Reborn With the Infinite Gods System

Loki stuffed his hands deep into his pockets and spat a sigh. "We have to move, now. Let's leave this place as fast as we can."

No one dared argue; they had witnessed the power of a single Voidwalker firsthand. But an entire army of them? It was unimaginable.

Trisha tugged on Axel's arm, hoping to get him moving, but he didn't budge. Her heart sank. She could see the fierce determination in his eyes—he wasn't going to leave.

"Come on, Axel! You can't fight the Voidwalkers. It's suicide!" she pleaded, desperation lacing her voice.

Axel shook his head, his jaw set like iron. "I'm not moving. I'll stop them all."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Williams stepped in front of him, practically shouting in Axel's face. "Don't get cocky!"

Andre added his voice, thick with urgency. "Williams is right. An encounter with just one Voidwalker nearly killed you. Let's get out of here while we still can."

The others remained silent, casting wary glances at each other. Deep down, they knew Axel's decision was final; there would be no changing his mind. Dragging him out would only waste precious time, time they didn't have.

"I'm staying," Axel said, his voice an unsettling calm amid the chaos around him. "I want to see our enemies for myself... and wipe them out."

Her words struck them like a hammer blow. Haze grinned, a dark gleam lighting up her eyes. "Such confidence, Shadow Lord. You really think your army can stand against an army of Voidwalkers? Beings that devour anything and everything?" he sneered, a twisted satisfaction lurking beneath his smirk.

Just when the tension seemed unbearable, Thor burst into the room, breathless and wild-eyed. "The Voidwalkers are coming! We have to move out, fast!"

His booming voice echoed around the room, but no one reacted as he'd hoped. They were all too locked in their standoff.

"I said the Voidwalkers are coming!" Thor shouted again, a note of desperation in his voice.

"We know, Thor," Loki replied coolly. "Calm down. We're handling something far more important right now."

Thor's eyes widened in disbelief, confusion mixing with dread. "Axel wants to stay and confront them," Josh explained, his voice barely concealing the fear that twisted in his gut. "And we're staying with him… So, let's get comfortable."

"Comfortable?" Thor echoed, his voice thick with horror. This was madness.

A smile flickered on Axel's lips as he addressed them, his tone eerily serene. "Let's see how your Voidwalker army fares against my Shadow Army."

---

The room fell into an eerie silence. No one spoke; the weight of what was about to happen hung in the air like a dark cloud. Each person exchanged anxious glances, tension pooling in their gut. Some of them couldn't shake the feeling that this was a fight they were destined to lose. They could barely believe in the powers they had gained, let alone understand them fully.

Meanwhile, Axel seemed oddly serene, standing in the middle of it all. Trisha gripped his arm, pressing her head to his shoulder. Her fingers were trembling, but she held on tightly, almost as though letting go would seal his fate.

Minutes slipped by. Axel closed his eyes, reaching into the shadows of his mind. *Velerium,* he called, but there was only silence. He tried again, frustration building as he searched for a connection to the shadowy entity he had come to rely on.

The silence was broken by a distant rumbling, faint at first but growing louder, a menacing throb that pulsed through the walls.

Then, without warning, the ceiling above them gave way. Two massive figures dropped from the darkness above, crashing into the ground with a sickening thud. Dust rose in thick plumes, briefly cloaking the hulking shapes. When it settled, the forms of two Voidwalkers loomed before them, larger and more monstrous than the one they had fought before. Their bodies radiated an aura so dark and heavy it seemed to choke the very air around them.

"Noel, what is our command?" the Voidwalkers intoned in unison, bowing their heads.

For a moment, everyone was stunned into silence. The Voidwalkers were bowing… to *Haze.*

A grin crept across Haze's face as he addressed the creatures, ignoring the startled looks around him. "Did she come along?" he asked.

The Voidwalkers nodded, and Haze's grin widened, more wolfish than ever. "Good. Now, I can finally… let go."

Without warning, Haze's head exploded, sending shards of bone and sprays of blood in every direction. The horrifying spectacle left a dark, red stain across the floor, her body crumpling in a heap, lifeless. The metallic scent of blood filled the room, mingling with the acrid stench of death.

"What… the hell?!" Sarah gasped, covering her mouth. "She… she killed herself?!" Discover exclusive tales at empire

"Not exactly," Josh muttered, his face pale. "Haze isn't one person. She's a *swarm.* A vessel for countless bodies, all linked together."

"That's right." The voice was cold and smug, and it didn't come from Haze's remains. Another figure had materialized out of thin air beside the Voidwalkers, a woman identical to the fallen Haze. But this one… felt different. More dangerous. Her gaze swept over the group, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

"So, when a clone dies," Loki began cautiously, "you gain their memories, right?"

The woman inclined her head, her smile widening. "Precisely. But let's save the chit-chat, shall we? I'm more interested in seeing what the so-called Shadow Lord can do." She leaned forward, eyes gleaming with challenge. "If you can survive a single Voidwalker for ten seconds, I'll answer two of your questions. Lose, and I'll kill two of you."

Axel stepped forward, releasing Trisha's hand gently. She clung to him for a moment longer, as though torn between the instinct to protect him and the terror of losing him.

"I… I don't want to lose you again," she whispered, her voice trembling with fear.

Axel turned to her, his expression softening. "Don't worry. I won't die."

The woman's voice rang out, cold and ruthless. "Big talk for someone who barely survived an encounter with just one Voidwalker." She flicked her fingers dismissively. "Kill him."

The Voidwalkers didn't need further encouragement. Their hands stretched forward, shadows gathering in their palms like a deadly storm, surging with dark energy—

But then, in a blur of motion, one of Axel's generals, Mane, shot forward, seizing the Voidwalker on the left. With a bone-chilling snarl, he wrenched the creature's head from its shoulders, sending a geyser of dark, viscous blood splattering across the ground. The body slumped forward, lifeless.

The second Voidwalker barely had time to react before another of Axel's generals, Tank, sliced its throat with a single, swift motion. Its head tumbled to the ground, the twisted expression frozen on its face forever.

Just like that, the two Voidwalkers lay dead at Axel's feet, the ferocity of his generals shining through in the carnage they had left behind.

The woman staggered back, her smug grin slipping, replaced by a look of utter shock. "What… how did your soldiers… it's not possible!" she stammered, struggling to comprehend the scene before her.

Axel's lips curled into a cold smile. "I didn't die for nothing. Each of my soldiers has undergone rigorous training under Velerium's guidance. A single general can now take down a hundred Voidwalkers. And my army… is far from complete. Right now, I have eight thousand soldiers at my command. Do you still think this battle is in *your* favor?"

Silence descended over the room, broken only by the pounding of their hearts. Everyone stared at Axel, a mixture of fear and awe in their eyes. They had never seen him like this—a powerful force, almost… *untouchable.*

This was the true power of a Shadow Lord.