Chapter 2964: Sub-Reality Core
Chapter 2964: Sub-Reality Core
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City
"Hey, illusion or alternate reality—you’ll have plenty of time to figure it out, because I’m going to imprison you two in this sub-reality," I informed them, not bothering to argue with Seraphina. It wasn’t my job to expand her narrow mind, especially when she was so willfully blind to the truth staring her in the face.
With a thought, I restored Aqualas to her normal state and harvested the pure water rule power stone vein. I didn’t care about getting their permission; after all, this vein had been generated using the water rule power that the reality isolation seal fed to Aqualas by utilizing the primordial energy I powered it with.
I finally managed to get my hands on a functional skill that utilized primordial energy. Not only was it one of the most overpowered skills I had but the best part was that I didn’t have to worry about getting caught using it.
Primordial energy powering the reality isolation seal was the reason why it could sustain a sub-reality of this scale that would have been flat-out impossible. Without primordial energy powering the seal, the resulting sub reality wouldn’t have been able to replicate the original reality so flawlessly, like a perfect mirror image.
That was because primordial energy is the source of all energies, its presence allowed the reality isolation seal to perfectly mimic the Card World’s water rule power for Aqualas, the stone rule power for Petra, and the soul energy and celestial force for Seraphina and Veerott. Without it, this reality isolation seal wouldn’t be anywhere near what it was right now.
While Aqualas was still reeling from the mental trauma of her forced physical transformation, Seraphina refused to back down, desperately clinging to her denial. "Don’t you lie to me! I know for a fact that this is an illusion," she spat. "And you deployed it before we even threatened to wipe out all life in the Card World. You broke your word! Veerott, look at the kind of man you’re dealing with. He lies, and he has absolutely no problem breaking his promises."
Hearing Seraphina’s wild accusations, Veerott was torn, unsure of what to believe. Ultimately, he chose to keep his mouth shut. He had already resolved to follow his kin, and seeing that his friends were still alive—even if they were deeply confused and visibly shaken—reassured him. They could endure this discomfort for now, at least until he figured out where he truly stood with his kin.
Just then, the sky above and the raging blood-storm clouds below abruptly vanished. In a horrific flash, the entire environment morphed into a massive, suffocating catacomb of alive flesh. Everyone, from the traumatized Aqualas to the previously satisfied Petra, froze in absolute shock at the sudden, gruesome transformation. It was a sight far too jarring to comprehend.
I turned to Veerott and tossed him a pseudo-primordial calamity soul gem. Though at this point, it was more accurate to call it the core of the sub-reality we were standing in. I had placed the reality isolation seal that formed this sub reality into the spiritual channel of the pseudo-calamity soul gem, which triggered the sudden, drastic shift in our surroundings. Doing this meant I no longer had to constantly pump my own primordial energy into the seal; gem’s spiritual channel would draw in just enough ambient energy to sustain itself and the seal.
"Huh?" Catching the sub-reality core, Veerott looked at me, completely bewildered.
"That is the core of this sub-reality. You can use it to move in and out of this place as you please—just carry it with you," I explained in detail. "However, you cannot free them. As promised, they are imprisoned here, and you are officially their warden. Once you feel those two have stabilized, you can appeal to me to let them out."
Since it was the physical core of the seal, I had personally coded it to ensure it functioned exactly as I described. Veerott could use it to enter and leave the sub-reality at will, but no one else could.
"Be careful, though," I added. "If that core gets destroyed, the sub-reality inside it goes down with it."
I wasn’t just saying that to scare the trio; it was the truth. A pseudo-calamity soul gem wasn’t anywhere near as durable as an actual calamity soul gem. If enough force was applied, it would shatter—and along with it, the reality isolation seal maintaining this sub-reality would collapse, killing everyone trapped inside.
Before the warning could even sink in, Seraphina vanished from her spot. She materialized right next to Veerott, her fingers clawing out to snatch the core from his grasp. But Veerott was light-years faster. He effortlessly slipped out of her reach, retreating a safe distance.
Staring her down, he asked coldly, "What do you think you’re doing?"
"Veerott, give me the core," Seraphina demanded, her voice grave. Her expression made it glaringly obvious that she had completely run out of patience to explain herself to her friend.
"No," Veerott said, firmly shaking his head. He glanced at the core, then back at her. "Do you honestly think Master didn’t anticipate exactly what you’re trying to do? If I’m not mistaken, nobody but me can use this core. And considering his warning, it’s bound to be highly tamper-proof."
It didn’t take a genius to guess what Seraphina was plotting. Veerott assumed she simply wanted to use the core to escape. While he wasn’t entirely wrong to think that, he didn’t have the full picture either. In reality, her plan was far more reckless: she wanted to leverage the core to threaten the Southern Hope. She would force him to release them, or else she would shatter the core, killing everyone trapped inside—including the Southern Hope himself.
But having dealt with him before, Seraphina knew the Southern Hope was always three steps ahead. She realized that his decision to hand the sub-reality core to Veerott right in front of them wasn’t just to prove her words to Veerott wrong; it was a calculated test. He wanted to see if Veerott would continue to stick by his side after everything he had witnessed, or if he would cave and try to save his friends.
Since Southern Hope had laid out this gambit, Seraphina was determined to exploit it. Locking eyes with Veerott, her gaze grew deadly serious.
"Veerott," she demanded, her voice dropping to a stern, echoing whisper. "Give me the core."