Lord of Annihilation

An unknown amount of time has passed. Deep within the labyrinth, inside a natural cavern. 

The cavern was spacious stretching 2km in width and almost 500m in height. Numerous stalactites of varying sizes hung from the crystal ceiling, dripping with strange fluids.

The surface of the cavern was covered with red-colored crystalline rocks that flushed with heat and steamed with strange gases. These gases predominantly white and green in color distorted the air inside the cavern whilst corroding the surface of the red rocks.

Pits of boiling lava whose origins began at the core of the planet filled this large underground space providing light and heating it to an unimaginable amount (almost 5,000°c). 

Situated in the center of this room was an unnaturally formed pit filled to the brim with hundreds grotesque looking corpses. The bodies of these corpses were filled with cuts and slashes, with some of the larger ones having their chests pierced or their heads crushed.

Blood pooled from their body filling the pit, only to spontaneously boil and turn into vapor under these fearsome conditions. More strangely, the pit of corpses seemed to be alive, as these dead remains constantly shifted positions, tumbling or falling at random.

Calmly floating above this eldritch horror was a pal-sized golden crystal shinning with dim radiance.

Entering the labyrinth behind Lucius, she quickly met up with him, and the hunt to devour the creatures begun.

With Ka'lor'ah's [Life Detection] to detect the life forms and her [Greater Area Detection] creating the most comprehensive map, the groups hunting efficiency skyrocketed. 

The Forgotten Warriors were led by Ka'lor'ah to hunt the weaker, more numerous beasts, while Lucius in his [State of Devour] hunted the larger, stronger ones.

Under Ka'lor'ah's lead, the group of undying soldiers destroyed six Lava Vein Rodent Colonies, twelve Flaming Ant Hives, three groups of Burning Moths, and numerous groups of other species.

With inexhaustible stamina and Lucius' near-infinite supply of soul power, the worth of the Forgotten Warriors shone for the first time since their acquisition. The group of eighteen was a formidable force under Ka'lor'ah's arrangements, as their cycle of killing, dying, reviving, and more killing, continued until the entirety of the labyrinth was cleared.

The bodies were periodically delivered to Lucius who then devoured them to acquire their abilities, growing in strength at a fearsome rate.

Lucius on the other hand went through series of battles without any rest. Starting from the Bladed Bats who served as mini-bosses within the labyrinth, Lucius seeped through all the Mid-Level Stage 2's and the stronger of the Low-Level Stage 2.

Some he managed to kill in a single blow others required serious efforts and long battles. 

However, the more Lucius fought and the more he ate, the stronger his body grew, reaching a point where his physical body equaled that of a Peak-Level Stage 2, even though his actual soul power strength was only at Peak-Level Stage 1.

[State of Devour] was constantly on, as Lucius possessed an inexhaustible amount of bodies to devour and replenish his void energy and soul power.

Alas, the good times did not last long. 

The deeper Lucius went inside the labyrinth, the closer he moved towards the planet's core. This resulted in the heat and pressure of his surroundings increasing to an unimaginable degree. 

The Forgotten Warriors were no longer able to sustain themselves, as their bodies were instantly crushed under immense pressure.

Lucius' body was able to maintain itself under the constant remodeling and growth, after eating those creatures that lived underneath the earth. The evolutionary traits were absorbed by the Void Eater, pushing it closer and closer towards perfection.

Unfortunately, this growth had a limit. While his body was able to sustain itself under the heat and pressure, it was far from being perfect. Currently, Lucius felt like he was inside an active volcano, whilst carrying an enormous mountain on his back.

His clothes had disintegrated, whilst his scythe was thrown into the Void for safekeeping. It had to be mentioned, that Lucius unlocked a new racial skill called [Void Storage], which gave him a 3x3x3m of area to store items. It was a very useful and practical skill.

"You've already eaten around thousand of the Flame-type creatures. Have you still not gained [Fire Immunity]?" Ka'lor'ah grumbled unhappily. 

She was starting to grow worried as too much time had passed and they had still not met the master of the labyrinth or figured its secrets.

The pit of corpses suddenly shook and a dark figure slowly exited from its embrace. Standing at 2.5m in height, Lucius was completely unrecognizable.

His originally stone-grey skin tone had turned a deep charcoal black with flame-like cracks running across the surface of his body, spewing reddish-orange liquid and heat.

His grossly oversized arms had become more compressed and angular, as the silver fur was replaced with a shiny black carapace. Long, sword-like nails extended from his finger, reaching 50cm in length.

His lower body was also covered with a spiked black carapace that shimmered under the flickers of light. 

Five eyes, one pair crimson and the other golden occupied either side of his nose, with a single large silver eye occupying the center of his forehead. There was no opening for his mouth, instead replaced by a swirling mass of teeth and darkness.

In no shape or form did Lucius in his [State of Devour] form resemble any known species, giving birth to an entirely new appearance. 

"I can no longer absorb abilities from these beasts." A voice resounded within the cavern. The voice was extremely unpleasant to hear, similar to scratching your nails against a chalkboard. 

In fact, just listening to this voice would disorient your body and attack your mind. An effect that was similar to [Banshee's Screech] or [Ghostly Wails].

"How's your current state?" Ka'lor'ah questioned.

Lucius flexed his back muscles, sprouting three pairs of enormous, fleshy bladed wings. Jumping off of the ground, he controlled the wings to flap.

Flying next to the floating crystal, Lucius calmly replied in his vexing voice.

"My void energy and soul power are at their peak state. The injuries on my body are fully healed and all available abilities have been absorbed."

"These beasts are no longer useful to my evolution, only satisfying my hunger. Even the efficiency of void energy has reduced. I will need to consume higher Grade or higher Stage life forms to continue with evolution."

Life forms under Stage 3 or Grade 3 are no longer useful for the Void Eater's evolution. Only Grade 4 and higher life forms with unique abilities could further his growth.

"I've grown to the greatest extent possible, for now. Any more and the precarious balance within my mindspace will collapse."

The black sea within his mindspace had already started to suppress the [Annihilator] soul. Lucius' found himself growing increasingly irascible and irritated, as the Void Eater's primal instincts slowly started to pollute his consciousness.

If not for the golden sun calming the sea of foul energy, Lucius might have already died.

Pondering for a moment, Ka'lor'ah replied.

"Do not use [Devour] unless necessary. You have to break through into Stage 2 and stabilize the powers within your body. Stay calm and do not give in to your emotions."

"You also have to exit [State of Devour] as soon as possible. Using it only makes you increasingly susceptible to your primal instincts. We have to finish the fight as soon as possible and return you to your human state."

Lucius nodded his head in understanding. While [State of Devour] made it possible for him to contest against Peak-Level Stage 2 beings, its cost was also equally fearsome.

If not for the inexhaustible bodies replenishing his soul power, Lucius would have lost his mind a long time ago.

"I can remain in [State of Devour] for 3 hours before my void energy would run out."

"Let's get moving then, we've got 3 hours to end the fight." 

Saying so, Ka'lor'ah flew towards a certain corner of the cavern and sunk into the boiling lava. Lucius also flapped his enormous wings and followed her.

Entering the lava which was thousands of degrees hot, Lucius' calmly followed the crystal through their soul link.

After a dozen minutes of travel and he finally exited the lava. A large dark space, whose ends could not be seen, presented itself before his eyes. 

Lucius' eyes flashed with radiance as [Dark Vision] was automatically activated. 

At the far end of this seemingly boundless dark space, lay a large door carved with numerous symbols and patterns. The moment he laid his eyes on that door, Lucius' senses started to blare, warning him of immense danger.

'We are here. This is the door behind which that enormous amount of energy resides.' Ka'lor'ah spoke within his mind.

'And there is the final mini-boss blocking our way.' She concluded.

Laying before that door, was a humongous creature.

Possessing three dog-like heads and a mountain-sized body, [Cerberus] blocked the path into the final boss room.