Lord of Annihilation

"[Void Hands}" 

Upon recitation, the shadow underneath Lucius' feat started to slowly stir. Dense streams of dark void energy escaped from within the shadow and gathered together to form pitch-black tentacles. 

Just as the tentacles were on the verge of successfully forming, the gathered void energy started to erratically move before collapsing back into the shadow.

Sighing to himself, Lucius muttered once more. "Another failure."

This was his fifth time casting [Void Hands] and none of the attempts succeeded. 

After devouring all of the gathered bodies, Lucius had felt a minor stir within his bloodline. In an attempt to check if his abilities had recovered, he used them one after the other.

Apart from [Void Hands] which showed some movement, none of the other abilities responded at the slightest. 

Not too disappointed at this result, Lucius performed one final check, resulting in another failure, before giving up.

'At least it's recovering. Perhaps I'm being too impatient.' 

Shaking his head, he left the cold room heading back towards Olivia's office. He had done what he had come to do and there was no point staying here any longer.

As for the two black eggs containing the evolving Forgotten Warriors, Lucius had already absorbed them into his shadow placing them with their other brethren. The period of their evolution was not entirely known, but according to Ka'lor'ah's estimations, it would last for another 12-15 days.

'With that, there is nothing else to do on this planet. The only issue now is on how to leave this planet and return to Mankind.'

Making his way back, Lucius considered their current predicament.

'That Bertarian Governor of Stellar Light city possesses a device that can contact his kin residing on their home planet. The original plan was to 'coerce' him into contacting them and having them send a ship. Now, however, with him being dead, it does present us with some problems.'

Mankind was not the only technology-based civilization in the Universe. There exist other Mechanical Races and Machinery Life forms that also use technology, albeit different from Mankind's own. 

Mankind's technology was borne from a time when the Rules, Soul Power, Spiritual Energy, and other facets of the Universe did not exist. In a way, it was based upon pure science and did not contain any metaphysical concepts. 

While Mankind's technology had unique points of its own, when compared to the overall progress of mechanical technology within the Universe, it was quite inferior. 

Getting back to the story…

'The key point in this plan isn't the Bertarian but is rather the device. If we can get our hands on that, we might still have a way to leave this planet.'

'If the device is not available, the worst case scenario would be to ascend into Stage 3 and make our way to the neighbor star system. If I recall correctly, an interstellar pirate organization should be operating off that system. Their strengths aren't too high and we should be able to 'borrow' a ship off of them.' 

'However, the demerits of this plan would be that it would take some time and effort. There is also no guarantee that the pirate organization is currently in that system. After all, my memories are a few dozen years into the future.'

The reason why Lucius remembers a random pirate organization is because he used to be a part of that organization in his previous life. 

Coincidently, this organization was also the reason why he was able to leave Pectron in his previous life and enter into the next stage of galactic travel. Lucius' abilities as a [Killer] were also largely polished and honed during this period.

He had done a lot of bad things during this period in the organization and had killed a staggering amount of people. 

His first moniker as the 'Red-Skinned Demon' was also earned during this time. Red-Skinned being a reference to Lucius' state after each battle.

However, these events did not happen for at least another fifty years, so Lucius couldn't fully rely on this data.

As Lucius was deeply lost within his thoughts, the floor beneath his feet suddenly started to rapidly shake.  Focus returned to Lucius' eyes as he immediately crouched on the ground and retrieved his weapon. 

Any sudden disturbance to an environment might be a sign of a potential battle. As such, immediately getting into combat stance was a natural response on Lucius's part.

'No life sings in the proximity.' Extending his soul power into the immediate surroundings, Lucius confirmed his vicinity.

BANG!

The ground shook once more and this time the intensity of the shakes was greater. The sounds of desks falling, objects shattering and people panicking could be clearly heard.

Luicus' current location was not ideal for facing an opponent as such he kicked off the ground and headed towards a more open area. It was also ideal to engage the opponent first, rather than passively waiting.

Ascending the staircase quickly, Lucius zipped past the chaotic crowds and followed the tremors to their source. While running he divided a part of his attention to contact Ka'lor'ah.

'Where are the two of you? Did you feel those tremors?'

Almost immediately, Ka'lor'ah replied.

'We did. It's coming from outside the city walls on the west side. I couldn't see the source of the attack properly. You need to come and join us.'

'On my way.' 

Saying as much, Lucius increased his speed once more and followed the thread of soul power connecting himself to Ka'lor'ah. In just a few seconds, Lucius found himself outside the entrance of the building.

BANG! 

A third attack. One that was greater than the sum of the previous two intensely shook the ground. Having come outside, Lucius confirmed that the source of the tremors was an explosion. The shockwaves from the site of the explosion rattled the buildings and shook the ground.

Some of the smaller shops just outside the Governor's office collapsed onto the ground trapping its inhabitants within. 

"Someone, please save us!" 

"Argh! My leg's crushed!"

"Help! Please, someone!"

Cries for help rung out from underneath the collapsed rubbles. 

Most of the civilians were weaklings with varying levels of Stage 1 strength. Against the might of stone and wood which weighed anywhere from hundreds of kilograms to a few tons, they were completely helpless.

In response to these pleas for help, which he had surely heard, Lucius showed utter indifference. He was not compassionate nor was he a good Samaritan.

The lives of these citizens held no real value in the first place. These people to Lucius were what ants were to a regular person.

Common and insignificant.

As he headed towards the source of the explosion, Lucius heard Olivia's call. "Lucius! Over here." 

Seeing a streak of purple heading towards him, he slowed his own speed and waited for her to catch up.

"Are you okay? Did you see who or what caused the explosion?" The moment Olivia was within the ear's range, Lucius questioned.

However, before Olivia could form an answer, Ka'lor'ah answered in her steed.

"Yeah, we're fine. I couldn't exactly see what caused the explosion. However, I did see a flash of blue-colored energy hitting the ground from the sky. It was too fast though."

"Stage 3?" 

"Do you know any Stage 2 strong enough to make such an attack?" Ka'lor'ah replied in a sarcastic tone before landing her eyes on Lucius and his scythe. "Actually, never mind. It's most likely a Stage 3."

Nodding his head, Lucius curtly spoke. "Try and keep up," before picking up speed once more. His figure instantly sped up turning into a vague streak at a distance.

Olivia wasn't any slower either. Promptly exploding the soul power underneath her feet, she instantly accelerated turning into a purple blur.

----------

A couple of seconds after Lucius had stopped atop the western rampart, Olivia arrived next to him. While regulating her breathing, she looked towards the large crater that had formed a few kilometers outside the wall.

"You've improved." She heard the familiar voice give her a word of praise.

Lightly smiling in response, Olivia nodded her head before turning to call upon the Captain in charge of this section of the wall.

"Where's the western section's Captain?" her voice, assisted by her soul power, boomed.

"Here, Lady Governor!" A heroic, dark feral-like humanoid raised his hand before making his way towards Olivia.

Lucius shot a look towards this figure noting his figure and strength. Information immediately formed within his mind.

'Oncanian. Male. Low-Level Stage 2. Relatively well trained. Possess sufficient combat experience.' 

'Threat Level: Low.'

Deducing as much, Lucius lost interest. He looked towards the sky, gazing at the grey-colored clouds that filled them.

"Did you see what happened here, Captain?" Olivia questioned the Oncanian Captain.

"Yes, Lady Governor." Replying in a gruff tone, the Oncanian started his recount. "I was patrolling the walls with Squad Three when we suddenly heard the skies crack. Fearing an enemy attack, I instructed the squad to quickly take cover, when we saw it."

"Saw what?" Olivia inquired with a serious tone.

"A beam of blue light, Lady Governor. A long beam of blue light fell from the sky at the place where you can see that crater." The Oncanian replied, pointing towards the distant crater.

"We couldn't see who or what caused the attack, but so far the same attack has fallen thrice on the same spot. Each time with a higher intensity." The man grimly said.

Hearing that Olivia's face also sported a grim expression. Lowering her head she silently muttered.

"An attack from Stellar Light City?...that can't be. They don't have the technology to rain blue beams from the sky. Not to mention, I just finished dealing with them."

"Could it be a Stage 3 being? But Pandemonium has no beef with them. I've also signed a non-aggression treaty with the other Governors. Who could it be then?"

"Don't think too much. They're coming." Lucius causally remarked while continually looking at the sky.

Having heard his statement, the others at the site paused in confusion before looking up into the sky. 

The grey clouds which covered much of Pectron's skies suddenly had a shadow cast upon them. The clouds then parted revealing a large metallic object descending from the sky. 

The object was circular and flat resembling a saucer. The dark metallic sheen on its surface spelled intimidation, as it majestically lowered itself towards the ground.

Lucius' eyes intently scanned the surface of the object, before his eyes landed on a certain symbol painted on its surface.

"Oh, it's them. What a coincidence." He lightly remarked.

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Race Info:

Oncanians, also known as Oncas, are a tribe of Beast-Humans (Part beast, part humanoid), known for their black outer mane, leopard-shaped head, and cat-like eyes. They are exceptionally skilled warriors, primarily known for their speed and use of short, two-handed weapons.

Due to their slightly sinister-looking appearance, they are often lumped in the [Evil] Faction and are discriminated against. This leads to a majority of the Oncanian warriors turn to criminal means to make a living.

Their lifespan ranges from 100-120 years, with both male and female varieties making up their population.