His Corrupted Divine Heart drummed violently against his chest as the Divine Seed pulsed with power. The intensity flowing through his flesh and bones was overwhelming, yet David’s attention never left the scene unfolding before him.

  A crimson light, vibrant and overbearing, flooded his vision where Electra had charged into William. It blocked him from seeing what unfolded behind the scenes, leaving him with no more than the kill notification and the sensation of power flowing into him.

  Several more notifications popped up, informing him of the Sworn Giants’ deaths, Vitae Nihilum’s growth, and the rank increment of several abilities. Most Sparks were on the verge of enlightening him as well, yet nothing mattered as Electra continued doing… something.

  Only a few seconds could have passed before Electra separated from William. She didn’t return to the sky, but disappeared within David once again. He felt the Sacred Beast’s satisfaction and excitement as she settled within the Beast Core, but he couldn’t join her. His heart was ripped to shreds as he looked at William’s body.

  The Mythical Electra had devoured the abomination, yet she left William untouched. His body, void of any mutation, was lying on the soil that once carried the Dwarven Sanctuary’s market square.

  “You caused a lot of trouble.” David grimaced, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as the pain in his strained Source and body became noticeable.

  “Rest in peace, old friend,” he muttered, using a trace of Might to open up the ground beneath William, offering him a burial.

  William may not have given the same courtesy to those he’d killed while he was the abomination, but it felt wrong to leave him like that.

  He sighed again, feeling the weight of his friend’s death on his shoulders. It weighed heavily, yet David didn’t feel any remorse. If anything, he was unsatisfied that Electra had to end William’s misery. He… had been too weak to do it.

  “Why was it so hard to free him?” he murmured, doubts creeping into his mind.

  Killing was not particularly difficult at this point. Those who thirsted for his life, and the lives of the people he wanted to protect, were killed instead. They forfeited their lives the moment they targeted him and his people.

  Fighting was exhilarating, and so was the burst of strength flowing through him whenever his abilities and Divine Seed grew, yet it was not like he enjoyed the act of killing.

  He looked around, a resigned sigh escaping his lips. The Dwarven Sanctuary was no more. Its mighty walls, torn down by the Sworn Giants, had been consumed—just like everything else. The corpses of the Sworn Giants were no more, and all that remained were the corpses of unfortunate defenders and helpless families who’d been killed before he arrived at the scene. Then there was the prehistoric Rift. It shimmered as vibrantly as ever, giving no indicator of the danger looming beyond.

  David stepped forward. He phased through space before he realized what was going on and appeared before the Rift. Vitae oozed from the ground and surged toward David at his command, filling his heart once again.

  Should I? he wondered, lifting his arm.

  His fingers caressed the Rift’s surface, but he didn’t destroy it and instead inspected the most recent notification as they flashed before his eyes relentlessly.

  [Divinity Fragment of Zephyr, the Poisonous Beast God, has been consumed by the Ascendant’s Champion.]

  [Compatibility has been detected. Initiate fusion.

  Error! Error!

  Sacred Beast, Electra, cannot absorb the amalgamation of the Poisonous Beast God’s Divinity Fragment.

  Protocol XASD5391-S008 has been initiated.

  Divinity Fragment has been separated from the amalgamation of 31 sources of Might.

  Commence fusion.]

  [All conditions to evolve have been met.

  Champion Electra successfully evolved into the Ascendant’s Primal Champion.

  Arcana, Basilisk’s Verdict, manifested.]

  [Warning: Mythical Electra surpassed the limits of a Primal Champion and can no longer safely absorb any more Might.]

  [Surplus Might, amalgamation of 31 sources, has been absorbed by the Ascendant’s Primal Champion. Safeguard measurement has been initiated at the Primal Champion’s behest. Surplus Might has been forwarded to the User.]

  [Integration of amalgamation of Might has been successful.

  Trait, [Devourer], has been acquired.]

  [Devourer has detected 36 Fragments of Arcana and Authorities. Proceed to engrave them into your Divinity?

  Error!

  The Ascendant does not possess an open slot.

  Divinity cannot be detected!

  Error!

  Do you wish to Devour your Arcana, Cycle’s Embrace, to engrave one of the accessible Arcana or Authorities into your Divine Seed?]

  “Erm…” David felt like the world was collapsing before his eyes. A list of exactly 36 names—Arcana and Authorities—materialized before him, allowing him to choose any of the powers William had used… as well as those he had been unable to wield.

  Too overwhelmed with the information, David dismissed it with a wave.

  “Let me keep my Arcana,” he murmured, which resulted in a new message.

  [Proposal has been rejected. Surplus Might will be infused into the Ascendant.

  [Devourer] may trigger at the Ascendant’s subsequent rank-ups.]

  David barely got to finish reading through the notification when the dried-up connection between the Weave and his Divine Seed burst to life. A mountain of Might came crashing down on him, providing all the Might and power William had stolen from his victims.

  All the Might forced itself into the Divine Seed from all sides, nurturing it a lot more than the last few weeks with 300,000 firm bonds had done.

  His eyes bulged as they locked onto his Divine Seed’s information sheet. The percentage of his 1-Star Divine Seed increased rapidly. It had been at 32 percent before he arrived in the ruins of the Dwarven Sanctuary, and it had taken almost everything out of him to beat the living shit out of William. At one point, it had even dropped below five percent. But that was history now that his Divine Seed was progressing rapidly. It surpassed 32 percent easily and shot up to more than 50 percent, yet the mountain of Might seeping into the Divine Seed from all sides was still there, pressing hard on his very being.

  The mountain shrunk slowly and transformed into several smaller heaps of Might only after the Divine Seed surpassed a progress of more than 70 percent. His progress slowed, but it took a few minutes before it disappeared entirely, and the Divine Seed’s sudden growth came to a halt.

  [Divine Seed]

  Rank – 1-Star (81.09%)

  David felt stronger than ever, and it was exhilarating. However, even better was that his new Trait would probably trigger once he advanced to 2-Star. If that were to happen, David would have a choice to make. Either the Arcana or Authority granted at 2-Star would be powerful and he’d keep it, or he’d pick one of William’s Arcana.

  The possibility of switching out his Arcana was amazing. The prospect was everything he needed to refine his build and perfect it. Even better, he had Arcana like teleportation, or William’s monstrous regeneration, which would synergize well with [Mender’s Lattice] once he’d modified the spark properly. He could also pick the sworded arms, his transformation Arcana, or the arcane beam.

  Every power William wielded had been powerful, and it was only half of the Arcana and Authorities he’d used. Then again, some of those Arcana and Authorities had sounded rather…incompatible. They were probably unusable with a human’s anatomy, or so David guessed.

  However, Titanblood and some of those other Arcana had sounded really interesting.

  But the thought of taking the power William had stolen pulled him back to reality, and he grimaced.

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  William’s half-transformed face reappeared in David’s mind and he winced. Thinking too much about his old friend and his final moments wouldn’t help anyone. However, the emotions he had seen in William’s face were vividly imprinted in his mind. Something had been wrong about William. It was only obvious, but William had changed. Something about the integration had corrupted him.

  “Was he just a victim of unfortunate circumstances, or had that been what he wanted before it got out of hand?” He wondered despite knowing that the truth didn’t matter.

  “Fuck that shit.” David released an arc of [Origin Lightning] at the prehistoric Rift.

  David reconsidered his actions as the thought of distraction surfaced in his mind when a golden portal materialized nearby. Maja emerged from the portal with a few people, looking beyond exhausted. Their attention lingered on David temporarily, but they seemed more shocked by the disappearance of the entire Dwarven Sanctuary and his survival.

  Maja teared up and leaped into his embrace, choking out incomprehensible words. She shoved her head into his chest and cried bitterly. David was already a mess, and the hug certainly did not help him stay composed.

  He reciprocated the hug and cradled her in his arms. Maja flinched in surprise and looked up to see David wincing. His hands glowed with [Vital Weaving] as he caressed her hair, and he cast [Transcendent Restoration] to fix the last traces of her wounds.

  “Join the others and bury the dead. Or bring them along.” David released Maja with a conflicted smile before he turned to the prehistoric Rift. “I have to make sure the Giants won’t bother us anymore. It won’t take long.”

  That was a lie. Not the last part, but it was not like David had to step into the prehistoric valley to deal with the Giants. It was just that he wanted to get rid of those emotions that kept bothering him. Thrashing a few Giants sounded like the best way to burn his emotions.

  “Where are we going?” Maja asked, reluctance masking her face. “We… have nowhere to go. Sure, we could seek another Sanctuary, but how can we be sure the other Sanctuaries won’t end up like Arc and the others?”

  “One step at a time.” David reminded her. “I have a plan. Take care of everyone and make sure the survivors of the Champion council won’t bother me when I return. I am… not in a good mood right now.”

  Maja stared at him when he said the last bit, countless questions flashing through her eyes, but she nodded and teleported to the others.

  David glanced at the survivors for a moment. He watched them bawl their eyes out. They grieved the loss of their loved ones and would be scarred for the rest of their lives—or so David guessed.

  He turned back and called upon Electra, fusing with her as he summoned the heavy blood armor that connected to dozens of massive crimson shields of [Bloodbound Bastion].

  Crimson wings sprouted from his back as the Sacred Beast responded to his call, and he stepped through the Rift.

  The landscape around him changed rapidly. The devastation encompassing the entire Dwarven Sanctuary was replaced by lush greenery. Vibrant shrubs and towering trees appeared before him only two steps into the Rift, and he emerged shortly after. Once inside the prehistoric valley, David was assaulted by the presence of death and the pungent smell of rotten flesh and blood.

  Undead? he theorized immediately, only to discover the corpses of dozens of prehistoric monsters sprawled around the Rift.

  A deep frown plastered across his face as he kicked the ground to leap high into the air. He willed the space around him to obey and barreled through the air until he was high enough to see the rest of the prehistoric valley in its glory—or what had once been glorious.

  His frown deepened as he infused more and more pure Blood into Bloodthrone Dominion in an attempt to see life signals that did not belong to a few hundred Giants, but he could not find any. All he found were rotting corpses, a destroyed fort, and a drained Rift Core. David cast [Phantom Rush] and [Herald’s Blessing] as he kicked the solidified air underfoot, shooting toward the Rift Core.

  However, as he closed the distance to the Rift Core, David sensed a shift in the Weave. His access to the Weave was forcefully restrained. While he could still access it as long as he powered through the restraints, he didn’t bother; his attention lingered on the nature of the restraints, and he groaned.

  “They claimed it.”

  Fortress had never claimed the prehistoric valley because he couldn’t afford it. He hadn’t had any influence left to use, as the prehistoric valley was a native Rift of the Earthen Union, yet the Giants hadn’t thought of it as wasteful. It was hard to tell the specifics, but given the number of pseudo-Sworn Giants in the valley, it had to be a powerful Ascendant who’d claimed the prehistoric valley.

  Definitely not a native from the Earthen Union, and most definitely not a weak 1-Star or 2-Star Ascendant. David didn’t doubt for a second that this was the work of a god—be it Minor or Major.

  Just as he was about to land before the Rift Core to inspect it, and to kill the dozen Sworn Giants performing some sort of ritual, the Weave shifted once again.

  A blast of Might struck David with great force. It hit his face first and crashed into the rest of his body right away.

  Contrary to his experience, the blast of Might did not seep into him. It pressed hard against him and forced David into retreat. He fought against the barricade of Might that seemed to shroud him, but it was to no avail. The more he resisted, the stronger the pulling force became.

  At some point, the force yanked him backward. It carried him several hundred meters through the air at a blinding speed, giving him no leeway to resist. Any resistance was countered and resulted in an additional burst of Might, which increased the pressure weighing on him as he barreled through the prehistoric forest.

  However, no matter how hard the force pulled on him, David did not miss the descent of a new life signal. His eyes bulged as he turned to look at the center of the prehistoric valley. A gargantuan flame of raw, endless life burned vibrantly as it emerged from a fissure in space, and David knew instantly that the being had locked on him.

  The overwhelming life signal flickered only once, but that was all it needed to tear the prehistoric forest apart. The ground beneath him burst, and the towering trees all around him cracked and snapped. They were bulldozed by a wave of power that dispersed as it touched the barricade of Might shrouding David, yet it ripped his surroundings apart.

  A heavy gravitational force descended, yet David felt nothing but the power of the Weave around him as it redoubled its efforts to expel him from the Rift.

  Explosions erupted all around him, and it felt like the prehistoric valley was on the verge of collapsing. However, David’s eyes never left the life signal that burned brighter than the stars. He was still looking ahead when the scenery around him changed, replacing the flourishing prehistoric forest with all that was left of the Dwarven Sanctuary: a crater of destruction and a Rift.

  David’s eyes lingered on the Rift, his mind blank as he compared the sensation of the entity to what he had felt when he met the Fallen, Xeros.

  His mind remained locked until the Rift to the prehistoric valley erupted. Energy burst in all directions, washing over David before dispersing as the vibrant Rift snapped shut in his face.

  That…was a god, wasn’t it? Not only that, but that dude wanted to kill me. Fuck that bastard. He exhaled deeply as a lengthy system notification materialized before him.

  [The interference of a divine entity outside the jurisdiction of the Earthen Union has been detected.

  Forced claiming of a protected Rift has been detected.

  Punishment will be calculated shortly.]

  [Unauthorized entity emerged in a protected Rift and threatened a native Ascendant of an integrating world.

  Emergency Signal has been triggered due to the cast of [Gravitas Absolute]. Certain death threat has been detected, allowing the interference of the Weave, ensuring the survival of the Ascendant due to the Ascendant’s location – Prehistoric Rift anchored and created by the integrating world, Earthen Union.

  Punishment will be calculated shortly.]

  [To avoid further issues, the anchor to the native Rift, Prehistoric Valley, has been sealed, ensuring the safety of all natives within system-designated protected areas for the remaining duration of the Earthen Union’s integration.

  Remark: non-native Rifts and portals leading to other worlds will not trigger the System Emergency Signal.]

  “What kind of non-fuckery is that?” David snickered, lounging against the charred ground.

  He closed his eyes, suppressing the shudders as memories of the ‘divine entity’ resurfaced in his mind. Soft footsteps approached, several figures drawing near, but he didn’t get up.

  “You look like you had a fun time.” A familiar voice cracked. “And I missed it all. What a shame.”

  David’s eyes snapped open. He leaped to his feet, finding Maja standing with a steely expression, pointing coldly at the man beside her.

  “Look who I found,” she deadpanned, trying hard to conceal her emotions, but David could feel the raging monsoon brewing within her even without the Devotee bond that flared to life.

  Zachariah turned to David with a bright smile. “I knew you would return.”

  Did you, really? Where had Zachariah been all this time? He didn’t know what exactly had happened, but Maja didn’t look particularly pleased with the Regressor. Zachariah was a pain in the ass, so her dislike of him was fair, yet there was a distance between them that hadn’t been there before.

  Or did I fail to notice Maja’s dislike for Zachariah before?

  One way or another, Zachariah was back. They’d reunited, although the circumstances could have been better.

  So, why do I feel like that? David wondered. His throat tightened, and his hair stood on end as he met Zachariah’s eyes.

  “Are you fine?” The Regressor smiled at him, yet the warmth of his smile never reached his freezing-cold eyes. They were steely, calculative, and they preyed upon David.

  “As fine as I can be after killing my old friend,” David responded with a shrug, his eyes flicking to the silver sparks swirling around the Regressor’s sword arm.

  Zachariah raised an eyebrow. “That has to be good enough.”

  The silver sparks moved faster, and David could make out the frame of a sword as Zachariah stepped forward. The space around them distorted, and both David and the Regressor accessed the Weave simultaneously.

  “Should we address the elephant in the room now, or do you need time to figure out how to explain why every fiber of your body is brimming with the End’s power?” Zachariah’s wrist flicked, and an arc of silver stars formed all around David.

  He stared at David as if he were already dead. The star-like blades orbiting him carved deep into his flesh, offering no reprieve.

  Right, there was that, David realized, and he started to wonder if he would survive the day in one piece. It sure didn’t look like he would.

  It was probably a good thing [True Restoration] evolved earlier.

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