The space trembled as the fractured dimension behind Jacob dissolved into silence. Only frost dust drifted where the Dark Grand Duke had once held countless trials.
Jacob hovered motionless for a moment, his hollow sockets faintly glowing amid the dissolving dark mist.
"The Law Essence must still be within this galaxy," He murmured. "Something that important wouldn’t be kept far from the core and where the Law Essence lies... so does the Dark Rose."
He turned his gaze toward the center of the Dark Regal Galaxy...the heart of Nocturnis Prime.
Jacob made a rational guess about where the Dark Law Essence as well as the Machina Unit of the Dark Kingdom, and the only place within the entire Dark Regal Galaxy that fulfilled all the requirements was the core of the galaxy, also where the Legendary Vestige lies!
Jacob’s expression didn’t change, but his aura rippled faintly, "Black Mechanic, since Dark Rose is one of your kind, you should be able to locate it, right?"
A faint mechanical hum resonated in his mind, followed by Black Mechanic’s static-laced voice, "Affirmative, Sir. Dark Rose is a Spirit Mechanic—just like me, though built differently. If it’s weaker, I can trace its residual frequency no matter how it conceals its Machina Unit. Permission to initiate spectral scan, and deploy the scout unit!"
Jacob nodded, and without hesitation, he lifted his hand. The next moment, a small metallic sphere detached from his sleeve, unfolding into an insect-like machine with crystalline wings. It buzzed faintly before vanishing into a streak of light.
Seconds later, Black Mechanic’s voice came again, tone sharp with precision.
"Trace detected. Resonance pattern confirms Spirit Mechanic. Energy signature matches 98.7% probability!
"It’s most likely the Dark Rose. Location... the deepest sector of Nocturnis Prime. Approaching the gravitational nexus of the Dark Regal Galaxy."
Jacob’s sockets glimmered faintly as he knew his task had become much easier thanks to Black Mechanic as he impassively ordered, "Perfect. Guide the way."
With a thought, his figure vanished in a blur of shadows, streaking through the shattered remains of the frozen dimension and into the galactic abyss.
The journey through the Dark Regal Galaxy was both majestic and foreboding.
As Jacob moved through the vast dark space and got closer to the core of the Nocturnis Prime, vast clusters of floating citadels hung like silent fortresses in the darkness, each carved from blackstone that shimmered with faint magic fire.
Everywhere Jacob passed, powerful auras stirred—Dark Nobles, Marquises, and even a few Legendary Kings whose soul sense brushed against him, probing cautiously with a hint of surprise. He felt their attention, their wariness, but none dared to intervene.
Jacob knew that they most likely believed he carried the Dark Grand Duke’s permission, unaware that their ruler had already been reduced to a mere dead specimen within his private lab.
As for others who knew or the Dark Rose might’ve already alerted, had already fled—vanishing from their posts in silence, fearful of the changes rippling through the Dark Kingdom.
After all, they might all be loyal to the Dark Kingdom, since even the Dark Grand Duke perished, they would flee without hesitation because their lives are more important than loyalty.
Nonetheless, Jacob didn’t care, nor did he pay them any mind. As long as they didn’t get in his way, they could live or die for all he cared. All he wanted was the Dark Essence and the Machina Unit before leaving this place.
Under Black Mechanic’s unerring guidance, Jacob descended deeper, past the noble layers, past the royal sanctums, until even light seemed unwilling to enter.
Right at that moment, a colossal door awaited him, embedded within a mountain of condensed dark matter. Its surface shimmered with runes of absolute order, engraved by law itself.
Each symbol pulsed faintly, like the heartbeat of something profound and ancient.
At that moment, Black Mechanic’s tone sharpened, "Sir, the resonance is strongest here. The Dark Rose’s Machina Unit is most likely behind this barrier!"
Right at that moment, Jacob’s sockets burned brighter as he had already suspected this much.
Without hesitation, he raised his right hand. His bones shifted from gray to pristine jade-white, radiating calm yet terrifying authority.
"Then let’s see if Dark Rose has any more places to hide."
The Yin Ice returned as cold mist swirled outward, and the temperature plummeted until even light froze.
The colossal door began to crack, its runes flickering violently as frost devoured their power. Then, with a low, crystalline chime, the entire structure shattered into a storm of frozen fragments.
Behind it, a vortex of pure blackness spun, faintly humming with mechanical rhythm. Red and silver threads coiled within, forming a stable yet chaotic portal.
Black Mechanic’s voice trembled with static excitement, "Confirmed! Ninety-nine percent probability! The Dark Rose is beyond that gate, and... I detect traces of extremely pure Dark Law energy—this must be the core region of the Dark Regal Galaxy!"
Jacob didn’t need Black Mechanic’s confirmation because he could also sense the dense Law of Dark. The feeling was the same when he encountered the Law Essence of Death Law!
Without hesitation, he stepped forward without pause, and the moment he crossed the vortex, reality folded!
The world beyond was a sanctum unlike any other. He emerged into a vast, spherical chamber, suspended in the cosmic darkness like a heart within a body.
At its center floated a colossal mechanical octahedron, spinning slowly, its surfaces etched with complex runes that shimmered with alternating hues of crimson and violet.
Every rotation released a pulse of law energy so pure it made the fabric of space tremble.
Jacob’s sockets flared faintly, reflecting the octahedron’s glow as he was very familiar with this structure...
"The Machina Unit... of the Dark Rose!"
But the thing was that Machina Unit wasn’t alone, as surrounding that massive construct were thousands, no, tens of thousands, of mechanical puppets, arranged in perfect concentric circles.
Each was faceless and clad in sleek black armor, humming with restrained power. Their cores pulsed faintly in unison, forming a synchronized heartbeat that filled the entire space with oppressive order.
Those puppets were exactly the same as the ones he encountered in the entrance of the Nocturnis Prime, and to Jacob’s surprise, they were all Legendary Kings, and he wondered just how many resources the Dark Kingdom had placed on them to create so many mechanical puppets.
Nonetheless, now they were going to be part of his collection!