Return of the Fallen Volume 12 Chapter 60
Tempers flared and cooled. Egos were put in check for the most part and the two Artifacts let their frustrations go. The thing was that even though they could and would get angry at one another, in the end, they had already gone through way too much to not have one another’s back. It was easier to be annoyed with someone who would fight alongside you and someone you could trust rather than going at it all alone.
Death, destruction, it was a unifier to them. So too were their goals. They did not seek the same things in these infinite Realms but in order to achieve their goals, cooperation was and remains the best and most expeditious route toward that end.
They had waited far too long and had endured far too much to let squabbles get in the way of their ultimate wishes.
“Now that the two of you have gotten that out of the way. How about we get back to increasing my wealth.”
Kazuki said this with a laugh and both Codex and Arc wanted to roll their eyes, that is if they actually had eyes.
They, along with Sword, once more opened up Chaotic space and converted copious amounts of Chaotic energy into Divine crystals.
Kazuki had once again lost his storage ring during combat and found he no longer needed one. With any of the Artifacts before him, he could store a disgustingly large amount of items within. So much so that owning a storage ring henceforth became a ridiculous notion.
“I should have done this long ago. The amount of inner space inside an Artifact is simply absurd.”
Arc snorted in derision.
(Good luck putting anything anywhere near me brat. You would quickly find yourself with a missing limb or two.)
Kazuki noted that and didn’t mention it again but still, he laughed a few times thinking about the reason why.
As they took energy from Chaotic space, they had to quickly close these tears after a few seconds, otherwise, there was a good chance they could be sucked inside that nightmarish hell hole. Kazuki could use the Gauntlet to escape its pull of course but found everything was easier if they all simply closed the tears after a moment or so and then reopened new tears.
A constant stop-and-go of sorts. Annoying yes but prosperous beyond reality, absa-fucking-lutley. In a few hours, they had filled up the Gauntlets innerspace to its near max capacity. There was so much wealth inside that Kazuki would never have to worry about money again even if he were cut off from Chaotic space.
Seeing all of the Divine crystals inside piled high there were countless piles of Divine crystals and each pile was larger than a star.
“If only life were so simple. All of this wealth, one could relax in luxury for 10’s of billions if not 100’s of billions of years, and still not spend it all. That though is not my life.”
(Nor ours. This fortune is simply a means to an end and because of our abilities, it is something we will never be without. From the bottom of a ditch to soaring to the heavens, this wealth will allow us to make leaps in bounds toward our goals in such a way that it is almost laughable. To think where we were until now…)
Codex looked at the wealth as if it meant nothing but in truth, it was not off base. The way they obtained money could be seen as incredibly easy and low effort now but what it took them to get here was anything but. Just the fact that they could crack open Chaotic space and use the energy from there as if it was nothing just to make some money. This was something none would believe. A fairytale, a fantasy, and words of mockery would follow if this method was ever mentioned.
Kazuki wouldn’t even blame people if they thought so. After all, even he would have doubted such a method were you to speak of it. Manipulating Chaotic energy was already something most could not perform. Even if they could it would be in limited ways. The shadow was a good example. It had found a way to manipulate at the very least seven strands of Chaotic energy to make mind-soul energy. This was a method that most likely took eons to discover.
Just this much though would not allow one to convert CHaotic energy into Divine crystals. There was simply too much volatility inside Chaotic space. One would need to know of a method to deal with the countless Chaotic energies inside Chaotic space. How to separate them, how to absorb them how to counter one energy with another and balance it all out, and in the end how to take that Chaotic energy into your core and make it your very own before converting it. The comprehension and knowledge needed were already something out of reach for most.
The process was simply too laborious and difficult beyond measure without lots of undeniable help.
Kazuki took a look at the riches one more time before smiling faintly. Even if it was easy, seeing it all still left him with a thrill. He didn’t know how long it would last going forward now that he could do this with no effort but for now, he soaked up that thrilling feeling and chuckled.
“Let’s go.”
Kazuki wished he had learned more about the seared image of the two females he saw but for now, there was nothing he could do about it. The best explanation was Codex’s but in the end, even that explanation was a reach. If only Arc really could see the future, it would make Kauzki’s life so much easier.
The Gauntlet’s silver wings fluttered and pulsed at a high frequency before Kauzki flew away faster than the speed of light. A stream of silver light was left in his wake as he traversed across the wilds of this random, nameless world.
Arc extended its senses far and away. Arc could sense things to a terrifying level. So much so that its senses easily covered the entirety of this world. On said world, Arc found and located every city. Some were poor and lower tired cities while a few were higher tiered and lived in vast wealth.
(Now that the shadow is inhabiting a new body and knows what your energy signature feels like, there’s no doubt it would have already shared those details with everyone it can. The massacre at Satruss city, all of the blame will be placed upon you and since they have millions of Gods as witnesses, there will be no way of explaining it away no matter what you try and do.)
Kazuki understood this well. The whole situation was a shit show. The moment he crushed the shadows Mindstone, millions of Gods arrived at the same time. When the Mindstone was destroyed, the remaining Gods that had not been sucked into Chaotic space died on the spot as the shadow’s power was forced out of them. With it having no more control over them, those Gods who had already lost both their minds and souls became nothing more than fleshy puppets.
They fell out of the sky lifeless as if their strings of life had been severed. The Gods that arrived and witnessed it, saw only Kauzki at the crime scene as the shadow had already possessed the God leading these new arrivals. It was this very same person the shadow took control of that attacked Kazuki right there and then on the spot,
Kazuki had no time to explain and even if he wished to it was the shadow who was leading these people. Even if the shadow wasn’t there, there were millions of Gods who had seen Kazuki crush something and then witnessed millions of Gods fall from the sky dead.
He was as guilty as guilty could ever be. Even if he wished to show them his memories personally, Kazuki knew that was pointless. Just as he discovered the fake Lana’s memories, it became abundantly clear there were methods unknown to Kazuki that could manipulate memories.
He himself had relied on the memories of others many a time but now found that he would need to be ever vigilant in the future and not so reliant on memories. He would have to use all of his abilities both old and new along with the help of Arc and the other Artifacts going forward.
Knowing all of this as well, Arc chose a remote and small city far away.
(Kazuki from here on out you should be careful not to use any energy of any kind. Now that you are part artifact, you can block the senses of Gods from seeing directly inside your soul world. This is good for us but the moment your powers manifest outside of your body, everyone will be aware of you. If even one God has received information from the shadow, you will be discovered.)
Kazuki already understood everything Arc mentioned.
(I know. From this day forth I’ll have to do my best to stay low-key. At least until I destroy this damn shadow once and for all and the Realms know the truth.)
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