VOIDBLADE: THE LAST SWORD OF THE END

New arc:

The room was quiet. Not the comforting kind of quiet — this was the silence before a storm, thick with the weight of things unsaid. The flickering light of the crystal lamps cast long shadows on the obsidian walls, and every so often, the faintest pulse ran through the air, like the heartbeat of something vast and patient.

Jin sat across the table from his brother, his fingers tapping a slow, thoughtful rhythm against the wood. He wasn't the same wide-eyed kid Void God had once pulled out of the slums — the game had sharpened him, and the weight of leading Ironholt was already carving something harder into his face. But still, compared to the figure across from him, he looked… small.

Void God was silent, his presence filling the room without effort. He didn't need to speak for the air to grow heavier. The power coiled around him, leashed but dangerous. And Jin knew that whatever had happened in those ruins… had changed his brother forever.

"You saw… what?" Jin finally asked. His voice was steady, but there was an edge to it.

Void God's eyes met his. "Everything."

The word hung there, vast and impossible. Jin waited.

"The realms beyond this one. The true nature of the Void. The… thing waiting at the end of it all." Void God's voice was low, almost distant. "The Void God — the real one, not me — it's out there, Jin. And it's watching."

Jin felt the hairs on his arms rise. "Watching us?"

Void God shook his head slowly. "Not yet. But soon."

Silence fell again. Jin let it stretch, waiting for the rest.

"And the power?" he finally asked.

For the first time, something almost like a smile crossed Void God's face. It wasn't a pleasant one. "It's growing. Faster than I expected." He opened his hand, and darkness coiled there — a shard of nothingness that seemed to eat the light around it. "The Abyssal Core is only the beginning."

Jin's eyes locked on the shard. He could feel it — cold and infinite and hungry. His lightning affinity crackled in response, instinctively trying to push back against the void.

But there was no pushing back against this.

"We're not ready," Jin said, his voice quiet.

"No," Void God agreed. "But we will be."

---

The discussion shifted to more practical matters.

"Briarstead is still a mess," Jin said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "We've wiped out the worst of the corruption, but the southern lords are already moving to fill the power vacuum. Spies everywhere. And I swear half my lieutenants are ready to stab each other over territory."

Void God nodded. "We need to consolidate. Fast."

Jin raised an eyebrow. "You're talking about a full sweep, aren't you?"

"A purge," Void God corrected. "Root and stem. No more half-measures."

Jin whistled low. "That's gonna get messy."

"It always does."

For a long moment, Jin just looked at him. "You really think we can take the whole county?"

Void God's eyes burned. "I think we can't afford not to."

---

The plan took shape.

"We'll need experts," Jin said, leaning over the map. "Crafters, strategists, people who know how to run territory once we've taken it."

"I have resources," Void God said. "We'll use them."

He reached into his inventory — and the room filled with light.

Weapons, armor, and artifacts spilled across the table, some glowing with enchantments, others humming with restrained power. Relics from old raids, rare drops from dungeons long since closed. Things that hadn't seen use in years, because Void God had never needed them.

Jin's eyes widened. "Where the hell did you even get half this stuff?"

Void God shrugged. "Investments. I don't waste opportunities."

Jin sorted through the pile, pulling out a lightning-infused spear and an obsidian amulet with faint runes crawling across its surface. "This'll get their attention."

"It's only the start," Void God said. "Use whatever you need. Buy loyalty if you have to. And the ones who can't be bought…"

Jin's smile was sharp. "We'll deal with them."

---

By the time they were finished, the map was covered in markers — red for enemies, blue for their forces, and black for the targets no one would see coming. Plans for supply lines, alliances, and assassinations.

But before they parted, Jin hesitated.

"What happens when we win?" he asked quietly. "When we take Briarstead — when we take more than that?"

Void God's eyes met his. "Then we prepare."

"For what?"

"For the day the Void God stops watching," Void God said. "And starts moving."

---

Status Update: Void God

Level: 27

Class: Void Swordsman

Title: Voidblade Ascendant

Stats:

Attack: 7500

Defense: 3200

Health: 21,000

Mana: 12,500

Stamina: 11,000

Luck: 7

Reputation: Rising (Feared)

Skills:

Void Step (S Rank): Advanced movement technique allowing instant repositioning and evasion. Limited mastery.

Void Piercer (A Rank): A thrust that distorts space and bypasses most defenses.

Abyssal Sword Skills (A Rank): A foundation of devastating techniques drawing from the Void's destructive essence.

Abyssal Insight (SS Rank): Heightened perception of reality and nothingness. Predicts and reacts with terrifying accuracy.

Sword Entropy (A Rank): Strikes that accelerate decay and destabilization.

Voidborn Will (SS Rank): Indomitable willpower strengthening Void techniques and resisting mental attacks.

Presence of the Abyss (S Rank): Aura of stillness and dread, weakening enemies and influencing the environment.

Abyssal Dominion (SS Rank): Control over Void energies, bending reality and imposing the Void's will on the world.

Equipment:

Voidfang (S Rank Sword): A weapon forged from Void essence. Enhances Void abilities and pierces dimensional defenses.

Abyssal Core: A shard of endless darkness. Grants access to Abyssal Dominion and accelerates Void power growth.

Obsidian Mantle (A Rank Armor): Enchanted cloak offering resistance to physical and magical attacks.

---

Status Update: Jin (Ghost Father)

Level: 34

Class: Lightning Battle Mage

Title: Ironholt Warden

Stats:

Attack: 4800

Defense: 2500

Health: 14,500

Mana: 9500

Stamina: 9000

Luck: 12

Reputation: Rising (Respected)

Skills:

Stormcall (A Rank): Summons lightning storms to devastate the battlefield.

Thunderstep (B Rank): Instant movement with a burst of lightning.

Arc Lance (A Rank): A focused spear of electrical energy.

Tempest Ward (A Rank): Defensive barrier of storm energy.

Conduit Strike (S Rank): Channels lightning into physical attacks for explosive damage.

Equipment:

Stormpiercer Staff (S Rank): Enhances lightning magic and increases spell potency.

Voltstone Amulet (A Rank): Reduces mana cost for lightning abilities.

Runed Battlecloak (B Rank): Offers resistance to elemental damage.