The creature stepped forward. Its black armor shimmered faintly, etched with lines of shifting void. Raizen didn't need to give it commands—its mind was already wired to his will. No connection spell, no verbal link. It simply moved because he wanted it to.
It knelt without being asked.
Raizen stared at it, still processing what he had created.
A being that looked like a man. Muscular, tall, calm. But beneath the surface, it was anything but human. It had no heartbeat. No breath. No hunger. Its movements were precise—not mechanical, but sharp. Fluid, but deliberate. Each motion was efficient, almost calculated… yet graceful.
He reached forward and tapped its chest.
Solid.
But as his finger touched the blackened surface, part of the armor shifted—void energy reacting to his presence, parting like smoke before solidifying again.
"Stand."
The soldier rose instantly.
Raizen's lips curled. "Can you speak?"
The soldier looked him directly in the eye. "Only if you will it."
Its voice was deep, smooth. Not metallic. Not hollow. It sounded alive, even if it wasn't.
He nodded once.
"You're not just a puppet," Raizen murmured. "You're something new."
The soldier said nothing, but the faint shimmer in its eyes—like a swirling black sun—responded with silent understanding.
Raizen turned away and raised his hand. "Come."
The void twisted again, reacting to the same technique. This time, he focused on a group—shaping multiple bodies at once. The space rippled, tore open, and from it stepped five more.
Each one was different in appearance but shared the same core design—humanoid, efficient, deadly. Some carried swords made of void crystal. One held a halberd. Another bore twin curved daggers fused with flame-like distortions.
All knelt.
Raizen's mind opened slightly—testing their thoughts. There was no chaos. No confusion. Their minds were clear, organized. Built from the foundation of his will.
A shared instinct burned within them: protect their creator, obey without question, grow stronger without fear.
They didn't need food. Didn't sleep. Didn't rest. Their bodies regenerated with ambient energy from the void. And if destroyed… they would return, so long as Raizen willed it.
Perfect soldiers.
No loyalty issues.
No fear.
Raizen walked past them slowly. "You're not tools."
They didn't react.
"You're part of something much bigger."
Still silent.
Raizen smiled faintly. "A realm… built on void."
Suddenly, one of them shifted. A newer one—freshly formed—looked up. "Do we expand now?"
Raizen turned to him. "Soon. But not yet."
He closed his eyes and felt it.
Deep inside the void… something moved. Something old. Faint. Curious.
He didn't know what it was, but it had noticed the ripple from his legion's creation.
"Prepare yourselves," he said calmly, opening his eyes. "Something's watching."
Without another word, the six
void soldiers stood and spread out around him in formation—ready for war.