Sovereign of the Karmic System-Chapter 688: The First Hurdle

What was a collapsed space?

Despite its descriptive name, the true nature of what was called ’the void’ had nothing to do with the concepts of spatial essence, unless one found the coincidental absence of space itself sufficient enough of a similarity. What the void was truly made of was the dominion of absolute darkness. But even then it was wildly misunderstood.

While the concept of absorption and obscurity present within collapsed space were also part of dark essence, when found in natural mana, the two were less aggressive and susceptible to manipulation. But when found in collapsed space, their magnitude was on a whole other level. Life, Mana, Consciousness.. even dark essence itself. It didn’t matter. Nothing could survive the absolute destruction brought by collapsed space.

To this day, only one mortal had been able to survive a long exposure to its corrosive nature, and that person was Daniel, who, thanks to the protection of his karmic power, had been able to enter hibernation and protect his life essence for a period of time. A peculiar experience that allowed him to gain unprecedented understanding of the void, as well as to gain some conclusion in its regard.

After experiencing the nature of the collapsed space on his skin, Daniel could not help but compare it to the space of the Trigate, as the two had some characteristics in common. Specifically, the ability to eradicate a specific form of power, for the same way collapsed space would absorb and destroy mana of any form, the white space of the trigate negated the presence of existential power.

Additionally, the more time Daniel spent thinking about the two odd dimensions, the more he got the impression that they had been manufactured, rather than existing from the beginning of time. A theory supported by a few observations.

First of all, Daniel had become suspicious of the natural reach of the void due to the existence of an aspect of Conclusion. A low-tier member of the pantheon who gathered most of his power from the natural destruction of the universes caused by the destroyers. Gargantuan horrors capable of withstanding a minuscule bead of collapsed space within their bodies, which they would then carry into a stable universe to jump start their collapse.

The problem with that was that, if this had been the case since the beginning of times, why was Conclusion only a low-tier aspect of existence – A being whose nature was bound to occasional events? Wouldn’t an inevitable event of such immense proportion grant the entity a higher standing within the pantheon, as well as a larger pool of existential power?

So maybe, Daniel thought, the collapse of the universes had not been a constant across time, but was instead something that had been designed by a superior species. A species so advanced and powerful that creating new dimensions, whether negative like the void, or positive like the trigate, was entirely within the realm of their capabilities.

Equally as suspicious was the fact that the void allowed, to some extent, the survival of aspects of existence, while the trigate virtually stripped the same entities from the bulk of their powers, effectively turning them into mortals.

While Daniel believed in coincidence, the natural formation of three dimensions capable of housing both mortals and aspects, only aspects or only mortals, was quite difficult to accept. So when Daniel found out that a layer of collapsed space had been used to form a shield around the inter-dimensional portal, he could not help but marvel at the lunacy of such a feat. After all, not many would dare to play around with such catastrophic powers.

"This.. it shouldn’t be possible." Der responded. He had seen his share of shattered universes, and had even avoided the absolute violence of the void once, so he too knew how incredible such a thing was.

The potential of surviving within the void was the first option the scientists within the armada had discarded when theorizing ways to seal their nomadic civilization within a universe, far from the reach of the aspects of existence. It was deemed impossible. What they would have needed to know to make such a thing a realistic option, was Daniel’s knowledge.

"Sir elemental, are you sure it was a collapsed space, and not a shattered one?" The female paladin asked the growing metallic wolf, opening her mouth for the very first time outside of her occasional training sessions with Ian. Her understanding on the matter was basic, but so was that of the rest of the group.. Void was a synonym of death, after all. It was that simple.

The wolf turned from the black-haired woman to Aeron, then back to the woman.

"He says that mistaking the two is pretty difficult." Aeron told the woman. "Shattered space would have pulled at his body, cutting and ripping.. not really an immediate threat for a member of his kind. What he felt was the dissipation of his consciousness."

"That is.. absurd." Roley said. "How would one even accomplish something like this? Wouldn’t the void eat at the barrier?"

Daniel’s knees bent as he reached for the rock they stood on. "No, because it isn’t a construct. They are walls of real stone reinforced by metal, and shaped into a two-layered dome. They must have stripped dozens of planets in order to gather the resources.. They even managed to summon a destroyer to provoke the shattering and collapse of the inner layer. That’s mighty impressive."

"Why a destroyer? An immortal cultivator with some understanding of spatial essence could start a universe’s collapse" Roley retorted.

"Have you forgotten where we are?" Daniel responded while casually tilting his head towards the inter-dimensional portal. "This dome is entirely within the bubble of stabilized space that surrounds the inner side of the portals. Shattering it would be difficult even for your full powers, let alone for the indigenous immortal cultivators that live in this universe."

"This isn’t a normal universe, this is a vault. And we are standing in front of its sealed door." Der pointed out. "In the best case scenario, we have met a dead end. Worst case, this is a trap, and forces that we cannot face in this state are going to barge in any minute from the portal. We can’t linger here any longer, and should head back."

Roley nodded, agreeing with the old warrior’s assessment. Yet, what he did next showed the difference between the two’s intent. "No wonder there were no guards at the entrance. They wouldn’t be able to come in and out even if they wanted to." Roley muttered to himself while approaching the immense wall one last time, leaving the rest of the group in the dark. His hands rose as he reached for its surface, then examined it carefully.

It was cold and smooth, with no visible cracks. No vibrations or sounds traveled across its formation, which confirmed that the two layers weren’t connected by inner bridges, but were wholly separated – Had that not been the case, he would have heard the sound of the constant bombardment of drifting rocks, dust and ice that was so common in open space. "Is the composition of the outer wall the same?" He then asked, forgetting about the warrior’s worries and suggestions.

"It is." Aeron said. "The bulk of the damage Wolfe took was done during his attempt to confirm just that. Both walls are identical."

Daniel observed the interaction between the two in silence. His mortal brown eyes trying to guess the expression Der was making underneath the large helmet he was wearing.

Whatever Roley was thinking he had thought already. Yet, this time, Daniel had not needed to insist for the scholar to look for a way around this obstacle, showing that despite all the doubts and uncertainties Roley and his companions had voiced regarding their plan to steal Fate’s treasure, there was a desire to succeed inside his heart, or at least try to.

Roley now had the full attention of the group, and yet, he did not continue his thoughts. Why, only Daniel knew.

"We could form a bridge between the two barriers. Something we can use to get you an image of the other side, so you can use your spatial treasure to open a portal." Daniel said, reading the scholar’s thoughts almost word for word.

Roley shook his head in disapproval. "That wouldn’t work. Any construct we create within the void will be eaten away within moments."

Daniel smiled. "I never said we should make a construct. We can just let him form the bridge." He then added while raising his opened hand in the direction of the recovering metal elemental.

"Absolutely not." Roley responded with a voice full of indignation. "Scouting alone almost killed him. It’s too risky."

Daniel let out a deep sigh, but within, he rejoiced. This exchange had gone exactly the way he had expected. In fact, it was almost like the two had prepared it beforehand, while in truth, they had separately formulated a similar plan. The only thing left to do was to do the convincing.. to sell it. Luckily, even without preparing for it, the two fell into their respective parts quite organically. He was in charge of suggesting the dangerous part of it, and Roley was to act the part of the skeptical with a big heart.

During the centuries Daniel had spent on Earth, he had come to know this practice as ’bad telemarketing.’

’This sponge will remove all the dirt from your pans! Guaranteed satisfaction!’ - ’All of it? I don’t believe it! You can’t scam these good people!’ - ’Very well, see for yourself!’ - ’Woah, this is amazing! It truly works!’

As Daniel played the scammer’s part, he could not help but feel giddy at the thought that, despite all the efforts Der and Aeron had put into pushing Roley out of the idea of an ascension, the scholar seemed to truly wanted to ascend.. deep down, at least.

"He won’t be hurt. We can shield his consciousness by using some spiritual essence." Daniel explained in a reassuring tone.

Roley turned towards the metallic elemental, his expression kind and filled with worry. "It is up to you. I refuse to use you against your will." He said, this time somewhat sincere. His line appeared to have been drawn between manipulation, and risking his companion’s lives.

The metallic beast turned to look at the stone wall once again, fur scraping at the stone floor as his paws moved. He knew that Daniel’s plan could work, and that he would likely be fine, but he was in that rare position of simply putting an end to this fool’s errand. But, alas, after two full minutes of drawing blanks, he had no choice but to nod his large head in agreement.

"Very well, I will do it then. I am the only spiritual cultivator here, and my primordial understanding of metal essence will make maneuvering through Wolfe’s body easier." Roley said. "I can then open a portal the moment my spiritual essence reaches the other side."

"It can’t be you." Daniel retorted. This was the point where his plan and Roley’s differed. "Your spiritual essence is too weak. It will melt upon contact with the void like floss candy dipped into water."

Roley’s gaze lowered in disappointment. He couldn’t deny Daniel’s words, as he had left the path of spiritual cultivation far before he had reached the level which corresponded to the peak of immortal cultivation. At the moment, he was the weakest cultivator present.

"If this foolishness must continue, then I will do it." Der said. "My immortal essence is the more durable of our powers."

"It can’t be you either." Daniel added. "Immortal essence is not pure, you will take mental damage due to its mental component, plus you will have to bear the decay of its physical side. Immortal essence might generally be a stronger power, but the difficulty of maintaining it within the void will be ten times as much. No, it has to be me."

"What do I do, then?" Roley asked. "What’s the plan?"

"Wolf will cross through the first barrier, then I will support him across the void with my spiritual essence until he forms the bridge, and dives into the second stone layer. Once that is done, Aeron will be able to get a picture of the outside from Wolfe’s consciousness, and show it to you. That should be enough to allow you to open a portal we can all go through."

"Any objection?" Daniel asked, scouring the reaction of the rest of the party. He then added, just seconds later, "Well then, off we go." The same vital question appeared in the minds of most members of the party, but by the time any one of them could even think of asking it, Daniel had already reached t

he large metallic wolf, fingertips glowing with large amounts of gathered spiritual power.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on ƒreewebɳovel.com.