Inside the "Atomic Universe," the starry sky stretched boundlessly in all directions, stars of every hue merging into a fantastical and kaleidoscopic panorama.
Lucian and Natasha's figures slowly materialized, severing their spacetime link to the Abyss.
"At last, we've got it—otherwise we would've had to head to the 'Silent Hell' to find that particular Star Core." Natasha caught sight of the obsidian stone tablet in Lucian's hand, quite taken by its beautiful yet intricate patterns. They rose in relief one after another, constantly lighting up like the ticking second hand of a clock, and each pattern rippled with a faint, flowing sensation of water—brimming with a dreamlike quality. Not only was the lady captivated, but even Lucian himself found the "Tablet of Space-Time" to be like an exquisite work of art.
"If the 'Dark Lord' and the 'King of Angels' hadn't conspired to harm me, then after it became a 'Demon Prince,' this 'Tablet of Space-Time' would likely have become part of its collection—acquiring it would have been countless times more difficult than it is now." Lucian extended his right hand and ran it across the surface of the "Tablet of Space-Time," feeling an illusory sense of flowing motion.
In the "Despair World" formed by the fusion of the "Frozen Fortress" and the "Abyssal Maw," Gornheim was an existence approaching that of a demigod. If the vast majority of its power had remained there, then even if Lucian had enlisted the combined efforts of Douglas, Fernando, and Hathaway, they could only have suppressed it without breaking through its fortress. In that case, Lucian would rather have sought help and ventured into the "Silent Hell."
Natasha, curious, also reached out her right hand to feel the surface of the "Tablet of Space-Time," clearly enjoying the peculiar sensation. At the same time, her expression turned slightly serious as she said, "Sure enough, peak-tier legendaries have set their sights on you—not just one, but two…"
She had previously believed that even if Lucian went after nothing, didn't walk Vikken's path toward demigodhood, his Archanist research and growth in Arcane Magic alone would invite hostility and scheming. And now that "prophecy" had become reality!
However, there was no trace of fear or dread in her expression—only a measure of concern and worry, suffused with a fierce fighting spirit and soaring morale. This was partly because she had great confidence in Lucian, and partly because, as a knight whose creed was protection, she viewed this as a trial and tempering for herself.
Lucian curled his fingers and tapped gently on the "Tablet of Space-Time," but no sound emerged—only a series of dull ripples spreading outward. "In this era, no powerhouse who wishes to advance further can escape the whirlpool. Unless one wants to be thoroughly abandoned by the age—hiding far away in the depths of an endless ocean or a hidden extraplanar dimension. But even then, when some legendary seeks to undergo a transformation, a lone individual would be the first to come to mind. Someone all by themselves is the easiest to prey upon."
"As long as the Council continues on its current trajectory, I'm certain ultimate victory will fall into our hands."
"And as for myself—I am ready to welcome challenges and ill will from every direction."
Lucian spoke these words with perfect calm, yet behind them lay an iron will.
Natasha grinned: "Even if you'd never become a mage, you'd have achieved remarkable things on the knight's path. Oh, did the 'King of Angels' truly perish? Your 'Positron Cannon' really is a world-ending spell!"
Having spent so much time around Lucian, her vocabulary had grown quite modern.
"Once the other forms of antimatter are researched and developed, single mages of the third-tier legendary rank and above bringing about the end of the world will no longer be a fantasy—just one blast and it's done." Lucian said half-jokingly. The "Positron Cannon's" power could still be enhanced considerably, depending on one's own magical strength or advance preparation of casting materials. And such advance preparation was far more terrifying than the "Eternal Blazing Sun"—with only a minuscule amount of antimatter, destroying a world or annihilating a star could be accomplished with ease. Of course, the laboratory currently couldn't yet meet the requirements for antimatter synthesis.
As he spoke, Lucian took out the Dawn Crystal Ball and began chanting an incantation:
"Mirror of Fate!"
In the surrounding dark cosmos, points of illusory light materialized one by one—like countless fireflies, or perhaps like a sky full of stars. This was the Starry Sky of Fate!
Those points of destiny converged, condensing into a hazy, mysterious mirror. As Lucian's left hand sent the glowing crystal ball flying into it, the mirror's surface suddenly began to tremble, as though a massive stone had been cast upon still water, sending out layer upon layer of ripples.
The ripples gradually subsided, the misty haziness receded, and within appeared a prostrate angel with thirty-six wings upon its back. Suddenly, an infinite, boundless radiance blazed to life inside the mirror, then surged outward like a torrent.
Natasha, the onlooker, reacted first—she seized Lucian, who had been momentarily stunned by the tremor of that force, and flashed them both in an instant to another direction within the "Atomic Universe." Then she watched as the "Mirror of Fate" was devoured by a mass of pure, immaculate light, and the surrounding starry sky was swallowed along with it, leaving behind a lifeless void—only when the "Universe" shuddered and forces from all around surged in did the emptiness slowly fade.
"That is the power of the God of Truth…" Natasha murmured, her emotions tangled. This was the true deity she had once worshipped and venerated? Moreover, even though the name of that faith had retreated to the realm of the spirit within her heart, it was still the "God of Truth." So when she came face to face with this "deity"—now devoid of consciousness, possessing only pure power and law—she could not help but be swept up in feelings she could neither articulate nor fully understand.
After easing the backlash from the "Mirror of Fate" being destroyed by the "God of Truth's" power, Lucian gently stroked his chin: "If one could master the rules of the 'Heavenly Mountain' and the 'God of Truth,' could one perhaps harness its power at a critical moment? And why does its power reach this magnitude—is it a qualitative transcendence, or merely a cumulative buildup of quantity?"
Watching Lucian sink into that state, the corner of Natasha's mouth curled upward slightly. The coldness in her silver-violet eyes softened, with a faint shimmer of water rippling within, and she said with a smile in her voice: "Great Archanist, you really can launch into research at any moment and in any place."
"Ha, occupational habit, occupational habit…" Lucian came back to himself and answered with a laugh. "It seems Melkentron didn't completely perish. I wonder if it's because he hadn't descended with his full power, or because of his special connection to the 'God of Truth'—as long as the God of Truth is not destroyed, he cannot truly die, and will inevitably revive on the seventh layer of the Heavenly Mountain?"