Chapter 1165: Two Star Dominions
Chapter 1165: Two Star Dominions
After sealing off the spirit world and sensing the intrusion of the remaining Great Old Dominators, Klein turned his attention to the Evernight Goddess, who had not yet fully accommodated the River of Eternal Darkness, and the Celestial Master, who was still making final preparations-both masters of a sefirah.
Klein seized the remaining moments to take one crucial action.
Using the authority of the Door pathway, he "transferred" all the remaining people and objects not aligned with the Outer Deities from this star dominion to another, significantly more distant star dominion.
This was both to buy more time for his allies and to scatter the enemy forces, splitting the battlefield and minimizing interference between the symbolisms being utilized in each area. Klein could have replicated the balancing abilities of the Justiciar pathway to evenly split forces across battlegrounds, but this would have had limited effect on the Great Old Dominators and would have hindered his ability to intervene in the other battlefield.
At the level of the Great Old Ones, it was possible to respond to prayers across the universe and exert influence on it as a whole. However, in actual combat, the immediate area of effect was usually limited to a single star system or the radiation zone of a black hole. This level of influence was mainly achieved by reality-oriented symbolisms like those of Supernova Dominator or Calamity of Destruction.
In simpler terms, Lumian could reduce or increase the frequency of disasters across the entire universe or create disasters in any known location, but his sensing range did not exceed a large star system unless pre-established mystical connections existed in those areas.
During combat, Lumian's short-term symbolic impacts also remained mostly confined to this range, with only minor, manageable disruptions spreading throughout the universe. The farther from the battlefield, the weaker the disturbance.
In this context, using the power of the Door pathway to separate the two battlefields by distance effectively reduced Klein's susceptibility to the negative effects of the symbolic influences wielded by Outer Deities like the High-Dimensional Overseer and the Monarch of Decay. At the same time, it preserved his capacity as the King of Space-Time to intervene in the other battlefield when necessary.
This was also a tactic to manipulate the enemies-redirecting Their target objectives and scattering Their actions. Klein could then allocate time to intercept those he wished to confront, avoid those he had to bypass for now, and deceive those he hoped to mislead. Neither Lumian, the Evernight Goddess who was in the process of accommodating the River of Eternal Darkness, nor other sefirah holders like Grisha Adam opposed the Lord of Mysteries' transfer, allowing the star dominion to transform. Lifeless planets and several stars from different directions emerged before them.
With their objectives abruptly removed, the Great Old Dominators immediately prepared to leap through the astral world to pursue them.
None of Them sought to stay behind and confront Lord of Mysteries Klein.
Though many among Them deeply coveted Sefirah Castle, the Uniquenesses of the Fool, Door, and Error pathways, their instincts told Them that it was easier and more practical to pursue the sefirot that had not yet developed full consciousness. Why take the immense risk of engaging a Pillar to seize His sefirot?
Besides, it wasn't as if They could fully accommodate it!
Even if some Great Old Dominator was tempted to target the Lord of Mysteries, They had to consider a harsh reality: They couldn't act alone. And without the Uncertain Mist to coordinate and unify Them into an alliance, none dared bet on receiving support if They stayed behind. If left alone against Klein, the fate of Genie could very well repeat itself— albeit with much greater difficulty.
The roles of hunter and prey could reverse!
As some of the Great Old Dominators entered the astral world, Grisha Adam, in a different star dominion, suddenly showed an expression of pain.
He immediately broke free from the massive cross He was bound to, transforming into a radiant giant whose head reached the astral realm. Beneath His feet lay the Chaos Sea, encompassing all colors and possibilities. Behind Him trailed a long shadow with five heads, while a sun blazed at the back of His head. Storms and lightning swirled around Him, and in His hands, He held a white tower made of books, adorned with brass eyes.
He raised His right hand and pointed toward the astral world. Instantly, abstract concepts and symbolic markers there descended into chaos, delaying the Great Old Dominators from reaching this star dominion.
Lord of the Astral World!
Grisha Adam, temporarily achieving balance through the return of the Uniquenesses of the White Tower and Tyrant pathways, forcibly manifested a state close to that of a Great Old One and employed the most critical symbolism of Omniscience and Omnipotency to disrupt the astral world, buying time.
The Great Old Dominators, now delayed or disoriented in the astral world, or still preparing to enter it, simultaneously encountered Lord of Mysteries Klein.
The Goddess of Fate appeared with three bodies standing side by side, all female in form and dressed in simple but elegant white dresses.
The figure on the left had hollow eyes and swiftly used both hands and an illusory loom to weave silvery drops of destiny into a net, which converged into streams.
These streams flowed to the middle body, which lacked arms, arriving at the present node of the River of Fate, merging into it and surging toward the void's edge.
The figure on the right was headless, holding an illusory silver-black knife in its hands, cutting away portions of the River of Fate's tributaries.
The Weaver of All Fates, the symbol of ultimate judgment, the eternal Goddess of the Future!
As the Goddess of Fate was about to enter the astral world, distorted shadows emerged within the silvery, illusory River of Fate.
They swam from the past and future toward the present node and toward the true form of the Goddess of Fate.
This brought a tolling, causing the flow of the River of Fate to stagnate.
Meanwhile, Supernova Dominator, composed of countless exploding suns, found Himself surrounded by one starry door after another.
These brilliant doors filled the cosmos, bending and shattering under His intense gravitational pull.
Yet, every time a door broke, another appeared in its place, covering the star dominion and blocking the path to the astral world with countless layers of overlapping gates.
Layers upon layers of doors!
The Mother Tree of Desire resembled a humanoid giant tree covered in chaotic scales. Its surface was adorned with enticing crystalline fruits, glistening alluring flowers, various metallic emblems, black hearts, bare tumors, and coins from different civilizations.
At the tree's upper reaches were two heads. The lower head was male, eyes closed, exuding bizarre desires. The upper head was female, with green hair and a face of extraordinary beauty, possessing a charm that spoke directly to affection.
One after another, Kleins wearing half-silk top hats and black trench coats surrounded the Mother Tree of Desire in the void. All were marionettes-dead people, puppets devoid of
desire.
Simultaneously participating in three battles, Lord of Mysteries Klein also turned his gaze to the Circle of Inevitability.
This was formed by three bodies arranged in a circle. The one facing left was pitch black, with a sinister, malicious visage seemingly composed of the deepest, most chaotic sins. The one facing forward was silvery, emaciated, and filled with pain. The one facing right radiated pure, redemptive holy light, emanating solemnity and compassion toward all things.
The light of the three bodies intertwined into a silvery-black hue.
After brief deliberation, Klein decided not to stop the Circle of Inevitability from entering the
astral world.
This was based on Genie's first hint: "the Circle of Inevitability will bring calamity but is also the universe's most powerful and genuine Angel of Redemption" - a key to surviving the
apocalypse.
In this matter, Klein chose to trust Genie. If his side failed, many Great Old Dominators coveting the Nation of Disorder would turn to seize the Magic Wishing Lamp, leveraging its connection to the Uncertain Mist to strike down and devour Him in His weakened state.
For the moment, Klein's battlefield would remain relatively stable, with occasional bursts of change and intensity. However, the other battlefield would inevitably descend into chaos. One of the essences of fate was chaos, and placing the Circle of Inevitability there increased the likelihood of creating opportunities amidst the disorder!
Opting not to intercept the Circle of Inevitability, Klein seized the chance to Blink to Primordial Hunger, who was eager to reach the astral world, tossed a Deceit, and disappeared.
Primordial Hunger was a dark vortex revealing bared white teeth and chaotic liquid encompassing all colors. His exterior no longer featured elongated black shadows with different heads, as they seemed to have been consumed by Himself long ago.
After being struck by Deceit, Primordial Hunger's ring of gaping white teeth snapped twice
without finding anything amiss. He ignored the deception and proceeded straight into the
astral world.
His illusory stomach gurgled, awaiting the digestion of His most delectable meal.
Grisha Adam's influence on the astral world didn't last long-only two or three seconds before five Great Old Dominators reached their target star dominions through various means.
At that moment, They lost "sight" of the light.
The already dark universe seemed even more deathly still. Distant stars, the radiant giantn/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
striding across the Chaos Sea, Lumian with his three heads and six arms as the Origins of Disaster, and other entities were submerged in intense, inky blackness.
An illusory, straight, unfathomable, colorless river flowed forth from the darkness, heading toward the five Great Old Dominators.
Upon its phantom waters, nothing could float. Asteroids attempting to cross the river sank into its depths, yet one figure stood unwavering on its surface.
It was an extraordinarily massive female figure clad in a layered but unadorned black gown, with an iron crown upon Her head and a thin veil covering Her face, rendering Her features indistinct yet imbued with a tranquil beauty.
Her body was studded with points of starlight. Pale wings sprouted from Her back, while two short, darkly furred arms each extended from under Her ribs and armpits, clutching a dusk- orange greatsword and a black, night-like scythe. Her exposed forearms and hands appeared like sculpted jade, cradled an illusory book formed of coiled feathered serpents.
Eternal Darkness!
Evernight Goddess Amanises had finally accommodated the River of Eternal Darkness with the assistance of the lingering consciousnesses of the Dao integrators from the Haoli lineage!