CHAPTER 219: I’M BACKKKKKKKK

Zane rose from the obsidian throne with a lazy stretch, rolling his shoulders until his joints popped. The oppressive silence of the dimension pressed in, but his grin was sharp.

"Alright... time to get out of here."

His boots echoed on the fractured floor as he walked. Around him, the warped horizon twisted into shapes that defied reason — endless shards of darkness suspended in nothing. Ahead lay what he’d always thought was the edge of this place: a barrier of rippling black water, stretching infinitely up and down.

Nyx’s voice hummed in his mind.

That’s no wall, Zane. That’s a boundary.

"And?"

Voidwalk through it.

He didn’t hesitate. Shadows spiraled up his legs as he stepped forward, the barrier swallowing him whole. Cold darkness flooded his senses for a heartbeat — then spat him out into a different place entirely.

He stood at the base of a colossal stone pillar, its surface carved with runes older than the sky. In the center, a small, perfectly smooth indentation awaited... something.

Zane tilted his head.

"Huh. Guess I know what goes there."

Golden light flickered in his palm as he summoned the key he’d earned — the one that had been taunting him since he first found it. With a casual toss, he dropped it into the slot.

The pillar groaned. Mechanisms hidden deep inside churned to life.

From the top, a crystal slowly descended — jagged, black, pulsing faintly like a beating heart.

Nyx’s tone sharpened.

That... is the essence of this dimension. Touch it, and you will claim it.

Zane stepped forward, smirking.

"Don’t mind if I do."

His fingers closed around the crystal.

The world shattered.

---

Meanwhile, in WindVeil...

The ground trembled. Above the battlefield, the sky tore open — not with lightning, but with a gash of pure void. Purple-black light spilled out, warping the air.

Every soldier froze. Even Astrid, spear dripping with WindVeil blood, looked up.

From the rift came a voice — low, amused, and unmistakable.

"I’M BACK—!"

A figure stepped through, shadow clinging to him like a living cloak.

"—KKKKKKKKKKKK."

Zane grinned, taking in the chaos before him.