Read Novel Full Chapter 1590: Price of the Vessel
Chapter 1590: Price of the Vessel
The Commander said nothing. He just shook his head, took a slow sip of his wine, and smiled at the three of them.
Clearly, they weren’t cleared for this intel yet.
"In other words, the Titanion Realm is no longer just Hulk’s backyard. It’s about to be ours, too," Deputy Commander Edward said, dumbing it down for Leonidas and the others. "Because it can condense a Divine Mantle, the Titanion Realm will become the absolute focus of the Champions Alliance. If we play our cards right... it could be the very place we attain godhood."
Edward stared intently at Commander Thresh as he finished.
"Exactly," the Commander said, finally putting down his meat and wine. "Compared to the Abyss, Hell, or the uncharted territories of The Divine Dominion, ascending in the Titanion Realm gives us the home-field advantage. With Orion’s presence, we already hold the high ground."
When it came to the Divine Mantle and godhood, the Commander was the absolute authority at the table—he was the closest to grasping it.
"Which brings me to my next point," Thresh continued, his tone turning serious. "Gear up. The moment the Titanion Realm reboots from ground zero, the news of its promotion to an Ascendant Plane will spread like wildfire. Every hidden monster in the cosmos will catch the scent. It’s going to be an absolute bloodbath."
He leaned forward. "If we want to maintain control, we must defend Hulk’s claim and crush all invaders."
We, not you. The Commander was joining the defense.
"Edward, pass the word down the chain. Get the rest of the guild battle-ready. A newborn Titanion Realm will spawn countless Primordial Treasures. It’ll accelerate their growth."
"Understood," Edward nodded.
World of Eldoria, Temple of Terminus
Deep within the temple, Orion’s Abyssal Dreadfin avatar sat in Secluded Meditation. Ever since Deputy Commander Edward established the sealing array here, the Abyssal Dreadfin had been silently siphoning World Essence from The Void. It was also the only avatar Orion had stationed outside the Titanion Realm.
The Abyssal Dreadfin slowly opened its eyes, a flash of frustration in its gaze.
"Without a Divine Vessel to anchor it, the Divine Kingdom is far too fragile," Orion muttered.
With a heavy sigh, he watched the ethereal roots of the World Tree slowly retract from The Void, inching back into the chaotic expanse. Without the Divine Vessel acting as an anchor, the Divine Kingdom’s expansion had ground to a halt. It compressed back into a seed, burying itself in the primordial chaos, waiting for the Vessel to be reforged.
It was as if the World Tree had bloomed, only for the flower to be plucked before it could bear fruit. Now, it retreated into the earth to wait out the winter.
Orion’s Divine Vessel might have only been a single phalanx bone, but losing it stung like hell. The damage was catastrophic. The worst part? Without it, he could no longer freely draw upon the Divine Kingdom’s power. One wrong move without the Vessel’s protection, and the Kingdom would completely disintegrate into chaos.
"I’ve lost my connection to the Titanion Realm," Orion realized. "I need to head back to the Valkorath Realm and see the Commander. He definitely knows what’s going on."
The Abyss, Unknown Region
"Go to the Titanion Realm? Are you out of your mind? You’re sending me on a suicide mission!"
Witch stormed out from behind the heavy drapes, glaring at Clown in disbelief. She had wanted to go to the Titanion Realm earlier, but Clown had stopped her. Now, he was not only green-lighting the trip but demanding she double down on her investment.
"Some variables exceeded my expectations," Clown said coolly. "The bottom line is that the Titanion Realm is ascending to an Ascendant Plane. It’s about to become the biggest prize in the cosmos. If you want to hit demigod status anytime soon, you have to be there."
He paused, letting the bait dangle. "Besides, if you rack up enough merits there, backing your promotion to Pontiff will be a walk in the park."
Clown had his own headaches. He knew the Cult of Four was planning something massive, but he hadn’t expected a play of this magnitude. What really pissed him off was that Archbishop Kysar had bypassed the Pontiffs entirely to personally execute the operation. The hidden implications of that move were deeply unsettling.
"I have a feeling you’re playing with fire," Witch said, scrutinizing Clown’s face for any tells.
She found none. The body standing before her was just a low-level puppet, utterly devoid of expression. What Clown said was definitely true, but it was far from the whole truth.
Witch knew Clown’s ambition. He wanted to climb the ladder. He wanted to be an Archbishop. But for a seat to open up, an active Archbishop had to die.
Clown was weaving a massive, deadly conspiracy.
"Think about it," Clown’s voice slithered from the puppet. "That skeleton, Alexander, Leonidas—they’re all demigods now. You’re still stuck as an Arch Lord. Are you really content with being left behind?"
"The Titanion Realm is about to birth countless origin-tier Primordial Treasures," he continued. "It won’t be long before The Order produces a fresh batch of demigods. Don’t you want a piece of that?"
By ’a piece,’ he meant absolute power and untouchable status.
"Trust me. When the war kicks off, the Champions Alliance will deploy their heavy hitters. If I were you, I’d use every trick in the book to seduce one of them—and then sacrifice them to the four gods. Do that, and your promotion is guaranteed."
Listening to his venomous temptation, Witch’s eyes narrowed. She knew exactly how Clown had secured his own Pontiff seat.
Blade’s Edge Peak, Valkorath Realm
By the time Orion’s Abyssal Dreadfin avatar reached the peak, his brothers-in-arms were already buzzing with a heavy buzz.
"Look who finally showed up! You’re late, kid," Leonidas slurred, slamming three massive vats of moonshine in front of Orion. "Penalty time. Three cups? Screw that. Three kegs. Bottoms up."
Leonidas glared at him, silently demanding he not spill a single drop.
Orion let out a booming laugh. He was currently in his Abyssal Dreadfin avatar—a demigod-tier leviathan of the deep. Three kegs? He could drain three thousand without blinking. He hefted the first vat and chugged it down under the cheering of the group.
"Satisfied, brother?" Orion asked a few minutes later, dropping the empty vats and wiping his mouth with a grin.
"Damn right! Hits the spot, doesn’t it?" Leonidas laughed.
Orion chuckled, stepping up to the campfire to join the Commander’s inner circle.
"A demigod-tier Dreadfin avatar," Commander Thresh noted. "Looks like you drained a hefty chunk of World Essence out of the World of Eldoria."
Deputy Commander Edward had personally set up the seal in the undersea palace, so he knew exactly how much Orion stood to gain. He had immediately noticed the avatar’s massive leap in power.
"It’s a bit of a shame," Orion admitted, taking a seat. "My Divine Kingdom had to retreat into the void. I’m cut off from siphoning any more origin power from there for now."
Though the avatar had reached the demigod realm, losing a permanent tap into a world’s essence was a massive long-term setback.
"Good or bad, it’s too early to call," the Commander said, tossing Orion a skewer of roasted meat. "Devouring or destroying an entire world comes with unpredictable karma. The Weave of Fate will eventually catch up to you. When it does, your survival depends entirely on your own strength."
"You’re not wrong," Orion said, accepting the skewer. His tone was heavy with understanding.
As a powerhouse who had wielded the authority of the Titanion Realm, the Platinum Realm, and a Divine Kingdom, Orion intimately understood the weight of planetary destruction. You could obliterate a world, but you never knew if it left a seed of vengeance behind. If it did, The Weave of Fate would balance the scales one day. When that day came, brute force was the only argument left.
It reminded him of his adopted daughter, Elara. When she finally grew into her power, would she seek answers about the past? He honestly didn’t know.
"So, tell me," the Commander asked, his voice cutting through the ambient crackle of the fire. Strangely, as Thresh spoke, Leonidas, Alexander, Edward, and Arthas seemed to fade into the background, pausing their movements entirely. "How did it feel?"
"Incredible. Overwhelming," Orion said after swallowing a bite of meat, opting for total honesty. "Having the absolute might of an entire world surge through me... it gave me the illusion that I could tear the universe apart and unmake creation."
"That wasn’t an illusion," the Commander corrected him smoothly, passing over a fresh plate of meat. "The backing of a world’s authority literally gives you the power to shatter skies and obliterate stars. Go on."
"The moment the Divine Vessel descended, I felt a violent urge to destroy the Titanion Realm," Orion confessed. "And I knew, with absolute certainty, that I could. But I held back. I forced the Vessel to fuse with the realm instead." He paused, looking directly at the Commander. "Also... right before the Titanion Realm reset to zero, while I was fused with the Vessel, I manifested a physical body within the realm of laws. I’m certain it was flesh and blood."
This mystery was one of the main reasons he had rushed back.
The Commander held up four fingers.
"First, trying to merge your Divine Vessel into a world outside your Divine Kingdom is fundamentally an act of abandonment and destruction toward the Vessel itself. The Vessel instinctively fought back, which is why you felt the urge to destroy the Titanion Realm."
He lowered a finger. "Second, the Divine Vessel is born from thousands of origin laws. Inside the realm of laws, while fused with the Vessel, you are the physical manifestation. There’s no ’condensing a body’—you were already real."
He lowered another. "Third, barely anyone qualifies to forge a Divine Vessel. Yours might just be a finger bone, but it’s still a Vessel. With its protection, you are functionally invincible in the newborn Titanion Realm."
The Commander lowered his last finger, his eyes locking onto Orion’s. "Fourth. Being invincible does not mean you can’t be beaten. Do you understand what I’m saying?"
Orion nodded. He understood perfectly.