Neither of us spoke for several moments.
That wasn’t something Saints could simply shrug off. A permanent death meant an existence that had survived for centuries or even millennia would disappear forever.
"And that’s only the first problem," Gerald continued.
I looked back at him.
"The second?"
"If every Prime Territory suddenly begins mobilizing their strongest forces, do you think the Eternal Saints will quietly watch from the sidelines?"
I already knew the answer.
"They’ll call for reinforcements. And if they believe Varylux is truly in danger..."
Gerald’s expression darkened.
"They won’t hesitate to summon someone even stronger."
My eyes narrowed.
Theras.
The name alone was enough to make the entire plan feel several times more dangerous.
If the ruler of the Eternals personally intervened, everything Gerald had spent centuries preparing would become meaningless.
I let out a quiet sigh and rubbed my forehead.
The plan itself was brilliant. Executing it...was the impossible part.
But I had one more trick up my sleeve. I had just obtained a Talent whose sole purpose was uncovering answers. If anyone could solve an impossible problem....it was the All-Knowing Eyes.
I remained silent for a long while, my gaze fixed upon the eleven Slayer Rods as countless possibilities raced through my mind.
The plan Gerald had created was nothing short of ingenious. Every path eventually led to the same dead end. The moment the first rod touched a Soul Current, Varylux would become aware of it. Whether he chose to eliminate the person deploying the rods or destroy those that had already been placed, the result would remain unchanged. The formation would never be completed.
Finally, I let out a quiet sigh.
"Alright," I said, breaking the silence. "Give me some time to think. If I manage to come up with something, I’ll reach out to you."
Gerald nodded without showing the slightest disappointment.
"I expected no less. If anyone can find another path, it would be you."
"I certainly hope so," I smiled.
With a gentle wave of my hand, the eleven Slayer Rods disappeared one after another, shrinking into streaks of black light before vanishing inside my storage artifact. The laboratory suddenly felt much emptier without their overwhelming presence.
Gerald merely chuckled.
"Take good care of them."
"I intend to."
Without wasting another moment, I activated Echo Reversion.
The familiar Space, Time and Soul runes emerged around my body before intertwining into a single crimson formation beneath my feet. Countless red lights spread before my consciousness like an endless sea of stars. I located the echo I had left behind at Ironhart Settlement and reached toward it.
Reality unraveled.
My body dissolved into countless crimson particles before being swallowed by the formation.
********
A moment later, the world reconstructed itself around me.
The familiar streets of Ironhart Settlement appeared beneath my feet as my body rapidly reformed from streams of scarlet light. A dull ache spread across my head, accompanied by a slight trickle of blood escaping my nose.
The backlash was still there.
Fortunately, my regeneration immediately began repairing the damage.
Without stopping, I took a step forward and teleported directly to my home.
The manor was unusually quiet. Everyone was occupied with their own things, allowing me to slip into my room unnoticed.
I closed the door behind me and sat cross-legged in the center of the room.
Before asking the All-Knowing Eyes anything, there was one thing I needed to confirm.
My Soul Force.
I closed my eyes and directed my consciousness inward.
The vast ocean of Soul Force within my Soul Sea immediately came into view. It was far from empty. Ever since upgrading the talent, my Soul Force regenerated continuously without requiring any conscious effort. Even after everything that had happened today, the reserves had already recovered to a respectable level.
Still...
Respectable wasn’t enough.
The All-Knowing Eyes consumed Soul Force according to the difficulty of the question. There was no bargaining with it, no warning before the cost was deducted. If the answer demanded more Soul Force than I possessed...
I would simply die.
That wasn’t a risk I was willing to take. I inhaled deeply.
The energy scattered throughout the surroundings began flowing toward me from every direction, entering my body in countless shimmering streams before being refined into pure Soul Force inside my Soul Sea. My aura remained perfectly calm as hours quietly slipped away.
Morning gradually gave way to afternoon. Afternoon faded into evening.
Outside my window, the artificial sun slowly descended beneath the distant horizon, bathing the entire settlement in a warm orange glow before darkness gently settled across the land.
Only then did I finally open my eyes. My Soul Sea was full. Every last drop of Soul Force had been restored to its absolute limit.
I exhaled slowly.
"If there’s ever a time to ask.....it’s now."
The black markings spread across my face almost instantly.
Dark lines crawled beneath my skin before converging around both eyes, while the pupils transformed into slowly rotating black crosses.
The world fell silent.
Even the flow of time itself seemed to hesitate. I focused on asking exactly what I needed to know.
One careless word could easily multiply the cost. After several moments of careful thought, I finally spoke.
"What is the safest and most reliable method to successfully activate all eleven Verilux Slayer Rods?"
The moment the question left my lips, an indescribable pain exploded behind my eyes. It felt as though an invisible hand had plunged directly into my Soul Sea.
My enormous reserves of Soul Force began disappearing at an unbelievable rate.
Ten percent.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Forty.
Cold sweat immediately covered my forehead. The drain showed no sign of slowing.
Fifty.
Sixty.
Seventy.
My breathing became noticeably heavier.
The All-Knowing Eyes were searching. Just when I wondered whether it would consume every last fragment of my Soul Force...
The drain stopped.
Barely.
Only a thin layer of Soul Force remained inside my Soul Sea.
I nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
Then...
The vision arrived.
Darkness.
An endless expanse of absolute darkness.
Floating within that void was an enormous stone doorway unlike anything I had ever seen. It towered so high that I couldn’t even glimpse its top, while its width stretched beyond the limits of my vision.
Ancient carvings covered every inch of its weathered surface, depicting countless rivers winding through stars, worlds, and dimensions before ultimately converging upon the colossal gate.
Dozens of impossibly thick chains wrapped around the doorway, each one forged from a strange black metal covered in seals. Every chain radiated an overwhelming aura of suppression, as though they existed solely to imprison whatever lay beyond.
Then...
I heard it.
A faint sound of water. At first it was nothing more than a distant trickle.
Gradually it grew louder.
The sound of flowing water echoed from behind the sealed gate, carrying with it an ancient, indescribable pressure that made my soul instinctively tremble.
My gaze naturally shifted upward. Words slowly materialized across the surface of the stone.
The Twelfth Soul Current. The Forgotten River Between Worlds.
The vision shifted once more.
I saw a location. A lonely mountain standing at the edge of a forgotten realm. A massive cliff hidden beneath perpetual darkness.
At its center...
The very same sealed doorway stood embedded within the mountain itself, silently waiting.
Then, without warning, the vision shattered. I found myself back inside my room, breathing heavily as sweat soaked my robes.
The black markings around my eyes slowly receded. Only a single sentence lingered within my mind.
The safest path to activating the eleven Slayer Rods begins... with unsealing the Twelfth Soul Current.