Chapter 311: The Knull Lord’s final card

If I am going to die, I will take you with me.The Knull Lord’s voice cracked and a luminous red gold glow wrapped around his entire body. The air turned heavy with dread. The dark chuckle leaking from his shattered skull grew louder, thicker, uglier.

He was ready to blow everything apart. The heroes. The White Guardian. Every living thing in the palace. If he was dying, he was dragging them down with him.

Han watched him quietly as the destructive energy gathered. It built and built until the air vibrated like it wanted to rip open.

But before the power reached its peak, Han raised a single finger.

A glowing droplet of energy formed at the tip. No bigger than a piece of bubble gum. Silent. Weightless. Almost harmless.

Han flicked it.

The small sphere vanished. Then, in the next instant, it struck the Knull Lord. A blinding radiance swallowed the monster whole. Light exploded. Walls shook. Air split.

When the glow receded, there was nothing.

No body.

No ashes.

Not a single fragment left.

He was simply gone. Erased from existence.

Han’s voice drifted out, calm and cold and completely detached.

You fool. You dared raise a hand against me. Your fate was sealed the moment you tried.

Ronan and the others stood stunned. Shocked beyond belief. The same monster who showed them what overwhelming power looked like, the same creature that crushed them without effort, had been erased by Han with one tiny flick.

But Han was not done.

He looked around. His perception washed over the entire world, even though it was several times bigger than Earth. He counted. He measured. He judged.

Since they are not many, I should just get rid of them all.

He raised his hand to the sky. A blur of energy gathered above him, shaping into the outline of a fist glowing with brilliant, destructive light. Then he snapped his fingers.

The fist shattered into billions of pieces.

The fragments shot out in every direction.

The first Knulls to be erased were the ones in the palace. They were wiped out instantly. But the energy kept going. Every fragment that touched the body of a Knull erased it from existence. No screams. No remains. They were unmade.

Within seconds, every Knull in the entire world had been wiped out. Only the few humans were left standing.

Ronan and the others stood frozen since the moment Han killed the Knull Lord. There was no question in their minds anymore. If Han wanted them dead, they would already be gone.

Han’s blue eyes drifted toward them. His voice rolled out, melodic and cold.

I will spare you humans this once. But if next time we meet and you are still this weak, then I will kill you all.

Ronan, Jay, Lightrunner, every one of them froze even harder. They believed him. Every word. The threat wasn’t a bluff. It was a promise.

Han clenched his hand, then relaxed it. He shook his head slowly, disappointment leaking through the cracks of that icy calm.

To think that even without channeling my full presence, without touching even a fraction of my power, this body is already breaking apart. Pathetic. Han’s voice cracked as the glow around him started to fade. His body trembled, the borrowed strength crumbling.

He looked at the group and spoke, calm and chilling.

I will entrust this boy to you for now. And remember this. I will be back.

His white hair began to shift, dragging itself back to its usual white and black. His blue eyes, once burning like twin stars, dimmed and sank back into Han’s normal calm blue. And just like that, the overwhelming presence vanished. The usual Han stood there in front of them.

He’s back, Ronan muttered with a relieved smile.

Han blinked, confused, as if waking from a nightmare. His vision blurred again and his knees buckled. He plummeted, but Jay caught him before he hit the ground.

That was brutal. To think he even had a hidden card like that, Jay muttered.

The group managed small smiles. A mission that felt like a death sentence... and now they were free. The monsters were gone, wiped out like dust.

They did not get to celebrate.

The palace hall shook violently, walls groaning as the floor cracked beneath them.

Wait. The portal. Clara’s voice pitched with thin panic.

Since the portal boss was dead and the Knulls were wiped out completely, the portal would begin to collapse. And the world itself was breaking apart. Which meant only one truth.

The portal was closing right now.

A dangerous realization sank into all of them. If they did not reach the portal immediately, they would die here. No second chances.

Anyone know how far we are from the portal? Balor asked.

Heads shook. All except Clara. She was in the worst shape, limping, barely supporting herself. She staggered forward and lifted a scanner device, pointing it south. With every second she stared at the screen, her face drained of color.

When she finally turned to them, that bleak look on her face told them everything. This was not good news.

She spoke quietly.

There are at least tens of thousands of meters from here. Near the mountain alley where the portal is located.

The group froze. Minutes. That was all they had. And the portal was far too distant. They wouldn’t even make it halfway before it shut completely.

A dry chuckle left Little One’s lips.

Oh great. We survive a death match only to die in this godforsaken place.

The dread settled on them. Heavy. Crippling.

But it didn’t last.

I will take us all out, Lightrunner said, stepping forward.

The older hero was badly injured, bloodied, barely standing. The group stared. He should have saved himself. With his speed he had the best chance of making it out alive. Carrying them one by one was impossible. They would not make it.

He raised a hand.

Do not bother about all that. I am taking all of you with me.

Lightrunner dropped into a sprinting stance. Behind him, a trail of brilliant white light stretched across the ground like a glowing track.

Alright. Everyone step on it and hold each other tight. We are getting the hell out of here.

His golden eye blazed. The group exchanged looks, hearts pounding, but they stepped onto the light. They trusted him. Lightrunner was one of the most trustworthy heroes on Earth.

They had no choice but to believe in him now.

Han was carried by Ronan. Clara was carried by Aiden.

"Hey Balor, will you carry me?" Little One asked, holding his injured leg. "I’m kinda weak."

Balor just stared at him, blank. After a long beat, he shook his head.

"Of course not."

Little One’s face fell, and he cursed under his breath.

The group readied themselves. They stepped onto the white track.

"Alright, let go," Lightrunner said.

In an instant, he was gone. Blinding speed tore through the ruins, and the group streaked after him, turning into white streaks of light. The world around them was collapsing. Black earth shattered into debris, and the sky poured down destructive energy. One word described it: extreme. Survival seemed impossible.

Yet they pressed on. Lightrunner weaved through the chaos, his speed unmatched, avoiding falling rubble and deadly energy blasts. His goal was clear: get them through the portal. They all knew the portal would close soon. Every step counted.

The closer they got, the faster Lightrunner became, until the portal finally appeared in the distance. With one final burst, they shot through it—tearing across the threshold and into the other side.

They landed hard. Sprawled across the ground, coughing up blood from the strain. Internal injuries racked their bodies, but they were alive.

The black portal behind them shuddered and collapsed. A final pulse of energy rattled the air, then dispersed.

The group could only stare. Then, slowly, smiles broke across their faces. Against all odds, they had done it. They had fought, survived, and conquered a black portal. They had prevented a calamity on the scale of the Sendok disaster.

Ronan looked at Han’s calm, sleeping face and sighed.

"You’ve done it. You’ve saved countless lives. I think that’s enough to ease your guilt. Just let things move freely now. Don’t overextend yourself."

Ronan smiled and collapsed. Soon, the rest of the group fell one by one, exhausted from the ordeal. Only two remained standing: Jay and Little One.

Jay chuckled, looking at Lightrunner’s grim expression.

"Why so gloomy? You should be grateful. Without you, none of this would have been possible. We wouldn’t even have survived."

He smiled. "Well, that was one crazy adventure. Maybe we should clear more black portals in the future. Might help stretch our muscles."

Lightrunner gave him a complicated look. "No thanks. I’d rather face a few reds than another black."

He touched his head lightly. A tremor ran through him. His mind felt hazy.

"What just happened? Why can’t I remember what really went on in the portal? How did we even survive that?"

His eyes widened as he realized the truth. The black portal had been cleared. Completely.

Jay looked confused. "Wait... the black portal just... closed on its own?"

It wasn’t just confusion. Every memory of the portal, of what they had learned and witnessed there, had been erased. They knew nothing.

Jay exhaled. "Well... I guess we shouldn’t dwell on it too long. The portal’s gone. We’re alive. That’s good enough."

TO BE CONTINUED......