Lord of Annihilation

Hearing Ka'lor'ah's words, Lucius did not immediately reply but quietly regulated his breathing. He adjusted the soul power within his body, controlling it to bring it to its peak state.

"You're right." Lucius calmly replied.

"After the passage for five seconds upon the death of a living being, its soul must return to Limbo. This is absolute and not even the Lords can stop this."

"Regarding how the master of this labyrinth has managed to bend this rule, I do not know." He shook his head helplessly.

Turning to face Ka'lor'ah, Lucius solemnly stated. 

"While I did serve as the 'Master of Limbo' for a hundred years, I did it when I was in Stage 4 of [Killer]. You should know what Stage 4 of [Killer] signifies." 

His tone suddenly turned despondent and a painful, fearful expression appeared on Lucius' face. His eyes unconsciously roamed about, seemingly hesitant to recall certain memories.

Seeing his pained expression, Ka'lor'ah seemed to understand something. 

"Lucius…" she worriedly called out his name.

Closing his eyes, Lucius forcibly calmed himself. His gaze steeled once again, as he unflinchingly and indifferently started at Ka'lor'ah. 

"Point is, Limbo lies outside the domain of the Universe and isn't under the control of any Rules.'

'Time, Space, Cause, Fate none of these things apply over there. It is not a place that can be manipulated or controlled. It is an independent domain, whose sole purpose is to recycle the souls.'

"Dead souls are the only thing that can enter into Limbo. To forcibly enter it with a physical body, certain conditions had to be met.'

'If not for that chance encounter of mine in my previous life, I wouldn't have been able to enter it either and would have ultimately died in some corner of the Universe, under the effect of someone's ploys.'

"While Limbo did provide me with the chance to continue with my life and cultivation, the price I paid for that chance was too great."

Turning to stare at the deep, distant darkness of this underground space, Lucius spoke with a quiet voice.

"That person who entered that place died on the very first day. He who survived and returned was someone entirely different." He vaguely spoke, not explaining what he had meant.

He then waved his hands and redirected the conversation.

"Anyways, let's get moving. Staying here and hesitating will not change anything. As it is, enough time has already been wasted.' he declared, cautiously walking towards the large, patterned door.

Ka'lor'ah's mind which had still been in chaos after listening to Lucius' words, absentmindedly turned towards him. She looked at this person, who had his back turned against her.

A 2.5m tall being with fleshy wings attached to his wide back, walked straight. 

His body was filled with numerous wounds and injuries, some of which exposed his bone and scantly bled. Looking at him unhesitantly walk towards the unknown darkness filled with the aura of death, Ka'lor'ah's emotions burst forth.

While Lucius had lived with Ka'lor'ah in the latter parts of his previous life, he had never once spoken in detail about certain matters, only being vague to satisfy her curiosity.

His experience regarding the encounter with Limbo was one of these. 

Under the influence of her emotions, her mind flashed with memories.

'A human only has the potential to reach Stage 3 in his life. After this point, any further progress is simply impossible. This is mandated by the Rules.'

'Lucius awakened his soul at the age of 17. He reached Stage 2 at the age of 51. He then achieved Stage 3 at the age of 147, with only a year of his lifespan left at most.' This much she knew, as Lucius did not hide anything from her.

However, when asked about his encounter with Limbo, Lucius was extremely vague in his explanation.

'According to him, he managed to accidently acquire the chance to enter Limbo while being hunted by the Inspectors of the [Good] faction.'

With her curiosity getting the better of her, Ka'lor'ah then recalled the investigations that she had performed on this incident.

'During my investigation, I found that Lucius was framed for a crime that he did not commit, drawing the collective wrath of the entire [Good] faction.'

'It was during his escape that he managed to stumble across the entrance of Limbo.'

As for what the crime was? Ka'lor'ah had scoured through the records of the Inspectors Guild, before finally finding it.

Apparently, 'Lucius' had kidnapped and defiled the Crown Princess of the Alcana Empire, a few days before her marriage to the heir of the Heavenly Sovereigns, the leader of the [Good] Faction!

The Alcana Empire was the second-strongest power in the [Good] faction, second only to the Heavenly Sovereigns. It was the kingdom of the Neo-Humans and was home to all of the Mages of the Universe. (AN: Mages are a soul type that is exclusive to the Neo-Humans. Only they possess the methods to awaken the [Mage] soul and its sub-types)

The Alcana Empires also possessed the greatest number of Sigilers in their ranks, making them the largest producers of Runic Armaments and other weapons of war. In fact, they were called the 'Golden Goose' that periodically produced Sigilers.

Their importance and influence in the [Good] faction can naturally be estimated from this information. They were an absolute power that no force or species, dared to mess with.

This marriage was supposed to be the basis of an alliance between the two behemoths of the [Good] faction. Not to mention, it was rumored that the heir of the Heavenly Sovereigns had fallen in love with the beauty and character of the Crown Princess.

Now just think about it for a second. 

The Crown Princess of the Alcana Empire was the only child of the then ruling Emperor. She was both a Stage 4 [Archmage], an incredibly powerful, not to mention 'Rare' soul type, but was also a talented Sigiler, hailed as a 'once-in-a-thousand-years' genius.

In short, she was one of the most important people in the entire Empire. Just the people protecting her would be unimaginably strong!

So then, how could a random Stage 3 [Killer] not only successfully kidnap her, but also perform such a vile deed?

How could a 'nobody' that had absolutely zero connections or influence, ever even be in the same area as such an esteemed figure?

Anyone with a brain could see that something was obviously wrong with this case. 

Unfortunately, the person who had framed Lucius was extremely thorough in their work. All evidence pointed towards Lucius, and he was hunted by the entirety of the [Good] faction. 

Even the leader of the [Good] faction, the Heavenly Sovereigns participated in this hunt, with the heir being personally involved.

'Being chased for almost a year just when it seemed as if he was finally going to be caught, Lucius suddenly disappeared. Not a single trace of his existence appeared in any part of the Universe.'

'The entire [Good] faction was absolutely furious at this, while the [Evil] faction rejoiced. They even hailed Lucius as a hero for some time.'

'After a few years of fruitless searching, the hunt for Lucius was called off. In a dozen years, everyone completely forgot about this matter, but the tensions between the Heavenly Sovereigns and the Alcana Empire were at an all-time high.'

'The situation of the Crown Princess also became unknown. Some say that she committed suicide out of shame, while others say that heir's love knew no bounds, for he continued to love her despite her 'flaws'.'

'A hundred years passed after this incident before Lucius finally reappeared.'

'This time, however, he was at Peak-Level Stage 5 and veritably, was one of the strongest beings among the lower existences!' 

(AN: Stage 6 and above are referred to as Higher/Greater Existences or Stages, while the remaining are called Lower/Lesser existences. It's akin to the 'mortal', 'immortal' separation in Reverend Insanity.)

'No one knew where he had been and how he had managed to reach this level of strength quietly, and without any fanfare.'

'However, it was precisely after his return that Lucius became one of the worst nightmares of the [Good] Factions.'

'A single person, with his own strength exterminated the Alcana Empire, the people who had wronged him. Not just stopping there, he continued to kill dozens of other races affiliated to the Alcana Empire, including its vassals and the like.'

'He went on the greatest killing spree ever recorded in history, showcasing how utterly terrifying a [Killer] could be. He killed and killed and continued killing.'

'If Lucius, before entering Limbo could still be considered to be a normal person with some morals and bottom lines, then the person who returned a hundred years later was a complete devil.'

'Even after completing his revenge, Lucius did not rest his blade and stop his slaughter, for he had learned, what it meant to be weak.'

To fight is to survive and to survive is to kill. The ideology and his path as a Killer were forged.

'With his path found, he set his sights on becoming a Stage 7 existence.'

Good? Evil?

Innocent? Guilty?

Morality? Laws?

Everything and everyone had to be killed to fulfill his purpose.

It was at this point, that Ka'lor'ah seemed to recall something. If she had possessed a body, a bitter smile would involuntarily appear on her face.

'If it had not been for that girl, Lucius would have continued with his reckless slaughter, angering the higher existences.'

'If not for her love that had moved him to stop his killing, Lucius would have died a premature death.'

'Alas…'

Sighing soundlessly, Ka'lor'ah thought of a name.

'Aroura Letum…'

GRIND! Sriiiichh!!

The screeching noise of stone rubbing against stone finally woke Ka'lor'ah from her thoughts. Turning her head towards the source of that noise she discovered that Lucius had opened the large door leading to the heart of this labyrinth.

What awaited them was unknown…

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AN: Here we finally start to see some of the events leading up to why and how Lucius became Lucius. 

The events with the Alcana Empire, the time spent in Limbo, the rise to Stage 5 and beyond, all these events will be explained in detail in the future, this chapter here is laying the base.

Oh, Aroura's full name was finally revealed. Quite interesting if you think about it...

PS: The chapter names for the last two chapters have been renamed. The next chapter will be called 'The Heretic. Part 1'