Genetic Ascension

Chapter 2009: Anchor

Yamero thought like a real specialist of space would. His mind was fascinating, but it was also one-track. All of his solutions involved complex applications of space, though maybe that made sense. It was the only thing he had dedicated his life to.

The idea was viable, but only in terms of the fact that it might actually work. Executing on it would require draining The Sanctum of all the resources it had, though. And even if Sylas made it to the Core, what then?

He would probably need another convoluted scheme just to get the world to acknowledge him.

To Sylas, the toughest part of his plan had never been the Mirror Dungeon, but instead becoming the Progenitor of a world he hadn't even been born on.

He had a feeling that if he wanted to do that, he would have to do more than just save this planet...

Saving the entire Mortal Plane just might do it, though.

The bracelet rattled on his wrist and he shook his head. He reached down and pinched.

CHI.

The bracelet cracked and then Sylas squeezed down the rest of the way, shattering it into countless pieces.

He wasn't going to be shackled by this worthless world. The only path forward for it was to be obedient.

BANG.

The skies cracked and an arc of lightning descended. But Sylas was standing above his formation and above even the clouds, the wrath of the world couldn't even begin to reach him.

It was a cute attempt, though.

Sylas stepped through the formation anyway and the world raged. Arcs of lightning aimed for him one after another, and he could even sense that Demerits were being attempted to be levied at him.

But Sylas was free of the system.

He descended onto the Monkey King Mountain and then brought out the Last Breath Reward and his Horizon Treasure.

"There's no need to do that, but there is something else I would like you to do, if you think it's possible."

"Oh?" Yamero wrapped around Sylas, his body slithering in and out of space and time. Anything Sylas would ask him to do would surely be interesting.

"Here." Sylas handed over both of the treasures. "I want you to permanently anchor my world's aura here using these two treasures."

Yamero's brow furrowed as he read the descriptions of the treasures.

"You are quite ambitious. If I connect these two worlds for you-and I mean IF. It is theoretically possible, but it will take a great number of resources, even more calculations, and probably a month or two. But if I do, it'll basically mean war. The Sanctum won't allow this, and if you're from a Summoned World, your people won't be strong enough to handle it."

"You can tell I'm from a Summoned World?"

"I can smell it on you."

Sylas' gaze flickered. "How's that?"

He was genuinely curious.

"The way your body sits in the Mesh of Reality. There's something about it that's broken and almost folded in ways it shouldn't be. You come from a world that's been manipulated beyond anything I've ever seen, and it cursed the people that came from it. I'm pretty sure your size in the Mesh of Reality is only about a tenth of what it should be."

Sylas' eyes narrowed. He... had never known this.

"That tells you my world is manipulated, but why do you think that means it's been recently Summoned?"

"Because only a world pre-Summoning is so susceptible. Worlds that have already awakened couldn't have this done to them so easily. Their World Cores would be awake already and immediately tell their daddy if something was going wrong."

This "daddy" was approximately certainly the system.

Sylas thought about how the moment he successfully stretched the Core of Earth and was acknowledged, the system descended and wiped out large swaths of people interfering.

"I see." Sylas nodded. "You don't need to worry about that. But what if you use the temples as a bridge?"

"The temples?" Yamero's head tilted to the side. If it was someone else, he would already be calling them stupid. But he had seen Sylas accomplish too much.

"The temple goes to more than just the Mancer Scape. In fact, the Mancer Scape only opened because of the stabilization of the Ancestors. Usually, it only connects to the branches of The Sanctum."

Yamero suddenly grinned. "In that case, give me one week. But you'll have to keep them off my back, I'm just a pitiful little E-tier right now, and not all of us are as strong as you."

Sylas doubted that Yamero was so helpless, but he nodded nonetheless.

"I'll leave it to you, then."

"Mm." Yamero mumbled perfunctorily, but he was already calculating.

Sylas took a step into the skies and left the Monkey King Mountain.

He was sure that right about now, the Emperors and Ancestors were having furious meetings about what to do. The problem was that they already knew the answer to that question, there was nothing at all that they could do in the first place.

Sylas was too powerful and had left the bounds of what they could control. And ironically enough, they weren't powerful enough to deal with the trouble he kept bringing to their doorstep.

There was one person who had lost the right to take part in these meetings though, a singular man whose head was held up by a handful of hair Fanelei had a little too firm a grasp on.

Sylas appeared amidst Fanelei, Nosphaleen, and Pedraeg, his breathing even.

He met Pedraeg's gaze for maybe the first time. At least it felt that way. Every other time since Sylas had come, it was like he was looking right through the man.

But right now, Sylas was, in his own way, letting him know just how thoroughly he had lost.

He had been defeated so perfectly he didn't even have the blood left with which to pump his heart. He was a broken man with nothing left.

"I won't kill you." Sylas suddenly said. "Gralith will decide what to do with you."