Abyss Draconis

Another figure stepped out after him—the second most hulking of the ten—as he stood at a height of 14 meters.

A golden light bloomed before his floating grimoire, onto the air, and then a gargantuan shield that seemed as though it could bear the weight of the world and not waver appeared before it as he went down on one knee.

"I, Ascendant General Obduron of the TECHNO GUARD UNIT, am at the command of the Nexus Sovereign."

The next figure that stepped out was quite the bizarre one, as it held no body. Instead of a body, it was a cubic-like sentient figure just about the size of a ball as it floated upwards, hovering in the air before the words echoed out in Ryuk's mind.

"I, Ascendant General FortiCube of the TECHNO GUARD UNIT, am at the command of the Nexus Sovereign."

Another construct stepped out, standing at 5 meters but with a bulky body. It possessed four large arms, each incredibly thick, covered with plates of overlapping alloy.

His movements were heavy, and he stepped forward, going on one knee before he introduced himself.

"I, Ascendant General Pylon of the TECHNO GUARD UNIT, am at the command of the Nexus Sovereign."

The next person stepped out, the most articulate description of him being a standing ant, with a well-layered form as well as two blistering wings that hummed behind him. He also got on a knee and introduced himself.

"I, Ascendant General Cryptant of the NEURO SHADE UNIT, am at the command of the Nexus Sovereign."

And the last person—he was of no form.

It was like a giant puddle of blue slime, inside its body laced with dots of glinting energy and blue dots of light, before its voice also echoed in Ryuk's head.

"I, Ascendant General Aqualith of the TECHNO GUARD UNIT, am at the command of the Nexus Sovereign."

He introduced himself as all ten remained bowed in respect, and a gleam flickered in Ryuk's eyes.

'A total of 4 Warforgers, 2 Neuro Shades, and 4 Techno Guards—all at the Eternity Stage powerlevel'

'And then there is him... Oblivor,'

Ryuk silently thought as he turned to look at Oblivor.

"What's your full name and title?" He asked as he turned to look at Oblivor, who replied:

"I am Ascendant General Oblivor, Nexus Sovereign."

Ryuk responded, "No longer."

"You're the strongest of the Nexus Legion and hence will now be addressed as Ascendant Marshal Oblivor."

A new runic image appeared on Oblivor's forehead, brimming with a special glowing symbol, as he remained on one knee.

"With honor, I receive, Nexus Sovereign."

From the rune, Ryuk felt like he had just gained a new sight that allowed him to truly see Oblivor—and his heart shook when he fully saw ancient power hidden behind the sleek battle body.

So this is... the power of one at the Apocrypha Stage. It's strong. Very strong... Ryuk mused to himself as he looked at Oblivor, but there was no longer Oblivor before him.

What remained was a meteor, covered in powerful flaming energy as it moved in the Void with crushing force that seemed to currently be at bay.

If such power hit the world, it would be an abysmal apocalypse.

And now, that apocalypse kneels before him, taking no command but his.

"I'm getting closer. Really close..." Ryuk mused to himself as he raised Oblivor to his feet, giving one last look at his Nexus Legion before disappearing out of the space, stepping out to the balcony.

His gaze sharpened the moment he stepped out as he turned to the side and found a person standing there, hands leaning on the balcony railing, as they remained quiet, staring into the distance.

His appearance seemed to have alerted the figure, who slowly turned her head to the side to find Ryuk emerging with a closing portal behind him.

"You're awake?" He asked, a bit perplexed as he looked at the brown-skinned lady before him.

Of course, it was none other than Rakshasa, whose eyebrows studied Ryuk for a while before she silently turned back to the view before her.

It calmed her.

The sight of the green grass below, the rustling trees on the island. The silence, the breeze, and the seas.

It all was calming... especially when she remembered the image she had seen in the mirror when she had woken up.

All of it... all of it felt surreal—almost like a dream.

STEP

STEP

The sound of footsteps rang out beside her as Ryuk came to stand by her side.

He turned to look at her, but her gaze was lost in the distance, unreadable.

He didn't know how she felt, but he at least knew she must have distinctly noted the changes in herself. And he did know, though his intent was pure—he had indeed dug his claws into her neck at a time when she least expected it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and she replied:

"For what?"

"For digging my claws into your neck—especially when you were least expecting it. Must have felt like a backstab in that moment..." he said.

She gave a quiet hum.

"And for... triggering the humanoid change in you?" he added, and she finally turned to him.

"The humanoid change... in me?" she asked, and Ryuk nodded.

"Yes. You had the potential to change into a humanoid. Every Mutated Beast does. All I did was act on that change when the conditions were met, but I guess it must have been a bit wrong, since you never really explicitly permitted me to do that" he said—but she furrowed her brows at him.

"But... I'm not a Mutated Beast," she said, and it was Ryuk's turn to furrow his brows.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?" she asked in return, with the same expression—and Ryuk studied her for a while. In the end, he noticed she really seemed not to know.

"So all this time, and you thought you were a pureblood Succubus?" he asked as she turned away to look at her hands.

The dirty, ashy skin was no more, replaced by a radiant brown colour, and her long, scary claws had changed into something easier to look at and feel.

"I always knew I was a Succubus... well, until now."

"No. You're not a Succubus, not a fully blooded one at least."

"You instead belong to a special hybrid race called Succuterra."