blinding red glow flickered on the horizon, reflecting off the shattered glass of derelict buildings. This wasn't the city’s standard security alarm; it was a combat mobilisation signal from the Red Light Sect. The organisation that controlled the logistics and trade of Beast Cores in this region was currently consumed by an indescribable fury.

At the heart of the sect’s grand headquarters, a marble table was reduced to dust under the clenched fist of a middle-aged man clad in blood-red robes. He was Elder Valerius, father of Ares, a Grade A Hunter whose power was capable of levelling an entire residential block with a single incantation.

"My son... broken?" Valerius’s voice trembled, not with grief, but with a surging rage so potent that his fire mana scorched the very air around him. "A piece of Grade F trash with a moss maggot... dared to touch my own flesh and blood?"

In front of him, Korg and two other bodyguards prostrated themselves, their bodies quivering. They had brought Ares back in a horrific state—earless, his face mangled, and worst of all, his soul contract with the Silver Wolf had been forcibly severed. For a Beastmaster, a brutally broken soul contract was a permanent disability that destroyed their future.

"He... he’s no longer human, Great Elder," Korg whispered hoarsely, his skin still pale from having his mana utterly drained. "His eyes... they were a void. And that insect... it’s a monster unrecorded in any mana encyclopaedia."

"I don’t care if he’s a demon or a god!" Valerius roared. "Deploy the 'Crimson Talon' Execution Team. Blockade every exit gate. I want Jaden Grey’s head brought to me before sunset. And that insect... bring it to me alive. I want to dissect it right before his very eyes!"

Meanwhile, in the damp, narrow alleyways, Jaden Grey ran as fast as his legs would allow. His lungs felt as though they were on fire, and every breath brought the metallic tang of blood that hadn't quite cleared from his throat. On his shoulder, the First Void Insect—whom he now called 'Blackie'—remained calm, its antennae twitching as it caught the vibrations of the mana pursuing them.

[Warning: Airspace Detected.]

[Red Light Sect Tracking Drones: 12 units.]

[Nearest Enemy Distance: 400 metres.]

"Damn it," Jaden cursed. "They’re moving faster than I anticipated."

Jaden could feel a vibration in the ground. It wasn't an earthquake, but the rhythmic footsteps of an elite force. He looked towards the district border gate—a massive concrete wall separating the residential areas from the wild 'Outlands'. The gate began to close slowly, letting out a heavy, metallic boom.

"Blackie, can you do something about those drones?" Jaden whispered.

The Void Insect didn't wait for a second command. It darted into the air, its wings vibrating at a frequency that made the surrounding space appear to warp. In an instant, the black creature vanished from human sight.

BZZZT! BOOM!

One by one, the sect’s high-tech drones hovering above exploded, leaving no debris behind. The Void Insect hadn't just destroyed them physically; it had devoured the mana circuits powering them, causing a fatal short circuit.

However, the destruction of the drones gave Jaden’s exact position away to his pursuers.

"Over there! In the car scrapyard lane!" a shout rang out from a rooftop.

Three Hunters dressed in red, each mounted on a Flame Hawk—a large fire eagle—dived sharply from the sky. They were members of the Crimson Talon Team, an elite squad that usually hunted Rank B monsters and above.

"Jaden Grey! Halt, or we’ll burn you alive!" one of the Hunters yelled, chanting a massive fireball spell in his hand.

Jaden didn't stop. Instead, he put on a burst of speed towards a five-metre-high pile of old cars. "Blackie, protect me!"

The Void Insect returned to Jaden’s side, emitting a black aura that formed a semi-transparent shield around its master. When the fireballs slammed into the shield, instead of exploding, the flames were sucked into the shield’s darkness, vanishing without a trace.

[Active Skill: Void Devour (Defence).]

[Description: Absorbs element-based energy and converts it into stamina for the user.]

Jaden felt a fresh surge of energy flow into his legs. His fatigue vanished instantly. He leapt onto the pile of cars, using the momentum to grab the emergency ladder of an old building that led directly towards the perimeter wall.

"What?! He absorbed my fire?" The Hunter atop the eagle was stunned. "Don't let him reach the wall! Activate the Mana Cannon at the gate!"

Jaden looked towards the massive gate ahead. Atop the wall, a giant cannon barrel shimmering with red light began to lock onto his position. It was a district defence weapon powered by dozens of High-Grade Beast Cores. A single shot from it was enough to obliterate a Rank A monster.

"Ares really wants me dead," Jaden muttered, his eyes igniting once more with a violet flash.

He knew that one wrong move here would see his body evaporated into dust. Yet, the fear that usually paralysed him had been replaced by a cold resolve triggered by the system.

[Emergency Mission: Gate Breakthrough.]

[Requirement: Destroy the Mana Focus on the Cannon within 10 seconds.]

[Failure: Absolute Death.]

"Blackie... do it!"

Jaden threw his Void Insect towards the cannon atop the wall. The small creature flew like a black bullet, breaking the sound barrier. Simultaneously, Jaden slid down the ladder, sprinting straight for the gap in the gate, which had only a metre of space left before closing completely.

VREEEEEEEE!

The drone of the Void Insect’s wings escalated into an ear-splitting roar. Just as the cannon was about to fire, Blackie landed right on the cannon's mana crystal core. With its scythe-like legs, it pierced the crystal and began injecting Void energy into it.

KRAK!

The red light on the cannon turned into an unstable, deep purple. The energy flow reversed, shredding the cannon's circuits from within.

BOOOOOOOMM!

A massive explosion erupted atop the wall. Debris of concrete and metal rained down like a firestorm. Jaden used the chaos to leap through the gap in the gate just a second before the thick metal hit the ground.

THUD!

The gate slammed shut. Jaden rolled onto the barren, dusty ground on the other side of the wall. He gasped for air, his body trembling from the excessive adrenaline. Behind him, the sound of heavy pounding on the gate echoed, followed by the furious screams of the Red Light Sect forces trapped inside the district.

"We will hunt you down, Jaden Grey! No matter where you run, the Red Light will find you!" Valerius’s voice boomed through the wall’s loudspeakers.

Jaden stood up slowly, brushing the dust off his jacket. He stared ahead. Before him now lay 'The Outlands'—a mutated jungle filled with toxic mists and ancient monsters that had never been tamed by man.

Blackie flew back towards him, appearing slightly larger after absorbing the energy from the mana cannon. It landed gently on Jaden’s shoulder, letting out a buzzing sound that seemed to mock their pursuers.

"It’s just us now, little one," Jaden whispered. "They say this is a place of death. Let’s prove to them that this is where we shall rule everything."

Jaden turned and stepped into the dark forest mist, leaving behind the civilisation that had betrayed him, heading towards a new destiny written in the void.