The gray realm no longer resembled the silent dead world I had first arrived in two days ago.
The endless plains had been shattered beyond recognition while enormous cracks stretched across the horizon in every direction. Entire sections of the pale sky remained fractured with silver-violet distortions spreading endlessly through them while storms made entirely of soul force churned violently above the broken landscape.
Mountains that had not existed before now stood half destroyed across the realm, their surfaces burning with lingering silver-violet flames that refused to extinguish even within the lifeless environment.
At the center of the devastation, I stood silently while streams of silver-violet soul force drifted naturally around my body.
The energy moved around me like a second layer of existence itself now, responding effortlessly to thought and intent alone. Even the broken realm around us reacted faintly to my presence as the drifting mist shifted unconsciously away from where I stood.
Several meters away, Defender Aurora observed the destruction quietly before finally speaking.
"There is nothing more I can teach you here."
I looked toward her.
Golden soul force flowed gently around her avatar while the cracked skies reflected across her armor.
"You adapted faster than expected," she continued calmly. "Most newly ascended Saints require decades before properly synchronizing with their soul force."
I glanced around at the devastated realm.
"I had good motivation."
"That is not the reason." For the first time since the training began, a faint trace of approval appeared in her expression. "Your soul was already prepared for this transition long before you became a Saint. You simply lacked understanding."
Honestly the difference was absurd.
Two days ago, soul force had felt unstable and distant, something I needed to force into existence through sheer pressure and control. Now it felt as natural as breathing itself. Every movement, every thought, every intention carried weight behind it instinctively.
Defender Aurora stepped slightly closer afterward.
"You should avoid excessive use of large-scale soul attacks inside ordinary realms," she said while glancing toward the burning horizon around us. "Your current control is stable but your output remains abnormal for your rank."
I looked toward one of the gigantic cracks splitting the sky.
"That bad?"
"Yes."
That answer came immediately.
"You are still a Saint," she continued calmly, "but the density of your soul force already exceeds what many extreme Saints possess." Her golden eyes narrowed slightly. "Combined with your authority over laws, the results become... excessive."
I smiled faintly hearing that.
"That sounds more like a compliment."
"It is also a warning."
Defender Aurora slowly raised one hand afterward and golden lightning spread outward across the ruined realm.
"Your training here is complete."
The surrounding world distorted instantly. The broken skies, the burning plains, the storms of soul force everything blurred apart.
Then reality stabilized once more.
I found myself standing inside the open balcony hall of my mansion again while the warm sunlight of Abor spilled across the polished floors. Compared to the silent dead realm, the feeling of ordinary life and flowing Essence here almost felt overwhelming.
Vivi and North were seated nearby talking quietly when both of them immediately looked toward me.
Vivi blinked once after sensing my aura.
"You finished already?" she asked with visible surprise. "It has only been two days."
I shrugged lightly.
"I’m a fast learner."
North smiled softly while Vivi floated closer toward me curiously before narrowing her eyes slightly.
"You feel different again."
Before I could answer, another familiar presence entered the mansion.
Crimson particles gathered near the far side of the hall before Amun stepped out casually with both hands inside his pockets.
"Well," he grinned while looking between us, "looks like the training went well."
I glanced toward him.
"Obviously."
Amun walked closer afterward while studying me briefly.
Then he nodded once.
"Good. At least now you won’t instantly die after entering the Null Realm."
"That is a very comforting thing to hear."
"I try my best."
"So when do we leave?"
Amun’s expression became slightly more serious.
"Tomorrow morning."
I frowned slightly.
"Not today?"
"Yes." He nodded calmly. "There are still a few things I need to take care of before you leave and I also need time to stabilize certain sectors inside the Prime Galaxy." Then his grin returned faintly. "The Eternals are becoming a little too active lately for my liking."
I remained silent for a moment before finally nodding.
"Alright then. Tomorrow morning."
Amun nodded after hearing that and the discussion continued for some more time after that. Most of it revolved around preparations, possible dangers inside the Null Realm, and the things I should avoid doing once I entered there.
Unfortunately most of the advice was simply variations of "don’t do anything stupid," which honestly was not very helpful considering nobody properly understood the place anyway.
Eventually Amun stretched lazily and looked outside toward the bright ocean visible from the open balcony.
"Well then," he said casually, "I still have few annoying people to deal with before tomorrow." Crimson Essence slowly began drifting around his body.
He laughed loudly at that before his body dissolved into crimson particles and vanished from the hall completely.
Only Vivi, North, and I remained.
I turned toward Vivi.
"While we are gone, you’ll have to look after the Blue Spiral properly," I said. "I don’t expect problems, but you never know what might happen."
Vivi nodded immediately.
"Yes, I understand." She floated slightly higher into the air while strands of violet Essence drifted around her fingers. "Any beginner Saint I can handle easily now, and the Naga Matriarch is here as well." Then she smiled faintly. "Actually, I visited her yesterday."
I looked at her with surprise.
"You did? Why?"
She shrugged lightly.
"Nothing important. She was trying to gather information about me anyway, so I thought why not save her the trouble and meet her directly myself." Vivi looked slightly amused afterward. "I mostly just wanted her to understand that I’m watching everything happening inside the Blue Spiral."
I chuckled hearing that.
Honestly, I could already imagine how strange that meeting must have been.
"And?" I asked. "Any problems I need to step into?"
Vivi shook her head immediately.
"No. She’s actually very fun to talk to." Her smile widened slightly. "And she doesn’t seem particularly interested in interfering with what we are doing here. Though..." She paused briefly. "She did offer her help if we ever needed it."
I nodded slowly after hearing that.
"Yeah, we’ll probably need her help eventually. Especially regarding the Prime Galaxy." I leaned slightly against the balcony railing while looking outward toward the ocean. "Right now we know almost nothing about what’s happening there."
The Prime Galaxy still felt distant despite everything. The true center of the Prime Universe.
Suddenly North spoke up from beside me.
"Can’t we gather intelligence on them ourselves?" she asked thoughtfully. "If it’s really the center of the universe, there should be massive amounts of information moving around constantly."
"That’s already happening," Vivi replied before I could answer. "Primus has been working on it since yesterday. He’s trying to gather everything he can from public records, hidden networks, trade routes, private organizations... basically anything connected to the Prime Galaxy."
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
"He started already?"
Vivi nodded proudly.
"Of course. You think we would just sit around waiting?" Then she smiled mischievously. "Honestly, the amount of information flowing through the Prime Galaxy is ridiculous. Most of the nearby galaxies practically revolve around it."
"It should be. That’s the place where Demi-Gods reside and operate from. But I’m more interested in how the Eternals exist there and how powerful they truly are."
Both of them nodded.
"A Demi-God Eternal..." Vivi commented with a smile. "That would be fun to interact with."