Ash remained standing in complete silence, his gaze quietly fixed upon the place where Gareth had once stood.
The dazzling white light gradually faded away, revealing a corpse suspended in an empty darkness.
Countless fist-sized holes riddled Gareth’s body from every direction, his once immaculate armor reduced to little more than torn fragments barely clinging to his flesh.
Almost every vital organ had been completely erased, leaving behind nothing but mangled flesh and shattered bones, while the silver-gold radiance that had once surrounded him slowly dispersed into countless particles before vanishing completely.
Ash let out a slow breath before lowering Eclipse.
The pitch-black flames surrounding the blade quietly extinguished as the overwhelming aura pouring from his body gradually subsided, leaving behind only an intense pain spreading throughout every corner of his body.
Crack...
A faint cracking sound echoed from within his arms.
The countless fractures covering his bones slowly began repairing themselves, yet compared to his usual regeneration, the speed was painfully slow.
Ash clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Although the Rune of Life and his other healing abilities were continuously healing the damage, traces of Gareth’s World Energy still lingered within him, constantly interfering with the recovery and forcing his regeneration to proceed at a fraction of its usual speed.
If this had been his real body...
Things would’ve been different.
His real body would have gradually adapted to the invading World Energy, analyzing it, understanding it, and eventually incorporating it into its own resistance through its abnormal adaptability.
Unfortunately...
This was only a clone.
A clone could perfectly synchronize memories, experiences, techniques, and everything related to the mind with the original body, allowing abilities such as [Apex Learner] to function without the slightest limitation.
But physical adaptation was different.
The clone’s body and the original body were two separate existences.
No matter how much this body adapted... none of those changes would ever be reflected upon the original.
"...What a shame."
Ash shook his head with a faint sigh before once again looking toward Gareth’s corpse.
"Still... it was worth it."
His senses quietly spread outward before enveloping Gareth’s body, gradually sinking deeper until they reached the shattered Inner World residing where his Energy Core had once been.
What remained was nothing more than a broken world.
Its surface was covered in countless cracks while the World Energy contained within continuously leaked through them, slowly dispersing into the surroundings alongside the remnants of Gareth’s Lightning Mana.
A trace of disappointment flashed through Ash’s eyes.
Even so, he slowly raised his hand toward Gareth’s corpse.
"[Predation]"
**
[Predation](Active)
Description: A transcendent devouring ability that allows the user to absorb and consume energy and other compatible sources of power, converting them into nourishment and growth for themselves.
**
The moment the ability was activated, a terrifying suction force erupted from Ash’s palm as Gareth’s corpse instantly flew toward him, rapidly disintegrating into countless streams of energy before being completely devoured, leaving behind not even a single trace of its existence.
***
At the same time, on an unknown planet, Ash’s real body trembled slightly as a massive influx of energy poured into the embryoic universe within his heart.
A satisfied smile slowly appeared on his face.
Although his energy was described as infinite, that infinity came from his absurd regeneration speed rather than an endless reserve.
As long as his overall energy pool wasn’t completely exhausted in a single instant, his recovery was so overwhelming that he could replenish everything almost immediately, making it practically impossible for him to run out of energy during battle.
Even so, increasing the size of that energy pool was never a bad thing, and now he had finally found a reliable way of doing exactly that.
He had used [Predation] on other anomaly hunters before, but the increase they provided was insignificant.
Compared to the energy contained within the body of a God Rank cultivator, those previous gains were nothing more than drops in an ocean.
The only thing Ash regretted was that he hadn’t been able to absorb Gareth’s soul.
Thinking of it, he instinctively opened Eva’s Evolution window.
And a shocking revelation appeared before him.
[Remaining Time: 23 Minutes]
"...Huh?"
Ash frowned as he stared at the number before him.
Without another thought, his clone back in Eden activated [Eye of True Omniscience] and looked toward the place where Gareth had died, searching for even the slightest trace of his soul.
But there was nothing.
Ash’s brows furrowed even deeper as his gaze slowly returned to Eva’s Evolution window.
It was only a guess, but considering the absurd change in Eva’s remaining evolution time, it was the only explanation that made sense.
Ash had no idea what had actually transpired.
He had used [Predation] on other Anomaly Hunters before, but only after their souls had already been absorbed by Eva, and this was also his very first time using [Predation] while his Domain was active. Because of that, he couldn’t tell which one had actually absorbed Gareth’s soul.
Ash couldn’t really blame himself. Ever since obtaining the System, his only priority had been becoming stronger as quickly as possible, leaving him with neither the time nor the luxury to thoroughly explore every ability he possessed.
Mastering them wasn’t something that could be accomplished in a matter of days, or even months.
It required continuous experimentation, countless battles, and a gradual understanding of every hidden aspect they contained.
Ash slowly lifted his gaze toward the endless darkness of outer space, a faint smile appearing on his face as he looked at the countless distant stars.
"This place is much better. It’s far away from Eden, away from all those annoying things. As for everything else, my clones can handle it. There is no need for me to personally get involved unless something that truly requires my attention appears."
While Ash waited for Eva’s Evolution to complete, back in the Realm of Eden, one of the largest Regional Headquarters established by the Anomaly Hunters continued operating as usual.
The enormous hall remained filled with countless personnel moving from one place to another as report after report continuously arrived from every corner of the Realm.
Rows of communication formation stretched across the hall while hundreds of translucent Universal System windows floated in the air, each one corresponding to a different combat unit currently carrying out missions throughout Eden.
Some were reporting new findings and new races.
Some had already completed their patrols.
Others were requesting reinforcements after discovering suspicious traces.
Everything proceeded with practiced efficiency.
After all, locating the Absolute Anomaly was only one of the operation’s objectives. Behind the scenes, the three great organizations were using the massive deployment to conduct an extensive search across the Realm of Eden for the Rune.
Naturally, that information remained a closely guarded secret, known only to a handful of higher-ups.
Otherwise, there was no reasonable justification for mobilizing such an enormous force merely to hunt down a single individual.
The existence of the Absolute Anomaly, or rather Ash, had provided them with the perfect excuse to launch a Realm-wide search while concealing their true objective not only from the general populace but even from the vast majority of the cultivators participating in the operation.
Back in the hall, a young communication officer calmly moved from one System window to another, routinely verifying the status of every assigned squad before marking their reports as complete.
It was monotonous work.
But it was also one of the most important responsibilities within the Headquarters.
Every combat unit was required to submit a report every hour.
Missing that deadline wasn’t considered unusual.
After all, battles, unexpected discoveries, damaged communication artifacts, or simply traveling through dangerous regions could easily delay a report by several minutes.
Because of that, nobody became alarmed the moment Gareth’s squad failed to report.
The communication officer merely glanced at the timer displayed beside Gareth’s squad number before calmly making a small note.
[Report Delayed: 00:01:17]
He simply moved on to the next report.
Five minutes quietly passed.
One by one, more squads submitted their scheduled updates, causing the floating windows to gradually disappear as they were marked complete.
Only one remained.
The communication officer unconsciously frowned.
His fingers lightly tapped Gareth’s profile before opening the communication interface.
"Connecting to Squad Captain Gareth..."
The Universal System quietly processed the request.
Several seconds passed but there was no response.
The officer wasn’t particularly surprised.
Instead, he calmly selected the Vice-Captain.
Again...
Nothing.
His brows slowly knitted together.
Without wasting any more time, he proceeded to contact every remaining member of the squad one after another.
Every request returned exactly the same result.
No response.
The surrounding hall remained as busy as ever, yet the communication officer no longer paid attention to the countless reports arriving before him.
His eyes remained fixed upon Gareth’s squad profile as an uncomfortable feeling gradually settled within his heart.
Something...didn’t feel right.
He immediately stood up before walking toward the supervising officer responsible for the entire communication division.
"Sir."
The middle-aged man looked up from the documents in his hands.
"What is it?"
"Sir Gareth’s squad hasn’t reported back."
The supervising officer barely reacted.
"How long?"
"Just over six minutes."
The man simply nodded.
"Wait another four."
The communication officer hesitated.
"I already attempted to establish direct contact with every member but none of them responded."
Only then did the supervising officer finally raise his head.
"...All of them?"
"Yes."
The hall gradually became quieter around the two as several nearby officers unconsciously begun listening to them.
The supervising officer slowly walked toward the communication array before personally opening Gareth’s profile.
Several familiar names immediately appeared before him.
Captain Gareth.
Vice-Captain Leon.
Followed by the remaining members of the combat squad.
His expression remained calm as he selected another option located beneath their profiles.
[Verify Life Signatures]
It was a function that only supervising officers were authorized to access. The previous officer lacked the necessary permissions, which was why he had been unable to verify the combat squad’s status himself.
The Universal System immediately began processing the request.
A circular loading symbol slowly rotated before everyone’s eyes for several moments before finally disappearing, revealing the result.
[Captain Gareth — No Life Signature Detected.]
The supervising officer’s pupils contracted slightly.
Before he could process what he had just seen, another notification appeared beneath it.
[Vice-Captain Leon — No Life Signature Detected.]
Then another.
And another.
Until...
Every single member of Gareth’s squad displayed the exact same result.
Silence.
The entire communication hall became deathly quiet.
Every pair of eyes remained fixed upon the floating System windows.
The supervising officer slowly inhaled before closing every window with a single motion.
"Seal this information."
His calm voice carried throughout the hall.
"No one leaves this room until further notice."
Without waiting for anyone to respond, he immediately opened another Universal System interface, his authority allowing him to bypass every ordinary communication channel before directly connecting to the Central Headquarters.
His fingers moved rapidly.
[Emergency Priority Report.]
[Classification: Highest.]
[Combat Unit 07 has failed to report.]
[Captain Gareth.]
[Status... All Life Signatures Lost.]
The report vanished the instant it was transmitted.
...
Several moments later, inside the Central Headquarters, three Universal System notifications appeared simultaneously before the representatives of the Heavenly Realm, the Abyssal Realm, and the Transcendent Circle.
Each quietly read the contents of the report from beginning to end.
The conference hall gradually fell into complete silence.
After several long moments, the Angel spoke, her golden eyes remaining fixed upon Gareth’s name as she calmly spoke.
"...It seems we underestimated him once again."
The representative from the Transcendent Circle nodded faintly.
"Our previous assumption was wrong. We believed an God Rank cultivator would be sufficient to investigate the Anomaly while remaining safe enough to withdraw if necessary."
He slowly exhaled.
"It appears... that assumption no longer holds."
The Devil remained leaning comfortably against his chair, his fingers rhythmically tapping the armrest as his crimson eyes quietly observed the report before him.
"The interesting part isn’t Gareth’s death."
Both representatives turned toward him.
"It’s that our plan still had flaws."
He slowly stood up before walking toward the enormous map suspended in the center of the conference hall.
"We assumed the Anomaly would continue targeting weaker units before eventually taking our bait."
His finger slowly rested upon the location where Gareth’s squad had disappeared.
"Instead..."
"...he skipped several steps."
Whether Gareth had been killed through overwhelming strength, an elaborate trap, or some unknown method was no longer the important part.
The important part was that their understanding of the Anomaly’s capabilities had once again fallen behind reality.
The Angel slowly nodded.
"The operation will be revised."
"No God Rank cultivator will operate independently from this point onward. Every deployment will consist of multiple God Rank experts, while Celestial Rank supervision remains concealed from beginning to end."
The representative of the Transcendent Circle slowly nodded.
"Although this will consume an enormous amount of manpower and most likely delay our preparations for the Immortal Battlefield by several years, I believe the higher-ups will approve it. Compared to allowing an Anomaly with this level of growth to continue unchecked, such a delay is insignificant."
The Devil’s smile deepened slightly.
"Indeed... they won’t have much of a choice."
His crimson eyes quietly drifted toward Gareth’s report.
"The balance has already shifted. Eliminating the Anomaly now takes precedence over everything else, including the Immortal Battlefield."
Within the next few minutes, new orders quietly began leaving the Central Headquarters as God Rank experts stationed throughout different regions were recalled, additional combat units were reorganized, and several operations that had been planned days in advance were immediately revised.
At the same time, the report regarding Gareth’s death was transmitted beyond the Anomaly Hunter Headquarters and toward the highest authorities of the three great organizations, informing them that, for the first time since the operation had begun, an Early God Rank cultivator had fallen at the hands of the Absolute Anomaly.
The hunt...was getting reorganized once more.
Unknown to every single one of them, however, the one they had been desperately trying to capture had already lost any intention of continuing his hunt.
After all...his objective had already been achieved.
****
A/N : The Chapter is big because there will be only....One Chapter today. (30th June, 2026)