Lord of Annihilation

Walking with short and hurried steps was a portly man wearing resplendent kingly clothes. 

His pale white face was suffused with droplets of sweat and the sapphire-colored gem, in the shape of a rhombus, quickly alternated between brightness and darkness, exposing his rather nervous mental state.

As he walked through the desolate corridor, his steps seemed to be getting faster and faster, before breaking out into a full-blown sprint. Alongside his hurry, his nervousness also seemed to increase as the gem on his forehead alternated with increasing tempo.

Arriving at the end of the corridor, he stopped before the grand door and hurriedly calmed himself. Pulling out an elegant handkerchief, seemingly out of thin air, he proceeded to wipe his pallid face as much as possible.

Deep breaths to calm his hurried breathing and pounding heart was executed, before raising his head to look at the grand door with a serious expression.

The light on the sapphire-colored gem also stabilized, glowing with a soft radiance.

Taking in a deep breath, he pushed the door open and entered it.

In contrast to the dark passage of the previous corridor, the room or a grand hall that the portly man had now entered glittered with lavish ornaments and ostentatious riches. 

Golden light poured on his face, enlivening it, as his rotund figure was reflected on the thousands of precious gems decorating this hall. Gold, silver, and countless other precious metals made up the furniture that decorated this hall.

The white floor underneath his feet, polished to the point of immaculateness, mirrored the intricate murals painted on the domes above.

Yet, the portly man cared for none of these. 

His hurried steps continued to walk across the exquisite carpet flooring this room with poise and bearing. A kingly feeling radiated off of his body, giving him presence as the master of his space.

The man walked for dozens of steps before arriving at the steps of a platform, atop which stood the golden throne. 

That golden throne was the seat of the ruler of the Grand Alcana Empire, and this hall that housed his seat was the country's courtroom. 

The portly man stared at the golden throne for a few seconds, before ascending the step. He arrived at the top of the platform and stood before the empty throne, inhabiting the empty hall.

His hands gently caressed the armrest of the throne as a look of great yearning and longing appeared within his eyes. 

"…time. It's only a matter of time before I sit here." He quietly muttered to himself.

The man then stared straight ahead, at the wall behind the throne. Decorating the wall was a humongous portrait of a person, whose facial features were remarkably similar to the portly man. 

A handsome faced similar to that of a human, a tall, well-built body, grand regal robes clothing his figure, and a golden scepter containing an orb. The gem on his forehead, however, shone with a ruby red color.

A stark contrast to the sapphire color of this portly man. 

When the man's eyes landed on the face of the figure, great hatred and loathing appeared within his eyes. His hand, resting atop the golden throne, unconsciously tightened while his breathing became slightly heavy.

'This throne was rightfully mine! Yet, you passed it on to that whr*es' son before your death!!'

"Why Father?" The man asked the lifeless painting.

It was then…

"Your highness." A voice called for the portly man.

Turning his now expressionless face, his gaze landed on the armored, knight-like woman kneeling beneath the platform. Her lustrous golden hair fell to cover her face, as she bowed with decorum.

Next to her bowing figure was a bloody sword and shield. Looking carefully, the blood seemed to still be warm as drops of it fell into the carpet, staining it.

"Uriel…" the man called her name. "Is it over?"

Without raising her head, the knightly woman, Uriel nodded her head and monotonously replied.

"The traitorous forces were defeated and your brother was caught."

"Don't call that filth my brother!!" the portly man thundered.

"I apologize, your highness," Uriel replied without a single change to her tone.

Calming himself, the portly man looked at Uriel once again and asked.

"Where is he?"

"Captured and imprisoned in Tartarus." she concisely replied.

Hearing that, joy appeared within the portly man's eyes. However, he quickly suppressed his emotions and spoke.

"I want to see him. I want to take back what was rightfully mine!" 

Uriel did not immediately reply but paused to consider the request. 

A few seconds passed and just as the portly man's patience was running thin, she raised her head and replied.

"You can meet him, your highness. However, he refuses to talk." 

She then climbed to her legs, picked up her armaments, turned around, and replied,

"Please follow me."

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

In an ordinate amount of time passed.

Uriel and the portly man stood before a massive rock door that towered over 50m. The rock door was densely covered by an innumerable number of stone carvings of arrays, letters, and patterns, each of which shone with strange light and energy.

Their current location seemed to be within a lightless cave, as save for the lanterns carried by Uriel and the portly man, not a single hint of light existed within this space.

In fact, the light seemed to be actively eaten by the darkness as the light projected by the two lanterns barely managed to illuminate a 2m radius around them, before disappearing into the darkness.

Of course, the radiance of the carvings upon the stone door was excluded from this effect.

"He lies beyond this door." Uriel spoke with the same monotonous voice.

"These carvings, he can't break them, right?" the portly man nervously asked.

"This prison was built to restrain a Stage 6 existence, your highness. Unless one is of that Stage on top of being a genius Sigiler, one cannot hope to break those carvings."

The portly man nodded at her explanation but still could not put down his feeling of uneasiness within his heart.

After all, the person inside that room met one of those conditions.

"Can I see him?" he continued.

"We cannot enter beyond this room, but conversation should be possible." 

Having said that Uriel walked forward and placed her hand on a certain carving on the rock door. Dazzling golden light poured from within her hand and entered the complex formation.

It was soul power of the fifth Stage!

The carving, into which the soul power was being channeled, shone with radiant bright. For a moment, the darkness within the lightless cave retreated and boundless luminance filled the void.

Still, the moment vanished as soon as it appeared and darkness flooded once again.

A half-transparent screen of light appeared in front of the duo, displaying a scene.

Within that scene was a heavily injured man as pale and shriveled as a corpse, suspended into the air with multiple runic chains, flashing with brightness, binding his limbs. 

A thick and heavy shackle bounded his slumped head, with his long, unkempt hair covering his face. The man seemed completely immobile and would be mistaken for dead, if not for the dimly shining red light pulsing on his forehead.

Seeing this figure, a rush was anger flooded the portly man's lungs. 

"Wake up, bastard!!" he thundered.

There was no reply.

"Answer me, you son of a wh*re!!" 

No reply.

"Filth stuck to the bottom of a urinal!"

No reply.

The more the hanged man ignored the portly man, the more enraged grew the latter. The portly man cursed until he was out of his breath, at which point he declared.

"Let's see how long you will be able to ignore me! I'll have your body and soul rot in here until you give me the inheritance!!" 

Having said so, he stormed off. Uriel silently watched the proceedings from the side shut off the array and retreated behind the portly figure.

The two figures disappeared from the cave, and absolute darkness returned.

It was only then, did the man behind the rock door raise his head. A small smile appeared on his dry, cracked lips and a peculiar light shined within his right eye.

He stared at the rock wall in front of him for a few minutes before lowering his head once more.

"…only this much?"

"…seems like it won't even take me five years...how disappointing…"