Beyond the Apocalypse-Chapter 1058: Fafnir’s evolution

Although the saga through Heaven carried events that would take volumes to properly describe, it had all unfolded in less than a single day.

By the time the Xaos King returned to Terra, Freya was still sleeping.

Vlad stood quietly at the edge of the room for a moment, watching her chest rise and fall in a slow, steady rhythm. The countless images of Heaven—burning cities, collapsing Divine Kingdoms, screaming Gods, and the scythe of Death—faded into the background of his mind.

A tender smile, full of warmth and love, appeared on the face of the True Depravita of Wrath.

He slipped into bed beside her and gently embraced her, careful not to disturb her rest. One hand rested protectively over her abdomen, where the twin spheres of Primordial Essence pulsed faintly beneath layers of seals and safeguards forged from his very soul.

In that moment, the weight of war vanished.

The peace he felt—this quiet intimacy, this fragile normalcy—surpassed any surge of power or victory in battle. It grounded him. It reminded him why he fought, why he endured pain, sacrifice, and endless struggle.

For a time, Vlad allowed himself to rest.

But peace, as he knew better than anyone, never lasted forever.

By the following day, the Xaos King was already in motion once more.

After explaining everything that had transpired in Heaven to Freya, he reassured her that the seals protecting their children were stronger than ever.

Only after that did he return to his runic laboratory.

As Vlad resumed his work, a small but genuine smile formed on his lips.

His skill had advanced considerably.

With the cloud of doubt, hesitation, and inner conflict finally gone, enlightenment flowed freely. Every inscription felt clearer. Every calculation came naturally. Where once he hesitated between possibilities, now he saw outcomes with brutal precision.

He was immersed in his work when his eyes suddenly sharpened.

Vlad looked up.

Over the skies of Terra, two familiar auras had returned.

Overlord and Ouroboros.

As Vlad focused on the heart of the True Depravita of Greed, his smile widened. The Demon Soul aura contained within Overlord’s Demon Cage was far denser and more violent than before. There was no doubt about it—the Demon Lord they had slain in the Abyss was significantly stronger than the previous one.

And the good news did not end there.

Moments after their arrival, a violent surge of psychic power erupted from the Xaos Tower, flooding the surrounding lands with invisible pressure. The very fabric of reality trembled.

A second later, a figure appeared in the sky.

Fafnir.

The True Depravita of Envy radiated power like a star on the verge of collapse. His entire body glowed, energy building to catastrophic levels. Without hesitation, he reached into his chest and extracted his heart—containing both his Devil Lord Bloodline and his Demon Lord Soul—and sent it flying toward Overlord.

The True Depravita of Pride caught it instantly.

Overlord enveloped the heart in a cocoon of pure vitality, divine energy, and stabilized soul force, ensuring not a single fragment was damaged. His eyes glowed as signals rippled outward.

The Nightmare Universe and Divine Power responded.

Vlad did not remain idle. As World King, he invoked Terra’s Origin Power, channeling it directly into the ritual.

The air screamed.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

The Divine Sun of Fafnir detonated.

His body was consumed in an ocean of purple flames that erupted into the highest layers of the sky, spreading like a celestial wildfire. Immediately, Vlad and Overlord poured Origin Power, Divine Power, vitality, and spiritual force into the inferno, stabilizing and guiding its evolution.

Vlad, Overlord, Ouroboros, and Jormungandr positioned themselves near the vast ocean of fire, allowing its radiation to nourish and refine them.

Seconds later, Freya appeared.

She was cautious—extremely so. Remaining within the protective field of the Xaos Tower, she carefully channeled the radiation, ready to block it at the slightest sign of danger. Fortunately, only gentle, nurturing energy reached the twin spheres of Primordial Essence within her.

Wide smiles appeared on the faces of all the True Depravitas.

The Power of Envy flooded through them, purifying impurities, strengthening foundations, and reinforcing their souls. Eventually, the violet flames reached their limit and began to compress, collapsing inward with terrifying density.

Then—

Fafnir reappeared.

The group’s eyes widened.

Unlike Jormungandr, whose bestial traits had been dramatically enhanced, Fafnir had shed most of his draconic features. His new form was predominantly humanoid: short white hair, a compact yet immensely muscular body, flaming draconic horns, and strange runes etched across his skin. His gaze burned with defiance, as if the world itself dared not challenge him.

The evolution into a True Singularity Depravita was a transcendent event—one shaped by self-image.

Born with a fragment of Vlad’s soul and shaped through constant interaction with humanity, Fafnir’s transformation reflected that balance.

Vlad and the others smiled in approval and admiration.

Then Fafnir’s gaze shifted.

Without a word, he transformed into a beam of light and shot forward.

For a moment, confusion flickered across the group’s faces—until they traced his trajectory. Their eyes widened with excitement, and they followed immediately.

It did not take long.

Fafnir stood before the Obelisks.

These ancient structures had once brought the Leviathan Race to Terra and birthed the Thiamatos drones of the Xaos Kingdom. In recent times, however, their usefulness had declined. Despite immense resources, they had failed to produce Legendary-tier powerhouses.

The Reapers, their strongest creations, were no longer sufficient.

Fafnir narrowed his gaze.

Then he stepped forward—vanishing into the Obelisks, fusing his essence with the fragment of soul and consciousness he had left behind.

Immediately after that, a massive burst of power erupted from the obsidian obelisk.

The ground trembled violently as waves of condensed energy rolled outward, warping the air and cracking the earth beneath it. By the time the other True Depravitas arrived, the obelisk had already grown to nearly twice its original size—and it showed no sign of stopping.

It continued to expand relentlessly, growing larger and larger, its obsidian surface glowing faintly with inner light.

For a moment, it seemed as though the obelisk would continue endlessly, pushing past the sky itself and tearing into the void beyond Terra. But just as that terrifying possibility loomed, cracks began to form along its surface. Thin at first, they rapidly widened, spreading like lightning across obsidian stone. The pressure within reached a critical point.

Then—

The obelisk shattered.

Countless fragments of black crystal exploded outward, yet instead of falling to the ground, they dissolved into streams of radiant particles. The eyes of the True Depravitas widened with awe and wonder, for what emerged in place of destruction was something far more magnificent.

Before them stood a glorious and majestic Obsidian Tree.

It towered over the land, vast beyond comprehension. Instead of bark and leaves, its trunk and branches were formed from crystalline obsidian, translucent and radiant, with golden veins flowing beneath the surface like molten light. Its roots extended deep into the continent itself, anchoring the tree into the very bones of Terra, while its canopy spread so wide that it could cast shadows across countless kilometers.

It was impossibly beautiful—yet overwhelming.

What truly sent waves of thrill and exhilaration through the hearts of Vlad and Overlord was the energy coursing through those golden veins. It was unmistakable.

The power of creation itself.

That primordial force flowed upward through the tree, converging into thousands of cocoons hanging from its highest branches. The cocoon pulsed rhythmically, absorbing and refining the energy.

When the transformation was complete, a figure emerged from the crystalline trunk.

Fafnir stepped forward and joined the others, a wide smile full of pride etched across his face.

"This," he declared, spreading his arms slightly, "is the true and highest form of the obelisks. After my evolution, I was finally able to decipher its core secret."

He turned his gaze toward the towering tree, eyes shining with understanding.

"Now, we can create drones with the power of Legends. And if we provide it with enough nourishment—Origin energy, vitality, and fragments of law like those carried within souls—it can go even further."

His smile widened.

"It can forge Lords."

The awe and excitement within the group surged instantly. An engine capable of producing Legendary and Lord-tier entities would change the balance of power across all realms.

Yet after a brief silence, a solemn expression crossed the face of the True Depravita of Pride.

"Fafnir," Overlord said calmly, "you are still unable to determine the true origin of this obelisk."

The True Depravita of Envy nodded slowly, his expression turning thoughtful.

"That is correct," he admitted. "I technically never truly existed before becoming a Depravita. I was only a hive mind that manifested after crashing into Terra. Because of that, I cannot remember what I never experienced."

Overlord studied the Obsidian Tree for a moment longer, then nodded in understanding. He shrugged lightly, the tension easing from his posture.

"Whatever its origin may be," he said at last, "it belongs to us now."

His eyes glowed faintly with authority.

"And we will use it to its fullest."