Nexus Ascension: My Comprehension Defies the Heaven

Chapter 671: Aria and Remaining Fragments

Grey watched in shock as the Embodiment of the Sea of Despair began rapidly draining the Fate Power from the Mountain of Fate.

The energy flowed into her like a river returning to the ocean.

"What the hell?!"

Realizing what was happening, Grey immediately rushed toward the core of the mountain. He tried to manually stop the transfer by severing the connection at its source, his hands moving rapidly across the control interface he had established earlier.

However, nothing worked.

The creation continued absorbing the energy at an unstoppable rate, causing the mountain’s reserves to plummet dramatically.

At the same time, the Embodiment’s body began undergoing a terrifying transformation right before his eyes.

Her black hair shifted and changed, becoming white with streaks of brilliant gold. Her dark eyes transformed into beautiful golden irises, each one marked by a single red dot at its center.

Even her features softened and refined, becoming impossibly delicate and ethereal. The darkness that had surrounded her gradually dissolved, replaced by an aura of pure Fate Power.

[Ding!]

[Your comprehension defies the heavens! By witnessing the transformation of Despair into Fate, you have gained a deep understanding of the Fate Race!]

[Ding!]

[Your comprehension defies the heavens! You are looking past the concept of Fate at the new Embodiment of Fate!]

Grey stared at the system notifications with wide eyes.

Meanwhile, the simulated reality that the Embodiment had created earlier began dissolving around them, revealing the true landscape of the Ancient Hell once more.

The young girl floated before Grey with an annoyed expression on her delicate face.

"Give me back my reality-bending powers!" she demanded angrily.

Her voice no longer carried the glitched and negative tone from before. Instead, it sounded like an irritated child throwing a tantrum.

Grey looked at her with a complicated expression as a realization slowly formed in his mind.

This incredibly cute girl was technically his offspring.

His Nexus Energy had influenced the Sea of Despair, which had then evolved and absorbed his power. The transformation had essentially used his energy as a catalyst for her creation.

In the most bizarre way possible, she was his daughter and doesn’t that mean the Sea of Despair was the mother...?

Grey immediately went into denial.

"No way," he muttered. "The Sea of Despair was just a non-sentient construct. This doesn’t count."

The girl looked directly at him with her golden eyes.

"Dad."

Grey’s lips twitched violently.

"I’m not your dad."

The girl placed her small hands on her hips and tilted her head with visible annoyance.

"You made me," she stated with a cleared annoyed look. "Your power created me. That makes you my father by definition."

Grey opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out.

She had a point.

After a moment, Grey sighed deeply and reached out to pat her head.

"Fine," he conceded. "I accept you as my daughter."

The girl’s annoyed expression softened slightly at his touch.

Internally, however, Grey was already stressing over how he would explain this situation to Little Hong and the others. He could already imagine their reactions.

Wanting to make sure nothing else had been affected, Grey checked the Mountain of Fate’s reserves through his connection to the core.

Fortunately, relief washed over him when he saw the remaining amount.

Despite the massive drain, enough Fate Power remained to be useful up to the 12th Rank. The mountain had accumulated Fate Power for millions of years, so even after the girl’s transformation, significant reserves still remained.

"At least that’s something," Grey muttered.

Just as he finished checking the mountain, Eterna materialized beside him and curiously observed the child.

Grey turned toward her with a playful grin.

"Eterna, meet our kid."

Eterna’s entire body flinched at his words.

Her cheeks immediately flushed pink as she looked between Grey and the girl.

"Our kid?" she stammered.

Seeing her reaction, Grey’s playful expression faded into something more serious.

"Eterna," he said softly. "I need to tell you something."

She looked at him with wide eyes.

"You’ve been with me since some of my lowest points," Grey continued. "Back in Nova City, when I was branded a traitor and everyone turned against me, you stood by my side without hesitation."

Eterna’s blush deepened as she listened.

"I never properly thanked you for that," Grey said. "And I never told you how I really feel."

He reached out and gently took her hand.

"I love you, Eterna."

Eterna’s entire face turned bright red at his confession.

For a moment, she remained frozen in place, seemingly unable to process what she had just heard.

Then she stepped forward and hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around his waist as she buried her face in his chest.

"I love you too, Grey," she whispered. "I’ve loved you for so long."

"I didn’t recognize my feelings till I met my sisters and they told me about it."

She pulled back slightly before leaning forward and softly kissing his cheek.

Grey smiled warmly at her response.

As he looked at Eterna, however, he noticed something different about her now.

She had entirely transcended her original AI programming. She was no longer merely a data entity following predetermined patterns.

She had become something more.

Grey could sense the potential within her, as well as her ability to wield the Dao of Machinery itself. It was precisely what the Dao of Machinery had spoken about before.

Turning his attention back to the child, Grey smiled.

"Eterna, would you like to name her?"

Eterna looked at the young girl floating nearby and thought for a moment before finally answering.

"Aria," she said. "Aria Lockhart."

Grey turned toward the girl.

"What do you think?"

"It is a good name." The girl replied.

Eterna smiled warmly and reached out toward Aria.

"Aria," she called softly.

The girl hesitated, seemingly unsure how to respond.

Seeing this, Grey gently nudged her with his energy.

"Go on. Eterna is one of your moms."

Aria’s golden eyes rolled dramatically.

"One of my moms?" she repeated. "So you have multiple women, Dad?"

She gave Grey a smug look.

"Playboy."

Grey’s expression immediately froze.

"Where did you learn that word?"

Aria’s smug expression intensified.

"The memories I absorbed from the Sea of Despair contained information about many things," she explained. "Including the concept of playboys."

Grey didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at her response.

Despite her stoic exterior, Aria slowly moved toward Eterna. She hesitated for a moment before finally wrapping her small arms around her in a hug.

Although her expression remained emotionless, Grey noticed something important.

Her mood was secretly very high.

Eterna hugged her back warmly, and for just a brief moment, a genuine smile appeared on Aria’s face.

Grey watched his new daughter with analytical eyes.

Her State Power of Despair had completely transformed into Fate, and the transformation mirrored his own Axiom Energy in many ways. However, it remained incomplete because of her current level of power.

With time and cultivation, she would undoubtedly grow into something extraordinary.

Afterward, Grey finally turned his attention back to the main mission.

The Abyssal God, Azathoth, had sent his minions to retrieve an item from this location. That was the entire reason the abyssal forces had been present near the altar.

Now that he understood the Mountain of Fate better, Grey realized that this was the artifact Azathoth had been seeking.

The mountain possessed the ability to convert the Embodiment of Despair into pure Fate, fundamentally transforming negative energy into positive energy.

Such an artifact would undoubtedly be incredibly valuable to any higher being.

To make absolutely certain there was nothing else worth taking, Grey contacted the White Devil King.

"Is there anything else of value in this area?" Grey asked.

The White Devil King shook his head through the communication link.

"Nothing that I know of. The Mountain of Fate has always been the only significant treasure in our ancient hell."

Even after hearing this, Grey thoroughly searched the surrounding area himself.

His perception swept across every inch of the region, searching for hidden artifacts or secret locations.

Yet, he found nothing.

With no additional clues or treasures appearing anywhere, Grey was finally satisfied.

"It’s finally time to leave," he announced.

Eterna nodded beside him while still holding Aria’s hand.

Aria looked up at Grey with her golden eyes.

"Where are we going, Dad?"

Grey smiled at her question.

"We’re going back to the Endless Reality."

With that decided, Grey, Eterna, and Aria soon left the Ancient Hell and returned to the universe they had originally come from.

Once they arrived, Grey gathered everyone together and explained the situation.

"We need to collect the remaining fragments."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Over the next months, Grey, Eterna, and Aria traveled throughout the Endless Reality, searching for the remaining fragments scattered across different locations. With each fragment they obtained, the mysterious power contained within them became increasingly clear.

Aria also accompanied them throughout their journey, gradually becoming more familiar with Grey and Eterna. Although she remained mostly expressionless, she slowly began to open up to the two of them.

Eventually, after several months of searching, they obtained the final fragment.

Grey looked at the collection of fragments in front of him before checking the time.

Only one month remained before the gates to the Higher Realm opened.

"We’ve finally gathered them all," Grey muttered. "It’s now time to awaken the Chaos Emperor."