It was totally unlike last time.

In the past, he’d formed his tri-cores after witnessing the birth of the ivory sand desert dimension, which had led to him discovering the fabrics.

It had been the result of a deep and desperate enlightenment.

But here, there was no enlightenment.

He was simply being handed what was due.

Over the last couple of days, Uriel had made leaps and bounds in his comprehension of Runic Laws, Spiritual Laws, Wills, and Spirits.

His training with Samael had laid that foundation, his fight with Miquella had perfected it, and regaining his true core—and thus understanding the purpose of the cores—had sparked it.

He already had all the ingredients.

[You have comprehended part of Runic Law Origin!]

[You have comprehended part of Spiritual Law Origin!]

[You have comprehended part of Will-Borne Path Origin!]

In his solar plexus, Uriel had four cores now: a central and primary one, his True Core, born of his Will and ’Formless’ moniker—a core of pure ivory sheen.

Then, he had three cores born of his comprehension of the world: the chaos, order, and erudite cores—large marbled spheres of silver swirled with rose-violet, each leaning toward a different hue.

One core was more silver than rose-violet, another more rose-violet than silver, and the last a perfect balance of the two.

The three cores were encased by Uriel’s star rings and spun harmoniously around his True Core, fueling him with power.

WHOOSH! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sound was violent and chaotic. Harsh winds tore around Uriel’s body as void flames consumed him, shards of space ripping into him while the rain carried his dark blood away.

But the process was incredibly peaceful.

POP! POP! POP!

Uriel blinked, and around his True Core, three new large cores settled into existence—marbled spheres of crimson-gold and emerald. Just like his first three, they came in three hues.

One core leaned more emerald than crimson-gold, another more crimson-gold than emerald, and the last remained perfectly balanced between the two.

The six outer cores harmonized, as if only now forming a complete and perfect configuration. Uriel didn’t even need to Will it—his rings and stars appeared over the new cores on their own.

All seven of his ridiculously large cores bore star rings.

The harmony between them set off a chain reaction across his entire existence.

WHOOOSH!

Uriel’s soul, which had remained as nothing more than a faint and fragile wisp, exploded into a massive flame of pure ivory—no longer tainted by its former crimson streaks.

It grew so vast it seemed larger than a star, his moons surging from his depths to flood his soul with energy.

Uriel watched intently as his soul was reborn, observing how it reforged his Mind Palace, his Heart Realm, and even a third layer he had yet to comprehend.

His mind, once hazy and driven purely by Will, finally gained substance. For the first time in what felt like ages, he could breathe again—spiritually.

His soul continued to expand without limit, and yet his body did not remain idle.

[{?} Evolution has started!]

The Runic and Primordial Energetic Fabrics of the surrounding space—stretching across hundreds upon hundreds of kilometers—folded inward toward Uriel, dragging with them space itself, laws, and void flames.

The remnants of his mage tool, his mage set, and his old dragon weapon were pulled into the maelstrom, merging into the chaotic swirl that condensed into a massive cocoon of silver steel, standing at the center of the still-burning dark flames.

Even his Traveller’s Garb shattered along the way, seamlessly fusing into the cocoon, becoming part of the melting convergence of forces.

"..."

Among all his doubts and questions, Uriel had often wondered why his past self had allowed Thoryl to infiltrate his existence so deeply.

For the trapped talent, he understood—it had led to him repairing his spark and regaining contact with Ophanis.

But why the Scholar Set? Why the Mage Tools? Why the Pills? And beyond that, why had he allowed Enoch to hand him that glaive; something that, by all evidence, had been part of a larger scheme to push him toward using the flame?

Why?

Part of him had assumed that perhaps his past self simply didn’t care, or that Enoch had betrayed him.

But it seemed he had been wrong.

Very, very wrong.

All of these items carried very specific enchantments, ones he had almost forgotten. Enchantments that had made little sense at the time, but now revealed entirely new meaning.

For the Broken Fang of Hate, it was—

—

>Enchantment: Merciful End {Diamond}

~>Details: Dragons were born to die, as were angels ushered across the heavens only to inevitably fall, as were demons to endlessly sin.

• With their wings torn, scales ripped, and veins ruptured, their limbless bodies will fall to the earth, blood splattering to form a sea within which they will be entombed.

• Only then, only when the dragons have fallen to their most merciful end, will the truth awaken.

• Only then will the first hiss echo.

• > [?]

—

For the Flawless Scholar’s Set, it had been—

—

>Enchantment: Mending Might

~>Details: The scholar’s set repairs itself over time and is bound to the mage’s core. As long as the core remains intact, the set will eventually reemerge.

•The set also grows alongside the mage’s core, with a slim possibility of one day shattering the barriers of the Diamond Grade and surging beyond.

—

For his Mage Tool, the Eye of Ciel, it had been—

—

>Enchantment: Cry of Maddone {?}

~>Details: A cry constantly echoing within the mind—soothing, regal—meant to calm the mind and plunge one into a constant state of cold, divine focus.

• Massively reduces spiritual agony and soul damage dealt.

—

And even more shockingly, for his Traveller’s Garb—an item he had received from his system as a reward for his Evolution Quest—it carried this—

—

>Enchantment: Stubborn Desire {Jade}

~>Details: The Garb is a ship that has lost its glory, time having torn every piece of its divinity, forcing the traveller to mend it with the mundane.

•Its soul remains divine, yet its flesh is now mortal. But it can rise once more.

• The Garb has the potential to evolve.

—

Had Thoryl been manipulating and trapping him this entire time, or had his past self been using the Guide as a proxy to turn Uriel into a true behemoth? It was hard to say.

But at this moment, none of it mattered.

With every piece of the puzzle assembled, with Uriel’s seven cores finally formed, and his soul freed from corruption, a shocking evolution began.

An evolution that would go on to tip the scales.