?995 The Realm Tear
Maximus, after contemplating the mysterious words of Termeszet, decided to give his word to help the Hero of Darkness if their paths were to cross.
"Although I do not know why… I will heed your words. I too would like to meet this infamous Hero of Darkness one day," said Maximus.
Termeszet then urged Maximus to fulfill the other objective of his presence at the Conclave of Heroes.
"Good. Now it is time for you to complete the other objective of coming to the Conclave of Heroes." Termeszet then urged Maximus to fulfill the other objective of his presence at the Conclave of Heroes.
"Also, tell the Empress of the Nadur Empire that I expect her to give it all when the war with the demon G.o.d begins.
Otherwise, there is no future for anyone and our arrangement will have no meaning since the world will be destroyed." spoke Termeszet, the G.o.d of Nature with a stern voice.
Blink!
Behind Maximus, a glowing blue void crack in the shape of a door opened.
"Time flows differently there.
Just 10 minutes in there will be akin to 10 days in Babylon." informed the G.o.d of Nature and Maximus nodded in response with an understanding gaze.
Maximus entered a door that appeared in the middle of the pedestal.
Meanwhile…
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
Shockwaves after shockwaves spread within a particular section of the Tablet of Arcana.
Explosions resonated within the vast expanse of the Conjunction of s.p.a.ce.
This particular location held special significance for Kahn, as it was where he achieved his third enlightenment in s.p.a.ce Law, obtained his Void Sentinel legendary rank cla.s.s, and a.s.sumed his Cosmic Aether form for the first time.
Choosing this expansive realm for his breakthrough had strategic importance.
The Conjunction of s.p.a.ce spanned thousands of kilometers, ensuring that the explosive consequences of his transformation wouldn't affect or destroy anything due to its isolated nature.
The continuous bursts of energy echoed through the spatial convergence as he successfully absorbed Marcus Brutus, the 7th Hero of Nature's core.
"Phew! The sudden surge of world energy within my body was surely hard to control.
Thankfully my body didn't get blown up this time." said Kahn with a comforted countenance.
Crack!
But suddenly, crackling noises resounded and in the very next moment…
BOOM!!!
Kahn's breakthrough resembled a nuclear explosion, his body emanating a red and black aura like an erupting volcano. Within a mere 10 seconds, a radius of over 30 kilometers from Kahn's location was enveloped in visible world energy, spreading like a dense ma.s.s of water akin to a cosmic tsunami.
Fortunately, the surrounding area was a vast expanse of cosmic aether sea, sparing any potential destruction. Otherwise, the aftermath of Kahn's breakthrough could have obliterated everything within its span.
The transformation left a lasting impact on his physicality. Bone density improved, skeletal structure attained heightened endurance, and his world energy reserves surged to five times their previous limit.
Multiple abilities, skills, and bloodlines underwent a profound strengthening and evolution, signifying a new level of power for Kahn.
[Congratulations to the host for becoming a 6th-stage saint.] notified the system.
Kahn could feel that his core was lighting on its own and the purple glow could be seen outside his chest.
"So it became purple just like a 6th-stage saint's core."
"I guess I will see the real effects of my breakthrough after I leave Babylon." he spoke to himself.
Blip!
A figure of a man in white and golden armor, having a grizzly white beard and a crown on his head appeared.
This was Rathnaar in his real appearance since he could manifest his soul inside the tablet of arcana.
"What a lucky brat. Vildred would have not believed that you received a core from a former chosen hero and even broke through the rank of a 6th-stage saint in a place where your life was at risk in the first place." spoke Rathnaar in a solemn tone.
"Well, I'm only reaping the rewards of my own choices.
If I had directly killed him instead of showing him memories of Rome, his core would have most likely self-destructed.
It was my kindness and magnanimity that rewarded me." spoke Kahn in self-praise but without a shred of shame.
"Don't forget that it's my secret technique that made you two times stronger than the other heroes in the first place.
You should also give credit where it's due." berated the former Peak Saint.
"Yeah, yeah. I should definitely give you for constantly nagging in my head, old b.a.s.t.a.r.d." replied Kahn as he rolled his eyes.
Step!
After an hour of solidifying his body through meditation, Kahn exited the tablet and returned to the peninsula.
"Now, it's time for my main objective." he spoke and directed his cosmic replica to keep acting like him as he disappeared into thin air.
Because it was time for Kahn to decide his next move. And that was…
"To locate the Realm Tear."
----------------
After 3 hours of searching, Kahn finally found the place told to him by Zolvik, the a.s.sa.s.sin comrade of the Necromancer Hero.
Out in the endless expanse of white sand, like an oasis in the desert, Kahn found a lake with pitch-black water.
Even the light from the moon did not illuminate or leave any reflection on the surface.
Jump!
Without hesitation, Kahn jumped into the lake, and using the aquatic skills he had from Cthullu, it only took him a moment to locate the Realm Tear.
Blop!
Kahn jumped out of the water from an entirely different end and now saw a void crack in the middle of a dilapidated room with nothing but rocks and remains of crumbled bones and armor.
"Looks like some other Hero's party mistakenly entered through this Realm Tear and could not go back.
The bones and the condition of their legendary rank armors is so bad. It must have been at least 2000 years." spoke Kahn and stared at the void crack in front of him.
"And this water must have not let them escape since it's purely made of darkness and isn't like normal water.
Poor souls…" he said in an empathetic tone.
That was the matter with Realm Tears that Romulus informed Kahn about before coming to the Conclave of Heroes.
That Realm Tears were a one-way ticket and if you wanted to go back or enter a new region… you must use another Realm Tear for it.
It was done so that other heroes and their parties could not hunt the other G.o.d's heroes by traveling through them to different peninsulas.
Because to exit or go back to their own peninsula, they would have to look for the Realm Tear leading specifically to their designated spot.
It was far more risky than just a strategic advantage to ambush another hero.
Because there was no guarantee that you would ever be able to return alive since trials always changed for all heroes and so did the location of Realm Tears.
"Alright, here goes nothing!" spoke Kahn and stepped inside the void crack.
Swoom!
Kahn, having undergone a powerful breakthrough, embarked on a journey through the gateway leading to the peninsula created by the G.o.d of Darkness.
[Ding!
Ding!
The host has entered the peninsula created by the G.o.d of Darkness.
Beginning the Divine Essence absorption.] alerted the system.
As he entered, the system promptly notified him that his body had commenced the absorption of the Divine Essence left by the G.o.d of Darkness.
[The host must stay still in a meditative position for 2 days to fully absorb and integrate the Divine Essence in his Divine Key.] informed the system.
Remaining on the peninsula for the full duration of two days, Kahn immersed himself in the a.s.similation process.
His objective was to only ensure his survival and not face the trials meant for him because his divine key was not even awakened.
Kahn could not even enter the G.o.d's Altar of G.o.d of Darkness without it. So he did not even dare to venture what was in this peninsula other than the black wastelands before his eyes.
2 Days Later…
Eventually, the system relayed the message that the Divine Essence had been fully absorbed and integrated into his core, ensuring that Kahn was no longer in danger.
"Finally. Now all I need to do is covertly find the realm tear leading to the peninsula of G.o.d of Nature and we are all done with this conclave of Heroes." said Kahn as he took a deep breath of relief.
Crack!
Crack!
But right then, the Realm Tear behind Kahn saw a sudden change.
Step!
Step!
Step!
One after another, a total of 12 unfamiliar ent.i.ties belonging to unknown species, adorning intricate and legendary rank attires, armors as well as weapons came in sight.
The emergence of these unknown ent.i.ties was so sudden that Kahn had no chance to act and hide himself since the change was instantaneous.
And finally, among them, appeared a particular individual who was a human just like Kahn.
And the first words he spoke after looking at Kahn in his Atreus persona were…
"Found you... Kahn Salvatore."
Kahn was thunderstruck at this revelation and asked in a cautious voice...
"You know who I am?"
"I do." said the man in golden and blue battlemage attire who seemed to be in his late-20s.
His grim and sinister voice echoed in the surroundings as he declared...
"You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."