Jack gritted his teeth.
His face was pale and strained.
Shadows and Darkness stretched unnaturally long around him, twisting as if alive.
He tried to use his phylactery.
But it didn’t activate.
Panic seeped into his expression.
He couldn’t revive himself in another body.
‘What is happening…?’
Several seconds passed while he was stunned by the lack of his unique trait activation.
The ground beneath him cracked, as the corruption spread.
The oppressive atmosphere seemed to sap the strength from his very core.
‘Is it because of this…?’
He thought while staring at the screen before his eyes.
[The Void corrupts you.]
[The Void has corrupted a portion of your Seed of Existence.]
Void.
He had no idea how it worked.
It wasn’t taught in the Academy and this was his first encounter with it.
Slowly, Jack’s abilities were sealed completely.
He could only watch with a stunned expression as a maggot pounced on his head, its multiple eyes gleaming with hunger.
There was no time for Jack to dodge or for Emma to help him.
Her focus was split as she tried to help other awakeners from the writhing abominations.
Sweat dripped down her brow as she clenched her fists, her limited abilities pushed to their breaking point.
Just as Jack was about to be eaten, Thanatos came out from his shadow.
He grabbed Jack and dodged the maggot with him.
“Neo?” Jack’s voice was hoarse, and filled with disbelief.
There was a lot he had to say.
He wanted to ask if Neo was truly so busy that he couldn’t use five minutes to meet him.
Was it only Jack who thought of Neo as a friend?
Before he could voice his thoughts, he noticed something.
“You are not Neo—”
“I am though,” said Neo as he temporarily took control of the Intent clone.
His voice was calm but carried a weight of urgency that left no room for argument.
Without waiting for Jack to say anything, Neo rushed toward Emma.
His movements were sharp and decisive, like a blade slicing through water.
“Give me cover,” he told her.
“Got it.”
She complied without asking anything.
The ground beneath her feet trembled as she summoned more walls of Darkness.
They rose like jagged obsidian, blocking the advancing swarm of maggots.
For a moment, the noise of the battlefield became dim as the trio was protected with the walls of Darkness.
Neo crouched in front of Jack with an unreadable expression.
He inspected the purple cracks spreading across Jack’s body.
“Can you use your traits or abilities?”
“…”
“Jack, we don’t have time.”
“…I can’t.”
Jack’s expression was grim.
He had stayed behind to help Neo stop the end of the world, but now he had become useless as soon as the battle started.
The cracks pulsed, and Jack’s body convulsed briefly as the corruption spread further.
Meanwhile, Emma’s situation grew dire.
The walls of darkness began to crack under the relentless assault of the maggots.
One broke through, lunging at her with horrifying speed.
She barely managed to dodge, retaliating with a shadow spear that pushed the creature out of the walls.
Neo’s gaze snapped toward her.
“Hold on a little longer.”
Emma gritted her teeth.
Her legs trembled due to exhaustion.
“Don’t worry about me. Just focus on your task,” she muttered, summoning another wall to replace the shattered one.
Neo’s hands glowed faintly as he placed them on Jack’s chest.
“Don’t worry. Your abilities can be healed,” Neo said. “Your Seed of Existence has been corrupted by the Void that’s why you can’t use anything.
“Check your status; you should’ve gained Void affinity.
“Now you need to start from the bottom again to gain all of your abilities back.”
No one was born with Void affinity.
Only those corrupted by the Void gained Void affinity.
When it happened, the awakeners’ abilities would revert to zero.
After being corrupted, Godblood could be awakened again, but it was tough to achieve.
Thanatos explained everything to Jack.
“You aren’t needed here anymore. Go back,” he added. “The Shadow Supreme would send you to a different world.”
“No.”
Jack answered with a clenched jaw.
He was prepared to die there.
Besides, he could tell Neo was not going to escape either.
“I wasn’t asking. It was an order.”
Thanatos placed his hand over Jack’s shoulder and activated his trait [Mind Control].
Mind Control was the evolved version of the Mind Invasion trait he took from Anomaly #33.
Divine Energy flowed out from Thanatos’ hand and seeped into Jack’s forehead.
“Leave this world.”
“N-no…..”
Thanatos frowned when Jack managed to resist the mind control.
Hesitation appeared on his face.
He could increase the power of mind control, but it had a high chance of leaving permanent brain damage on Jack.
This destructive nature of Mind Control was why Thanatos rarely used this trait.
It would fry the person’s brain and turn them stupid almost every time.
“Jack….”
Emma turned around and spoke to him.
She had noticed what Neo was trying to do.
“Please leave.”
“No, I w-won’t.”
Emma bit her lips, noticing Jack’s resistance.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
She used her Concept and called upon Darkness.
Using Darkness, she tried to wear down Jack’s mental defenses, allowing Thanatos’ Mind Control to work properly.
Jack’s eyes grew hazy.
He opened his mouth.
“I…. want… to go….”
Even though under Mind Control, he struggled to not say the words.
However, it was useless.
“…back..”
A door made of Shadows appeared next to the trio.
Its surface rippled like liquid darkness.
The oppressive air seemed to shift slightly as the portal materialized, offering a sliver of hope amidst the chaos.
However, only Neo and Jack could use it.
Without wasting any time, Thanatos grabbed Jack and threw him through the door.
Jack barely had time to react as the shadows engulfed him, pulling him into the unknown.
The door closed behind him with a faint, echoing thud, leaving no trace of its existence.
Emma’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly as a look of relief crossed her face.
She didn’t know where Jack had gone, but judging by Thanatos’ expression, she knew he was safe now.
The swirling sea of maggots around them, however, didn’t allow her much time to dwell on her thoughts.
Suddenly, the wall of Darkness shielding them shattered with an explosive crack.
The maggots surged forward, their shrieks deafening.
Thanatos reacted instantly, scooping Emma into his arms and leaping back to avoid the onslaught.
“Aren’t you going to leave too?” Emma asked.
“No,” Thanatos replied with a firm tone. “This is my world. I’ll either save it or die along with it.”
“Isn’t this Jack’s world too?”
“It is, but I’m a hypocrite.”
Emma chuckled lightly, despite the gravity of their situation.