BOOK 4: CHAPTER 22: DEPARTURE

The Classers were doing fine, and so was everyone else. The survivors from Liear had been fully integrated into their new life, and it looked like they would do everything it took to retain their current lifestyle. That was more than enough to reassure David as he shifted his attention to the surrounding Rifts.

Orhain’s Classers had spent the last few days closing several Rifts, killing Mini Bosses and Rift Bosses by the dozens. They didn’t close all the Rifts and kept several lower-ranked Rifts open for weaker Classers and noncombatant Classers in need of resources and the land the Rifts offered.

Although dangerous, some of these Rifts possessed the perfect traits for harvesting specific resources. One Rift, in particular, was no more than an extensive, leveled grassfield. It was nothing special at first glance, yet Farmers, Nature Mages, and the other Classers responsible for jumpstarting agriculture considered the grassfield Rift a treasure trove. They took measurements of the soil and were ecstatic.

Another Rift stood out due to the monsters spawning within. One monster teleported freely throughout the Rift, another looked like heaps of rare materials that had gathered Aether for decades to form sentience, and then there were monsters with unique, self-replenishing Cores. These didn’t rely on ambient Aether to regenerate and appeared to generate Aether at no cost. At least, that was what it looked like. Aether couldn’t appear out of nowhere, as far as David knew, but the Artificers, Blacksmiths, and Alchemists were exhilarated.

And, of course, they loved the massive Rift with a mountain range filled with materials that could be used by Irons, Bronzes, and even Silvers.

All those Rifts were treasure troves and actively maintained to procure new resources and plow fields to harvest crops within the next few months. That left a few powerful Rifts with Elite monsters that could only be defeated by the Sanctuary’s strongest Classers, and a wide variety of Rifts that would help grow Classers ranging from Iron to Silver.

David inspected every Rift and ensured the dimensions were not connected to other worlds. He located two Rifts leading to other places but wasn’t quite sure whether the Rifts connected to another region within the Earthen Union or to a world devoid of sapient humanoids. He discovered countless monsters, some of them rather powerful, but there weren’t any settlements within a 100-kilometer radius.

All David found were the ruins of towns, cities, and what could have been sanctuaries. The Rifts weren’t dangerous enough to force his hand, so he didn’t bother severing their anchors. Instead, he returned to Orhain and infused more Might into the Guardian Idols. His connection to the Idols grew stronger, and so did their strength as they gained more access to David’s set of abilities.

Once all preparations were complete, David walked out of the Sanctuary to find Electra waiting with several Classers.

A handful of younger Classers waved excitedly, while the rest regarded him silently.

David’s attention flicked to Lilia, whose life signals and bond were a mess of conflicted emotions.

“Can... I know my request may seem presumptuous, inconsiderate and rude, but... I would like to join your journey, Your Excellency.” Lilia muttered the first few words, but she gained confidence and blurted the last bit out with conviction and determination.

He regarded the young woman for a moment and shook his head. “I have already been too long in Orhain. It’s time for me to leave, to tend to my other responsibilities.”

“Take care of Orhain for me.” David offered her a reassuring smile and added, “Make sure the Sanctuary is still standing when I come back.”

He didn’t have the faintest inkling how long that would take, but something told him it wouldn’t be long before he returned to his territory.

His hair stood on end, and his stomach lurched as he thought about returning to the Dwarven Sanctuary—an odd reaction. There was no reason for him to be worried. The Champion council, if they were still in the Dwarven Sanctuary in the first place, were far from a problem, and Zachariah... well, Zachariah was Zachariah.

As for Fortress, David was the least bothered by the Dwarven God.

Whatever. I’ll figure out what this is all about once I’m there, he thought and leaped onto Electra’s back.

The Sacred Beast let out a deafening roar and spread her mighty wings. One moment they were on the ground, and with a burst of refined Aether and a beat of her wings, they launched into the sky and disappeared into the clouds.

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***

Our forces are ready. The Rifts are ready to break as well. Are you done shedding your skin, snake, or do we have to wait even longer before we can squash these puny, ignorant mountain dwellers?

A deep voice rang in William’s ears, flooding him with impatience and anger.

Fuck off, he hissed inwardly, but relented when impatience dispersed to make more space for anger.

Digesting all those Fragments isn’t that easy, you know? Give me a minute, and I’ll be done. The dwarves aren’t running away either, nor will we be bothered by the Regressor or the Healer.

William could no longer hear Zephyr’s voice as loudly as before, but that didn’t mean everything was better. The Poisonous Beast God was quieter than before and bothered William much less—yet that seemed accurate after consuming and digesting the power of more than two dozen Champions.

More interestingly, however, other divine entities suddenly gained access. Some began communicating with him, but only one god did so more regularly. William knew little about that god, except for his hatred of dwarves. Thus, not taking any risks, William plotted against the dwarf-hating god and Zephyr, preparing a large-scale attack against the Dwarven Sanctuary and their Champion council.

That gave him the time he needed to complete the integration of power. Devouring the Champions and claiming their powers was an instantaneous process, but that didn’t grant William immediate access to their abilities. He had little control over them and had to make them his first. William had to claim them first, and that forced him into hibernation.

He grimaced as he awoke to complete darkness. Something soft and slippery pressed firmly against him, restraining his movement, though it didn’t last long. His claws carved through the soft tissue, loosening the restraints until they could no longer hold him.

The restraints burst open like a bubble, and he stumbled to the ground, drawing heavy breaths. His scales clattered violently, and he shook as a wave of cold washed over him. But while it was oddly cold all around, William couldn’t say that he felt bad. He was overflowing with power — with might — and he had made it his.

As he scrambled to his feet, his serpentine eyes flicked back to the cocoon he’d been hibernating in. It had once been a nest, housing something else — an odd creature unlike anything he had ever seen. Then again, it died just like the other monsters and humanoids he’d slain and devoured.

Glancing down at his scaled arms, William noticed that they shimmered more vibrantly than ever. He took a deep breath and propelled forward, using one of the powers stolen from the two dozen Champions he’d devoured. The ability came more easily, was more efficient to use, and produced stronger results.

William was faster and stronger than before, and, most importantly, he was no longer under Zephyr’s control. The Poisonous Beast God must have noticed what he had been doing, yet Zephyr never mentioned anything. All the Beast God did was update him on the Dwarven Sanctuary’s situation, as well as the absence of the sword fool — the one some of the other gods called ‘Regressor’ — and David.

William reconsidered going against the Poisonous Beast God’s wishes. He had no reason to obey Zephyr’s commands at this point. However, the Champion council and the Panthea built in the Dwarven Sanctuary were both essential to his plans — power he desired.

It would never have been this easy to eliminate and devour dozens of Champions at once. Even better, he had the help of those muscle-headed idiots who desired nothing more than to defeat the dwarves. Surely, they desired to claim the Dwarven Sanctuary once the dwarves were no more, but that was not a matter of importance. William only wanted the Champions and the Panthea. The rest of the world could burn for all he cared.

***

No bond was eternal unless forged by absolutes — by Authority and the Laws that maintained the cosmos. Rend, while no more than a singular Intent, had touched upon the raw unbinding of form and essence.

If the cosmos was truly built upon binding — divine ties, Class links, Champions, Authority, and Laws — Rend was the primal unbinding. However, it was only a part of a greater power. It did not remove structure from the mystical forces that fueled Skills and Sparks, nor was its greatest power to shatter physical or conceptual cohesion. Instead, it could sever soulbonds and connections.

David mused over his understanding of the Ancient Law and sighed deeply. A few days had already passed since he and Electra departed, and they would have long since arrived at the Dwarven Sanctuary if trouble hadn’t pursued them since day one — but the issues had been taken care of at last.

Releasing a small blade of Rend, David controlled it with precision. It revolved around his fingers and moved freely, yet as strong as Rend was when used with the Law of Unbinding, it was far from perfect. It was only one of several Intents that formed the Authority of Unbinding.

Then again, the Law of Unbinding was not perfect either — or rather, the name didn’t feel quite right. Even so, it possessed exactly the powers David expected from the Unbinding. The Ancient Law was exactly what he needed, weird name or not.

At least, the Ancient Law felt correct in his grasp, especially when he considered how the cosmos was built upon the power Ascendants and gods gained through the intricate bonds of the Weave. It was perfect for someone who wasn’t afraid of making enemies with a few Ascendants, if that meant he would grow stronger.