Two minutes ago.
Neo’s fragmented Existence floated in a vast expanse of a pocket universe.
His thoughts were slow, stretched thin like fading echoes.
Even so, he could faintly feel the presence of his other fragments scattered across different pocket universes.
That shouldn’t have been possible.
But his Heavenly Records made it so.
They stayed connected to his fragments, keeping a thin thread of awareness alive even when his body, soul, and Core had been cut apart.
’What... is... happening...?’
The thought came weakly, heavy like stone sinking in water.
But the Heavenly Records were still working perfectly.
Lines of light flickered in his fading mind as they spoke.
[Master, the mark on your back evolved when you spoke to that person.]
[It’s now burned into your existence. We don’t fully understand it yet, but it seems related to Young Master Beelzebub.]
[Since the moment the mark appeared, Beelzebub’s growth has accelerated drastically.]
[He will break out of his cocoon soon.]
Neo’s fading consciousness stirred.
Beelzebub.
His manifestation of the Concept of Time, Nullhour.
It was strange from the beginning, how his Concept had a mind of its own.
Concepts weren’t supposed to have that.
But given what was happening, the Heavenly Records suspected it had something to do with that man: Daniel Caelum. The one who called himself the Devil of Time. Ouroboros.
A faint crack spread through Beelzebub’s cocoon.
It meant his Concept of Time, Nullhour, was advancing from Supreme Rank to Stage 1 Godhood.
Normally, a Stage 1 Concept wouldn’t be strong.
But Neo’s Existence was at Stage 6.
He had decillions of Heavenly Records backing him.
Even a low-ranked Concept, powered by that, could destroy worlds.
’Heavenly... Record...’
He didn’t have a body. Or a soul. Or anything else. Only fragments of his existence and his fading consciousness.
He forced his mind to move.
Each thought hurt, but it was necessary for the Heavenly Records to read him.
’Tell that... idiot... Beelzebub... to sleep... if he wakes up early... I’ll eat him... half-cooked....’
Heavenly Records paused.
Was he... joking?
[Master, I don’t think Young Master Beelzebub will rest, not given your current—]
’I... can handle... this problem... easily....’
Even in his shattered state, he still sounded confident.
Kevin had been clever.
By cutting Neo’s Existence into fragments, he made sure Neo couldn’t generate Stage 6 energy anymore.
But Kevin underestimated what a Heavenbreaker was capable of.
Neo might not be able to create new energy at that level right now, but he had stored plenty when he ascended to Stage 6.
And his Heavenly Records could still forge Stage 6 Cores to generate more energy if needed.
He also had Loan, his backup option.
Pocket universes?
There was no way such small cages could hold him.
Neo’s fragments began to move.
Energy, thick and steady, filled each pocket universe.
The pocket universes trembled.
Kevin probably thought Neo would waste all his energy trying to break free.
But he was wrong.
Neo wouldn’t need to use even a fraction of it.
The moment the energy filled every corner, Neo activated his Concept.
The World.
His Nullhour Concept bloomed like silent fire.
Stage 6 Cores and countless Heavenly Records fueled it, spreading through the fabric of the pocket universes.
Though Beelzebub was supposed to be asleep, Nullhour had already reached Stage 1. That was enough.
The Nullhour Worlds began to expand, and time itself started to be erased.
Seconds, minutes, hours—all gone.
The pocket universes couldn’t survive without the flow of time, which was one of the fundamental forces.
One by one, they collapsed.
Neo drifted through the collapsing space, appearing in another universe after each shattering.
He soon realized Kevin had layered pocket universes within pocket universes, like a nesting trap.
But it didn’t matter.
Every time Neo’s fragment entered one, Time was erased, and the pocket universe fell apart.
The process repeated again and again, until all that remained was the final barrier: the Golden Domain.
Neo’s fragmented Existences emerged there.
The fabric of reality wavered.
Across the collapsing space, Kevin stood, watching with tight lips.
The shattering of so many pocket universes released a wave of destructive energy.
It burst outward like a storm of dying stars.
But Neo’s fragments devoured it.
Every bit of it.
Then, something darker rose from within his fragments, a deep, silent Firmament that looked like the night swallowing the sun.
Neo used it to devour his fragments.
Kevin’s eyes widened.
"He’s... eating his own existences?"
The luminous fragments spun faster, merging, devouring, consuming.
The sight was both terrifying and beautiful.
The fragments formed a massive shape of a dragon biting its own tail.
It was the cycle of life and death.
The eternal return.
Slowly, the dragon shrank, swallowing itself piece by piece until only one fragment remained.
That single fragment pulsed faintly, then brightened.
Knowledge. Power. Identity.
All of it flowed back into that final piece.
Kevin moved.
His figure blurred as he dashed toward the fragment, trying to seal it before it could reform.
But before he could get close, a wave of energy erupted.
It pulsed like a beating heart, and Kevin was thrown back by the impact.
The fragment grew larger, absorbing everything around it.
First, the Existence took shape.
Then came the Core.
Then the soul.
And finally, the body.
The air trembled.
Space twisted.


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