Chapter 282: Mythological II

Achilles remained still as the Monkey King leaned leisurely against another tree branch, tail flicking, eyes gleaming.

Not a friend.

Not an enemy.

A variable with power.

A tool.

A dangerous one!

But even dangerous tools have uses…

Achilles glanced toward the half-eaten fruit in Sun’s hand, then toward the glowing trees behind him. The creature’s delight wasn’t fake. If anything, the fruits had stunned him in a way few things probably could.

Appetite could be leveraged.

His golden eyes shimmered faintly.

He raised his right hand and waved with casual grace as…

Ten Primordium Evolutius Fruits materialized in midair, trailing with purple-gold mist and glistening with celestial vitality, no Spores within them.

“I can offer a few of these,” Achilles said, voice calm, authoritative. “If you’re willing to trade… information.”

The moment the fruits glimmered in the air, Sun lit up.

His previously lazy gaze sharpened with keen intellect, the corners of his mouth rising in a thin, dangerous smile.

“Oho… friend’s got some good stuff under that calm face,” he murmured, his eyes shimmering with intrigue.

He snapped his fingers.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

The fruits vanished from the air, now nestled in his palms and tail as he balanced himself atop the branch, chewing with rhythm.

“Mmh… good trade. What does friend want to know?”

Achilles’ expression never changed.

His voice was colder this time.

Measured.

“What do you know about the Primordial Light of Darkness?”

…!

It was a simple question.

Just a mention.

And yet…

BOOOOOOM!

The shift was instant.

The staff trembled. The branch cracked.

Sun’s pupils constricted. His body ignited.

Not with fire, but starlight.

Terrifying, celestial brilliance erupted from his being, radiating like a fallen constellation reawakening.

A glorious pressure spilled out like an ocean turned loose.

WAA!

Across the Vessel of Adrastia, those in the Luminblood Stage dropped to their knees with gasps of pain, eyes wide, teeth clenched.

Dr. Shaw. Luna. Nyxaria. King Darrun.

Even Lancelot staggered, his ice armor cracking slightly as he clutched his sword and growled.

Only the Celestbone Stage held firm.

Achilles and Rose stood unmoving.

He held her hand, shielding her with his presence alone.

His blood didn’t roar.

It flowed quietly and coldly, unshaken.

He analyzed.

Sun’s body hovered mid-air now, his form utterly transformed.

Golden wings of shimmering starlight spread behind his back like an ascended celestial.

His fur, now an illuminated luster of molten gold, flowed as if underwater.

A faint, illusory crown shimmered above his head, weightless, shifting, as if made of memory and majesty.

Sun’s gaze swept the skies.

Then the forests.

Then the golden rivers.

Expectant. Watching.

As though… something might follow that name.

Nothing did.

After a tense pause, Sun’s glow dimmed slightly.

His wings gently folded behind him. The crown faded.

“…Do not ask of that being,” he said, quieter, grimmer.

“Man. You just ruined my mood.”

He floated down to the tree branch again and sat, devouring another fruit with less enthusiasm.

Achilles said nothing.

But his mind was blazing.

The Primordial Light of Darkness.

Even the name alone had shaken a Neuronova Stage Mythological Ancient. That meant something.

It meant preparation was not enough.

He needed certainty.

A moment passed in silence, broken only by the crunch of fruit.

Then Achilles took a step forward, calm and direct.

“Then… another question.”

Sun didn’t stop chewing.

“I’ve encountered Ancients chasing something called Planar Destiny,” Achilles said, voice cold. “They claim they once had it… and now, humans do. They’ve been enslaving and hunting humans since waking up for this as…what is it?”

…!

Sun’s eyes lit up again, bright this time.

Not with fear. But amusement.

“Hmm…now that, I can talk about.”

Sun spun his golden staff slowly, the motion hypnotic as celestial gleams shimmered across its surface. He chewed one last Primordium Evolutius Fruit before his voice dropped into something far more mystical- aged, almost sacred.

“Planar Destiny…”

He raised the staff and pointed it toward the sky.

“…is something normally unseen. Only those with a special set of eyes can perceive it, let alone act through it.”

His tone grew distant, otherworldly.

“But you can consider it… the driving force of life itself.”

…!

The words echoed through the air like a truth.

And then…

TAP!

He lazily flicked his staff in the direction of Achilles and the other gathered powerhouses.

Immediately, they all tensed.

Aliya’s hand flicked to her side. Thorndike’s muscles coiled with instinct. Lancelot’s eyes sharpened.

But Sun only laughed.

“I said I wouldn’t pick sides, didn’t I?” he said, his tail wrapping around the branch as he remained seated. “Relax.”

He lifted the staff again and tapped it softly to the air.

“I have unique eyes… and a unique staff. Both can see what others can’t.”

A beat.

“And that, my friend… is Planar Destiny.”

HUUUUM…!

A pulse resonated.

Above them, above Achilles, above Rose, above every single Astral Core Ascension being present…something appeared.

Slowly.

Faintly.

As if brushed into reality by a glorious hand.

Golden clouds.

Drifting lazily above their heads. Glowing with a subtle, sacred hue. Ever-shifting and yet fixed in place. The air itself shimmered with their weight.

Planar Destiny made manifest.

…!

Achilles’ eyes widened, a rare break in his expression as his gaze locked onto the cloud above him. He hadn’t seen it before. Not even once. Not in all his ascension, his battles, his assimilation.

Not until now.

And now…

Now he couldn’t look away.

Sun’s voice rang again, quieter. As if explaining something inevitable.

“Think of Planar Destiny… as a sort of energy. A flow of will. A catalyst.”

His staff glowed brighter.

“It’s what pushes reactions forward, gives meaning to the meaningless. Those who hold a great deal of it? They progress faster. Grow stronger. Are more fortunate.”

He chuckled as he leaned back against the branch, tail lazily swinging.

“And that’s just the basics.”

But Achilles…

Achilles wasn’t listening anymore.

Not really.

He was watching.

His entire bloodline throbbed. His bones pulsed with resonance. The moment the golden cloud shimmered into view, something within him screamed.

Something deep.

Something in his blood.

It said…

‘Assimilate it! Assimilate it!’

His pupils constricted.

His breathing slowed.

The voice of his bloodline echoed louder.

Assimilate it! Assimilate it!

The golden cloud above him drifted with silent weight, unknowing. Unaware!

Onward!