Meanwhile, William wondered how the variance energy had altered the seventh form of the Tempest technique. The strange interaction between energies had left his mind intrigued as he tried to piece together what he had just witnessed.
[I am sure that even being a saint-ranked technique, its effects got even deadlier due to the influence of variance energy] the system spoke in a surprised tone.
William nodded. He had not expected to see strange energy instead of the expected heavenly thunder. The outcome had been completely different from what he was familiar with, and it left him both curious and cautious. Now he wanted to try other element spells here as well.
At first, when the information about this realm entered William’s mind, he found it difficult to digest the fact that a destroyed universe would still house living creatures. The sheer scale of it made him pause.
According to the information reward given by the quest, this realm was actually a cemetery of a destroyed universe. The place he was standing on was just one of the planets that had been destroyed. As for who destroyed a whole universe, that was not mentioned in the reward.
The absence of that detail made everything feel even more unsettling.
But the main focus of that information had been about this particular planet.
During its destruction, the local races of this planet had been mutated and turned into Vykers. The mutation had occurred due to a newly formed energy called variance energy.
When multiple foreign energies clashed during the world’s end, it led to the creation of a new type of energy called variance. This energy consumed every unstable, destructive force and remained as the sole ruler, destroying anything that refused to bend to its will.
William could confirm the tenacity, when he had swallowed the blood of a vyker back in his realm, it had started clashing with every other force in his body, it had clashed with every preexisting energy and element present in his body. If not for his own talent’s absolute adaptation interfering, then maybe William would have mutated into a vyker too.
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying this Varience energy seemed.
The Vykers were the predominant race of this planet, and these creatures had evolved from normal races over millions of years through repeated exposure to varying energy. Their bodies had mutated and adapted to use this energy as their life support, much like how people on Aris were dependent on mana.
There was a whole ecosystem run by this variant energy.
William silently looked at the remnants of the previously destroyed civilization still floating around as debris. The debris should have withered with time, but it did not. Some partially broken structures remained standing, albeit forming the massive grid of ruins on the ground.
Even the floating pillars, bridges, platforms, and other pieces of broken architecture made William realize that the level of capability the civilization had at its peak must have been immense, so many years of withering had not been able to remove their traces.
To destroy such an advanced civilization, the invading force, whether it was another civilization, a single being, or a disaster, must not have been simple itself.
That thought lingered heavily in his mind. "Maybe the apocalypse and demons were responsible for their destruction, too."
[I don’t think demons are strong enough to erase such an advanced civilization]
"Whoa!! Small creature, how did you summon the flux??" Rah floated toward William slowly. Now that the adversaries had left, his gaze shifted from the silent debris floating in the sky toward Rah.
"My name is William," he said simply before asking, "What is this flux?"
Rah’s expression turned a bit grim. The earlier excitement in his tone faded slightly.
"Flux is a mysterious force that is believed to be the ruler of this realm. It governs every existence in this realm. It is said that when a Vyker awakens an echo, it is due to the blessing of this flux. There is a stationary beam of flux that travels throughout the realm. When that beam passes through our nests, we consider it as the completion of one flux rotation, and that is how we calculate the flow of time."
His explanation carried both reverence and uncertainty.
Then suddenly, Rah’s tone turned hopeful. "Seeing as how you managed to summon the flux to your aid, you must be no normal being. Now I am quite confident that you can help me awaken my echo."
There was a clear shift in his attitude toward William.
William looked at the parted clouds from where those several beams had shot down.
The sky still carried faint traces of that earlier destruction.
"Heavenly Tempest technique summoned flux?" William asked the system in his mind.
[It seems like how in Aris, if you use this form of Tempest Sword, it manages to summon thunder, which carries a fraction of heavenly authority. It seems you have managed to achieve a similar effect in this realm as well. It is strange to think that even a dead universe and planets have any form of will left.]
William heard the system’s thoughts and then turned to look at Rah. "Does your realm have a star?" he asked, the main question he had been itching to ask.
"What do you mean by that? What is a star?" Rah asked, confused.
William looked at the Vyker and then tried to frame a description for a moment before speaking. "A star is something that shines in the sky. It generates heat and light. It is a huge, round body that keeps burning endlessly for eons."
William tried to explain in the simplest way possible, but Rah remained clueless.
The concept seemed completely foreign to him.
Still, William saw Rah’s eye widen as he looked around, as if searching for an answer. It was strange to talk to Rah like this. His real mouth was somewhere else than his eye.
The difference in their biology made even simple communication feel unusual.
[I am curious, can you ask him if he shits from his mouth??]
"Can you be a bit more serious sometimes? I am trying to get some information here."
William’s tone carried a hint of irritation.
A few minutes later, Rah shook his head, while his tail still looked toward the horizon as if William had left him puzzled in his own thoughts.
"Do you want to see a star?" William asked.
Rah’s tail eye turned to look at him for a moment before replying, "Yes." There was curiosity filled in that single word.
William stepped forward and touched Rah’s back before saying, "Do not resist. I am going to take you somewhere."
Almost at the same time, he brought Rah inside the Domain of Infinite with him.
The transition happened instantly.
As soon as the Vyker appeared under the bright sunlight, its body showed a reaction. The change was immediately visible.
"Wohooo!!" A sound of relief echoed in William’s mind as he saw Rah sprawled on the ground. His massive body relaxed completely.
"What happened?" he asked Rah.
"William, what is this place? What is this energy tickling my skin? I feel so good."
The joy in Rah’s voice was unmistakable.
"System, what is happening???"
[Well, it is clear that Rah likes the sunlight. I can feel some secretions happening from all over his brain.]
"Umm?? Is his brain in the tail or the head??"
William asked, slightly confused.
[Surprisingly, it is in the tail, which makes it a weird biological weakness, or you could say strength. An enemy who does not know about it would always go for the head, and that would enhance their survivability. But still, the tail is a fragile part of their body. No wonder he wears bone armor around most of the tail.]
"Wait?? So that is not part of its exoskeleton?"
[No.]
William grimaced. The thought did not sit well with him. He did not want such a weakness in his future army. "Is there a way to secure this part of his body?"
[Well, there are many ways, if you are ready to invest resources.]
William nodded and looked at the massive creature rolling on the ground like a puppy. The contrast between its terrifying appearance and its current behavior was almost amusing.
"I hope he gets normal in some time."
He let out a small sigh as he waited.