The Sanctuary, drawing energy from Aaron's own power, underwent a profound transformation. It didn't merely expand in mass. It split into two distinct planets, their surfaces forming within a newly created pocket of outer space that enveloped them. The Sanctuary now resembled a nascent universe, albeit a small one, with two planets orbiting a faint, artificial star, its boundaries defined by a shimmering cosmic veil.

The frostmaw trolls migrated to one of the new planets, Iron Jaw overseeing the transition with disciplined efficiency, his leadership ensuring order among his people. Aaron then bestowed immortality upon every troll, their bodies infused with a timeless essence that rendered them ageless, their loyalty cemented by the gift.

He established a merit-based hierarchy among them, with Iron Jaw as their overseer, appointing ranks from archdukes to knights, mirroring the structure of his growing empire to maintain order and incentivize loyalty.

Having secured the frostmaw trolls, Aaron opened a rift to Terra, the planet of the Rock Men, already conquered by his lieutenants Leo and King. Without pause, he descended to its core, a massive geode radiating earthen power, and devoured it in an instant, accelerating time to expedite the process. The Rock Men, like the trolls, were transported to the Sanctuary, becoming the third race to receive immortality and citizenship in Aaron's burgeoning empire.

The Sanctuary expanded further, a third planet coalescing within its cosmic expanse, its surface a rugged blend of stone and crystal, perfectly suited for the Rock Men's habitation.

Aaron continued his relentless campaign, opening rifts to the planet conquered by Michael and Isobel, home to the goblins. He devoured its core, a volatile, emerald orb crackling with chaotic energy. In mere moments, the planet collapsing as its essence was absorbed.

Throughout the day, Aaron consumed the cores of ten small worlds, each devoured with the same ruthless efficiency, their populations relocated to the Sanctuary, each granted immortality and integrated into his empire's hierarchy. The Sanctuary grew with each conquest, forming new planets within its expanding cosmic domain, a testament to Aaron's unyielding ambition.

Exhausted from his relentless pace, Aaron decided to pause and spend time with his wives. Opening a rift to their location. A world dominated by vast, shimmering oceans, he stepped through, the portal's hum fading behind him.

As he emerged, he heard a voice, dripping with arrogance, addressing his wives. "Now, ladies, my offer? Still going to say no? Or are you finally willing to be my concubines? I promise I'll take care of you all. It would be a shame to kill you too."

Aaron's face darkened, his expression colder than the deepest glacial abyss. Never in his life had he felt such visceral annoyance, the words igniting a fury that sealed the speaker's fate in stone.

"Offer? Did you just ask my wives to become your concubines?" Aaron's voice cut through the water like a blade, icy and lethal, his eyes locked onto the merman with long, flowing golden hair, whose blue crown gleamed faintly in the dim light.

King Oren turned, startled, his eyes widening at the sight of a man with a flawless face, radiating a chilling hatred that seemed to still the very currents. The shimmering rift behind Aaron told Oren all he needed about how the stranger had appeared so suddenly.

"Who are you?" Oren demanded, his tone cautious but still laced with arrogance, his grip tightening on his golden trident.

"I asked you a question," Aaron repeated, his voice unwavering, his gaze unyielding as it bore into Oren's soul.

"Oh, I see. You're the father that pesky beast was talking about. You have three beautiful wives to yourself. You can't keep them all, you know. How about I help you out and take them off your hands? Consider it an honor that King Oren is interested in your wives. It shows your good taste," Oren taunted, oblivious to the depth of the grave he was digging, his smirk widening as he leaned on his trident.

"I can't wait to have them in my—" Oren continued, his voice dripping with lewd anticipation.

"I'm done hearing enough of you," Aaron interrupted, his voice a low growl as he time-stepped forward, appearing instantly before Oren. In a blur, he seized the king's mouth, his grip iron-tight, and with a brutal wrench, tore Oren's jaw clean off, the bone and flesh ripping with a sickening crunch.

Oren's eyes bulged in shock, muffled sounds escaping his throat as he tried to scream without a mouth, the water around him clouding with blood.

Creating distance, Oren retreated, his expression a mix of agony and wariness. The ocean responded to his will, water swirling to regenerate his jaw, the wound sealing with a shimmering glow as his flesh knit back together.

"Who the hell are you?!" Oren demanded, his voice now serious, his hand outstretched as his trident flew to his grasp, its prongs humming with renewed vigor. He mentally reclassified Aaron as a dire threat, his earlier arrogance replaced by calculated caution.

"You don't have the right to ask me any questions. All you'll receive today is a beating," Aaron declared coldly, time-stepping behind Oren before the king could react. With a swift motion, he drove his hand through Oren's upper shoulder, the strike eliciting a groan of agonizing pain as blood seeped into the water.

Oren swung his trident in retaliation, the weapon slicing through the currents with deadly force. Aaron caught it effortlessly in his hand, his strength overwhelming as he used the trident to hurl Oren upward, sending the king rocketing through the water and out of the planet's atmosphere.

Oren tumbled uncontrollably into the vacuum of space, stabilizing himself with effort, his trident still clutched tightly, his tattoos glowing faintly against the starlit void.

"Good. Now I can inflict pain without destroying your planet," Aaron said coldly, appearing before Oren with another time-step, his presence a dark silhouette against the distant stars.

Seizing both of Oren's arms, Aaron tore them off with a brutal pull, the king's muffled cries echoing faintly in the vacuum as blood sprayed in slow-motion arcs, freezing instantly in the cold of space.

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