Chapter 2169: That felt itchy. The black energy that had surrounded their comrade began to fade away. They all waited, but as the black energy faded completely— Their comrade... had faded out of existence as well. His Aura, the Golden Energy he released, their connection to him—it all... vanished. And what was left was... Silence. The remaining Light Borns froze, their glowing eyes widened. "What... what did you do to him...?" One of them whispered. Nux, who was staring at his hand, slowly turned to them, and a faint grin appeared on his face. "Do you finally realize it now...?" He spoke in a soft, calm, but chilling voice. "This is not the Afterlife, nor is this the Cycle of Reincarnation— None of you are dead. You are very much alive." He revealed. "What...?" The Light Borns stiffened, their auras flickering in disbelief. Nux’s grin widened, twisting into something demonic. His golden eyes burned brighter—but the golden shade in his eyes was different compared to the Light Borns’. His eyes did not reflect holiness or grace... His eyes showed hunger. A predatory hunger prepared to devour it all. "But don’t worry," He spoke in a low, almost playful voice. "I’ve prepared a fate far worse than death for you." Before they could react, he vanished again. Once more, his hand grabbed another Light Born, and the same dark energy wrapped itself around him. Again, the Light Born screamed, he struggled, just like the one before him did, but... the result was no different. Another light disappeared into the void. And this time, the Light Borns felt it— This time, they felt it—the dangerous, devouring force that threatened their very sense of existence... The Light Borns stared at the monster in front of them—and finally, realization dawned. The Anomaly—he wasn’t lying, nor was he trying to trick them. This wasn’t the end. This wasn’t the afterlife. This was... the beginning— The beginning of their battle against the Anomaly. The Light Borns stared at each other, their Auras flaring brightly as they all nodded, preparing themselves for the battle ahead. Once again, the Light Borns stared at the being in front of them, their expressions now different from before. It was about to begin. The battle between the Golden Light and the Endless Darkness— And Nux... He grinned as he moved forward. But this time, the Light Borns didn’t just let him do what he wanted— BOOOOOM This time, they released their Auras strongly. More than a hundred Light Borns released their energies at the same time, trying to suppress the enemy with their Aura. And this wasn’t all— The group had prepared something else too. At the same time, all hundred Light Borns released their Domains. The goal was simple—suppress the enemy’s Domain with theirs, and once the Anomaly was inside their Domain—the battle was as good as over. Or at least... that was what the Light Borns believed, but... The moment they activated their Domains—or tried to—they realized something. Their Domains... They could not release them. While their Laws still worked, they... for some reason, couldn’t extend them to Domains... "What...?" One of the Light Borns muttered aloud, his eyes widening in disbelief. "I... I cannot release my Domain..." Another muttered. "Me neither..." The rest of the Light Borns faced the same problem. A wave of confusion spread through the place, the Light Borns staring at each other in disbelief—but suddenly— "Let me GO!" A shout was heard. The Light Borns turned toward the sound and saw another one of their comrades in the enemy’s hand, struggling with everything he had. The same black energy surrounded him— As for the enemy... He stared at them and— "Oh right, I think I forgot to tell you." He began, as if he had just remembered. "This isn’t the Afterlife or the Cycle of Reincarnation—but that doesn’t mean this place isn’t special—" He smiled. The Light Borns narrowed their eyes at those words, and he— "You cannot use your Domains here." Nux revealed with an innocent smile as the black energy he released faded again, taking another one of their comrades with it. And Nux’s grin widened— "So you, my friends, are on your own. I wish you the best of luck." The Light Borns clenched their fists in anger and frustration. Seeing the clear disdain and mockery in Nux’s eyes made their bodies tremble. He was openly provoking them. And he... He would pay the price for that— "Spread formation," One of them ordered, and without wasting any time, the hundred and one Light Borns left got into formation, forming concentric rings of radiance that instantly surrounded the enemy. Their Auras flared again, their bodies burning with endless energy, and in perfect synchronization, they moved. "Solar Dominion: Nova Bloom!" The Leader of the Formation announced, and the rest moved accordingly. They had used the same formation so many times that it was instilled into their very bodies—it was next to impossible to make a mistake. The dark void exploded into gold. BOOOOOOOOOM Hundreds of miniature suns detonated around Nux, the energy tearing space apart, reducing everything within range to molten particles of light. The explosions were so bright that even time itself seemed to stutter. An attack capable of wiping out even the strongest beings out of existence, an attack that Nux couldn’t possibly escape since he was caught right in the middle of it— It was over. So quickly that honestly, the Light Borns were taken aback— "Wasn’t it... too easy...?" One of them said aloud. "So much for—" Another one wanted to nod with a grin but... But when the light faded... Every single Light Born could see it—a faint figure that became clearer and clearer. "What...?" One of them muttered, his mouth agape. "He... survived...?" "But... how...?" None could believe it. He was there. Standing still—untouched. No injuries, no bruises... The combined attack of a hundred Eternal-Level Light Borns... did absolutely nothing to him. And as if he were trying to rub it in— Nux scratched his arm with a somewhat annoyed look on his face and— "That felt itchy." He then stared at the Light Borns and frowned— "But wasn’t it too much work just for a mere light show?"