Chapter 1485 - Truth

With Raikou, Kintoki, Chang'e, Shirou, and Hou Yi present, the Heroes Faction was only missing one contender. Traditionally, this would be Musashi, but, due to the nature of her 'nothingness', it was all but impossible to detect her before she appeared.

Fortunately, while Musashi might be undetectable through normal means, Vahn had seen her appear within the Flow of Fate. He wasn't exactly sure when she would arrive, but, even if someone else was to take her place during the event, he was confident she would make an appearance near the end...

In an effort to 'trigger' the event, Vahn turned his attention from the new arrivals, directing his gaze to Hou Yi as he asked, "Where is your final contender? We have already decided to wrap things up quickly, so it would be in all of our best interests to proceed to the main event."

Though Vahn's words sounded overbearing, none present doubted the fact he could back up his bravado with results. Thus, rather than show any offense, Hou Yi nodded in understanding, saying, "Had things gone as intended, Lady Musashi would have appeared towards the end, fighting Your Imperial Majesty in your weakened state. We cannot truly fathom Your Imperial Majesty's power, so, as remiss as I am to say, we must rely on underhanded means just to balance the playing field..."

Towards the end of his words, Hou Yi offered an apologetic bow, holding the position for several seconds before raising his head and adding, "In lieu of recent developments, I fear we must rely on another to take her place. As for who...I'm certain Your Imperial Majesty has already foreseen it..."

As he had, indeed, been taking a peek into the near-future, Vahn nodded his head in affirmation to Hou Yi's claim. There was only one other Heroic Spirit present, and, though she was nowhere to be seen, Vahn knew Danzō was lingering within the void. She might be an Artificial Human but, due to her nature as a Heroic Spirit, she could freely transition between her Spiritual and Physical forms. As a result, she could freely conceal herself within the void, taking advantage of her A-Rank [Presence Concealment] to evade his senses.

Deciding it would be more interesting to allow her to surprise him, Vahn stopped sneaking peeks at the future, smiling as he asked, "Shall we begin?"

Without waiting for a response, Vahn activated the [Virtual Reality Marble], creating a projection that perfectly matched even the location of rubble within the real world. If you were to venture above the surface, you would even find the Forbidden City, replicated down the most minute details. You would have to travel nearly 100km from the center of the [Virtual Reality Marble] to find any discrepancies. Beyond that point, the world became a vast and empty wasteland. Eventually, it even became a white plane, extending outward for approximately three light-years before the orb was no longer able to properly 'render' the virtual space.

As there were no other major preparations necessary, Vahn raised his hand towards the ceiling, a mass of swirling energy appearing in his palm as he said, "Let's open things up. It's a little stuffy in here."

Immediately following Vahn's words, black light could be seen spreading within the mass of energy in his hand, an indicator that a singularity had been formed. This caused Hou Yi to draw his bow, but, despite releasing an arrow that seemed to 'teleport' through the void, it wasn't enough to deter the destructive energy gathered within Vahn's palm.

Using the forearm of his left hand in a vain attempt to deflect Hou Yi's arrow, Vahn grimaced slightly before saying, "It's too late. Witness the power we have been cultivating since our ascension. Since it seems you called me here to demonstrate my power, it would be rude of us to hold back!"

Ignoring the fact he was quickly turning into a pincushion, Vahn condensed the Space around him to prevent others from attacking as he shouted, "Fixate! Seize! Load magic, 'Void Emperor'!"

Following Vahn's echoing shout, a vibrant white light seemed to cut through everything, temporarily blinding anyone looking directly at him. Then, accompanied by what sounded like a distant vibration, one which caused people's instincts to scream in protest, the light seemed to rapidly 'retract', rather than fade away. By the time visibility had returned, the eerie vibration had increased exponentially in intensity, to the point of resonating within the hearts and minds of everyone bearing witness to the maddening event before them...

Where Vahn had previously stood, an amorphous blob of what appeared to be 'pure void' could be seen attempting to form a human shape. It seemed to be struggling greatly to accomplish this, but, despite the rather awkward movements, it caused catastrophic damage to the surrounding Space. It was like a living spatial tear, representing a gravitational singularity that, against common sense, was slowly gaining physical form...

Despite the cracks spreading through the area, causing reddish-black lightning to tear through the surrounding arena, Hou Yi leaped high into the sky, shouting, "We must stop him before he finishes his transformation! That is not a power that sh