God Realm – Divine Core Altar
The skies above the God Realm roared as the battle for supremacy reached its crescendo.
Gods fell like stars, streaking across the heavens, their celestial forms bleeding divine energy. Their once-pristine robes now soaked in the darkness that Ren commanded.
He stood at the center of it all—atop the Divine Core Altar—where the pulse of creation itself echoed in slow, thunderous heartbeats. His cloak of shadows whipped in the air, tendrils of power reaching in every direction, bending reality around him.
Behind him stood Gu Yuena, Bibi Dong, and the other empresses, forming a circle of unwavering loyalty. Their powers synchronized, shadows interwoven with divine essence.
The gods who remained—wounded, weary, trembling—could do little more than stare.
"You were born in sin," Ren said, his voice calm but laced with judgment. "You call yourselves divine, but you hoard power. You claim wisdom, but punish growth. You call it balance. I call it stagnation."
He lifted his hand.
The Divine Core pulsed once more—its crystalline heart fractured. Ren's shadow energy seeped into its cracks, feeding on it, reshaping it.
"This realm was never yours," he whispered. "It belongs to those strong enough to seize it. And I've already won."
The sky blackened entirely.
A pillar of shadow-light erupted from the altar, blasting upward and cutting through the barrier of the God Realm itself. It touched realms unknown—dimensions yet untouched.
And from the dark came the voice of the Shadow Monarch.
"My King… your throne awaits."
Ren closed his eyes. The energy was overwhelming, ancient, alien. But he didn't resist.
He embraced it.
Mortal Realm – Spirit Hall Ruins
Across the Douluo Continent, the people looked to the sky. The image of a single throne—massive, carved from obsidian and bone—hovered in the heavens, surrounded by the silhouettes of radiant queens.
Those who had once called Ren mad now knelt. Those who had resisted… no longer spoke.
His Empresses began descending across the continents, carrying his banner.
And from the ruins of power, a new empire began to rise: The Empire of Night.
God Realm – Throne of the Void
When Ren opened his eyes again, he was no longer on the battlefield.
He sat upon the throne—the seat of true control, once shared by multiple gods. Now his alone.
Beneath him was a world restructured, reforged in his image. Around him, his Empresses took their places—not behind him, but beside him.
Gu Yuena, First Empress of the Empire of Night, leaned forward and said, "The gods are gone. The realms are yours."
Ren smiled—quiet, satisfied.
"Then it's time we rewrite the laws of heaven. Together."
The darkness didn't feel cold. It felt like home.
To Be Continued…