The Nihility Chef

Three weeks later...

Alice and Samael walked through an endless field of blossoms, the colors so rich they seemed almost unreal, each petal swaying to the whims of the breeze. The air was thick with the scent of blooming flora, a perfume crafted by nature itself.

"Morrigan."

The name carried weight, an ancient echo that resonated through time. Bestowed upon Alice, it was more than just a title—it was an inheritance, a destiny written in blood and conquest.

Long ago, the original Morrigan had been a beacon of war, a guiding hand for warriors, and a scourge to her enemies. To her people, she was a protector, an immortal guardian; to those who opposed her, she was death incarnate. But even the mighty fall. The Abyss, fearing her potential, sent a legion to extinguish her light—a horde of seven Great Sages and a Tribulation-level entity. They sought to end her before she could ascend any further.

They paid dearly. Seven Great Sages erased from existence, a Tribulation-level being left maimed and broken. But even so, she fell, her legend crystallized in the halberd she left behind.

Now, Alice was seen as her reincarnation—the second coming of the war goddess.

"Tobias," she replied coldly.

The once-proud noble now stood before her as a broken thing, his arrogance stripped away like rotting flesh from bone. Once, he had tormented her, reveled in her suffering. She never forgot. Revenge had always been a certainty, a matter of when, not if. And when the time came, she carved out his tongue first—silencing the poison forever.

His voice remained, but only through spiritual transmission. Even that, however, was not his own. Alice had bound him through the Death Empress Bloodline's forbidden technique—Death's Grasp. It chained his very soul to her will, letting her invoke agony upon him with a mere thought.

Pain was the price, but for Alice, it was no cost at all. For thirty nights, she drowned him in torment, relishing each moment, enduring the echoes of suffering that rebounded upon herself. Samael had been the one to stop her.

Now, Tobias was nothing more than a shadow of himself, a slave in both body and soul.

"My liege, the Tianjiao Academy is preparing for its latest recruitment. You and Master Samael have been invited to enroll." His voice was mechanical, devoid of any emotion.

Alice waved her hand dismissively. "Leave."

She turned to Samael, excitement lighting her features. "Let's go. It'll be fun."

"No, it won't," he said bluntly. "Why would I waste my time?"

"Because you're too lazy," Alice accused.

"And?" Samael crossed his arms. "What could I possibly learn from an academy?"

Alice groaned. "Alright, fine. Just go for the experience, you grinch."

"I'm Samael. All I do is cook and cultivate. I'm a boring old man in a young body, yadayadayada," she mocked.

Samael raised his middle finger. "Not going."

Alice's expression twisted as though she were being physically tormented. Then, gritting her teeth, she said, "Damn it! Fine! Two Nameday desires each year for five years. Is that good enough?"

When those words left her lips, she seemed to wither, her spirit momentarily crumbling.

Samael's eyes gleamed. "You said it. I accept."

The Nameday desires were sacred—a tradition between them where one could make the other fulfill any request on their birthday. This was how Samael had ended up wearing that ridiculous apron on Alice's last Nameday. Now, he had two per year.

Alice groaned. "When do we leave?"

"After I reach Tier 9. My bottleneck has loosened. I just need time to accumulate aura."

Alice's eyes widened. "What?!"

Even she, a prodigy, was only Tier 7 at sixteen. Tianjiao Academy's minimum requirement was Tier 5 at seventeen.

Forte Family Household

Samael sat cross-legged, immersed in meditation. His body, like a black hole, greedily devoured aura from the heavens, the energy coursing through his veins like liquid fire. The air trembled, drawn toward him in a spiraling vortex.

Inside his dantian, two celestial bodies—primary sequence stars—expanded ever so slightly, their surfaces shifting toward the brilliant glow of Red Supergiants. But power without control was chaos. With the Collapsing Star technique, he reined in the expansion, forcing the energy inward, tempering his cells, densifying his muscles, refining every fiber of his being.

A storm of energy raged around him, then silence.

He opened his eyes. Strength surged through him like an intoxicating drug. Tier 9.

"You broke through?" Alice asked.

"Obviously," Samael said, floating off the ground, a smug grin spreading across his face.

The air between them tensed, like an arrow pulled taut in its bowstring.

Alice squared her stance, a predator assessing another predator. The weight of his presence bore down upon her.

Then, he flicked her forehead. "Loser."

And vanished.

Alice blinked, stunned. Then realization hit. "SAMI, GET BACK HERE!"

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The Next Day

Alice and Samael packed their belongings into space rings, preparing to depart. A heavy silence hung between them.

"Sami… won't you forgive me?" Alice asked, voice uncharacteristically soft.

Samael stood motionless, fists clenched. An aura of pure menace radiated from him, he was like a beast, ready to pounce, ready to attack anything and everything in his way.

"Look at me, Alice! Look at what you've done!" He ripped off his scarf.

Alice stifled a laugh.

His entire face was covered in nonsensical black symbols and markings. Emperor-realm Shadow Squid ink—indelible unless one surpassed the Emperor realm. It would linger for a week.

"Sorry," she muttered, not sounding sorry at all.

Muttering curses, Samael rewrapped his face. "Let's go."

They stepped onto the Forte Family's teleportation circle.

Two figures were watching from above, smiling.

"Good luck, kids."

Info of the Day: Gods

Gods are eternal entities born of aura, existing so long as Verus itself endures. However, they do not start as omnipotent beings. To grow, they must spread their names, cultivate faith, and harvest the power it bestows.

Each element has its own deity—except Aether, which stands apart. Worshippers receive blessings ranging from treasures to elemental affinities.

The gods reside in either the Sanctus Realm among purebred angels or the Malum Realm among purebred devils. While Malum denizens are often more chaotic, they are not inherently evil, just as not all angels are pure. The line between light and dark is far thinner than most believe.