Darkness Engulfs the Heart of Light
In the grand circular hall of the 'Altar of Convergence,' Leon stood before the 'Core of Radiance.' The pure white crystal floated in the air, emitting a dazzling light, while the orbiting purification stones generated waves of sacred ether.
Black flames blazed in Leon's eyes.
"Finally... I've found the source of this disgusting light."
He slowly extended his hand. Sticky chaos ether began to ooze from his fingertips. It was the moment the black, thread-like chaos energy spread into the air and touched the 'Core of Radiance.'
Sizzzzzle!
A violent repulsion erupted from the surface of the pure white core. Space distorted as pure light met primordial chaos. An intense backflow of light surged from the core, climbing up Leon's arm.
"Aaaargh!"
Leon screamed. The sacred light was burning his chaotic body. His skin sizzled and blackened, and dark red blood flowed. Yet, a manic smile spread across his lips.
"Do you really think... this much can stop me?"
Leon activated his 'Ether Absorption' ability to its fullest. He began to draw the backflowing light ether into his own power. The pure light was sucked into his body, mixing with his chaos energy.
At that moment, something astonishing happened.
The absorbed light ether began to transform into black chaos within Leon's body. It became a more powerful, purer chaos energy, then surged back towards the 'Core of Radiance.'
"This is... true power!"
Black cracks began to form on the core's surface. Like ink spreading over a pure white eggshell, the chaotic erosion spread throughout the core.
Woooooosh...
An ominous vibration resonated from the 'Core of Radiance.' The heart of light, which had guarded the world's balance for thousands of years, was being consumed by darkness.
The Collapse of Balance
The core's color began to change. Its dazzling white light turned a dull gray, then progressively darker, until it was completely black. The surrounding purification stones veered off their orbits and fell to the ground.
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
The entire tower vibrated. The colossal structure of the 'Tower of Radiance' groaned as if it were a living creature.
And at that very moment:
CRASHHHHH!
A massive wave erupted from the now fully chaotic core. A tide of black energy swept through the entire hall. The sacred marble walls cracked and were stained with black.
The wave extended beyond the tower, continuing to spread.
Ninth floor, eighth floor, seventh floor... It penetrated and descended through every floor of the tower. The lights in the corridors flickered for a moment, then went out. Defensive magic circles malfunctioned and collapsed.
Changes also occurred in the battle outside the tower.
"What is this?! The barrier is gone!"
The 'Light Knights' gasped in horror. The sacred barrier that protected them had suddenly wavered and weakened.
Conversely, the chaos forces grew stronger. The mutated creatures, empowered by the black wave, became even more ferocious, and the abilities of the 'Seven Lords of Malice' were maximized.
"Good... just as planned."
A satisfied chuckle emanated from Baldur's steel armor.
The Heir of Light's Rage
Light von Einhart, commanding the battle from the operations room, suddenly stiffened.
"Th-this can't be!"
Goosebumps erupted all over his body. As the 'Heir of Light,' he was deeply connected to the 'Core of Radiance.' He could sense the core's condition more acutely than anyone else.
And now, that connection was breaking.
"Captain! A powerful chaos wave from the tenth floor!" "All purification stones are malfunctioning!" "Barrier output has dropped to 30%... no, 50%!"
Urgent reports from his staff poured in, but Light's mind had already reached a single conclusion.
'Someone has infiltrated the core. And... they've touched the Core of Radiance.'
A cold light flashed in Light's eyes. His platinum blonde hair began to glow, reacting to the sacred ether.
"I relinquish command to the subordinate officer."
"Captain?"
"I'm going to the tenth floor."
Light gripped his sword and exited the operations room. Overwhelming light ether began to burst forth from his entire body.
Fateful Confrontation
Instead of climbing the stairs, Light chose a more direct approach. He concentrated sacred ether into his sword and slashed upwards towards the ceiling.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
Floor after floor, the ground was cut through by his light-infused sword energy. Light ascended vertically, piercing through multiple floors at once, heading directly for the 'Altar of Convergence.'
And finally, he reached the tenth floor.
The hall's doors were shattered. An ominous black light emanated from within. The moment Light stepped into the hall, his footsteps halted.
"This... this can't be..."
The 'Core of Radiance' had turned completely black. The heart of light that had illuminated the world for millennia had become the heart of chaos.
And the being standing before it.
At first, he couldn't recognize it. Skin with dark red crystals protruding, veins bulging on its arms, and two eyes blazing with chaos energy. It was a monstrous form, far from human.
But something flashed through Light's memory. The outline of that face, that physique, and...
"Could it be... Leon?"
Surprise mixed in Light's voice.
Leon slowly turned. A chilling smile spread across his lips.
"Long time no see, Light."
The voice was unmistakably Leon's. But there was no trace of his past weakness. Instead, only pure malice and madness flowed from it.
"Do you remember? The dropout with an ether rating of 2.8. The Leon you called worse than an ordinary farmer, the shame of the academy."
Light's face paled. He recalled the past incidents at the academy. The way other students mocked and ignored Leon. And the fact that he himself... hadn't stopped them.
"Leon... how did you become like this?"
"How?" Leon laughed. "It's simple. I realized that in this world, only the strong survive. And how fragile the 'light' you worship truly is."
Leon gestured to the corrupted core.
"Behold, Light. The heart of light you cherished so dearly has crumbled so easily."
Clash of Light and Chaos
A furious light blazed in Light's eyes. He said no more. Instead, he drew his sword and concentrated sacred ether.
"Leon... or whatever has taken over that body. What you've done is unforgivable."
Shhhhiiing!
A dazzling light erupted from Light's sword. It was not mere sword energy, but sacred energy imbued with the power of purification. The sword energy flew towards Leon.
But Leon did not dodge. Instead, he extended his hand and met the sword energy head-on.
"What?!"
Something astounding happened. The moment Light's sacred sword energy touched Leon's palm, it began to be absorbed.
"Thank you, Light. Your ether is truly pure."
Leon's 'Ether Absorption' ability activated. The absorbed light ether entered his body, instantly transforming into black chaos energy.
"This... this can't be happening!"
Light unleashed a series of sword attacks. But the result was the same. Every attack was absorbed by Leon, turning into his power.
"Do you understand, Light? I am no longer anything you know."
Leon converted the absorbed energy into black flames and shot them towards Light. Light barely managed to deploy a defensive barrier, but the chaotic flames were melting through it.
"What... what have you done?!"
"I obtained the 'Essence,' Light. The power left by the first Balance Destroyer."
An even more intense chaotic light emanated from Leon's eyes.
"And now, I shall devour all the light in this world."
Overwhelming Power Disparity
Light attempted a different strategy. Instead of direct attacks, he used binding magic.
"Chains of Light!"
Pure white ether chains appeared from all directions, surrounding Leon. This magic did not absorb ether but physically restrained.
It seemed to succeed for a moment. Leon's body was bound by the chains of light.
But it was only for a moment.
"With this?"
With a slight exertion of force, Leon broke all the chains. His physical abilities had already surpassed human limits.
"Light, you still don't understand."
Leon took a step closer to Light. With each step, chaotic cracks appeared on the floor.
"This isn't just a battle of power. This is an encounter between a being of a different dimension and a human."
Light resorted to his last measure. He drew upon his very life force to unleash his strongest technique.
"Divine Sword - Light of Judgment!"
Light's entire body radiated a sun-like brilliance. His sword transformed into a massive blade of light, striking down towards Leon.
Even Leon's expression turned serious this time. But surprisingly, he did not dodge. Instead, he brought his hands together, creating a black energy sphere.
"Chaos Core - Absolute Absorption."
The two forces collided head-on.
CRASHHHHHHH!
The entire hall was engulfed in light and dark energy. Light's strongest technique and Leon's chaotic ability clashed, distorting space itself.
But the outcome was clear.
Light was being swallowed by darkness. Light's attack, poured out with his very life force, was being nullified by Leon's absorption ability.
"Aaaargh!"
Light fell to his knees. The light ether was forcibly being drained from his body.
"This... this can't be..."
Despair crossed Light's eyes. He realized that all the power he had trained for his entire life was utterly powerless.
Declaration of Chaos Victory
Leon stood over Light, looking down. The once shining being who had dismissed him was now kneeling at his feet.
"How does it feel, Light? To kneel before someone absolutely inferior?"
Leon lifted Light's chin. Light's platinum blonde hair was scorched black by the chaos energy.
"But your time hasn't come yet. I am benevolent."
Leon looked back at the corrupted core. Black energy pulsed within it.
"This is enough. The real show begins now."
Leon delivered a final blow to Light. Chaos energy pierced Light's chest. It wasn't fatal, but it severely damaged Light's ether flow.
"Ugh!"
Light coughed up blood and collapsed to the floor.
"Next time we meet, let's play a more interesting game, Light."
Leon activated 'Shadow Transformation.' His body dissipated like smoke, vanishing from the hall.
All that remained was the fallen Light and the ominously pulsating heart of chaos.
The Overture of Disaster
The entire 'Tower of Radiance' was vibrating. Black waves continued to emanate from the corrupted core.
Cracks began to appear on the tower's outer walls. The sacred fortress that had protected the world for millennia was crumbling.
In the battle outside, the 'Seven Lords of Malice' were now actively entering the tower. There were no longer any defensive barriers to stop them.
The sky began to darken. The sacred light that had covered the entire 'Land of Light' was slowly weakening. Instead, the aura of chaos was gradually spreading from afar.
Leon moved away from the tower and looked up at the sky. A satisfied smile was on his lips.
"It begins now. I will not stop... until all the light in this world is extinguished."
The sound of the world's balance collapsing echoed throughout the land.
To be continued in the next chapter...