Chapter Twenty Two: Emptiness

A cruel and unexpected twist of fate—an encounter with the unknown that left scars too deep to measure.
I blacked out after that battle, and even now I still can’t remember what happened in its entirety. All I know for certain is that I defeated Brockaba’e’ryun.
But my victory felt hollow. My parents were nowhere to be found, and over a hundred thousand people vanished in less than a heartbeat. Their disappearance—no, their deaths—hang heavy on my soul. I can’t help but feel responsible.
LV once explained it to me: “Mitreanreax is a higher god. He’s the second-in-command of a faction seeking to overthrow the God of Heaven—my father. His abilities are still unknown, but one thing is certain… he will not be an easy opponent.”
Mitreanreax wields a terrifying power—anything that enters his barrier is erased, dissolved into nothingness, without resistance, without effort. Academia is currently shrouded in his barrier, and to someone like him, destroying us would be no more difficult than falling asleep.
Two weeks have passed since that day. In that short span of time, Academia has drowned in despair, and the world itself has spiraled into chaos.
The conference was meant to inspire hope, to unite humanity against impossible odds. But in the wake of such devastation, not even a miracle could reignite the faintest spark of faith.
When I was brought home that day, I sealed myself away inside my chambers and forced LV out. She can enter my body whenever she wishes, but this time she respected my silence and left me alone. And because of that, I still don’t know what truly happened in my fight with Brockaba’e’ryun.
Rage consumed me. Rage like I had never known before, a storm that burned me hollow. From the outcome of the battle and how unscathed I emerged, I can only conclude it ended in an instant.
For as long as I can remember, I have never once shed tears in all my life. Not once. But now, I’ve wept endlessly for two weeks.
I always treated my parents as though I were above them. They did nothing but shield me from investigators, and still I treated them the same way I treated everyone—like pawns, like nuisances.
Yes, I once hated them. I hated them for sending me away to this island nation. But over time, I realized that I wouldn’t have become who I am without their decision, and so I buried that hatred.
In those first days at Academia, bitterness poisoned me. I cursed them endlessly: “Why was I sent here? Have they forsaken me?” Those words echoed in my mind every day.
That was the reason I never studied—I thought failure would guarantee my return home.
They joined me during my seventh year—middle school. Only prodigies were allowed to bring family so early, but to me, it didn’t matter. I had already grown used to solitude, convinced life alone was my natural course. But I… was wrong.
Their presence awakened something I had never felt before. At first, I was arrogance incarnate—isolated, untouchable, unwilling to acknowledge anyone. But a few weeks after their arrival, a strange warmth stirred in my heart. For the first time in my life… I felt at home.
I fought with my father constantly. I argued with my mother relentlessly. Yet slowly, painfully, our bond as a family deepened.
I still remember their arrival—the way they worked themselves to the bone just to satisfy me, to make up for lost time. They sacrificed everything for me, even in their final days.
Now, when I think back, maybe they were just trying to atone. Perhaps they carried guilt for sending me here alone.
Ever since Academia’s founding, countless parents lost connection with their children. Once students passed their first year and began receiving their allowance, many abandoned their families entirely. I, too, once wanted to live like that. But when confronted with my parents’ warmth, I couldn’t resist.
And now… where are they?
Science has no place in this nightmare world of gods and monsters. With powers like Mitreanreax’s, why haven’t the gods already finished us off? Do they plan to torment us slowly, savoring our suffering?
Can I even stand against beings like them?
For the first time in my life, I felt truly inferior. My will to fight shattered into nothing.
It was never about protecting humanity. But for hundreds of thousands to die under my watch… it’s unbearable.
If only I had been there… maybe I could have saved some of them. What use is my strength if I can’t even protect my own parents?
I feel utterly, hopelessly broken.
The tears won’t stop.
Was I even a good son to them? That’s something I will never know.
And then, through the walls, LV appeared.
“Ylaus… it’s been two weeks already. What are you going to do if we come under attack again?”
I don’t care anymore.
“Are you just going to give up? Think of what will happen if you do! And what about your determination to rise above the gods? Are you going to run from that!?”
It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. I couldn’t even protect my parents.
“Listen! I didn’t come all the way from Heaven just to witness your downfall! I personally chose you to be by my side—do you not understand what that means!?”
She seized my collar, shaking me with furious desperation.
“Listen to me! You are strong. You may have lost your will to fight, but you are still strong—stronger than anyone could ever dream of being. Facing the gods will never be easy—I know that more than anyone—but still… we’ve already defeated four of them, haven’t we? With our combined strength, we can make the Heavens themselves kneel before us. You cannot give up! You mustn’t give up!”
So noisy. Just… get out.
“…… I know you’re grieving your parents. But grief alone isn’t enough to make you surrender hope. I’ve seen the deepest parts of you, Ylaus. I know. You don’t remember the battle with Brockaba’e’ryun, but you were consumed with rage… Let me tell you how it happened. Let me remind you of who you are.”
How it went down?
“The sound of Zinertia shook the world, echoing for miles. Your body was blazing with power, cloaked in it. You soared into the skies with unimaginable force…”
Then I unleashed a Zinertia wave.
He tried to dodge, but failed. The wave devoured his right leg, tearing it into nothing. I summoned him mid-air and pummeled his chest with relentless Reset Punches. Blow after blow after blow.
And then, the finale—a colossal Zinertia wave, engulfing him completely. It disintegrated him, atom by atom, until not a trace remained.
He never landed a single strike on me.
Swift. Brutal. Absolute.
“Did that make you feel better~? I can help you forget the pain, if you’d like~.” LV’s tone shifted as she crawled onto my bed, her movements slow, deliberate, almost teasing.
Why are you… talking like Amira? No—why are you crawling towards me?
“Hey~ there are so many things I can teach you, you know~.” Her figure shifted, her body subtly transforming as she inched closer.
Wait… is it just me, or is her chest… getting bigger?
She seized my hand, pressing it against her chest.
BOING. BOING.
What is this…? It’s soft?
Even so, I kicked her out.
A week passed since then. Three weeks since the stadium vanished. I never once left my chambers.
Until that fateful morning.
I awoke… only to find myself in the city.
I don’t remember rising from bed. I don’t remember leaving the castle. How… how did I get here?
Then I realized—my body was moving, but I wasn’t the one in control. My arms, my legs, my steps… none of them were mine.
And then the truth struck me.
I wasn’t the driver.
I was only a passenger.
And it was obvious who sat behind the wheel.
It’s LV.
What is happening…?
Is this… a HIJACK!!!???