Abyssal Lord of the Magi World

The Samsara Thearch took a deep breath and unleashed the full might of his consciousness. The Fourth Realm Phenomenon was the size of a small super universe, but that was not a problem for him.

He wanted to encapsulate the entire phenomenon before slowly shrinking it to the size of a sphere he could hold in his hand. After that, there would still be a lot of work to do since the energy and powers on the phenomenon needed to be tamed, but it would be much easier then.

However, his consciousness, which had the power to rearrange Laws and Concepts, could not pierce into the Fourth Realm Phenomenon.

Zatiel frowned as he used his soul force to enhance the power of his consciousness and attempted to force his way in, but that only made things worse.

The Fourth Realm Phenomenon reacted, burning anything that came in contact with it, and due to its nature, it was especially effective against spiritual forces like consciousnesses. It was like trying to use a piece of cloth to grab fire.

A profound light appeared in Zatiel's eyes as he retracted his consciousness. The way in which the phenomenon reacted just now gave him a feeling of rage, something that should not have happened.

Fourth Realm Phenomena, like the domain of darkness in front of him, were multiversal forces. They were capable of unimaginable destruction and chaos, but there should not be emotions or feelings in them.

Zatiel's third eye glowed as he used the power of the Samsara Truth to analyze the Fourth Realm Phenomenon thoroughly. A solemn expression appeared on his face as he felt there was something else inside. He could not tell what, but it was capable of rage and would react badly to his desire to take the phenomenon away.

"Ahhhh."

The Samsara Thearch could not help but sight as he understood there would be problems. Yet, there was nothing he could do but carry on since this phenomenon was perfect for one of the Sacred Kings, so he had to take it.

'Trying to encapsulate it from the outside will not work, so the only path ahead is to reach its core.'

Now that there was a plan, Zatiel did not hesitate before covering his body in dark purple flames and flashing into the Fourth Realm Phenomenon.

As soon as he put a steep in, he felt a crushing force trying to consume his body and erase his mind, but it could not overcome the defense of the Samsara Force.

Still, the power of the darkness grew stronger as he moved deeper, so the Sasmara Force might not be enough once he reached the core.

There was no light inside the domain of darkness, and even the laws of space-time were so twisted that trying to figure out left from right would be nearly impossible. That was not a problem for someone like the Samsara Thearch since the power of his soul was high enough to understand the path forward without the need for a stable space-time.

However, outlandish destructive pressure and twisted space-time were not the only defensive tools of the Fourth Realm Phenomenon.

"Hahahaha."

Zatiel's eyes widened as he heard a baby's laughter and turned to the left only to see Aurora laughing and stretching her arms in his direction.

The Fourth Realm Phenomenon's power did not end there since it unleashed a powerful intent that sought to cloud Zatiel's mind, trying to erode his resistance before doing the same with his memories.

The Samsara Thearch's soul force was powerful enough not to lose himself in the illusion, but it still affected his mind. A part of him wanted to surrender himself to the phenomenon, as it promised a life with no worries and pure peace.

'Hmph, a life without worries and pure peace. It's not the same as a life without meaning!'

Although there was not an insignificant part of Zatiel that wanted to toss away the burden on his shoulders, that did not mean he would be content with a life of apathy, just satisfying his most basic desire without a true goal in life.

Zatiel focused his eyes on the path to the phenomenon's center and continued.

"¡Waah!"

The Samsara Thearch had not advanced very far before Aurora's laughter transformed into a cry. An immense coldness appeared in his eyes since someone dared to use the image of his daughter's crying to influence his mind.

Getting angry with a phenomenon for its behavior was irrational, but Zatiel felt an emotion coming from it once again. This time it was not rage but malice.

Zatiel's grip tightened on his resolve as he pressed forward, undeterred by the malevolence emanating from the phenomenon. The twisted depths of the domain seemed to grow darker, as did the evil intent itself. Every step brought him closer to the source of this darkness, and he knew that the core held the answers he sought.

The further he ventured, the more intense the assault on his mind became. Illusions taunted him, taking on the forms of catastrophic futures where everything was lost, and there was nothing but despair.

'Surrender.'

'Rest.'

'Give up.'

Zatiel's eyes grew sharp since voices began appearing in his mind. They were growing louder by the second, and the intent in them could break the spirit of even Fourth Realm life forms.

Silver flames appeared in Zatiel's eyes as he fought back those voices using his willpower. The voices grew weaker, allowing him to move forward.

Unfortunately for Zatiel, the origin of everything was in the core of the Fourth Realm Phenomenon, so the closer he got, the more powerful became the forces that sought to break his body and mind.

The malicious intent intensified as he neared the core, and suddenly shadows twisted and writhed, reaching out like tendrils to ensnare him.

Zatiel immediately waved his right hand, generating a blast of dark purple flames against the tendrils, but to his surprise, they were able to resist them.

The shadow tendrils were so fast that before Zatiel could send another attack, they had already wrapped around him, trapping him into a dark cocoon.

"Cracks!"

Cracking sounds emerged from the shadow cocoon as it began to tighten, trying to crush the bones of the Samsara Thearch. Once the body was shattered, it would be easier to corrupt the mind.

However, before the shadow cocoon could finish its job, a golden light appeared inside it, only to burst it to pieces the next second, showing the figure of the Samsara Thearch bathed in the power of the Eternal Flame of Justice.

The Eternal Flame of Justice's radiant light pushed back against the encroaching darkness. It served as a beacon, guiding him through the illusion and burning the malicious voices inside his mind.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of struggle, Zatiel stood before the heart of the Fourth Realm Phenomenon. The core pulsed with a malevolence that seemed to seep into his very being, making him frown.

It made no sense that a Fourth Realm Phenomenon would have such an evil aura in its core.

Zatiel channeled the power of the Samsara Truth and the Eternal Flame of Justice. The first one would protect his body, and the second his mind from any hidden power inside the core. He extended his hand, his palm radiating with dark purple flames, and touched the core.

As his hand made contact, a shockwave of malicious energy rippled through his body. The pain was excruciating, threatening to overwhelm him, but Zatiel gritted his teeth and fought against it.

The core burst with power, its tendrils of malice lashing out, piercing into Zatiel's hand and trying to invade the inside of his body.

Along with the unbearable pain came an image. Zatiel saw in his mind the phenomenon during the early stages of its creation and how near its event horizon was a massive super universe.

Unfortunately for the countless souls inside that universe, they were all consumed by the Fourth Realm Phenomenon, which destroyed their bodies and erased their minds. However, there was one thing that remained, and that was the soul force and feelings of those people.

The malice he sensed was a byproduct of the Fourth Realm Phenomenon's consumption. It had grown twisted and vengeful, driven by hatred that those trillions upon trillions of lives experienced during their last moment as they could not accept that they would only perish due to simple bad luck.

Zatiel's eyes almost lost focus as the power of the intent and rage nearly overwhelmed him, but then the power of his Eternal Flame of Justice burst. He used it to regain focus before sending it straight into the core of the Fourth Realm Phenomenon.

"¡AHHHHHHHHH!"

A cry of pain and a searing sound echoed across the Emptiness as the power of the Eternal Flame of Justice burned all the evil emotions inside the core.

Zatiel made his soul force explode as he sent more and more of the golden fire into the core.