Super God Academy: Kabuto

Deep within the void, at the edge of a rift in the world.

The space here is like shattered and forcibly glued-back glass, filled with unstable cracks that flow with eerie colors. Three figures hover above this dangerous juncture, their bodies surrounded by an aura completely different from that of the known universe.

One of the figures had the lower body of a spider covered in a hard carapace and adorned with eight sharp appendages, while the upper body was that of a woman with a captivating and alluring appearance. Her scarlet eyes gazed at the hunched old man opposite her, who seemed to blend into the surrounding void, and her voice carried a sticky, magnetic quality: "Kunxu, how much longer will it take for the rift to completely close? We... don't have much time left."

"Hmph!" From the other side, a massive, humanoid creature with a single eye and beetle-like mouth let out a muffled hiss. Its voice was rough, like the grinding of sand. "Kunxu, your race is too slow! How much time has this been wasting? The tremors in the abyss are becoming more frequent and more intense... I have a very bad feeling that 'thing' is about to break free. Once it truly awakens, none of us will be able to escape!"

The old man known as Kunxu slowly raised his eyelids. His eyes were cloudy like ancient dust, and his gaze swept over the spider woman and the one-eyed insect: "The other side... is under an extremely strong seal. Coupled with the risk of crossing the barrier of the world itself, my people have done everything in their power." His voice was dry and slow, yet carried a heavy pressure. "Thirty thousand years ago, if your insect race hadn't acted so blatantly, arousing the other side's vigilance, we would have successfully descended long ago. Why would we have to wait until today?"

The Spider Woman frowned, her slender eyebrows furrowing as she retorted, "My children have long since restrained themselves. It's you, however, whose forceful assault on the rift last time likely truly alerted certain beings on the other side." Her tone shifted, becoming slightly seductive, "Speed ​​things up. Once the passage opens, you can choose the 'initial coordinates' of that bountiful world first."

The giant cyborg's compound eyes turned to the spider woman, flashing with displeasure: "Easy for you to say! A new round of sacrifices in the Abyss is approaching! Last time, a thousand years ago, it was our race's strongest warriors who were used! This time, it's your turn!"

The Spider Woman met its gaze, her eight appendages rubbing together dangerously: "No. My children are still too young; they need to grow. They will be the vanguard when we enter that world."

"Aren't my people the vanguard?" the one-eyed giant worm growled, the surrounding void trembling slightly with its rage. "When will this damned sacrifice ever end? Fifty thousand years ago, during the cataclysmic upheaval in the abyss, my Earthly Royal Family bore the brunt, our bloodline nearly wiped out! And now, we must again and again throw our people into that bottomless abyss to feed that…"

"Enough." The old man Kunxu interrupted hoarsely, a hint of fear, which even he could not completely suppress, flashing deep in his turbid eyes. "Arguing now is pointless. Accelerating the opening of the rift is our only way out." He looked at the world rift that seemed to pulsate slowly with life, exuding an ominous aura, and lowered his voice even further, "We must leave here before... He truly awakens. Otherwise, beneath the abyss, all will be reduced to dust."

Silence once again enveloped the ominous edge of the rift, with only the occasional wailing of space emanating from the world's fissure, and from deeper within, a subtle, soul-freezing rustling sound that seemed to come from an endless abyss.

Above the Shenhe civilization ruins, an eternal silence was broken by a slow but immense pulse. A nebula-like entity, its size indescribable and constantly shifting in shape and color, floated there. It was not like a natural creation, but more like a living seal, a tragic sigh. Each vortex and alternation of light and shadow in the nebula was accompanied by the flickering and dimming of ancient runes.

"Time... is running out." A hoarse, weary voice, seemingly burdened by countless eons, echoed through this void of spiritual energy. "The sealing power is waning... and I... can't hold on much longer either. Alas..."

A long sigh, carrying with it a desolate feeling like stardust being annihilated.

Below the ruins, on the base of a dilapidated observation platform, space rippled like water, and a figure in a black trench coat stepped out—it was Lin Yu from the future. He looked up at the pulsating nebula, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dazzling surface, looking directly at the ancient will at its core that was gradually dimming.

"Kieran," Lin Yu's voice, calm and serene, sounded exceptionally clear in this desolate place, "It's useless. Their arrival is inevitable, a destiny born from the collision of the concepts of 'existence' and 'devouring.' Why cling to delaying that unchangeable countdown?"

The nebula's movement seemed to freeze for a moment. The aged voice rang out again, carrying a complex mix of inquiry and understanding: "Have you... already seen something? In that 'future' where even the timeline is blurred."

"Hmm." Lin Yu, dressed in black, did not deny it. "The 'things' 'over there' are extremely restless. In order to maintain their own existence, or rather, in order to escape some more terrifying end, they must devour outwards, using our universe as fuel for their continuation." He paused, a rare deep solemnity flashing in his eyes. "That thing that drives them... I can't see through it. As far as I can perceive, there is only a pure, suffocating 'blackness,' which seems to swallow even the concept of 'existence' itself."

"Don't forget our deal, Lin Yu." Kieran's voice grew more forceful, and Nebula's light flickered as if it were surging with emotion. "You must hurry. When this last barrier crumbles and the tide of 'darkness' surges in, if the 'seeds' haven't sprouted, if the 'dam' hasn't been built... it will be too late."

Lin Yu, dressed in black, withdrew his gaze from the abyss-like darkness and turned it once more to the nebula seal that represented Kieran's final will and responsibility. His eyes were deep, and finally, he gave a brief nod.

"I understand." His tone remained calm, but carried the weight of a promise. "You... just do your best. Leave the rest to me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't linger. The hem of his black trench coat fluttered slightly, and his figure disappeared into the quietly spreading ripples, as if he had never set foot there.

Above the ruins, the massive nebula, after a brief period of violent fluctuation, resumed its slow, steady rhythm, like the heartbeat of a dying person. Only, its light seemed slightly dimmer than before.

That sigh, unheard by anyone, vanished completely amidst the cold ruins of the Divine River civilization and the eternal starlight.