[The Seventh Volume: Fall of the Asuras]
Shen Ze, the star system housing some of the mighty Legendary Rank powerhouses that once had an orderly and peaceful civil war, was now in absolute chaos.
There were three major zones in Shen Ze. One belonged to the Evure God Clan, another to the Central Alliance, and the last to the Asura God Clan.
The center was neutral, but due to the escalation of the civil war between the Evures and the Asuras, they were now involved.
The death of Lysander, the second prince of the Asuras, was of utmost significance, as it sparked the entire conflict.
The Asuras, angered by his death, invaded the Evure God Clan.
Then, two important members of the Evure God Clan—the rebel Jacqueline and one of the major pillars, Roy—were kidnapped.
The Evure God Clan believed the Asuras were responsible and demanded their return, offering to stop the war in exchange. However, the Asuras denied any involvement.
Furious, the Evure God Clan launched a full-scale attack, and the Asuras retaliated.
This prompted the recruitment of members from the Central Alliance, as both powerhouses were wary of an attack from the Alliance while they were at their weakest.
For a period, both sides used assassination, trickery, deceit, and force to recruit Central Alliance members.
If the center attempted retaliation, both clans would simultaneously attack, resulting in mutual destruction.
Thus, the leader of the Central Alliance, the Qing Mei Sect, issued a notice allowing the major houses to join either of the two clans as they wished.
The Qing Mei Sect did not involve itself in the war between the Asuras and Evures. Instead, it gathered the smaller houses of the alliance for protection. The Asuras and Evures were fine with this arrangement, as they did not see the Qing Mei Sect and the smaller houses as a significant threat—at least, that was their opinion. They were unaware of the true situation.
More than a century had passed, and Jacqueline and Roy's whereabouts were still unknown. Their life tablets showed they were alive, but their location remained a mystery.
The Evure God Clan was furious, and the Asura God Clan bore the brunt of their anger, as evidenced by the destruction of nearly 30% of their territory.
Both powerhouses were on equal footing, unable to claim the other's territory. They could only destroy and retreat. Once a territory was destroyed, it could not be restored.
On a larger scale, this was the state of the war. Anyone could discern this much, and even the Qing Mei Sect had given Lith similar information.
However, this wasn't enough.
Having experienced multiple situations, Lith wanted information from the ground level.
As a result, he didn't go straight to the Qing Mei Sect upon arriving in Shen Ze. Instead, he entered Asura territory and decided to visit the nearest world to assess the situation firsthand.
Currently, he was in a desert, walking toward the nearest settlement. His clothes, resembling those of a wandering nomad, were dusty from the sand in the air.
The sun blazed in the bright sky, and in a world bathed in yellow, the King Rank Vampire could feel his melanin-deprived skin begin to burn.
Lith could fly to the settlement whenever he wished, and judging by the surroundings, there were no immortals living in this world. However, he wanted to stay low and experience life as a common man.
After walking for thirty minutes in the scorching heat, Lith finally reached the settlement.
Lith approached the settlement with slow, deliberate steps, his eyes scanning the area.
Dusty, makeshift houses scattered haphazardly across the barren land, constructed from crumbling stone and twisted metal. The buildings leaned against each other for support, as if struggling to stay upright against time and neglect.
The air was thick with the scent of rust and decay, a mixture of old stone and dry earth.
A few figures moved about in the distance, their clothes ragged and their faces hardened by years of struggle. Some shuffled through the market square, where a handful of stalls still stood, though the goods they offered were few and far between—sparse, half-rotten vegetables, dried meats, and a few other unrecognizable items.
The lively chatter of a typical market was long gone, replaced by a heavy silence that lingered in the air, as if the entire settlement was holding its breath.
Lith approached the trio quietly, his footsteps barely stirring the sand beneath him.
The boy, standing on the ground, was drawing crude lines in the dirt with a stick, his face alight with youthful determination. The old man leaned against a crumbling wall, his weathered features heavy with exhaustion, while the middle-aged man sat hunched nearby, staring blankly ahead.
"It'll be fine," his calm, steady voice broke the tense quiet.
All three turned toward the source of the voice.
Lith stood a few feet away, his loose, dust-covered clothes masking the powerful build beneath. He stepped closer, his presence commanding yet unassuming.
The boy's sharp eyes followed Lith as he reached out and ruffled his hair without warning. "What makes you so sure?" the boy asked, his tone more curious than defiant.
The old man grunted, narrowing his eyes at Lith. "Words mean nothing here," he muttered, his voice rough with years of disappointment. "Not when he's coming."
Lith's gaze shifted to the old man, unflinching. "Who's 'he'?" he asked, his tone measured.
The old man sighed deeply, pointing a bony finger toward the altar in the center of the settlement.
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"Wait long enough, and you'll see him for yourself," he said. "He comes for our souls. Always does."
At the mention of him, the middle-aged man began trembling visibly, his hands clutching at his knees.
"There's no stopping him," he muttered, his voice cracking. "No hope. He'll destroy everything. Like before. Like always."
"Shut up," the boy snapped, his small fists tightening. "We can fight back! We will fight back!"
The old man shook his head bitterly, his voice sharp and weary.
"You're young. You don't know the weight of losing everything over and over again. This isn't a story where the good guys win."
The boy's defiance wavered for a moment, but Lith spoke again, his voice calm and sure. "Stay strong," he said, glancing at the boy before looking at the two older men.
"Sometimes, that's enough."
The old man grumbled under his breath, but his sharp retort faded when Lith's attention shifted to the altar. Its weathered, cracked surface bore strange, foreboding symbols, glowing faintly as the sun began to set. The air around it seemed unnaturally still, heavy with an unspoken threat.
Lith moved closer, his broad figure cutting through the lingering tension. He stopped a few paces away from the altar, his bright purple eyes narrowing as he studied it.
Behind him, the trio fell silent, their fear and doubt palpable as they waited for whatever—or whoever—was coming.
.....
A/N: Hi all, the novel updates every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday!
And the chapters are big, alright? It's 2 chapters in 1! You don't have to bear through the small chapters again and exhaust your fast passes on multiple micro chapters.
Thank you all for your consistent support to the novel. I hope to end VSOL by the end of 2025. If it doesn't end, no worries, I'll end it in 2026, easy.
Also, in case you don't know, I published a new novel called "Grand Lust Sovereign"!
It has all the elements from VSOL but is actually Tower fantasy and a proper LitRPG!
Do check it out!
Much Love,
SocialHippo.