Chapter Eleven: The Chaos King

  Tairen kept running toward the Sea of the Lost, eyes wide open, while his intent surged through the void, guiding him.

  Then, in a moment of eerie silence, the csh ceased... and the trembling of the world subsided.

  He felt the Void Seed pnted in Iron’s soul begin to fade.

  Suddenly, a pilr of red fme erupted, tearing through the sky from where Iron once stood.

  A crushing, absolute intent smmed into Tairen—it felt like the world itself was trying to bend him to its will.

  But despite the fear, he pressed on.

  “Run, run, faster, faster, faster!”

  Just moments ago, he had killed twenty humans.

  It was the first time he had taken human lives.

  As he ran, he felt his hand tremble...

  But in truth, it remained steady—unnaturally so, as if he had lost the ability to express suffering at all.

  “Fear... pain... regret... I can’t show any of it.”

  “Seems I’m stuck with this smile. Like a clown.”

  And that was the truth…

  A clown makes others ugh, but sometimes, he’s the one who needs to be ughed with.

  A small smile formed on his face.

  He had finally reached the Sea of the Lost.

  All that running was for this.

  He could have merged with the void anywhere—but that would have taken much longer.

  Only in this carefully pnned scenario could he do it now.

  As the void twisted and crept toward him, a voice echoed from afar:

  “I see you’re a fine young man.”

  He turned—and saw two dim red lights glowing in the distance.

  A crushing intent hit him once again.

  He nearly colpsed, but his fw kept him standing—falling was an expression of fear, and fear was forbidden.

  Then came another voice, ced with mocking amusement:

  “You’re brave, I see… but beware—brave ones die first.”

  “Even that so-called terrorist trembled when he saw me.”

  Before the voice could continue, Tairen leapt into the Sea of the Lost, unleashing his intent into the void, answering its whispers, longing to merge.

  The void embraced him, and his consciousness expanded into madness... but he couldn’t even scream.

  Tentacles burst forth toward the source of the voice.

  “Not bad, boy… Tairen.”

  Then, just like the first time, he felt himself being pulled away from that dimension.

  ---

  [Trial Complete]

  Tairen now stood within the void of his soul.

  Beneath him floated twenty strange, shapeless entities… silent, sealed within his soul.

  Tairen stood, face pale.

  “How did he know my name? How?!”

  “Oh god, why is my luck so… incredible?”

  “This fw... damn it.”

  Trial Summary:

  A banished prince of an ancient king, wandered the void with a great guardian.

  He gathered the knights, then ensnared them.

  The guardian fell into a trap, and the knights fell by his hand.

  Then he fled from the King of Chaos and Nightmares… and merged with the ancient void.

  “Ki–King?”

  “Yes. Is there a problem?”

  He turned to see a pale young man with red hair, wearing strange garments.

  “Shocked, are you, boy? Think you can escape my grasp? I am… the Lord of Chaos.”

  “In any case, I’ll let you live… in exchange for a small favor.”

  Tairen froze, then nodded.

  “Good. When you find my idiot grandson, tell him that the fire in his hand… isn’t just for burning.”

  Tairen tried to speak—but the king vanished.

  “…Oh god.”

  “I know how this goes… His grandson will be from one of the noble cns. And when I deliver that message... I’ll get dragged into something I want no part of.”

  “Damn it… damn it all!”

  ---

  [You have received a Void Trace: Echo of the Scream]

  Description:

  The void screamed, but no one heard—no matter how loud it screamed.

  The echo of that scream now resides in you.

  The Echo takes the shape of the screamer and supports anything constructed from the void.