Lord of Annihilation

Walking through the icy corridor, Lucius noticed that the surrounding temperature had stopped decreasing. It was still cold, not was no longer becoming colder.

The corridor was manmade and was carved into the heart of the glacial mountain. Its walls were light-blue in color, which radiated to provide a dim amount of light. Lucius slowly proceeded through these corridors while keeping an eye out for traps or sneak attacks.

Although the possibility of life existing within this planet was relatively low, it was good to remain cautious. 

Walking through the silent corridor for dozens of minutes, a small open space finally came into view. Calling it an open space wasn't quite right, since it was actually an enclosed room. Point is, it was larger than this narrow corridor.

The room was another manmade structure which was 10 sq.m in size. The roof of the room was barely taller than Lucius, who himself was almost 1.9m in height. The walls were plain, with only the faint blue-light sending its color into the room. 

Upon entry, his senses immediately detected the abnormality present in the room. On the floor were strange carvings that radiated energy.

'Runes!' the name popped into his mind.

The carvings on the floor which radiated a faint trace of energy were unexpectedly runes! 

What are runes, you ask?

Well, runes are unique characters and letters which had the power to resonate with the 'Rules' of the Universe. Using the runes, one could harness, manipulate, and even destroy Rules, provided one had sufficient power. They could also be used to combine different rules, which lead to interesting results.

Runes formed a large system of study, which a majority of races in the Universe studied. Being able to manipulate runes was equal to gaining a shortcut to strength. Of course, such a grand matter was continuously studied, with new discoveries made each day.

Lucius and Ka'lor'ah returning to the past was also the work of runes. Using the runes to manipulate the 'Rules of Time, Space, Fate,' etc. They were able to successfully return to the past.

However! Runes were not an all-powerful art. In order to manipulate or harness something inviolable and infallible as the 'Rules', an equal price has to be paid. 

Simple Rules like 'Heat' and 'Light' were easy to manipulate. But complex Rules such as 'Fate' and 'Time', naturally demanded a far stricter sacrifice. 

"Runes!" following behind Lucius, Ka'lor'ah belatedly realized the existence of the writing on the floor. Upon its discovery, she immediately headed towards it and started to study it. Ka'lor'ah's knowledge of runes was also first class.

After studying it for a few minutes, Ka'lor'ah suddenly spoke.

"Interesting...Very interesting. So these characters can be used in such a way!" she exclaimed. Studying these runes had increased her attainment in the subject.

"Are you done?" Lucius impatiently asked.

"Yep!" Ka'lor'ah cheerfully replied. "It's actually a 'teleportation' rune! It utilizes the Rule of Space in a unique way, which I have never studied before."

"Step into the circle and infuse your soul energy in the point where I mark. Make sure that all your limbs are present within the circle at all times. We don't want a missing arm or leg after teleportation." she instructed.

Nodding his head, Lucius entered the rune formation and infused his soul power into the location pointed out by Ka'lor'ah. Olivia who was also present hurriedly stepped into the circle.

"Hopefully, it leads us to our destination," Ka'lor'ah remarked.

"Activate!" with a loud bellow, the runes formation on the floor brightly lit up. A blanket of light encompassed the party of three, before finally disappearing.

The trio were no longer inside the small room.

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ROAR!

Large swathes of land covered with blankets of ice covered the vast majority of the surface of this Unnamed Planet. Looking at the distant horizon, tall insurmountable figures of mountains could be seen in the background providing one with a sense of direction in these foreign lands.

Looking up at the sky, one would be hard-pressed to find the sun or any other celestial body for that matter. In their place were patches of ice-covered lands, which mysteriously floated in the sky. With these floating islands blocking much of the sunlight entering the planet, darkness reigned mighty in the lands below.

Dotting the vast plains, were several moving mountains of hair, moving in herds. Two mighty, ice-blue horns poked from their hair-enshrouded body, informing a spectator, that these mountains of hair were in fact living beasts.

These beasts could be seen digging the frigid grounds, seemingly in search of food. Their eyes were shaped like crystals of ice, which shone with dark blue radiance. Although the temperature was cold and the lands were dark, these beasts did not seem to be affected.

Their figures were reminiscent of the ancient mammoths, that once roamed the world. Ocassionly they bellowed with a mighty roar, either to scare off an unworthy challenger or to look for newer mates. 

Just as another day of perpetual cycle seemed to pass in this planet of ice, a sudden change occurred. On the top of a small ice hill, a blinding luminance appeared.

This pillar of light materialized into this dark world, giving off a radiance that was equal to the sun in a dark universe. 

From within this pillar of light, two humanoids, one male and the other female were thrown into the snow-covered lands. A dark-gold crystal glowing with faint radiance was also thrown out in a similar fashion, but it managed to hover in the air.

"That was close!" Ka'lor'ah spoke with faint fear in her voice. "We almost ran out of energy in the runes at the last moment." 

The two human figures laid on the ground for a few moments before they managed to stand up. Their breaths were weak and their faces were pale. A sign that they had overdrafted their soul powers.

Lucius slowly opened his eyes and gazed at his surroundings. Although the surroundings were covered in darkness, his racial characteristics as a Void Eater allowed to him view in the dark without much trouble. Being born of the Void where nothing existed, not even light, had its perks.

Seeing that no immediate danger was present in his surroundings, Lucius slowly sat down upon the ground and assumed a cross-legged posture. Being transported into an unknown land, one must first have the proper strength to survive.

As such, his first action was to recover his soul power. Olivia who was in a similar position followed his actions.

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Almost an hour had passed before Lucius opened his eyes and stood up. He had already recovered most of his soul power, recovering the ability to battle. As such, he decided to move.

The sooner he accomplished his tasks, the sooner he could leave this planet. Looking towards, Ka'lor'ah who was calmly floating in the air digesting her gains from studying the runes, he asked.

"Which direction?"

The crystal flashed with golden light and a calm voice replied.

"North."

Lucius turned to face the north and saw the tall mountains in the very distance. Nodding his head, he then looked towards Olivia and asked.

"Status. Soul Power." his words were minimal, but their meaning was clear. 

Having understood his question, Olivia replied.

"No injuries, apart from slight bruises. Soul power is at 70%." her words were likewise precise.

Nodding his head once more, Lucius spoke.

"Keep up. Don't slow me down." immediately after speaking, he kicked off the ground and dashed in the direction of the snowy mountains. In the blink of an eye, Lucius' figure had turned into a dot on the distant horizon.

One has to remember that speed was Lucius' greatest strength. And right now, Lucius was using his speed to the greatest extent.

Seeing the rapidly distancing figure, Olivia was astonished. Gritting her teeth, she gathered her soul power and cast [Strengthen Soul] on herself, to boost her physique. After her body had been buffed by magic, she immediately chased after him.

------------------

"You are going too fast. That girl will never be able to catch up to your speed." Ka'lor'ah gently spoke.

"Then she will be left behind. I will not be wasting my time on useless pursuits." Lucius curtly replied. He did not decrease his speed and continued to head towards the mountains.

A few minutes of silence later, Ka'lor'ah spoke up once again.

"Why are you being so harsh on her?" she questioned.

"You asked me to train her, right? This is it. A useful tool can only be forged under harsh conditions."

"....and if she breaks under the pressure?"

"Then that is the extent of her usefulness. A tool which has no use." Lucius firmly said, while continuing to run.

Just as Ka'lor'ah was about to retort to his heartless statement, she suddenly noticed a presence behind them. Confirming the owner of that presence, she remained silent.

"Seems like you underestimate too much. Her obsession for strength isn't any weaker than yours," she said with a faint smile.

Lucius did not bother to reply and simply increased his speed once more.

-------------------

A few hours of running later, they finally arrived at the base of the mountains. To be precise, Lucius arrived at the base of the mountain. Olivia's figure was nowhere to be seen.

Unbothered by the absence of his companion, Lucius calmly looked at the sight that lay before him and spoke.

"...Is it in there?"

"Uh-huh!" Ka'lor'ah affirmed, her tone grave.

"How the hell are we going to get past all of....'that' ?" he asked in annoyance.