Right after the puppet’s declaration...the oppressive silence of the Dark Regal Galaxy was shattered by the thunderous hum of the Legendary King-class puppets encircling Jacob.
Their enormous forms hovered like titans of shadow, their faceless visages emanating cold authority. The faint whirring of their inner cores created a chilling mechanical chorus that echoed across the space.
At that moment, threads of ethereal darkness surged outward from each puppet and intertwined, weaving a barrier that completely enclosed Jacob. The barrier wasn’t physical—it was soul-binding, made from an intricate blend of dark laws and suppressive sigils.
In an instant, the aura of the Deathless Prince—his deathly chill, his soul force, even his connection to the Death Law—was sealed away. The entire space around him seemed to congeal, as though laws themselves refused to move under the pressure of that enchantment.
Yet Jacob’s expression didn’t falter, nor did he stop whatever they were doing.
Although he felt the suppression, the numbing chill of the Ethereal Dark Binding, something that could even suppress a Legendary King’s soul, if he wished, he could have easily broken through this shroud, unleashed his true form, and torn apart the entire formation.
But that would reveal everything, and right now, subtlety was far more dangerous than raw power.
’If I reveal my true body now,’ Jacob mused silently, his hollow sockets flickering faintly, ’The Dark Grand Duke might destroy the Dark Law Essence or escape with it... and then I’ll have to fight the entire Dark Kingdom’s army. That would be... unnecessarily troublesome.’
So instead, he lowered his gaze, letting the oppressive seal wrap around him as if in resignation. He played his part as the Deathless Prince, the supposedly fallen noble awaiting judgment.
The leading puppet spoke, its voice cold, mechanical, yet faintly reverent.
"Deathless Prince, you are to stand before the Trial of Absolute Dark by the command of the Dark Grand Duke. Resistance will be deemed as rebellion against the Dark Throne."
Jacob gave no response. He inclined his head slightly—a gesture of silent consent.
At that moment, the barrier shimmered with a pulse, and the surrounding formation began to shift, the space itself twisting.
The puppets escorted Jacob across the abyssal space, passing through countless floating citadels of black stone and silent fortresses where no soul stirred. The darkness thickened with every passing moment, growing heavy and suffocating.
Finally, they arrived. Ahead loomed an enormous dark sphere—not a planet, but a sealed dimension tethered to the very core of Nocturnis Prime. From outside, it looked like a moon of shadow, wreathed in gray lightning that arced across its surface.
The puppets pierced through its surface like passing through a veil, carrying Jacob into the heart of the sphere.
Inside was... utter silence—a boundless space of darkness, where even the sense of time seemed muted.
The only source of illumination was a single runic platform at the center, its surface etched with ancient symbols. The runes emitted a faint silvery-gray glow, and surrounding the platform was a translucent barrier—neither solid nor fluid, but alive, pulsing faintly like the breath of a sleeping beast.
The puppets halted at the edge of that barrier, their hollow voices blending as one, "Proceed. Step onto the Trial Platform. The judgment of the Dark Grand Duke awaits."
Jacob’s abyssal sockets glowed faintly, his posture calm, yet his mind sharpened like a blade. He stepped forward—each motion deliberate, silent, and unhurried.
The barrier parted for him effortlessly, as though recognizing the Deathless Prince’s authority. The moment he stepped within, however, it sealed again, merging seamlessly with the Ethereal Dark Binding around his body.
In an instant, Jacob found himself standing in the middle of the platform—a prisoner within light and shadow.
The surrounding darkness began to shift.
However, right at this moment, Jacob’s hollow sockets flickered, and a faint glint of golden-white fire ignited deep within.
The Eyes of Judgment were opened, and the illusion shattered!
The overwhelming darkness that had filled the chamber dissolved like smoke before sunlight, revealing what lay truly hidden beneath.
He now saw the vast interior of an enormous coliseum. The structure stretched beyond comprehension, built entirely of blackstone and runic veins that pulsed faintly with dark energy.
Instead of seats, the coliseum walls were lined with countless floating windows, each one faintly glowing, as if beings from different realms were watching this trial remotely.
But the most interesting thing was, above the center of the platform hovered a throne of pure darkness, suspended in midair like the eye of a storm, and seated upon it was a blurry silhouette!
The shadowed figure didn’t move, yet the atmosphere seemed to warp around him.
’Is that the Dark Grand Duke?’
For a fleeting moment, Jacob’s eyes flickered in surprise, a glimmer of curiosity in the abyss of his expression. But just as quickly, it vanished.
He became calm again—utterly composed. Without a word, he stepped fully onto the center of the trial platform, his movements steady, regal, defiant.
The runes flared beneath his feet, binding him in shimmering tendrils of dark light, and as they did, the Dark Grand Duke’s gaze turned fully upon him—piercing, vast, and filled with a silence more terrifying than rage.
At that moment, the Dark Grand Duke’s oppressive voice, filled with authority, rang, "Let the Trial of Absolute Dark begin!"
As if activating on his will, Dark Rose’s static voice sounded, "The Trial of Absolute Dark has been initiated by the Overseer of the Dark Kingdom, the Dark Grand Duke, against the Dark Prince, Deathless Prince!
"Deathless Prince is under suspicion of being an imposter; a harmful, malicious entity that had killed the real Dark Prince to take his place!
"If it’s proved to be true, the ’imposter’ shall be judged with the highest treason of the Dark Kingdom and punished accordingly!
"Activating the Trial of Absolute Dark’s three commandments!
"Commandment of Dark Judge has been activated!
"Commandment of Dark Jury has been activated!
"Commandment of Dark Executioner has been activated!
"Proceed with the Trial!"