The golden throne stood empty.
The heavens had fallen silent.
And then—it appeared.
A figure of absolute contradiction. Light and darkness intertwined. Formless yet omnipresent.
A presence that felt like the beginning and the end.
Rei's golden aura flared, but his instincts screamed at him—this was unlike any battle before.
The entity's voice was not a sound. It was a presence, an idea that forced itself into Rei's mind.
"I have waited for you, Rei Kisaragi."
Rei clenched his fists. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
The entity shifted. Reality itself bent around it.
"Names are irrelevant, but if you desire one…"
The stars dimmed.
The heavens shook.
"I am Eterna."
Rei's eyes narrowed. "Eterna, huh? And what the hell are you?"
Eterna's form flickered, constantly shifting.
"I am what was before gods. I am what will remain when all thrones are empty. I am the balance of existence—the eternal truth that neither gods nor mortals can escape."
Rei smirked, stepping forward. "Then I'll crush that truth and create my own."
Eterna tilted its head. "Foolish. You do not understand."
The entity raised a hand—and the world collapsed.
Rei blinked.
He was no longer in the heavens.
He was in… the same place.
But different.
The golden throne still stood before him. But the moment he took a step forward—
Everything shifted.
The throne was gone. The sky was red. The ground was blackened ruins.
Rei frowned. "What the hell—?"
He took another step.
Shift.
Now he stood in a white void, endless and empty.
Another step.
Shift.
Back in the heavens.
His eyes widened.
Every movement changed reality.
Every step rewrote time.
He was trapped.
Eterna's voice echoed from all around. "You do not move forward, Rei Kisaragi. You move in circles. Welcome to eternity."
Rei gritted his teeth. "Damn it…!"
He tried to rush forward—
Shift.
He was back at the start.
Tried to turn around—
Shift.
A different timeline. A different past.
No matter what he did—he couldn't break free.
Endless. Infinite. Eternal.
His heartbeat pounded.
Was this it? Was this where his journey ended?
And then—
DING!
A familiar voice echoed in his mind.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[You are now beyond ranking levels.]
[The system has been blocked for you.]
[You are free.]
Rei's breath stopped.
For the first time since he had awakened his power—the system had vanished.
And then—
[ITEM RECEIVED: THE POWER GRANTER]
Rei's body burned.
A golden surge erupted from his core.
He felt everything.
The strength of the Sovereign Kings.
The will of the Heavenly Kings.
The power of all those he had defeated.
Rei grinned.
He lifted his foot—
And reality did not shift.
Eterna's voice wavered. "Impossible—!"
Rei's golden eyes glowed.
"Your eternity ends here."