Lord of Annihilation

---Flashback---

"Tell me then, what is this reward that you want from me? Do you need my help in setting up a date with Lucius?" Ka'lor'ah teasingly asked.

"Well, I would like that very much…" Olivia's voice trailed off for a moment before she forcibly shook her head and continued, "But that's not what I want."

Taking in a deep breath, Olivia asked in a serious tone, "Teacher, are you familiar with the term 'Laplace's Demon'?"

"Laplace's Demon? Hmm?" Ka'lor'ah sunk into thought and searched her memories. "Oh yeah, I remember reading about it when I was studying Mankind's history."

"It's that ancient, disproven theory which states that it's possible to formulaically calculate the past or the future of any object at any given time, given that everything about the said object is known, right?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

Sighing in relief at Ka'lor'ah knowledge on the topic, Olivia quickly replied.

"It's just that I had an idea or rather an inspiration if you can call it that. I was thinking, is it possible to apply the idea of 'Laplace's Demon' in a Domain?"

Seeing a puzzled expression appear on Ka'lor'ah's face after hearing her question, Olivia hurriedly continued without giving the former a chance to protest.

"Now, before you say that it's impossible and call my idea stupid, just hear me out."

"Now, the concept of Laplace's Demon is based upon the study of Causal Determinism, which until recently was thought to be impossible. With the Universe actually being a sophisticated construct made out of Rules and whatnot, the indeterministic and irreversible nature of objects that oppose the validity of this concept gets thrown out of the window."

"The Universe which was previously thought to be indeterminable and chaotic is now known to be operating on higher Rules such as 'Fate' and 'Cause and Effect'."

Taking a second to gather her breath, Olivia continued her passionate recital.

"What this means, in short, is that there are no unknown variables and each variable can be evaluated and calculated. As such, it is possible to calculate anything at any time given that all values about that thing are known in advance."

"What this means is that it is possible for an entity like 'Laplace's Demon' to exist and simultaneously function. Of course, functioning of a large-scale like the entire Universe is impossible, but to function within a set, controlled area—"

"Like a Domain should, in theory, be possible." Ka'lor'ah interrupted her and completed her sentence.

Seeing her teacher close her eyes and sink into thought, Olivia smiled and answered, "Exactly."

"Hmm, Cause and Effect…a small controlled area…calculation and prediction…hmm…"

An unnatural glint filled with experience and wisdom flashed across Ka'lor'ah's eyes as she opened them. Opening her mouth, she spoke.

"Honestly, I did not expect this. I originally thought that your request would have something to do with Lucius as usual. This request…"

"Is it not possible?" With her heart in her mouth, Olivia nervously asked.

"It's not like it's impossible, actually, it might be very possible. However…" a serious expression appeared on Ka'lor'ah's face as she continued. "Are you sure that this is what you want? I can assure you that it will not be an easy thing to do."

Straightening her body, Olivia looked her in the eye and solemnly replied.

"I'm sure."

"Well, whatever. It's you who will be suffering not me," Ka'lor'ah shrugged her shoulders and replied.

"Let's continue this conversation after we get back to the ship. I think I have some idea on how to start approaching this concept."

"You're the best, Teacher!" Olivia yelled and leaped forward to hug Ka'lor'ah.

"Oi, oi, oi! Let me go! You're making it hard for me to breathe!"

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---Present Day---

"Deploy Domain…{Perfect Prediction}"

With a charming, confident smile on her face, Olivia deployed her Domain for the first time.

At the end of her words, boundless soul power poured out of her body like a raging river and instantly expanded into the distance led by the Boundary.

Olivia's Boundary continued to expand past the 30m mark…the 100m mark…500m…1000m…2500m…5000m…and stopped at exactly 10,000m!

Her Boundary which was previously limited to the 30m mark had finally reached 10km with her entry into Stage 3. The feeling was…liberating, to say the least.

With the Boundary set, Olivia's soul power started to occupy the area within and forcibly alter the Rules within to suit her Domain!

The stone floors, walls, ceiling of the coliseum, and a portion of the street outside, all of which was within the area of her Domain, started to stretch and twist before silently disappearing. 

Purple mist completely flooded the area and the space within the Domain, obscuring the scene within and making it impossible for outsiders to catch a glimpse of the sight within the Domain.

The purple-colored mist did not only have the characteristic of hiding one's vision but also of beguiling their mind. As such, Ka'lor'ah who found herself inside the Domain slowly started to fall into a dazed state. 

Just as her eyelids seemed to be on the verge of closing entirely, she suddenly heard a voice telepathically resound inside her head, snapping her awake.

"Teacher, leave my Domain and stop the people outside from forcibly breaking it. I'll take care of the matter inside."

Before Ka'lor'ah could even form a reply, she felt a great force suddenly jerk her body and in the next second, found herself outside Olivia's Domain.

Just as her mind was in the process of processing the shocking turn of events, she heard a brusque, valiant voice from behind her.

"This is….tiny faerie? What's with your appearance? What's happening inside?"

Turning around, Ka'lor'ah traced the source of that question to Klytius. 

The Giant King, dressed in the same attire that she previously saw him in, stood at the head of a company of Giants that was previously protecting the coliseum. 

His finger was pointing at the tall purple wall in front of them, which could immediately be recognized as a Domain Boundary, and herself.

"Oh, that…" Ka'lor'ah mind quickly spun in search of an answer. "The little girl succeeded in her ascension and was a bit too eager to show off her Domain. She and Lucius are about to battle on the inside."

"As for me, I'm a little low on soul power leading to my current form," Ka'lor'ah staidly replied and quickly resumed her previous Faerie form.

Her face remained as calm as ever and her tone was even. She couldn't tell the actual truth of the matter to Klytius and hence settled on the most probable lie.

Hearing her lie which was spoken with an even tone, Klytius thought for a second before exploding into a bellow of laughter.

"BWHAHAHA! I see. I see. Quite the feisty little girl, isn't she?"

"Haha, that she is," Ka'lor'ah awkwardly replied. 

"The day of my promised duel isn't that far then! I'm looking forward to it!" Klytius bellowed while flexing the bulging muscles all over his body.

Turning his head around, he shouted towards his men.

"Listen up, everyone! Don't attempt to break the Domain Boundary. My guests are having a duel inside!"

Hearing his words, Ka'lor'ah sighed in relief and quietly wiped the droplets of sweat that had formed on her forehead.

'That was close. Lucius' real identity was almost revealed,' Ka'lor'ah fearfully thought to herself.

Just as she was about to contact Olivia and explain the situation to her, Ka'lor'ah's face suddenly froze from shock. In fact, it wasn't just her as Klytius, the Stage 4 Royal Guard Giants, and some of the more talented Stage 3 soldiers also reacted in a similar manner.

"This is…a Higher Rule!" Klytius sharply inhaled, astonishment appeared on his face.