Asher shook his head as he read the words. His furrows burrowed before his eyes narrowed in contemplation.
"The world of nothing? Intriguing indeed, but it makes no sense. The world of nothing..." Asher repeated the three words before taking a step forward. The cloudburst had completely soaked him, and the grass beneath him crunched.
The leaves rustled under the intense winds, and his wet hair waved as well, brushing against the intense winds. Approaching the igneous, towering gate, he felt chills through his spine.
'Its happening again.' He thought with a calm expression; only he knew beneath that expression was his entire being screaming to run away. However, just as he took another step, a familiar voice echoed once more.
[With wills that could shatter the heavens and the earth, follow me, so forth I shall lead you to a world where reality falls, and existence loses its meaning, where gods and mortals are alike, where the universe trembles upon mere names. With such wills united at a single front, enter the World of Nothing!]
Asher narrowed his eyes once more upon the words; the voice was motivating him. Suddenly, his eyes widened. T
The tiny spark of the flame inside him to spark everyone suddenly burst into an ocean, enveloping his emotions fully.
Asher suddenly halted; his breathing became ragged. Covering his face with the palm of one of his hands, he stared ahead.
'This... why now of all times? Just why does this happen to me? Whats going on behind the veils?' He thought, gritting his teeth. Soon, he took a deep breath before taking a step forward.
The sky was engulfed with pitch-black clouds; an enigmatic might covered the world. The winds waved his hair as he took another step; his white blade lay in his hands, reeking with severe sharpness.
'The moment I enter the Citadel, I'd be faced with challenges that so far surpassed everything I have faced. This world of nothing is nothing but a nightmare; just the damn name sends chills through me.' Asher thought, trying to calm his irregular heartbeat. The Citadel suddenly looked much more horrifying; the crimson hue started to look like blood pouring like a river, the intricate patterns, the etchings.
Everything was unbearable to see.
"Heh." Asher let out a small chuckle as the fear tried to overcome his heart. Taking immediate steps forward towards the gate of the Citadel, the gold flames that had convulsed within himself suddenly turned white.
A red lightning cracked through the sky, tearing the heavens and the earth alike. His gold-tinged hair suddenly became partially white. One of his pupils suddenly convulsed a beast within itself; the beast was pure white; it had wings that covered the expanse of the realm with red eyes that reeked murderous intent and amusement.
Feeling the sudden burst in strength, Asher grinned before bursting forward towards the gate of the Citadel. The red lightning convulsed into a flame before covering one of his legs; the winds suddenly became much more intense, and several trees plummeted to the ground.
It was at that moment that he remembered a sentence he had said when fighting the red-eye man back in the Unknown Heavens. His grin widened, his eyes shimmering beneath his ribbon.
The white intricate patterns of the ribbon suddenly had a reddish crimson hue.
Maintaining his grin, he screamed before jumping in the air and bringing a kick forward, targeting the gigantic gate.
"I gave myself to insanity, for I am the Master of the Void." Asher shouted while rapidly falling towards the igneous gate; his hair waved in the air in contrast to the lightning that just tore the sky apart.
The cloudburst became even more intense; the winds howled beyond measurement. Yet, for some reason, nothing was compared to the spirit that Asher was feeling right now.
The feeling to spite them all.
Red lightning tore the sky as Asher collided his leg against the igneous gate, kicking it. A tremor suddenly was felt through the world; the ground beneath him shattered and got jagged, and a shockwave destroyed nearby trees like nothing.
'Did I succeed?' Asher thought just as he fell to the ground, a dull ache suddenly flashed through him; his hair returned back to its normal raven black hue before his runes vanished altogether. The patterns on the ribbon also reverted back to their white color.
A burst of dust had blinded Asher. His soaking-wet hair waved intensely, bristling against the barrage of dust.
With gritted teeth, he stood up with trembling knees; the barrage of dust was just too much for anyone to bear.
'Move.' He thought with conviction; his eyes shimmered with determination before he took a step forward, then another, then another...
After taking several steps, the barrage of dust didn't seem to lighten. Instead, it intensified. Realizing it would be a treacherous path, he closed his eyes for a moment before snapping them open once again.
'The mysterious prowess isn't listening to me.' He thought with a frustrated expression before taking another step forward. Suddenly, he found himself thanking to have worn the ribbon on his eye; the barrage of dust surely would have blinded him at this point now.
Suddenly, the mysterious voice echoed once more.
[Greetings, Soldier of the 9th Ark, welcome to the battlefield!]
Immediately, his facial expression distorted.
'What?' He thought in exasperation. Soldier? 9th Ark?
Just as Asher was contemplating, the barrage of dust covering him went away, welcoming him with a view of a desert. The yellow sun scorched the world under its reign, engulfing it in its majestic might.
Feeling a stroke of heat falling on his skin, Asher stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes. Some dust had also gone into his hair, but at the moment, he was just too lazy to brush it off.
Suddenly, he heard a screech behind him; turning around, he saw a huge battlefield.
'What's happening?' He thought, the aroma of blood entering his nostrils. Blood stained the battlefield like rivers rushing through a valley; several corpses lay while thousands of men were fighting, clad in dusty silverfish armor and holding swords.
He also noticed how half of the men fighting were clad in black armor instead of silver. Their swords were also shaped weirdly, distorted even.
An air of adrenaline covered the battlefield; even Asher could feel its effects from a distance. He would love to contemplate what had just happened, but he'd rather not.
'Its just a waste of time at the moment.' He concluded. With the present circumstances, he first needs to find out what to do next before taking action.
'I wonder if this is truly the world of nothing that the voice spoke of.'