144 Defeating Death!

"This is...bad." A light, feminine voice resounded quietly within the remnants of Yan Zaizen's heart. This voice belonged to the Unyielding Flame of Life that was refined by Yan Zaizen. Similar to how the lungs were the central hub for the Siphoning Shadow of Death, the heart was its home. When it was destroyed, 99.9% of its strength vanished just like that. If it wasn't for it's unwillingness to dissipate, it would've long since vanished.

In the myriad realms, many are ignorant of the uniqueness of each individual concepts story surrounding their creation. The two concepts of life and death have an interesting history amidst the heavens. If the white flame could be considered the heavens protector, then the inky, black shadow could be considered its destroyer. If the inky, black shadow was left alone, it could take over the entirety of heavens!

All of it.

This was not an exaggeration.

The white flame's purpose for creation was to prevent this very occurrence from happening. To forever stay stably and unyieldingly against this conceptual law that could siphon all things. Even chaotic space which, as a whole, was the embodiment of the Imperial Law of Spacetime, could do nothing to stop the Siphoning Shadow of Death from taking its essence. Not to mention, this was Yan Zaizen's concept! In comparison, the strength of the concept that originated from the Regalia was like comparing the difference between a pebble and a planet!

If left unchecked, it'll perpetually grow stronger while all others would become weaker. This was its concept and it was the only concept with such capabilities!

Unfortunately, by merging with Yan Zaizen, a gap in its abilities was now revealed. If Yan Zaizen wasn't completely killed and the white flame was weakened, the siphoning shadow of death could absorb all! However, how could the Unyielding Flame of Life purposefully end itself to prevent this from happening? It went against its very instinctual nature.

This left it in realization of the fault that could be exploited! If no one extinguishes its existence so that Yan Zaizen could die, then the siphoning shadow of death would run rampant. Unfortunately, there's no way the shadow would allow others to kill him or it!

At the moment, it had the complete advantage!

Vbroom! Vbroom! Vbroom!

Near Yan Zaizen's body, a sky-blue orb ferociously fought off the deathly aura attempting to siphon all of its existence. However, it was slowly being whittled down.

Just like the white flame and black shadow, it had its own consciousness and concept. It enabled itself to be segregated from the heavens so that it may become a king of its own! It was even being used to establish a hell altar! It could become the king of hell!!

Then, this happened.

If it could cry, it would.

"..." The white flame flickered silently. Slowly, it extended a wisp of lifeforce towards the sky-blue orb. Because the siphoning shadow of death was attempting to avoid the white flame in its wild consumption, it ignored the tiny wisp of lifeforce. This wisp of lifeforce reached the sky-blue orb and softly emitted a faint glow of pure whiteness.

"If you...keep this up...you'll die." This was spoken in some unknown heavenly language, if anyone else heard it, they wouldn't even be able to register it on any sensory spectrum. When these words were heard by the sky-blue orb, it flickered defiantly with radiance. However, it knew the words spoken by the white flame were true. The shadow was odd, it could devour the essence of the heavens themselves, and even the hell altar couldn't resist.

"If...if we don't do something...we'll die." The white flame sent once more.

"!" The sky-blue orb trembled slightly, a faint trace of hope could be felt from it. If this wisp was sending it a message, it probably has a plan!

"However...you'll have to decide...if its worth it."

"..."

"..."

"If I can survive, its worth it!" Was the only response from the sky-blue orb.

"Understood." The white flame sent over its plans, but as it did, the sky-blue orb felt a sensation of melancholy. However, in the end, it agreed. It started to flicker in and out of existence. In this state, the death law couldn't perceive its existence as if it merged perfectly with its aura. Using its strength, it silently propelled itself over towards Yan Zaizen's heart area and phased into his body like a ghost.

The only plan that could work had to do with reconstructing Yan Zaizen's heart. If Yan Zaizen's heart could be reconstructed, then the white flame could fight against death once more! However, it would be impossible to use lifeforce. The shadow wasn't an idiot by being careless. The first thing it did was siphon off all of Yan Zaizen's various energies - soul, vital, qi-essence!

The white flame was currently too weak. Without Yan Zaizen's energy reserves, it couldn't stimulate itself to regrow his heart or combat the deathly aura. However, another regalia has the possibility to do so! If the sky-blue orb were to refine itself as the base of Yan Zaizen's heart, it would allow the flame to draw upon the orbs strength as if it was Yan Zaizen's.

The drawback?

The sky-blue orb had to refine itself into Yan Zaizen's physique. However, how could it willingly accept this? The main reason why herculeans fail to refine two regalias had to do with the regalias unwillingness to accept another king within their heaven! The constant battle for supremacy would cause the herculean to die from the inside. The white flame and black shadow, however, was different. They were forced together by the heavens, and was merged perfectly! It was either they both become kings or neither of them does!

This was something the heavens would always do. If Yan Zaizen mastered just the Unyielding White Flame, it could be segregated alone, but the Siphoning Shadow of Death could never be segregated without the flame. The heavens would never allow it! For obvious reasons.

Unfortunately for the sky-blue orb, the Regalia was under the threat of annihilation. The destruction of a regalia was an inconceivable feat. One must know, they've existed as long as the heavens themselves. They were aspects of its laws! They were it and it were them! To destroy it one must first be able to destroy the heavens themselves.

Now, it was left with two choices:

Share your kingdom.

Or.

DEATH!

The sky-blue orb took the place of Yan Zaizen's heart, slowly radiating fluctuations of pure soulforce, and morphings its orb-like form into the shape of a heart. Slowly, it connected to Yan Zaizen's arteries and veins, and the unyielding white flame entered into this newly constructed heart to claim the space as its own. If the sky-blue regalia becomes a part of Yan Zaizen, the white flame could use its energy!

The refinement process took as long as before, but surprisingly, the shadow of death which was greedily siphoning off the white altar's essence didn't notice! The sky-blue orb had some way to avoid its senses.

Slowly, sky-blue light permeated throughout Yan Zaizen's body, his bones, his blood, his cells, and suffused into his eyes. Those eyes had no focus, as if they belonged to a dead man. With his soul tied up by the hell strings, his lifeforce being all but destroyed, he lost his connection to both soul and body. Without his soul, his mind could only process what it could perceive through its five senses, even then, the amount was very little that he couldn't even realize what was happening.

He wasn't truly dead, simply had zero control over his body and his soul form was restricted. If anything, it was quite similar to when one's soul flame was extinguished - a comatose state.

THUMP!

THUMP!!

THUMP!!!

Several hours later, Yan Zaizen felt his newly constructed heartbeat for the first time. With each beat, it resonated an aura of pure soulforce and lifeforce fluctuations.

"What?!" The shadow felt an oddity for the first time, looking back at Yan Zaizen's body. Earlier, it had moved Yan Zaizen's body to the edge after learning that someone wished to penetrate into the shroud of death. Unfortunately, the sky-blue orb had already entered Yan Zaizen's body before then. The disappearance of it didn't concern him, sooner or later, it'll siphon all its essence as well!

Now, however, it felt threatened.

ROAR!!

It thunderously roared. Using the energy it siphoned from the hell altar, it made a mad dash towards Yan Zaizen's body. It had a feeling that if he didn't ensure the white flame couldn't take any action, it'll never again have this chance.

Unfortunately.

A white flame violently erupted from Yan Zaizen's body! This white flame was slightly different as it contained a faint glow of sky-blue.

"NO!!!" The deathly shadow felt enraged, questioning how this was possible. However, when it saw the faint traces of sky-blue, it had some ideas, and was furious! It knew what the white flame did, but how could the white flame accept this?! Doing this meant the heaven they would have would no longer be their own?! How could the sky-blue orb accept this?

It was going to violently extinguish the sky-blue glow, but it lurched to a stop as a wisp of white surged into the deathly aura.

An odd silence permeated the air.

If the shadow had an expression, it would be incredibly ugly to behold.

With the infusion, destroying the sky-blue orb was the same as killing the white flame.

It had a choice.

One: Allow the white flame to continue growing in strength through the infusion of the sky-blue orb. If he did, sooner or later it'll be strong enough to suppress it once more, but with the help of the sky-blue orb, it'll have enough strength to suppress it permanently and likely even exterminate it!

After all, the white flame was the only thing that could absorb its energy so thoroughly.

Two: Destroy the white flame, dying with it after Yan Zaizen's death. This was a suicidal choice.

Three: Accept the situation, assimilate itself back willingly, and reinstate the balance once more. In that way, the white flame would segregate from the sky-blue orb, and they'll keep an intricate balance of the three. The sky-blue orb had already refined itself into Yan Zaizen's physique, if they don't fight it, it can exist there.

Anyone with these three choices would have an ugly expression. Possible Death, certain death, or returning back to normal with another person ruling your kingdom! It felt stifling beyond belief!

However...what could it do?

It admitted defeat.

Several hours later, Yan Zaizen's soul restraint was removed by a soft sky-blue light. A surging trace of consciousness emerged in his mind, freeing his laws, and Pinaka from their confinement. To them, they had no idea what had just happened, and how it changed the very fundamentals of the laws! If Yan Zaizen were to examine his body, his heart would seem as if it never changed, but with a faint trace of sky-blue, his lungs were still inky, black in color, but his brain was sky-blue in color!

The sky-blue orb morphed into a new heart but after the white flame took control, it merged itself into Yan Zaizen's brain! After all, the heart was the white flame's domain, not his. To co-exist, it needed its own. The brain was interconnected with the soul, so it was the most suitable.

This was an unprecedented event which has never occurred since the dawn of the 33 heavens! The merging of three conceptual laws into a single physique via regalia refinement! If the circumstances were slightly different, with different regalia, this would be utterly impossible.

Once more, they went silent as they awaited the growth of their own heaven.