The Emperor reappeared in the center of the Soul Space, not with a book, but holding a jagged, pulsing sliver of absolute nothingness. It looked like a crack in reality itself, bleeding a cold, white mist that seemed to swallow the light around it.

  “You want to be 'reformatted,' Alex? You want to undo the sludge you’ve pumped into the most sophisticated engine in the multiverse?” The Emperor’s voice was devoid of its usual mockery. It was heavy with the gravity of what was about to happen.

  “Yes,” Alex said, his voice trembling but firm. “I can't be a ‘mediocre’ king. If I’m going to do this, I do it right.”

  “Then prepare yourself. This is not a ‘reset.’ It is a Core Scourge. I am going to use this Void-Tier Regression Crystal to bleach your core. It will hunt down every scrap of generic mana, every soulless skill, and every ounce of 'standard' progress you’ve made and annihilate it. You will return to Level 1. Your stats will collapse. Your 175 skills will vanish. And the pain... the pain will make that twisted finger feel like a lover's caress.”

  The Emperor didn't wait for a second thought. He thrust the Void Shard into Alex’s chest, directly over the Core of Hegemony.

  Alex didn't scream; his lungs seized before the sound could escape. He watched his status screen flicker violently. The list of 175 skills—Iron Will, Forced Velocity, Aura Sheath—began to turn gray and then dissolve into digital ash.

  The "ports" that The Emperor had described as sealed began to groan. In Alex’s mind, it felt like rusted iron gates being torn off their hinges by a hurricane. The generic "filler" mana that Renald’s gemstone ants had provided was being violently sucked out of his meridians and into the Void Shard.

  The number 50 on his status screen began to tumble. 40... 30... 15... As the levels dropped, Alex felt his physical strength withering. The muscles that had grown dense with Ranker energy felt like they were melting. The "factory" of his core was being stripped of its tainted raw materials, leaving only the pristine, empty architecture behind.

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  “Stay conscious!” The Emperor roared, his golden eyes reflecting the white void. “If you pass out now, the core will collapse into the vacuum! You must command it to stay open! Dictate the terms of your own emptiness!”

  Alex gritted his teeth, his vision swimming in a sea of white agony. He focused on the center of his being. He didn't just let the energy leave; he ordered it out. He used the very essence of his Hegemony affinity to expel the "standard" trash that had crippled his potential.

  “OUT!” he mentally bellowed. “CLEAR THE FLOOR!”

  With a final, bone-chilling crack, the Void Shard shattered. The white mist vanished, and Alex collapsed onto the ivory floor of the Soul Space, gasping for air that felt too thin. He felt lighter—horrifyingly light—like a shell that had been hollowed out.

  The Emperor stood over him, looking down with a grim sort of respect. He flicked his wrist, and a blue screen appeared in front of Alex’s face.

  STATUS SUMMARY

  Name: Alex

  Class: Omniarch (Relic Core)

  Rank: Normal (Unranked)

  Level: 1

  Experience: 0 / 100

  Skills: 0 / 175 (Slots: UNSEALED)

  Condition: Severely Exhausted / Core Pristine

  “There,” The Emperor said, his voice softening just a fraction. “You are back at ground one. You are weak. You are vulnerable. Any stray beast in the real world could kill you with a sneeze right now. But your 'factory' is clean. The ports are open. From this moment on, you do not consume husks. You do not take the 'safe' path.”

  The Emperor gestured toward the horizon of the Soul Space. “The Duke’s meeting is in a few hours. You have no levels, no skills, and you can barely stand. But you have your potential back.”

  Alex looked at his hands. They were no longer glowing with the steady, blue hum of a Level 50 Ranker. They were just... his hands. But the feeling of congestion in his chest was gone.

  “How do I survive the meeting like this?” Alex whispered.

  “You have the Emperor’s Will,” The Emperor said, pointing to the cutlass. “And you have the one thing that doesn't rely on levels: your mind. Now, get out of here. You need to wake up and pretend you aren't a Level 1 weakling before Ketovan walks through that door.”

  *********