Chapter 287: The Final Piece That Could Free Sevaroth

Like his Titans, Luke hadn’t understood many things when he first obtained them.

But as he gradually learned more, he had eventually developed Cosmic Punch.

Caelith had helped him along the way, but what Luke ultimately created wasn’t simply Caelith’s Cosmic Punch.

It had become an entirely new version of Cosmic Punch.

So, in the end, his tools had always been perfect.

The problem had never been the tools themselves.

It was that Luke hadn’t yet reached the level where he could use them perfectly.

[That’s why the System will make you a perfect Titan.]

[At the very least, your form will become perfect.]

The System said nothing more after that.

Instead, another notification immediately appeared before Luke.

[MERGE WITH SEVAROTH, THE CRYPT TITAN?]

Luke stared at the screen for several minutes.

His eyes remained fixed on one particular word.

Merge.

Not summon.

"Seems like the System has already started forming the bond."

Luke muttered thoughtfully.

The appearance of the word merge had already given him an idea of what was about to happen.

"So... the fourth Titan’s bloodline is coming now."

His gaze drifted upward toward the dark ceiling.

He couldn’t help but remember the immense pain from his previous integration.

The agony and also the coma-like state that had followed.

"Would the same thing happen again?" So he asked the System directly.

[No.]

[You are a real Titan now.]

[So this time, you will only lose consciousness for a few hours.]

Luke blinked.

"A few hours..." That was considerably better than before.

Still, he wasn’t going to underestimate it.

"Then I have to make some preparations."

With that, Luke immediately summoned Elythos’ armor.

At the same time, his body began transforming.

Cosmic energy surged through him as he took on the form of the Cosmic Heart Titan.

His body quickly reached its full size—

Twenty feet tall.

The same size as his Void Titan form.

Then Luke began constructing a thick, sturdy sphere around himself.

He made sure it was strong enough that, during the time he would be unconscious, nothing nearby could easily destroy it.

And even if something did manage to break through its defenses, it would still need considerable time to do so.

A few minutes later, a massive sphere had finally taken shape.

It stood fifty feet tall and fifty feet wide, attached firmly to one side of the wall.

Luke had intentionally placed it there, leaving plenty of open space around it.

That way, even if something somehow decided to attack the sphere and failed to break through it, they would eventually grow tired and leave after wasting enough time.

"Wait a second." Just as Luke was about to enter, an important question suddenly came to his mind.

"What about my clones?" His expression became worried.

"What will happen to them?"

He didn’t want his clones to disappear again like they had before.

That alone could create far too many problems.

Fortunately, the System’s next response immediately reassured him.

[Don’t worry. Your clones are real Titans as well, and their connection with your Void affinity means they will not disappear.]

[However, they will also lose consciousness.]

[The main Luke is still you, after all.]

[So when you merge with the fourth Titan, the fusion will affect all realities—including your clones.]

[However, the main effect will appear on your body first before gradually spreading to theirs.]

"Okay." Reassured, Luke gave his four clones an order to find suitable places and rest.

Once that was done, he returned to his normal Titan form and stepped inside the newly constructed sphere.

"I am ready." Luke lay down upon the hard cosmic material.

Despite its appearance, the surface wasn’t particularly uncomfortable against his body.

He slowly relaxed.

Then—

[See you in a few hours.] The System’s final words carried its usual cheeky tone.

After that, numerous notifications immediately began appearing before Luke.

But he never got the chance to see them.

His consciousness had already slipped away into a deep sleep.

[System: Initiating synchronization with Sevaroth, the Crypt Titan.]

[Preparing Origin Core...]

[Preparing Titan Essence...]

[Establishing connection...]

[Sealing interference detected...]

[Recalculating...]

[Beginning Titan Merge...]

[10%...]

[20%...]

Meanwhile, somewhere within an endless prison, a colossal being slept peacefully.

His body was so enormous that it could easily be described as the size of a galaxy.

He was bound by dozens of chains, just like his brothers and sisters.

Yet there was something strange about him.

He wasn’t struggling against them.

He simply slept... peacefully.

As though those chains weren’t truly imprisoning him at all. But instead he had willingly chosen to remain there.

His physique was heavily muscular, and if his body were somehow reduced to the size of an ordinary human, his build would still appear extremely imposing.

His skin was dark grey, while enormous dark-black rings encircled both his wrists and ankles.

From each of those four rings, thick chains extended outward.

But instead of disappearing into the darkness, they traveled back toward his body and connected directly to his chest.

There, embedded in the center of his chest, was a strange sphere resembling a green, necrotic flame.

The chains were connected to that sphere.

And then there was his head.

His entire head was concealed beneath a massive helmet.

The helmet was covered in spikes, while its front possessed bars arranged like a mask.

Its entire surface was an iron-grey color.

From the openings of the helmet, faint green smoke continuously escaped.

Yet even if someone somehow managed to look through the barred front—

They would see nothing.

Only endless darkness.

It was as though whatever existed inside the helmet couldn’t be seen at all.

The chains binding his body extended further outward, disappearing into the void itself.

That was what kept his enormous body fixed in place.

And behind him rested a massive coffin.

It was completely crimson-red, with an eerie flame-like crimson glow flickering across its surface.

That was his armor.

Surprisingly, it hadn’t been granted to him by the Universe.

After all, every Titan created their own armor themselves.

But for some unknown reason, he had chosen to make his armor in the shape of a coffin.

No one knew why.

However, the tranquility that had already been broken three times was shattered once again.

This time, though, it wasn’t another forbidden ritual.

Instead, something far simpler appeared.

An offer.

[The final piece, which would free you.]

That was all it took.

Sevaroth’s eyes suddenly opened.

Of course, no one could see them, as his entire head remained hidden behind the iron-grey helmet.

He slowly looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice—or whatever being had spoken to him.

But there was nothing.

Then Sevaroth noticed something else.

His three siblings were gone.

"Where have they gone?" Confusion appeared in his voice as he looked toward the places where they had once been.

Then the earlier words surfaced in his mind.

’The final piece...’

"Seems like it is." A smile formed across his face, although the helmet concealed it completely.

"Then let’s see what this final piece is." The moment those words left his mouth—

The massive coffin behind him suddenly moved.

It had remained firmly closed until now, tightly wrapped in chains.

Then, without warning—

The coffin’s eyes opened. And so did its mouth.

The next instant, all the chains binding the coffin were violently sucked inside it.

Whoosh!

The chains wrapped around Sevaroth’s body were pulled away as well, disappearing into the coffin one after another.

Only the four enormous rings remained.

The chains connected to the green, necrotic sphere embedded within his chest also remained untouched.

Those were different.

They had been created by the Cosmos itself.

And even Sevaroth didn’t bother trying to remove them.

He simply moved.

The massive coffin behind him shifted into position as he stepped forward.

Then, with the coffin accompanying him, Sevaroth opened a portal.

Without another word, he stepped through it.

His destination—

Luke.