Chapter 0: Xenos: Back home

The silence of the research facility shattered with a frantic shout.

"Hey! Trigger the alarm! The research project—XY-234—has been stolen!"

A second voice, sharp with disbelief, echoed back.

"What?! What do you mean stolen?! That's the treasure of the Ancient Seal Clan! Who in their right mind would dare steal from us?"

"Just trigger the damn alarm!"

Within moments, a blaring siren filled the entire facility. Panic erupted like wildfire—researchers and guards scrambled in all directions, desperate to find the culprit. Footsteps pounded against the metal floors, voices overlapping in confusion and fear.

Then, the air grew heavy. A commanding presence entered the scene.

An elder arrived—his long silver robes flowing behind him, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"What happened?" his voice was calm but carried an undeniable authority.

A trembling researcher turned to him. "Elder Hong, someone has stolen the artificial plane core—XY-234—from the lab."

A dangerous silence filled the room.

Then—BOOM!

Elder Hong's aura exploded outward. The sheer force of his fury cracked the floor beneath him and sent fractures crawling up the walls. The air itself vibrated under his overwhelming pressure.

For a moment, no one dared to move. Then, as his rage settled into cold calculation, Elder Hong spoke.

"Put the entire clan on high alert. Activate all security protocols. Prepare every battleship. I want the armies to scan the entire galaxy—thoroughly."

His voice left no room for hesitation. Guards rushed off to execute his orders.

With a steady hand, Elder Hong pulled out a communication device. His expression was unreadable as he spoke into it.

"Clan Leader, the person took the bait."

A low hum crackled through the device—acknowledgment, but nothing more.

Then, the call ended.

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The vast void stretched endlessly, silent and unforgiving. A lone figure moved through the darkness—a dark elf clad in a long black coat, his hood concealing most of his face. His movements were precise, deliberate. He was escaping.

Behind him, unseen pursuers hunted, but he remained ahead, slipping past formations, avoiding deadly traps, and evading the most advanced scans. His skill in stealth was unmatched, his instincts razor-sharp.

Soon, he reached the edge of the Heavenly Creation Galaxy.

This galaxy was no ordinary one—it belonged to the Ancient Seal Clan, the most powerful faction in the True Universe. It was their research domain, a place where only the highest-ranking members had access. Every experiment conducted here was shrouded in secrecy. Trespassing was punishable by death.

But he had done more than trespass.

He had stolen something.

And now, he was about to escape.

Just as he veered toward his hideout, a sudden shift in energy made his instincts scream. Danger.

Without hesitation, he twisted his body—just in time.

A devastating force struck where he had been standing, tearing through the void itself. The fabric of space cracked open, revealing a terrifying presence stepping through.

A being emerged, radiating an otherworldly aura. At first glance, he resembled a human, but there was one unmistakable difference—a third eye glowed on his forehead.

Lupin, the dark elf, didn't speak. He merely observed, his cold, calculating eyes locking onto the newcomer.

The being studied him before speaking.

"Arsène Lupin. I've heard of you." His voice carried weight, a mixture of curiosity and dominance. "I'll give you a chance. Take the Life-Death Seal and work under me."

Lupin scoffed, his expression unmoved.

"The Life-Death Seal is nothing but a slave mark. Do you take me for a fool?"

At his rejection, the third-eyed man's gaze turned ice-cold.

"I offered you a choice."

He took a step forward. The moment his foot touched the void, ancient seals appeared beneath him, spreading outward. Space itself began to solidify, locking Lupin's movements and making it impossible to phase deeper into the void.

"I'll give you another chance. Think carefully."

Lupin's grip on his sword tightened as he chuckled darkly.

"There's nothing to think about. Do you really believe I don't know about your clan's 'Talent Steal'—"

BOOM!

A sudden attack cut him off mid-sentence.

The dark elf reacted instantly, raising his sword to block. Sparks flew as an overwhelming force pressed against his blade, sending shockwaves rippling through the void.

The third-eyed man's aura surged, distorting space itself. The pressure made the surrounding void tremble as he coldly asked, "How do you know?"

Lupin smirked, pushing back against the force.

"Clan Head—Landon. There's no such thing as a secret in this world."

Landon narrowed his eyes. A flicker of emotion—perhaps irritation—passed through them before he steadied himself.

Then, his expression turned deathly calm.

"I was willing to let you live out of mercy." His voice carried no emotion, only the weight of finality. "But now, there's no need. Your talent will be useful to one of our clan's young prodigies."

A killing intent surged.

Landon snapped his fingers.

Instantly, countless glowing seals materialized, spreading through the void like a swarm of celestial runes. Each one pulsed with the power of a different elemental law—fire, ice, lightning, wind, and more. Like unleashed beasts, they streaked toward Lupin, bursting open upon impact, their chaotic energies attacking from all directions.

Sensing the incoming barrage, Lupin reacted swiftly. A dense wave of darkness expanded from his body, swallowing everything in its path. The moment the elemental forces neared his domain, they were devoured—consumed by the endless abyss.

Landon observed with a smirk.

"It seems you've reached the Paragon Realm to withstand that, but Paragon alone won't be enough to save you today."

With a flick of his hand, more seals appeared, but this time, some of them fused together, forming intricate dual-seals. The moment they touched Lupin's dark domain—cracks spread across it like shattered glass.

Lupin's eyes narrowed. He swung his sword, channeling sword Qi through the blade. A sharp, silver arc slashed through the void—SLASH!—ripping apart the dual-seals before they could do further damage.

Landon's third eye glowed with intrigue.

"Hmm… It looks like you've reached the Sword heart Realm. Interesting. Your sword talent is decent… but tell me—what other talents do you possess?"

As he spoke, the air around him shifted.

His aura surged, and his seals evolved again—this time into triple-seals. The moment a single one landed, BOOM!—Lupin's dark domain shattered completely.

Lupin barely had time to react. He twisted his body, dodging the incoming barrage while slashing through seals with his sword Qi. Each strike sent tremors through space.

SLASH! SLASH!

One after another, he cut through thousands of seals, his movements sharp and relentless. But the onslaught was endless, and exhaustion crept into his limbs. His breathing grew heavier.

Landon watched with cold amusement.

"You're decent. Aside from your talent for stealing, your physical strength, soul strength, and battle instincts are all average. No wonder your name is only feared in theft."

His smirk deepened. "I think that's enough."

In an instant—Landon vanished.

Lupin's instincts screamed. Too fast!

Before he could react, Landon teleported behind him, his hand glowing with lethal Qi.

"It's time to end this boring fight."

Landon's hand swiped for his neck—

But—

His fingers sliced through thin air.

Something was wrong.

A chill ran down Landon's spine as his battle instincts roared in warning. He barely had time to react—he twisted his body—but it was too late.

SLASH!

His right arm was severed.

Landon stumbled back, clutching the bleeding stump where his hand had once been. His third eye flared with shock, then fury.

"Y-You…!" His voice trembled with rage. "You're an Extreme Paragon?! You were hiding your true strength the whole time!"

Lupin smirked coldly.

"They say the Ancient Seal Clan is the most arrogant force in the universe… it seems that's true." His voice was calm, mocking. "This was a perfect chance to kill you, but… pity, you barely managed to escape."

Landon's face twisted with fury, his entire body shaking with rage.

But then—his third eye flickered. Reinforcements. They were coming.

Lupin sensed it too. He sighed. "It's a pity I can't kill you this time."

With that, he raised his hand. Space cracked—his body dissolved into darkness.

Landon clenched his remaining fist, his face filled with humiliation and burning wrath.

His aura exploded, his voice thundering through the void—

"ARSÈNE LUPIN! I will hunt you down and KILL YOU!"

His anger ravaged the space around him, sending ripples of destruction into the void.

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Unknown Planet

A barren land stretched under a dark sky, lifeless and quiet. Inside a hidden cave.

Lupin reached into his coat and pulled out a miniature tower, no larger than his forearm. Without hesitation, he stepped inside, and the tower vanished from the outside world, concealed in an instant.

Inside the Tower

The moment he entered, the space around him shifted.

He now stood before an enormous planet, floating within the tower's mysterious realm. The planet was massive—a thousand times bigger than Earth—its vast landscapes stretching endlessly into the horizon.

As he prepared to step further, a small ethereal figure manifested before him, glowing with a faint blue light. It was Lucy—the planetary consciousness.

Lucy's voice was soft yet warm.

"Lord, you are back."

Lupin gave a slight nod.

"I am back, Lucy. Where is Sumanth?"

"He is in the Crescent Main Building."

Lupin turned to leave, but Lucy hesitated before speaking again.

"Lord, you are still in your Lupin form."

Lupin paused, then smirked.

"Thanks."

In the blink of an eye, he teleported.

Crescent Main Building

As he arrived, his body began to shift.

The pointed ears of a dark elf retracted, reshaping into normal human ears. His obsidian-black skin lightened, turning into a fair complexion. His glowing purple eyes dimmed, transforming into deep black.

By the time he fully materialized, he no longer looked like a dark elf—he was human.

The moment he appeared, a figure stepped forward to greet him.

Sumanth.

The man's expression remained unreadable as he spoke.

"You're back."

Lupin, for once, allowed a small, rare smile.

"I am."

Sumanth exhaled sharply, then shook his head.

"You should have killed him."

Lupin's gaze darkened slightly, but his tone remained calm.

"I never intended to kill him. I deliberately missed my strike. Even though he is at the Peak Paragon Realm, he is still the Clan Head of the Ancient Seal Clan. If I killed him, their ancestors would intervene."

" It's better to humiliate him than to risk war."

Sumanth nodded in understanding.

Lupin then reached into his coat and pulled out a small, glowing object. Its energy pulsed ominously.

"Here. This is what I stole from their lab. Let Elder Leo examine it."

" I'm exhausted—I'll be resting."

Sumanth took the object and gave a short nod.

"Alright."

Without another word, Lupin turned and disappeared into the shadows, heading to his chamber to rest.

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The Next Day

Lupin stood with his arms crossed, his sharp gaze locked onto Sumanth.

"Did you find anything?"

Sumanth let out a short laugh.

"A lot, actually. The elders are going crazy over it."

Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

Sumanth's expression turned serious.

"It's an artificially created plane core. Right now, it's in a neutral state—without an origin. But if you implant one, you can shape it into either a Negative Shadow Plane Core or a Positive Shadow Plane Core."

Lupin's eyes narrowed.

"No wonder the elders lost their minds over it… I only thought it was valuable. I didn't expect it to be thisvaluable."

He took a deep breath before asking his next question.

"What about the other thing I asked for?"

Sumanth's face softened slightly.

"The coordinates to your home?" He nodded. "We've got them. I've been waiting for you. But you vanished for millions of years without a single word."

His gaze locked onto Lupin.

"Do you still want to go back?"

Lupin exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable.

"It's been a long time… I need to return. I don't know if it was a curse or a blessing, but I was thrown from my home—a mere mortal planet—into the True Universe because of that space warp. I have no idea how many years have passed… But it's time."

Sumanth nodded, understanding the weight of those words.

"We've confirmed the coordinates. After analyzing the remnants of the space warp and its tunnels, we discovered something… Your planet exists within a forbidden plane."

Lupin's lips curled into a wry smile.

"No wonder there was no such thing as cultivation there…"

"Yes. And the journey back won't be easy."

Lupin nodded again, already prepared for the challenges ahead.

Sumanth then smirked.

"So, what identity will you use this time? The Ancient Seal Clan and their subordinate clans will definitely be hunting for you."

Lupin's lips curved into a small, knowing smile.

"An old one—Xenos."

Sumanth chuckled.

"I remember you mentioning that name before. Xenos… It means 'stranger.' "

" or should I call it as Xenos:back home."

Lupin—no, Xenos—smiled faintly.