Re: Timeless Apocalypse-Chapter 190: Hidden
Somehow, even after blowing up their cores, the Guardians didn’t immediately die.
The first guardian whose core Uriel had blown had only had his stomach torn open. While gruesome, compared to what should’ve happened, it was nothing but a scratch.
Still, this only played to his advantage.
BOOOOM!
A second guardian’s core exploded, and a second tide emerged, drowning them in darkness yet again.
SHOOO!
Having retreated far away from the group, Uriel softly landed behind a large boulder, hiding behind it. He peeked from behind it and observed them.
’How the hell are they doing this...’
His gaze sparkled, and he peered past the initial layer of the world, laying eyes on the runic fabric of the world.
But he didn’t focus on it.
For the first time, he focused on the other ability he’d gained—the ability to sense the primordial energetic flows of the world.
What he saw was a large plane of multicoloured energy that mirrored space, in a sense.
The moment he focused on it, his eyes widened, and he noticed an oddity.
Due to their truly large cores, he and Emrys had rather potent aether presences, enough to deter and even harm most people.
When translated to the flows of the world, their aether presences pressed into the fabric of the world’s energy almost like a celestial object did in space.
The world’s different fabrics of energy all collapsed and bent toward them, creating a curvature in the primordial energetic fabric that attracted more and more energy toward them.
And also granted them more authority over energy.
The realisation was shocking to Uriel, as it opened a new strata of elemental and aether control to him, but this wasn’t what made his eyes widen.
Contrary to the both of them, the guardians had...nothing.
It was like, on the fabric of the world, they had no aether whatsoever, and thus didn’t exist.
’But that’s not possible.’ Uriel was shaken. ’Even mortals have fundamental aether components in their body.’
Back in the desert, when Uriel had to operate on his leg after it had gone limp due to the sandstorm, he had learned that.
He had to operate on his leg to reconnect what he called his body’s vital aether to his limbs, so that it could flow once more and he could walk again.
Even today, he hadn’t properly healed, but that wasn’t the point.
The point was that that energy wasn’t something he’d gained with ascendance. It was something every living entity had.
So even if the guardians could hide their aether presence, part of their vital aether should still have been able to be picked up by the world.
Something wasn’t adding up.
’The world senses presences across the primordial aether fabric through resonance, but also because no one can independently produce energy.’
’Everyone constantly cycles their natal aether to atmospheric aether and vice versa. By virtue of that process, we’re all in constant connection with the world.’
’If anything, most of the curvature, beyond being the sheer weight of cores and their contents, should be that cycle.’
’The more energy you need, the more the world will bend around you to facilitate your recovery. It also allows space to be more malleable around you, so when you use your energy, space is least likely to break.’
He thought back to the void flame he had nearly summoned.
’Because if space remains as rigid around those with high presences, space and the fabric collapse under the strain and... void flames are summoned.’
The moment Uriel understood that mechanism, an idea popped up in his mind.
He still didn’t know how the Guardians did it, but he was sure he could recreate it, whatever method it was they used to fool the world.
He had the perfect foundation for it.
’What if I...’
Uriel’s cores shook, chaotic, orderly, and neutral natal aether surging around him, pushing out all the atmospheric aether around him.
It formed a void of energy, one that his natal aether filled.
Then, his resonant dominance bloomed, and his will mapped onto his natal aether, forcefully turning it atmospheric.
All that process was simply how he formed his Simple Domain.
’And then if I...’
With his Simple Domain put in place, Uriel simply... weakened his level of resonance with the world.
It plummeted rapidly, so much so that to the world he may as well have been dead. The change was stark for Uriel, especially considering his own talent.
It was to be remembered that even before Ascendance, Uriel had a level of resonance with the world surpassing the Jade grade. Now, it could only be described as ridiculous.
So the change was jarring, to say the least.
But just as he felt his cores about to shatter, Uriel rapidly replaced the connection he had to the world with his Simple Domain.
His Simple Domain became his own world.
It became a proxy between him and the fabric of the world.
Which meant that if he willed it...
’It works.’
...he could stop existing.
...
"SHOW YOURSELF!"
The Guardian leader was starting to lose her mind.
Two of her warriors were incapacitated, heavily crippling them due to their battle formations. The more people they had, the more powerful it would be.
But now, not only would the formation be weaker, but most of her guardians seemed hesitant, afraid they might be targeted next.
Seeing her warriors so fear-stricken was so shocking she almost entirely believed this was the result of a mental attack of sorts.
She had raised these boys. She knew what they were capable of handling and what they weren’t.
Death shouldn’t have been able to scare them, let alone something as insignificant as getting crippled.
Something was wrong.
"I am right here, my lady."
The Guardian leader’s eyes widened as a charming young man appeared mere meters away from her; his skin as white as snow, his hair a blend of silver and ivory, and his gaze that of a rose, a swirling mix of pinks, reds, and whites.
He smiled. "Perhaps it would be better if we chatted a bit, no?"
He glanced past her, laying eyes on the two heavily injured guardians not too far behind.
"It would truly be unfortunate if any of us got more injured or, worse still, died." He gasped. "That would be too gruesome for my little heart."
She glared at him, then took a step back, remaining silent.
She hadn’t sensed him arrive and still couldn’t sense him.
’Is he a rogue...?’ she thought as she stilled.
Her guardian warriors stood at attention, blades taut and minds ready to explode with murderous intent.
She flipped a palm over, and a sword appeared in her grasp. Her stance lowered, and her gaze sharpened.
Her meaning was clear.
Uriel sighed. "Battle it is, then."
