Annihilation and Awakening in the Void

“Receive my judgment!” The booming voice reverberated across the heavens.Against the colossal spear wielded by Abaddon, the gray-haired girl’s figure appeared impossibly small. Just as no one would expect an ant to fell a human, no one believed she could possibly endure such an onslaught.When Wu Liyun awoke, this harrowing spectacle was the first thing to greet his eyes.”Liu Yu!” he cried, her name torn from his lips. He lunged forward, desperate to snatch her from harm’s way, only for the surging gale to sweep him away, along with the very ruins of the building, leaving no trace of his presence.Given his Bloodkin physique, however, a fall from such a height would inflict little damage; he was merely compelled to withdraw from the fray.Meanwhile, sensing the imminent danger, the Shadow seeped from the girl’s form, coalescing into countless black serpents. They ravenously consumed the energy emanating from the spear’s tip, silently dissipating it into oblivion.Even a strike capable of rending the heavens and shattering the earth failed to stir the slightest ripple before the Devourer Hound.”…Is this all it takes? If so, then prepare for this!”The youth’s eyes transformed into twin crimson gems, their fiery glow reflecting the girl’s slender form. Immediately, an unimaginably terrifying surge of energy erupted between the Shadow and the spear’s tip. In that singular, explosive moment, even the sun’s inherent brilliance was eclipsed.”I will reduce you and this entire world to ashes!” ‘Annihilation’!!!”Boom!” A colossal fireball bloomed upon the earth, its deafening roar accompanied by a potent shockwave that radiated from the spear’s tip. In but a fleeting moment, it utterly annihilated the surrounding artificial space.Simultaneously, as though roused by an unseen force, the gray-haired girl finally tore herself from the clutches of her past, groggily fluttering her eyes open.”Where… am I?” Her eyes fluttered open to a scene of utter devastation, as though hundreds of missiles had relentlessly plowed through the landscape.Dust and debris swirled incessantly through the air, while the ground was scarred with countless craters. Had it not been for the faint, indistinct figures she could still discern in the distance, Liu Yu might have genuinely believed she had once again stumbled onto a post-apocalyptic film set.”What happened?” Liu Yu murmured, pressing a hand to her throbbing forehead. She frantically sifted through her memories, her mind finally latching onto the image of Chongyun, whom she had run through with her sword.Without a doubt, that man must have perpetrated some egregious act, leading to her brief lapse in consciousness. The thought spurred the girl to hastily check her body, and upon discovering her clothes were still miraculously intact, a profound sense of relief washed over her.”Phew… thank goodness, nothing untoward happened.”‘Though I am, at my core, a boy, this body is undeniably that of a remarkably well-figured… girl. In an era teeming with super-powered individuals, what if I were to stumble upon an ability user adept at hypnosis, brainwashing, and as utterly contemptible as Miss Villy? Wouldn’t that be my absolute undoing?!”Damn it, what in the blazes is this useless Shadow doing?! Is it truly slacking off?!’Just as she was lost in a spiral of uncontrolled thoughts, the light abruptly dimmed. A monstrous figure, as colossal as a towering mountain, had eclipsed the sun, plunging the girl’s form into a profound shadow.”Who the hell are you…?” A primal fear of the colossal entity surged within her, prompting Liu Yu to instinctively draw her Demonic Sword. She adopted a wary combat stance, her features a mask of intense vigilance.’This was a creature unlike anything she had ever witnessed.’Its gargantuan form seemed to touch the heavens and root itself to the earth, dwarfing the evil dragon Chongyun had become by dozens of times. It stood like a towering anomaly in the heart of the skyscraper-laden city, commanding all attention.Its upper torso was that of a human youth, so exquisitely beautiful that their gender was almost indiscernible. Adorned with a magnificent crown, they resembled an exalted “Emperor,” wielding absolute power and towering over all creation.Yet, this “Emperor” was currently fixed on the girl below with a gaze of pure “hatred,” a stare so chilling it sent an icy tremor down her spine.Its lower half, conversely, was a four-legged beast, from which black blood visibly flowed, and a seemingly bottomless chasm gaped in its abdomen. ‘Is this a Black-blooded…?’ It bore a striking resemblance, yet something felt subtly wrong.”Not dead yet…” The soft utterance failed to conceal the profound malice seething beneath. The golden-crowned youth once more conjured a long spear from the void, its nascent form emanating a boiling killing intent that materialized into a bone-chilling gale. The very air around them seemed to plummet in temperature.”But it matters not…” The dragon’s colossal form stirred, each ponderous step an earth-shattering tremor that resonated deep within the soul.”If once proves insufficient, then twice; if twice, then thrice. No matter how many times I must repeat this…” Abaddon hoisted his spear aloft, and at its tip, energy far exceeding that of his previous strike began to coalesce. Concurrently, myriad rays of light converged behind his human torso, solidifying into a pair of formidable crimson wings.”I shall strike you down… so blame those ‘heroes’ who are responsible for this entire debacle!” The spear descended with devastating force!There is no love without reason, nor hatred without cause. Liu Yu, who had diligently striven to be well-behaved and law-abiding since her arrival in this era, found it impossible to believe that this profound malice was aimed at her personally. Therefore, it could only be… aimed at this particular face.”Tsk.” ‘That abominable white-haired fiend is perpetually stirring up trouble!’While inwardly seething about that “hero” who perpetually courted disaster and amassed countless foes, Liu Yu hastily retreated. In a moment of extreme peril, she narrowly, almost impossibly, evaded the spear hurtling towards her.Yet, before she could even draw a ragged breath, Abaddon’s next devastating assault was already upon her.Witnessing his spear miss its mark, his features twisted into a grotesque snarl. Then, the luminous wings behind him flapped with furious intensity. In that instant, torrents of light rained down like celestial droplets. They carved through the very earth. They warped the fabric of space. They utterly eclipsed the sun.By the time Liu Yu could fully react, she found herself irrevocably sealed within an impenetrable cage of light.”Hmph, this ends now!” There was no avenue for escape, no possibility of retreat.The spear, hurtling towards her, pulsed with world-shattering power. The Shadow, as if provoked, surged and coiled, spontaneously weaving an impregnable defense before the girl.Liu Yu drew a deep, bolstering breath, momentarily casting aside the creeping tendrils of cowardice and fear. Her hands tightened around the sword hilt, and she silently commanded the Shadow to augment its offensive might.In her grasp, the Demonic Sword suddenly shimmered, blurring into an indistinct form before solidifying once more as a greatsword that towered even taller than her own body.”This is where the ultimate greatsword hero makes their grand entrance!” A small, nervous joke flitted through her mind as Liu Yu, adopting an awkward stance, swung the colossal blade to meet the onslaught.”Haaaaaaah—” Despite the ferocity of her cry, reality remained stubbornly unchanged.The enhanced Demonic Sword cleaved through Abaddon’s spear with effortless grace.”Wow, how pathetic.” This unexpected turn of events immediately bolstered the girl’s confidence. She quickened her pace, swaying precariously as she hefted the oversized greatsword, and charged headlong towards Abaddon, intent on pressing her advantage and utterly dismantling this outwardly formidable, yet inwardly hollow, monster.”Heh…” Witnessing this, Abaddon offered a contemptuous sneer. The demonic dragon, once known as Fafnir, reared onto its hind legs, and from the gaping maw in its draconic torso, boundless darkness surged forth. It devoured the light, consumed all sound, and swallowed Liu Yu whole.With that, the world fell utterly silent. Nothing could be seen. Nothing could be felt. Liu Yu felt as though she had been cast into a primordial, chaotic realm, where heaven and earth had yet to be sundered, and creation itself had not begun. There was only her isolated self, adrift in the void.