Chapter 497: The Unusual Black Dragon

Nero’s connection with the vortex of prana had become deeper.

Stronger.

Before, he had only been able to draw upon a limited portion of its power.

Now...

He estimated that he could safely utilize roughly thirty percent of the vortex.

Thirty percent.

That number alone was absurd.

And Nero knew that this was still far from his limit.

Once all nine stars were unsealed and the nine Laws were completely liberated, he would finally be able to draw upon the true power sleeping within his prana vortex.

But even then...

Nero felt that there would be more.

Much more.

As the Primordial Heir of Prana—the source from which everything had originated—Nero couldn’t help but feel that his path was destined to reach places no ordinary being could comprehend.

Perhaps, after unsealing all nine Laws, he could accomplish something that should have been impossible.

Perhaps he could step into a realm that had never been reached before.

A realm beyond the known hierarchy.

A realm without a name.

Nero didn’t know.

And he wasn’t arrogant enough to claim that he would definitely reach it.

But he could feel it.

Something inside him was telling him that the nine Laws were not the destination.

They were merely the beginning.

Still, he understood one thing clearly.

Unsealing the remaining stars would not be easy.

The first six had already required countless battles, countless dangers, and opportunities that could easily have ended in death.

The final three would undoubtedly be even more difficult.

Especially the seventh, eighth, and ninth stars.

Whatever Laws they contained...

Nero knew they wouldn’t simply surrender their power.

He would have to earn them.

Just as he had earned everything else.

Nero slowly exhaled.

Then a faint smile appeared on his face.

Six stars.

Three remained.

His journey was still far from over.

He drifted forward.

The darkness surrounding the sixth star seemed to respond to his presence.

Nero finally allowed himself to approach it.

He entered the newly liberated star.

The moment his soul crossed its boundary, the world around him disappeared beneath an endless black.

Nero’s crimson eyes gleamed within the darkness.

The Law of Darkness.

For the first time, he was standing inside it.

He didn’t know what awaited him.

He didn’t know what secrets this Law held.

And he certainly didn’t know what kind of power he would gain from mastering it.

But one thought quietly crossed his mind.

Perhaps this time...

He might finally learn something useful about the strange stars.

Or perhaps about the mysterious power connected to his existence.

Nero’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Whatever awaited him within the darkness, he was ready.

After all...

He had already walked this far.

There was no reason to stop now. It was fun and was getting fun so there was no way he would stop now, he would make it till the end.

°°°

As Nero’s soul entered the black star housing the Law of Darkness, he found himself in a world entirely made of darkness.

There was no sky.

No ground.

No horizon.

Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction, seemingly without beginning or end.

Yet Nero wasn’t affected by it.

Because of his special eyes, darkness could not conceal anything from him. Even in this absolute darkness, his vision remained perfectly clear.

And that was how he saw it.

A gigantic existence.

Just like the embodiments he had encountered within the previous stars, something ancient was waiting for him here.

A black dragon.

Its enormous body stretched across the endless darkness, so massive that it was almost comparable to half a continent. Every inch of its body was covered in glistening black scales, each one darker than the night itself.

Its presence alone made the surrounding darkness seem insignificant.

This wasn’t an ordinary dragon.

It was primordial.

The embodiment of the Law of Darkness itself.

Nero remained silent as he looked at the colossal creature.

Then—

Those enormous eyes opened.

Black vertical pupils appeared within the darkness.

The instant they focused on Nero, a terrifying pressure descended upon his soul.

BOOM!

Nero’s soul trembled.

The pressure was so immense that even his consciousness felt as though it had been submerged beneath an endless abyss.

But just as quickly as it appeared—

It vanished.

The gigantic black dragon slowly lowered its head.

Then its enormous body began to shrink.

Its scales disappeared into darkness.

Its massive limbs changed shape.

The colossal dragon gradually transformed into a humanoid figure.

In the next moment, a woman appeared, hovering not too far from Nero.

She was tall.

Even Nero, who was nearly two meters in height, had to look slightly upward to meet her gaze.

Raven-black hair cascaded down her back, almost reaching her feet.

Two curved black horns emerged from her head.

A long dragon tail swayed quietly behind her.

Her ears were long and sharply pointed, even longer than those of a High Elf such as Azalea.

And her eyes...

They were completely black.

There were no irises.

No visible pupils.

Only an endless darkness.

Her beauty was ethereal.

Sacred to the point of absurdity, yet accompanied by an extremely mature charm that made her presence feel completely different from the other Law embodiments Nero had encountered.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

Then, without hesitation, the woman descended slightly and went down on one knee before Nero, lowering her head respectfully.

"I welcome the reincarnated Sovereign, heir to the throne of the Absolute. I am—"

Nero didn’t hear the rest.

Something snapped inside his head the moment he heard those words.

Reincarnated Sovereign.

Heir to the throne of the Absolute.

Those words alone were enough.

After everything he had experienced within the previous stars, Nero had been hoping that the sixth star would finally provide him with useful information about his existence.

And now...

He had unexpectedly encountered something far beyond what he had anticipated.

A primordial embodiment of Darkness.

And she knew something about him.

More importantly—

She had called him the reincarnated Sovereign.

Nero’s crimson eyes narrowed.

For the first time since entering the black star, his expression changed.

He wanted answers.

And this time...

He was certain he would get them.