Ery sat in a lotus position within a cavern carved out of living flesh and bone, one of the strange landscapes inside the belly of the world beast. The chamber itself pulsed faintly as if it were breathing, and yet Ery had claid it as his own by inscribing runes across the walls. The markings glowed faintly with silver light, forming a simple protective formation that filtered out so of the toxins that constantly leaked from the beast’s insides.
Here, for the first ti in weeks, Ery could breathe freely enough to concentrate.
His eyes were closed, but the corners of his lips tugged upward in excitent. The spirit energy that surged all around him was so dense it almost humd against his skin. He could hardly believe it—this place, dreadful as it was, was also overflowing with vitality.
"Within just a few hours, I’ve gained what normally takes days..." he muttered, marveling at the richness of the flow.
Even more astonishing, the energy wasn’t darkness-based as he had expected from the spatial rifts. Instead, it was raw, untainted, pure essence—the kind of spirit energy that could harmonize with any law, any elent. Though it wasn’t as potent in advancing a single law, it was generally more beneficial to all.
His thoughts turned to his companions within his domain: Morgana, Livi, the orcs, the chizpurs, even the beasts and plants dwelling there. The rich energy could benefit them all.
So Ery lifted his hand, channeling the streams of spirit energy not just into his own core but also outward, threading it through the tether that bound him to his domain. Like rivers branching off into fertile lands, the energy flowed into every living being inside.
He felt the drain imdiately—his own cultivation slowed, his progress halved. Yet a quiet satisfaction filled him as the souls of his allies grew steadier.
Days passed
The chamber fell into a hushed stillness as everyone cultivated, losing all interest in anything but drinking in the rich energy. Their spirits strengthened. Their cores expanded. Their thoughts sharpened until comprehension of the most elusive laws beca clearer than ever.
Light Ery devoted himself to the runes etched upon the golden fleece, lines of cryptic symbols that seed to shift with ti itself. Where before he had been stumbling, now—fueled by this abundance—his insight deepened. Threads of temporal law revealed themselves, weaving connections between monts past, present, and possible.
One week,Two weeks slipped by.By the third, Light Ery could feel the profound shift beginning to take root within him.
The Nature Core inside his body trembled as if unable to contain the flood of light essence pouring in. The energy was not just abundant—it was overwhelming, condensed from two years of studying temporal laws and magnified further by the spoils he had claid from his last battle. It was as though every mont of hardship, every fragnt of comprehension, had co crashing down upon him all at once.
Within his core, the cosmos he had painstakingly nurtured began to spin with uncontrollable force. The whirl of light grew so bright it seared at his soul, and the violent churn threatened to tear him apart from the inside. Hours passed—his soul burning like a molten river under the pressure of law and essence colliding. Yet Ery did not falter. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to endure.
Because he knew what waited on the other side.
At last, amid the storm, sothing extraordinary occurred. From the blinding spiral of his inner cosmos, a thread of gold shimred into existence—thin at first, fragile, as though it might snap at any mont. But as it stretched outward, it wove itself into a new pattern, a second swirling motion born beside the first.
The two swirls resonated, colliding and rging until they began to revolve in harmony. The transformation was radiant, violent, and transcendent. The cosmos circle within his core beca denser, heavier, stronger.
And then ca the surge. A roaring blaze of vitality exploded outward from his core, filling every inch of his being with raw, unshakable power.
The system’s cold, chanical voice echoed in his mind:
[You have successfully ford a second layer of Cosmos]
[Soul force increased exponentially]
[Ery – Light]
[Grand Magus Realm – One Cosmos, Second Layer]
[Soul Force: 1023(1072]
[Law of Nature: 48%]
[Law of Light: 37%]
[Law of Ti: 6%]
Even as the notification faded, Ery remained seated, his breathing ragged, his heart pounding. He had broken through, but the flow of energy around him had not yet ceased. The rich wellspring in his cultivation chamber surged like a flood, as if determined to temper him further.
So he continued. Day after day, night after night, he drew in the radiant energy, cycling it through his soul, refining and condensing it into every fiber of his being.
Fifty days passed untill the once-overwhelming flood finally began to fade. By the hundredth day, the beast’s belly dimd to its natural state.
Light Ery rose, stretching his body as he examined his gains.
[Soul Force: 1072 (1095)]
[Law of Nature: 48%]
[Law of Light: 37(38)%]
[Law of Ti: 6(7)%]
The results made him both elated and frustrated. The hundred days here equaled years of cultivation elsewhere, yet knowing the cycle only returned once every five hundred days filled him with impatience.
Still, he wasn’t alone in his progress.
Just like him, Livi had broken through her second layer. The orcs and the chizpurs sparkled with unusual vigor.
But the most shocking presence was Morgana.
Her aura blazed like a roaring inferno, far stronger than it had been at the start of this cycle. With the aid of Killgragah’s tutelage and the final fusion with the Cosmic Fla, she had leaped forward to a level that Ery had scarcely believed possible in such a short ti.
The mont she stepped out of her ditation, her power erupted into his domain like a storm of fire and shadow.
[Morgana]
[Grand Magus Realm – One Cosmos, Third Layer]
[Soul Force: 884]
[Law of Fla: 55%]
[Law of Darkness: 19%]
Her soul force might still fall short of his own, but Ery was no fool. Power wasn’t only asured in numbers. Morgana’s mastery of fla had reached terrifying depths, especially now that it resonated perfectly with the Cosmic Fla she had bound to her soul. The result was explosive. She could very well overwhelm a peak one cosmos Grand Magus.
Light Ery couldn’t help but smile with pride.
Yet not all shared that satisfaction.
Dark Ery seethed.
The mont the rich energy dissipated, leaving him just shy of his own breakthrough, he could no longer contain his frustration.
"Damn it!" he roared, summoning his void blade. Its shadowy edge crackled with destructive power as he stord toward the chamber where the dracolich awaited.
Day after day, he had fought the bone dragon, and day after day, he had been crushed. But now, bolstered by refined technique and strengthened soul force, he charged again, determined to force progress with his own hands.
The void blade extended into a massive three-ter greatsword, cleaving down with enough force to damage the dragon’s formidable bone. For the first ti, the dracolich flinched as the blade scraped its skeletal hide, sparks and fragnts scattering.
A guttural hiss escaped the beast. Its blue eyes flared like twin suns.
With a guttural roar, the dragon exhaled its innate power, an icy blue fla. The frostfire spread through the chamber like a creeping death, clinging to stone, air, and even to Ery’s very flesh. His speed faltered as his limbs stiffened, every movent weighed down by the unnatural cold.
Dozens of clashes later, his knees buckled, the void blade sputtering out.
"Urghhh!" Ery collapsed, the taste of bitter defeat sharp on his tongue.
He was irritated enough to consider calling Morgana for assistance; with her cosmic flas, the two of them could certainly bring down the dracolich. Unfortunately, that would completely undermine the objective—earning the guardian’s acknowledgnt.
Technically, having Light Ery step in would not break their agreent. Yet Dark Ery’s pride would never allow him to ask for help from his other half. Besides, the dozens of battles he had already fought were steadily honing his combat experience.
There were still four hundred days left until the next cycle opened, and Dark Ery was determined to defeat the dragon before then and gain the strength to escape.
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