Chapter 2243: Bring it on. BOOOOOM Sharnoth’s chaos blast sent Vexarion crashing into the ground again. His body rolled once... twice... and then... it stopped. And this time, Vexarion did not stand up again, nor did he scream. Heck, he didn’t even let out a groan. He just... lay there, staring upward with wide, unfocused eyes. "Oh my~ You aren’t hurt, are you? Was I too harsh??" Sharnoth approached him with a grin, expecting him to tremble, to crawl away, to push his broken body one more time. But... Vexarion didn’t do anything. He simply... stared above. And that made Sharnoth tilt her head in confusion. The Chaos Heir crouched next to him and grabbed his head, lifting his face. She expected a reaction just from this action alone, maybe a scream of pain, a flinch of terror, or even a flare of anger but... Again, there was nothing. There weren’t even micro reactions. His pupils did not tighten. His eyelids did not blink. His throat did not swallow. He looked alive only because his chest still moved, that too, barely. "...Toy?" Sharnoth called out, her head now even more tilted, showing how confused she was. And Vexarion did not react. Not a flinch. Not a twitch. Not even the faint recognition he used to show whenever he saw her. Just then, Nux walked behind her and looked down at the Eternal, and seeing those empty eyes and sensing his empty head— He understood it. "He’s... gone," He spoke in a slow voice, and his words only made Sharnoth more confused. "Gone where?" She asked. "Inside." Nux answered as he tapped Vexarion’s forehead with his shoe, a thin ripple of dark energy passed through Vexarion’s head but again— Nothing happened. There was no resistance. No mental pushback. No spark of... self. Only emptiness. Empty, endless silence. "He’s not frozen," Nux continued. "He’s not pretending. Nor is he hiding." "...Then what is this?" Sharnoth asked. "Complete collapse." Nux answered in a flat voice. "Collapse?" Sharnoth frowned. "He broke." Nux nodded, staring at the body beneath him. "Broken all the way. And this time— It’s permanent." Sharnoth leaned closer, examining Vexarion’s eyes. After everything that had been done to him, an action like this would have guaranteed a strong reaction, but this time— His eyes reflected no fear, hatred, despair, or even confusion. There was just... Absence. "Is he... catatonic?" Sharnoth questioned, her fingers still knocking on Vexarion’s head as if that would wake him up. Nux, on the other hand, shook his head. "No. He isn’t catatonic, shocked, or unconscious." "Then what is he?" Sharnoth asked as she looked at Nux. "A body that lost its mind." Nux answered without any change in his expression; after all, he didn’t feel particularly bad. He had no soft spot for someone like Vexarion. Sharnoth, on the other hand, blinked. "...You mean he—" "Yes." Nux nodded before the Chaos Heir could even complete. "His core self is gone." Nux commented as if he was passing a statement. Then, he shrugged. "It happened a lot faster than I predicted. Just a few hours ago, his mind was still constantly thinking of ways to get out of this situation. Just what did you do to him for him to be crushed to this degree in just a few hours?" He couldn’t help but ask. And Sharnoth... "I played?" She answered innocently as she poked Vexarion’s cheek. His head rocked from the touch, eyes still fixed forward. His lips hung slightly parted. Again, there was no reaction. "Can’t we fix it?" She asked casually, and Nux shook his head. "No. There is nothing left to fix." Sharnoth slowly stood up, her expression changing from playful to... quietly amazed. She stared at Vexarion like she was staring at an artifact she had accidentally broken. "A toy without a mind is useless," She murmured. "He can’t even feel scared now." "That’s because fear requires consciousness, and he doesn’t have one anymore." Nux answered. Bored, Sharnoth kicked lightly at Vexarion’s leg. His leg moved from the force... then went still again. It was like pushing a dead branch. "So it won’t even scream now?" Sharnoth asked one last time. She looked like a child still clinging to the hope that there might be ’something’ left of her toy. But... "He won’t scream, He won’t beg. He won’t run. He won’t... think." Nux answered. Then, he paused for a moment as he stared at the broken toy and then— "He won’t... come back, ever." "Is he... dead?" Sharnoth questioned with a frown. Shouldn’t they be able to solve it by killing him? He should return to normal after reviving, no? But again— "No." Nux shook his head. This time, he crouched beside the Eternal, as if inspecting him closely. "His body is very much alive. His energy is still flowing. His heart is beating properly as well." He tapped Vexarion’s forehead. "But the person... is gone." "No memories?" Sharnoth asked. "No self," Nux corrected. "No sense of identity. No thoughts. No emotions. No dreams." Then, Nux stood up and stretched his body as if this was no longer exciting. "He is an empty vessel. Absolutely useless to us. Well, I can temper his mind, implant fake memories, and recruit him into the Immortal Army. That is one thing he can be used for. But that being will no longer be Vexarion." He commented. Sharnoth stared at her toy for another long moment. Then, she sighed. "That’s disappointing." She turned away, even more bored. Nux remained a moment longer. He looked at the Herald of Justice, at the once proud Eternal who had judged worlds, commanded armies, and stood above all—a being who had now become... nothing more than a breathing statue. A hollow shell. A quiet corpse that couldn’t even die. Then, he just shrugged. "You did well." He praised the living corpse after secretly glancing at the bored Sharnoth. Nux wasn’t the sentimental type anyway; he had no interest in thinking about deep philosophical thoughts after seeing such a tragic end of such a powerful soul. Not when he had ’other goals’ in his head. "Rest well. If you can, not that I care." He shrugged, then he walked away. Sharnoth followed him, humming softly as she looked around in boredom. Behind them— Vexarion remained lying in the dirt, eyes wide, staring at nothing and seeing nothing. His breathing was still slow. His body was still warm. His heart was still beating rhythmically. But the mind inside was... gone forever. The Herald of Justice had finally escaped the torture. By... erasing himself. A permanent end. A silent one. And after this— The Universe will never hear the name Vexarion Aurendor again. ... On the other side, Sharnoth kicked a chunk of shattered obsidian across the ruined floor. It skidded, sparked, and died. And Sharnoth... She had the same, constant look on her face. Boring. It was all boring. She continued to walk in circles, returning to where Vexarion was and poked his lifeless leg again with the tip of her boot. There was no twitch. No scream. No... fun. "Haaaaahh..." A long, dramatic sigh escaped her red lips. "Useless toy." She muttered in a flat voice full of disappointment. She spun on her heel and started walking away from the broken Eternity. Her steps were bouncy, almost skipping, but the glee that was usually seen in her crimson eyes had dimmed to a dull, restless glow. She hummed a tuneless, jagged melody and dragged one clawed finger along the cracked wall, leaving glowing purple scratches that hissed and smoked. Behind her, Nux watched in silence. He had been watching for a good few minutes now. His golden eyes tracked her every restless bounce, every sway of her long hair, every disappointed little kick at debris. He knew that look. The Chaos Heir was bored. And in her case, boredom was a bomb with a very short fuse. Just then— A slow, predatory smile curved his lips. This was it. This was his moment. He took one step. Then another. Slowly. Deliberately. As if he wanted her to know he was coming. Sharnoth’s humming faltered. Her long gray ear twitched. Just then, as if to make sure, Nux’s step became louder, his shoes scraping over hard ground in a purposeful manner. Just then, Sharnoth moved her head. She didn’t look straight at him, just enough to catch him in her peripheral vision, and as if understanding what game he was playing— Her crimson eyes shined and her pupils dilated into thin, excited slits. "Ohhh?" A sharp, delighted grin appeared on her face. "You’re coming after me now~?" She asked. Nux didn’t answer with words; he simply walked faster. "Kek!" Sharnoth squealed—a sound that was half-laughter, half... feral shriek—and then— She bolted. She didn’t run like prey; she ran like a storm that was given legs. Absurd amounts of Chaos energy crackled wherever she went, the ground beneath her feet shattered with every step she took, while purple-black lightning arced between her horns. She vaulted over a fallen pillar, laughing wildly as she twisted mid-air, her torn battle-dress fluttering behind her like broken wings. Nux followed. Even now, he wasn’t running; he was just... walking quickly, without any effort, but every time Sharnoth glanced back— He was closer, his golden eyes locked on her like a hunter who already knew the kill was his. "You won’t win!" She laughed as she gathered a ridiculous amount of Chaos energy, and Nux— "Bring it on." He grinned back.