The Bloodline System

Chapter 1588: Back To Earth

Authorʼs Note: Unedited Chapter

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In another memory, Gustav saw the moment the Death Angel had escaped its prison on Earth. The seals that had been placed to trap it were broken. Something catastrophic had happened on Earth—something big enough to release the creature.

Finally, Gustav let go of the Death Angelʼs head, stepping back as the creature slumped in defeat, its wings hanging limply by its sides. It was still trapped, but it had no more fight left in it.

Endric and the others rushed forward, sensing that Gustav had uncovered something important.

”What did you find?” Endric questioned with a look of concern.

Gustav turned to them with a grim expression. ”The sword was taken by someone who looked human...” he said, his voice tight with disbelief. ”I donʼt know how or why, but thatʼs who the Death Angel had contact with. Falcoʼs father wasnʼt directly involved.”

Riaʼs eyes widened in shock. ”A human? How could—”

”Thereʼs more,” Gustav interrupted, his voice darkening. ”The Death Angel was freed because something terrible happened on Earth.”

Endricʼs face paled. ”Something on Earth…?”

Gustavʼs expression hardened. ”We need to get back to Earth. Now.”

”But first...” Gustav turned to the Death Angel again.

The celestial being—once a proud servant of Nocturnis—had been reduced to nothing more than a defeated pawn in this ever-growing cosmic game. Gustav stood over it with a calm look but there was a darkness to his gaze.

The Death Angel, too dangerous to let roam free, had to be dealt with. But killing it wasnʼt an option—it was, after all, a celestial creature incapable of death.

But Gustav had a plan.

Gustav stepped closer to the immobilized Death Angel, his fingers curling at his side as a faint cosmic glow began to surround him.

The air around him vibrated with energy as he reached deep into the well of his cosmic abilities. He had long since regained enough of his power to do this, though it would still require an immense amount of focus.

He gazed down at the Death Angel, his voice quiet but filled with authority. ”Youʼre not fit to walk this plane. You donʼt belong here.”

The Death Angel growled, its voice raspy and distorted as it spat back, ”You think this will stop my master, Outworldly? I am eternal. You cannot destroy me.”

Gustav didnʼt flinch. ”I donʼt need to destroy you,” he said. ”But I can make sure you never interfere again.”

He stretched out his hand, palm facing the Death Angel, and with a deep breath, Gustav called upon the power of one of his personal dimensions—a prison of his own creation, a place that existed outside of normal time and space.

It was a dimension he had designed long ago, during the height of his powers as the Outworldly, to imprison beings too dangerous to be left in the mortal or celestial realms. It was a place that even death itself could not touch.

The space around Gustav began to warp as the dimension opened, slowly pulling away the fabric of reality. The very air seemed to ripple, and a swirling vortex of light and shadow began to take form, spinning into existence like a black hole, but far more controlled.

It was a pocket of space that bent to Gustavʼs will, existing only for the purpose he had created it for: to imprison those who could not be killed.

The Death Angelʼs eyes widened as it felt the pull of the vortex. Its wings fluttered desperately, but the celestial being was still trapped by the red cross, unable to move, unable to escape the pull of Gustavʼs dimension.

The creature snarled with hatred. ”You cannot keep me forever, Outworldly! My master will find me, and when he does, he will destroy you!”

Gustavʼs expression didnʼt change as he stepped closer, the vortex swirling behind him with growing intensity. ”Nocturnis wonʼt find you where Iʼm sending you. This place isnʼt bound by any plane. Not the mortal realm, not the celestial realm, not even the underworld. Youʼll be trapped there—alone, for eternity.”

In the next moment, Gustav lifted his hand toward the Death Angel. The vortexʼs pull increased, the swirling light and shadow stretching out toward the immobilized creature.

The energy surrounding the Death Angel crackled, and with a final roar of defiance, the celestial being was sucked into the vortex, its form disappearing into the swirling darkness. The red cross disintegrated as the Death Angel was pulled into Gustavʼs personal dimension, and the vortex closed around it, sealing the creature away.

For a brief moment, the air was still. The remnants of the swirling vortex faded from view, and all that was left was the sound of the wind whipping across the desolate landscape.

Endric, who had been watching from a distance, stepped forward in caution. ”You… seal it away?”

Gustav nodded, lowering his hand as the faint glow around him began to dissipate. ”Itʼs trapped,” he said quietly. ”In a dimension where time doesnʼt move the same way and only horrors await it.”

Ria let out a slow breath while shaking his head. ”Thatʼs… impressive, Rival. I hope it wonʼt escape this time.”

Gustav turned toward him. ”If I donʼt fully restore my power, thereʼs always a chance it could break free.” He paused, glancing at the sky, the memory of the dark crack still fresh in his mind. ”We have to stop whatever is happening on Earth before it gets any worse.”

The planet they were stranded on was an anomaly—a world surrounded by hundreds of black holes, each one ten times more powerful than a standard black hole, and for reasons unknown, they had not collapsed upon themselves.

Their gravitational fields twisted the very fabric of space around the planet, creating a deadly barrier that had claimed every spacecraft they brought with them.

Endric looked around the broken terrain, his eyes lingering on the black holes that glowed menacingly in the distance. ”We lost all of our ships getting here. Thereʼs no way we can fly through that mess.”

Ria crossed his arms and nodded grimly. ”Even if we had a ship, those black holes would rip it apart in an instant. Thereʼs no way we could navigate out of here the same way we came in.”

Wilendor, the Tark warrior, shifted uneasily. His massive, bull-like form cast a long shadow over the ground. ”Then how do we leave, Outworldly?” His voice rumbled with uncertainty. ”The gravitational pull of those black holes… itʼs stronger than anything Iʼve encountered.”

Gustav stood silently for a moment, his eyes closed in concentration.

”We donʼt need ships,” Gustav stated.

He opened his eyes, which glowed faintly with cosmic light. ”Iʼll get us out of here.”

Wilendor ooked at him, his brow furrowed. ”How?”

”Weʼll use the Void-Stepping Boots,” he said. The boots he wore, imbued with cosmic energy, allowed him to traverse vast distances across galaxies in the blink of an eye. ”I can step through the void and take us directly where we need to go.”

Wilendorʼs eyes widened in awe as he realized what Gustav was suggesting. ”You mean… you can take all of us with you? Safely?”

Gustav nodded, his expression focused. ”Iʼll surround us with a layer of cosmic energy. It will shield us from dimensional travel, and I can step through the void, cutting through space and time.”

”Letʼs not waste any more time,” Endric voiced. ”Earth is in trouble. We need to get back.”

Gustav didnʼt need any further prompting. He stretched his hands out to his sides, and immediately, a shimmering field of cosmic energy enveloped all four of them. The energy pulsed and expanded, forming a protective cocoon that hummed with unparalleled. It was warm and comforting, and yet, filled with an immense force.

”Hold on,” Gustav said quietly, his voice resonating through the energy field.

Then, with a single step forward, Gustav activated the Void-Stepping Boots.

The world around them blurred and folded in on itself. Time and space seemed to bend as if they were being drawn into a tunnel of light and energy. In an instant, the dark planet, the swirling black holes, and the infinite void vanished from their vision.

The sensation was overwhelming, like being pulled through the fabric of the universe at impossible speed.

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When they emerged, they found themselves in a completely different galaxy. The stars above them were foreign, glowing faintly in the vast expanse of space. A planet hung in the distance, bathed in the light of a nearby star.

Wilendor, still in awe of what had just happened, let out a deep, rumbling chuckle. ”Iʼve traveled far across the universe, but this… this is something else. The Outworldly truly commands the cosmos.”

Gustav didnʼt smile. His face was still serious, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar galaxy. ”Weʼre not there yet,” he said quietly. ”We need to keep moving.”

Without wasting another moment, Gustav stepped forward again, and once more, the universe around them folded. The stars and planets blurred into a stream of light as they cut through the fabric of space, leaping across galaxies.

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After two more steps, the familiar blue-green sphere of Earth appeared beneath them, suspended in the vast blackness of space. But as they looked down at the planet, a sense of dread immediately washed over them.

”What… what is this?” Ria muttered in disbelief.

Earth was not as they had left it.

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