Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 526: Doomsday World

Chapter 526: Doomsday World

Vlad frowned deeply, his thoughts racing like a storm as he processed Freya’s revelation. It was a moment of weighty significance, one that demanded careful consideration. His mind worked at an astonishing speed, piecing together fragments of information and possibilities Then, as if struck by a bolt of divine insight, his expression shifted.

A flash of clarity lit up the Depravita of Wrath’s features, and a broad smile broke across his face. Whatever realization had dawned upon him, it was so profound that it ignited a spark of unrestrained laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

The sound of Vlad’s laughter echoed across the mountaintop, resonating with excitement and awe. Yet, despite the joy in his voice, his focus remained sharp. With an energy that seemed to radiate from his very being, he placed a firm hand on Freya’s shoulder and nodded, his smile brimming with confidence. "I understand now. Everything is alright."

Freya blinked, momentarily caught off guard by his reaction. She wasn’t a child in need of comfort, yet the calmness and ease in Vlad’s demeanor stung in a way she hadn’t expected. When she had first received the summon from Valhalla, her thoughts had been consumed by one thing: the painful realization that her time with Vlad would soon come to an end.

The possibility of never seeing him again had weighed heavily on her heart. And yet, here he was, laughing as though it didn’t matter. A pang of disappointment coursed through her, but before it could fester, Vlad spoke again, his tone brighter than ever.

"It’s fine if you leave," he said with an almost carefree certainty. "After all, I’ll be leaving Terra too."

The words struck Freya like a lightning bolt, scattering her sadness and replacing it with a surge of confusion. Her head tilted slightly as she studied him, searching his face for answers. "What do you mean? Are you planning to follow me to Valhalla?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

At her question, Vlad laughed again, the sound warm and genuine. "Follow you to Valhalla? Freya, that would be impossible!" His grin widened as he continued. "How would that even work? Valhalla’s Will would reject me outright—I’m a foreigner to your plane, so it would be very hard to enter that world even if I was not on a New Plane."

Freya huffed, crossing her arms as a slightly annoyed expression flickered across her face. She did not like Vlad making fun of her confusion. But deep down, she knew he was right.

The Viking Legend that sent her to Terra had left a mark on her soul and that of the rest of the vikings. And it would be through that she would be pulled back to Valhalla, so clearly Vlad could not follow her. Even so, his words only deepened her curiosity. "Then what are you talking about?" she asked, her voice sharp yet filled with genuine interest.

Vlad’s eyes gleamed with an unshakable determination as he answered. "I’m going to a Doomsday World."

Freya’s breath caught in her throat. Her arms fell to her sides as the weight of his declaration hit her. She had heard those words before—Doomsday World—and they were not spoken lightly.

As a warrior from Valhalla, she hailed from a power civilization with great knowledge. Doomsday Worlds were infamous throughout the universe, terrifying battlegrounds that defied the laws of reality.

They were worlds where the Plane Will had long perished, leaving behind desolate, lawless battlefields. High-dimensional civilizations often clashed on these planes, using them as neutral grounds for wars and as proving grounds for their greatest warriors.

"Are you serious?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Dead serious," Vlad replied without hesitation. He did not utter those words without thinking them. He had learned from Doomsday Worlds thanks to the memories stolen from an angel on the first day of the apocalypse, but it was only now that he heard Freya was leaving that he remembered them and knew how to use them.

Vlad’s face was calm, and his eyes revealed pure determination. "Terra has become too small for me, Freya. I’m like a big fish trapped in a tiny pond. If I want to grow stronger—strong enough to protect the Xaos Kingdom in the higher dimension—I need to face real challenges. I need to be tested."

Freya’s heart twisted at his words as she knew the kind of dangers that lurked in Doomsday Worlds. Mortality rates for even the most brilliant geniuses were staggeringly high. "You know what you’re saying, don’t you?" she asked, her voice heavy with concern. "Doomsday Worlds aren’t like anything you’ve faced before. They’re cataclysms given form, Vlad. Even Sages fall there—daily."

"I know," he said simply, his gaze steady. "And that’s exactly why I have to go."

Freya bit her lip, the weight of his conviction pressing down on her. She had fallen in love with Vlad precisely because of his unwavering resolve, but that same quality now filled her with dread.

"Then how do you even plan to get there?" she asked, her brow furrowing. "There are no teleportation gates on Terra, no Legends powerful enough to tear a hole in space-time. How do you intend to reach a Doomsday World?"

Vlad’s smile didn’t falter. Instead, he pointed to the World King Mark glowing on his forehead. "I’m going to ask Terra’s Will to send me."

Freya’s eyes narrowed as she studied the mark. Plane Wills were immensely powerful, far beyond ordinary Legends, but they weren’t known for bending to the whims of mortals—not even World King Candidates. Yet, as she focused on Vlad’s mark, she could feel its potency. It had grown stronger, its connection to Terra deeper than before. Perhaps... it wasn’t impossible.

"You think the will of Terra will listen to you?" she asked skeptically.

Vlad nodded, his smile softening. "I’ve done more than enough for Terra to earn its favor. I’ve united parts of this plane, freed them from alien clutches, and brought stability to hundreds of millions. My work here is almost done. If Terra’s Will recognizes that, I’m confident it’ll grant me this one final boon."