Hunter and Prey

The Void Lord's roar of rage left even Sargeras somewhat puzzled. Following the direction the Void Lord was looking, a familiar back came into view.

The figure held a black orb in his left hand, while his right hand slowly withdrew from a forward thrust. Hearing the Void Lord's furious roar, he turned to look at him, then strode toward Sargeras.

With every step he took, his body grew taller, and the energy surrounding him surged several times over. By the time he reached Sargeras's side, he had grown to the same size as him.

"You asked what I did?" As he helped the half-kneeling, panting Sargeras to his feet, he replied,

"I didn't do much. I merely took away a filthy, disgusting soul."

"Impossible. No one can take our souls. No one has that right."

"Let me correct that mistaken notion of yours." Vanidak stood shoulder to shoulder with Sargeras. "It isn't that there is no power capable of judging you. You simply hadn't encountered it before. But unfortunately for you, now you have."

"You lowly maggot! A World Soul dares to harm a ruler of the Void? You... how dare you!"

Vanidak waved a hand impatiently at those words and said to his already furious opponent, "How dare I? You really are far too confident in your status and power. You're nothing more than a little bug with barely passable strength, yet you've swollen to this extent. It's truly... laughable. Ahahaha."

"Wretched insect! You dare keep talking big? You will pay the price! I will slowly grind your soul to pieces for my enjoyment. When that time comes, let's see if you can still laugh!" The Void Lord roared furiously at Vanidak before charging straight at him.

"Sargeras, go outside and clean up that cosmic trash." Blades sprang from Vanidak's arms as he assumed a fighting stance. "You've expended too much power. Leave this place to me. I've already cleared the path out. Those cosmic scraps are yours—leave none alive!"

Sargeras did not grow angry at his brother's command. Instead, he smiled. "Of course I won't let a single one escape. But can you defeat this guy? He's a troublesome enemy."

"Someone like him presents no challenge to me at all. Go, Sargeras. Don't disappoint me, my brother."

"Ah, if that's the case, what more can I say?"

"Your will, my brother."

As Sargeras departed, Vanidak watched the Void Lord charge at him in fury. A cold smile curved beneath his hood.

"Let the hunt begin!"

"Positioning... positioning... can't see me."

As silver light flickered, the Void Lord's original target abruptly vanished, and ethereal voices echoed all around him.

"Hehe, can't see me."

While the Void Lord vigilantly watched his surroundings, a sudden, searing pain exploded from his back, accompanied by an extremely irritating voice.

"Turn around... and stab!"

Pfft. A blade pierced his body, then was swiftly pulled free. As the blade left him, the Void Lord felt a tremendous force strike from behind. Unable to control his body after being hit by that immense force, he stumbled forward in an undignified fall.

"Oh dear, oh dear. Tripping on flat ground? That's... not cute at all."

The Void Lord rose and glared at the enemy who had reappeared some distance away, while sensing the injuries within his body.

"Ohoho, what a frightening look. How should I praise you? Nice glare?" Ignoring the hatred in his opponent's gaze, Vanidak continued to unleash his strongest weapon—his mouth.

"What exactly are you? A World Soul does not possess the ability to completely erase the soul of a Void Lord. You... what... are... you?" The terrified Void Lord once more demanded an answer as he felt the injuries within his body.

"World Soul? Oh, let me correct you. I prefer it when others call me a Titan. Yes, I am a Titan. There is no doubt about that."

"You may call me Vanidak, or refer to me as The Formless. Of course, what I would prefer is for you disgusting troublemakers to remember the title I have for you."

"Hunter."

Before his words had faded, Vanidak vanished again. The prepared Void Lord hurriedly turned to defend himself, only to strike at empty air. Then a strange cry rang out from above his head.

"Justice descends from the heavens!"

Vanidak reappeared and drove the blade on his right arm down toward the Void Lord below. The quick-reacting Void Lord blocked the strike, preventing his head from being pierced.

"Justice backstab!" Before the Void Lord could even catch his breath, another shout came from behind him. Once again, he felt the familiar sensation of a blade entering his body. As the blade withdrew, the Void Lord felt a tiny crack seem to form in his soul.

The Void Lord hurriedly leaped away, turned, and looked at the ambusher still posing strangely where he stood. At last, he could not help shouting, "What exactly is your weapon? The aura on it feels somewhat... familiar!"

"Oh? You mean my beautiful yet deadly little darlings?" Vanidak seemed to be interested as well. "You have good taste. These weapons are my favorites. But why should I tell you anything about them? We are enemies, mortal enemies, aren't we?"

"If I am not mistaken, they are creations of the Void, aren't they?" The Void Lord suddenly sneered. "A World Soul who claims to uphold justice hunts the apostles of the Void everywhere, yet this so-called champion of justice wields the power of the Void. How laughable. I will savor this irony."

No expression could be seen on the face hidden beneath the hood's shadow. Seeing that Vanidak seemed unable to respond, the Void Lord continued to tempt him. "But it doesn't matter. The fact that you can accept the power of the Void proves that your vision surpasses the races beneath this starry sky by countless times. I can overlook all your past mistakes. As long as you join our ranks, once we succeed, I can guarantee you a status equal to mine—or even above mine. Well? Won't you consider it?"

"First, I need to make one thing clear." A sudden voice interrupted the Void Lord's lengthy speech.

"These two swords do indeed come from the Void. I do not deny it..."

"Oh? So you intend to accept the power of the Void and embrace the Void? I can—"

"But! Do not misunderstand, you pitiful ignoramus." Vanidak slowly raised his face, bringing it into the Void Lord's sight. That icy gaze seemed capable of piercing his soul.

Vanidak continued in a cold voice,

"Perhaps in your eyes, choosing a certain kind of power means you must stand on a certain side... How laughable."

"Power is nothing more than one of the most primal substances in this universe. Whether light or darkness, neither has ever declared what it wished to do. They merely follow their instincts along their own courses."

"Yet pitiful ignoramuses like you attempt to interpret and represent the most primal substances in this universe with your own thoughts. How absurd. How laughable. How... ironic."

As he approached the Void Lord with both arms hanging at his sides, Vanidak continued,

"I was born within the core of a world's flames. I am a World Soul. I am a Titan. I chose the power of the Void not because I wished to completely embrace it or join your foolish ranks, but because..."

"Compared to other powers, it is simply more... useful for killing you."

Shing! Shing!

With the sound of two blades unsheathing, two pitch-black blades sprang from Vanidak's lowered arms. Immediately afterward, black flames began to burn, and in the next instant, streaked with black-and-white light, he shot toward the Void Lord.

"Impossible! How can a World Soul, a representative of order, fuse Arcane and Void together? Impossible! This... is impossible!"

Seeing the flames blazing around Vanidak, the Void Lord shrieked in terror. Yet in the next moment, his scream stopped abruptly.

Two black blades pierced into his neck and emerged from the back of his skull. The black flames attached to the blades seemed to be stimulated upon touching the Void Lord's body, spreading rapidly. As the black flames blazed fiercely, the black radiance around the still-whimpering Void Lord gradually dimmed.

At last, beneath Vanidak's indifferent gaze, the body filled with Void energy burned to nothing, leaving behind a black orb.

He grabbed the remaining black orb, pulled out another identical one from somewhere unknown, and looked at the stones in his hands as black streams of light flowed across them. Then Vanidak chuckled.

"Hehe, two harvests at once. This really is... cough, cough, cough... cough... pfft... Mm, this wasn't a loss. It was even a huge profit."

He wiped the corner of his mouth with his vambrace, pressed the two black orbs onto it, and examined the altered pair of vambraces with satisfaction. Looking around, he said,

"Mm, this place is more or less finished. This space will probably be forcibly banished before long. Poor stowaway, though it's only a mindless space. Mm."

"Then let's leave and see how Boss Sargeras is doing. After all, that task should count as his old profession. If he does too poorly, I'll look down on him. Hehe."

Afterward, Vanidak waved a hand to open a spatial gate and decisively leaped into it.

Somewhere in the Astral Realm, a silver magic array appeared. In the next moment, a figure materialized within the Astral Realm.

Looking at the assorted severed limbs and corpses floating through the Void around him, along with chunks that looked like wreckage from spacecraft, Vanidak could not help twitching at the corner of his mouth.

"This guy really is proficient at his job. This scene is a little too much for my pure heart to bear."

After muttering quietly, Vanidak looked around.

"Now then, let me search... search... where might this skilled industry expert be?"

"Aha, I see you."

At this moment, the seasoned professional Sargeras was tracking down the remaining cosmic pirates. Or perhaps they should have been called demons. These beings, summoned into the Dark Void through various methods by the Ethereal Prince, had suddenly met with catastrophe on this day. A ruthless man wielding a greatsword raised his blade and cut them down, then raised it and cut them down again, carving his way from the captain's quarters to the stern of the ship. Wherever he passed, blood and flesh flew. No one survived. Even the ship's elite guards were cut down as easily as chopping vegetables.

Apparently still not satisfied in the end, the ruthless fellow split the enormous Lucky Toe apart in the Void with a single slash. On that day, the legendary starship finally had its toe chopped off and could no longer be lucky.

After catching up to and cutting down the final target, the conscientious Sargeras finally let out a breath. Honestly, even if there had been the same number of pigs for one man to slaughter, it would still have been exhausting. Just as the blood-eyed Sargeras was about to catch his breath, he suddenly sensed a watchful gaze hidden in the dark. He immediately raised his greatsword, looked toward the watcher, and roared,

"Who? Who's there?!"

Just as Sargeras rushed forward, ready to cut down the hidden observer, a voice rang out.

"Oh, my brother, don't be hasty. Look at this fellow—he truly shines like starlight."

"No, no, no, don't kill him. Seeing this guy, I think we'll soon be able to find my other unreliable brothers and sisters."