Genetic Ascension

Chapter 2488 Beyond the Peak

The teleportation formation appeared in the center of the Nethum Clan•s ancestral hall, and as the golden light faded, Caelren's corpse materialized upon the polished floor.

Several gazes shifted toward him, but not a single person moved from their seat. Even the elder Who had personally sent Caelren into the Creation Tower only frowned for a moment before extending his Will toward the body, examining the remnants of the young manis shattered Rune

"His foundation collapsed."

"lt seems so. A pity."

The response came from a woman seated nearby, her attention lingering upon the corpse for a moment before returning to the elder. There was no sorrow in her expression, nor did she seem particularly disturbed by the death of someone Who shared her bloodline.

Of course, none of them were.

The Nethum Clan had never been a place where familial affection could take precedence over the pursuit of evolution. Every person gathered here had survived the same trials, and many had watched their own brothers and sisters disappear into the Iower worlds, never to return.

Caelren's death was unfortunate, but that was all.

"Third fastest to return in our Clan's history, yet he couldn't even survive a few challenges against Sylas Grimblade, lt seems we overestimated him."

"l wouldn't go that far. His talent was genuine, and his Rune Path was quite remarkable for someone of his age. However, I warned him before he left that speed wasn't everything."

The elder looked toward Caelren's body and shook his head.

"Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. He understood the words, but he never truly comprehended their meaning."

"That was inevitable, wasn't it? He took too much pride in his record. Even after returning to the Clan, the first thing he cared about was how quickly he had accomplished it."

Several members nodded in agreement.

Being the third fastest descendant to return was certainly an impressive achievement, but it wasn't necessarily the greatest accomplishment a Nethum could claim. There had been countless members throughout their history Who had taken far longer to return, some even deliberately delaying their journeys despite possessing the qualifications to come home.

Those extra years weren•t wasted. They were spent consolidating foundations, gathering followers, seeking opportunities, and developing the sort of strength that couldn't be measured by how quickly someone crossed the distance between two worlds.

And if they wanted an example from the current generation, they didn't even need to look very far.

"What about Ekear? Has he made any movements?"

"Nothing significant. Hels still gathering his forces, and from the information we've received, he has no intention of returning until hets satisfied With their preparations."

A few expressions brightened.

"That Child is quite interesting. To think he was born With a Will strong enough to retain awareness of his origins despite our methods. He knew about the Nethum Clan from practically the moment he entered this world, and yet he hasn't allowed that knowledge to rush him."

Ekear was certainly an unusual case.

His innate talent had allowed him to circumvent a significant portion of the Clan's memory suppression, meaning that unlike most of his generation, he had known what awaited him from the very beginning. In theory, this should have given him an enormous advantage in returning to the Poise Heaven.

But had he returned?

No.

He remained within the Iower Planes, strengthening his followers and building the forces he intended to bring back With him. The Nethum Clan hadn't forgotten that their descendants were expected to return With more than personal strength. Their networks, allies, and the people they had gathered would eventually be tested as well.

Every year Ekear spent away from the Clan was another year he could use to prepare for what came afterward.

"That is what Caelren failed to understand. The purpose of our trials has never been to see Who can return home the fastest."

"Speaking of which, what about Januar?"

The name caused several of the elders to exchange glances, and even the woman Who had appeared uninterested in Caelren's death leaned forward slightly.

"Still wandering around With that ridiculous typewriter of his, from what I understand."

A Iow chuckle spread through the hall.

"That brat... He certainly has his own way of doing things. Sometimes I wonder whether he remembers that hets supposed to return at all."

"He remembers. In fact. I would be surprised if he wasn't perfectly aware that we're waiting for him."

Januar was another member of the current generation Who had long since demonstrated that returning to the Nethum Clan was well within his capabilities. Had he wanted to, he might have shattered the existing record entirely, leaving even the two fastest returnees in their history behind.

But he hadn't.

He continued pursuing his own interests, recording events and wandering through the worlds as though he had no particular destination in mind. Whatever he was preparing, the elders had no intention of interrupting him.

After all, Januar was the one they were truly waiting to see return.

"Still, we shouldn't diminish Caelren's accomplishments. He was undoubtedly among the ten greatest talents of this generation, and that isn't something easily achieved."

"Indeed. But are we looking for the top ten?"

The question brought a brief silence to the hall before several elders smiled.

Of course they weren't.

The Nethum Clan already controlled an entire Heaven. They possessed resources, inheritances, and bloodline advantages that the overwhelming majority of existence could only dream of, and if their ambition had been limited to maintaining that position, they could have abandoned their trials countless generations ago.

Yet they continued sending their children into distant worlds, sacrificing the vast majority of them for the possibility that one might return With something their ancestors had never possessed.

They weren't searching for another genius Who could stand upon the peak they had already reached. They wanted someone Who could find a peak beyond it.

And Caelren, despite all his accomplishments, had failed to demonstrate that he was such a person.

The elder finally withdrew his Will from the corpse, his attention shifting toward the image of Sylas Grimblade hovering above the center of the hall.

"This Sylas Grimblade seems to truly be the real deal. His secrets, whatever they might be, must be understood."

"l agree. His advancement is too unreasonable, even accounting for the unusual circumstances of his homeworld. From Mortal to Demi-God in less than three years, and now hets already reached the God Plane. I can't think of a single inheritance that would allow such a thing."

"There are good odds that no external legacy could possibly be responsible for this. If something like that existed within our Real World, we would have found it already."

"Agreed."

Another elder leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he examined Sylas' image.

"In that case, there's only one reasonable conclusion. Whatever makes Sylas Grimblade special must exist within his body."

"His Constitution? His Bloodline?"

"Perhaps both, perhaps neither. But regardless of the answer, we won't discover it by continuing to send our younger generation to challenge him."

The woman Who had spoken earlier nodded.

"l concur. Sylas Grimblade must be brought here alive so that we can properly dissect and experiment upon him. If his extraordinary growth originates from something within his physical existence, we should be able to isolate it."

None of the elders appeared particularly disturbed by the suggestion.

To the Nethum Clan, Sylas was a fascinating specimen, one Who had apparently accomplished the very thing their Clan had spent countless generations pursuing. If studying him could allow them to reproduce even a fraction of that success among their descendants, the benefits would be diffcult to imagine.

However, just as several elders began discussing how they might arrange his capture, an ancient voice echoed through the hall.

"There is no need."

The conversations stopped, and every elder turned their attention toward the deepest portion of the ancestral grounds.

"Sylas Grimblade Will more than likely find his way here on his own."

The voice carried no particular urgency, but its words were enough to make everyone listen.

"From my understanding, he already has ties to four members of our Nethum Clan. Some of those connections he knows about, while others remain beyond his knowledge, but the relationships exist regardless."

The elders exchanged glances, several of them beginning to understand what the ancient existence was implying.

"With so many threads already connecting him to us, his arrival is practically inevitable. Whether he comes as a guest or for some other purpose hardly matters. We Will have our opportunity to study him when the time comes."

The ancient voice grew quiet for a moment before concluding.

"There is no need to alert him ahead of time."