Levi’s expression turned indifferent as he stepped forward and gripped the chained bracelets and collar as tightly as he could, pulling them away from the mist.
The golden bracelets and collar responded in kind, burning as bright as the sun, seeking to turn him to ash.... another defensive mechanism.
Yet, Levi merely sneered and devoured the released sunflames through his palms like they meant nothing to him... in fact, the more that was released, the more his appearance resembled a genuine Radian!
Feeling his protection, the Omnithar felt relieved and more determined to jump ship!
He solidified the glowing symbols and swiftly dove them into the Lantern, which had also broken into a complex structure of interconnected ethereal green inscriptions.
It resembled a five-dimensional cubic structure with lines of inscriptions moving nonstop... However, the moment the Omnithar’s inscriptional form entered the structure, it welcomed it with open arms, creating different spaces for its existence to merge.
’The Genie’s wish falls under the Universe’s Will... nothing beats it in authority,’ Ash’Kral commented inwardly as he watched the last symbol disappear, leaving behind Levi, still holding onto the golden bracelets and collar in both hands.
He was so bright that he resembled a true blinding star, illuminating thousands of kilometers around his territory!
No delay, Levi desummoned the Lantern before it could reconstruct back to its form... then, he placed the bracelets inside his dimensional wallet, sealing them at the depths of Alzhukar’s dimensional storage to avoid any sort of detection.
Only then did he lift his head and wait in silence... unfazed. He awaited the consequences of his unholy transgression against the most powerful system in the universe... a feat that would make even Tier 9 powerhouses reconsider for their safety!
Yet, Levi waited, and waited... still, nothing... not even a notification that his wish had been granted successfully.
This drove Levi to open his dimensional profile and check the details about his titles... to his surprise, he found that the title The Chosen One was still illuminating. This meant that the title was accompanied by an ungranted wish!
’Is this the glitch?’ The Titan raised a brow. ’After the Genie is freed, the system restarts the wish since it doesn’t have the steps written after what occurred?’
’I didn’t think the system would correct itself like this, but yes.’ Ash’Kral nodded.
’Does this mean I can still commence with my wish as if nothing happened?’ Levi frowned, feeling that something was off about this.
He was right.
’Not a chance... You have to wait until the wish expires on its own,’ Ash’Kral warned. ’The moment you seek out a second wish, the system will send you another Omnithar Genie. That will raise the alarm in the Administration, since the system will notify them that it will send the Genie.’
Hearing this, Levi nodded in understanding... he figured out that if he went for a second wish, he would be announcing his crime to the administration, who would instantly find out that he already had a different Omnithar Genie by visiting the records.
However, if he allowed the system to follow its script, even if it meant sacrificing a wish, then his situation would be buried in plain sight.
The system would continue to run normally, and the Administration would remain in the dark since it wasn’t notified of the glitch... and the only way to know of it was to look for it.
Even the disappearance of the Genie would remain undisclosed since the entire Genie Wish System was handled by Nocturn’s System automatically... the System only notified them of what it would do for the records.
’So, as long as he doesn’t use the wish... he should be in the clear in three days?’ The Titan narrowed his eyes. ’I don’t know... something feels off. I understand that everything went as planned, but we are still dealing with Nocturn’s Administration...’
’You’re overthinking it, Old Bark.’ Ash’Kral shook his head. ’If Nocturn’s Administration found out about this, Levi wouldn’t know it before he found himself in a cell, awaiting his punishment... for all of its omnipotence, it heavily relies on Nocturn and the System. If the system glitched out, then its omnipotence was compromised.’
’As for Nocturn? Well...’
Ash’Kral summoned himself and sat on top of Levi’s shoulder, his fox-like appearance barely changed after Levi’s latest evolutions... the only addition was an increase in size and a misty ethereal green halo connecting his shoulders.
The rest of the mutations were internal, just like Levi’s. Then, he smirked widely and waved his paw in front of the colorful void like an idiot.
’Just smile and wave.’
Levi’s overbearing pride refused to participate in such a humiliating folly... but then, his heart tightened for literally no reason, feeling like someone was holding it in their hand.
Before he could react, his world of frequencies fell apart and was replaced by an eternal darkness... darkness he was familiar with.
Yet, Levi didn’t feel an ounce of dread or concern... it was like he was incapable of such emotions in the Sun Form.
He faced the darkness like always and uttered indifferently, "If you want me dead, just do it... don’t make a scene of it. It’s beneath both of us... Nocturn."
Suddenly, the colorful mist of the Boundless Expanse began to shift and change... the vibrant purples, deep blues, and neon greens of the expanse swirled together, condensing against the black canvas of the distance.
Slowly, the gases shaped themselves into two giant, curved lines that stretched across the horizon like a new constellation.
It formed a mouth... a gigantic, amusing smirk so wide it could have swallowed a solar system.
It wasn’t a threatening expression, but one filled with a silent, cosmic irony.
The misty smile hung there in the darkness, etched into the fabric of the void, as if the entity behind the realm was acknowledging Levi’s antics with a knowing, invisible gaze.
And Levi? His unfazed demeanor changed the instant his world of darkness was pierced by colors unrelated to his Harmonic Spine, sight, or any of his senses... the colors matched the gigantic smirk over the horizon, leaving Levi able to actually see!
Alas... before he could take in the mesmerizing scenery, his world of darkness devoured the colors and pulled him back to his reality.
Then, the misty smirk faded into nothingness like it was never there, restoring the void to its eternal silence.
While Levi was still processing the brief restoration of his sight, a peculiar, amused voice resounded in Ash’Kral’s mind.
’Ash... I admire the resolve, but we both know you’re wasting your time with the Equilibrium of Chaos... not even an Omnithar Genie as a pet will change the ending.’
Ash’Kral merely scoffed, his eyes never leaving the void.
’Nocturn... I know you have always been stalking me and witnessed my past failures... but this time it’s different... Levi is different, and you know it.’
Ash’Kral was never concerned about Nocturn because this wasn’t the first time he had interacted with him about the Equilibrium of Chaos... after all, how could Levi or Ash’Kral’s past partners ever escape Nocturn’s detection?
They might fool the system by using a single Seed ID to sign the contract, but Nocturn could see it all and knows it all... always.
Why did he never do anything about it? Not even Ash’Kral knew for sure... he believed it was for entertainment purposes since solving the Three-Body Problem was considered a Universal Impossibility ... a title bestowed upon it by entities like Nocturn himself!
It turned out that he was right.
’Maybe... the boy is special and has been going steady at dealing with the Three Origin Seeds in ways that are impressive... but,’ Nocturn’s voice turned calm, ’you know the main problem was always the merger...’
He paused for a moment and then left a fading, ominous statement.
’There is yet an entity to be born that can go against the Universe’s Will... and you know it more than anyone else... Ash.’