Chapter 212: The Battle of The East
After the Hub of Knowledge was completed, Akasha realized that he wasn’t actually in the true realm of Pantheos, but rather in one of the countless minor existences linked to the vast and boundless verse of power.
Along with this revelation came the understanding that the highest limit of the Minor Existence he inhabited was the Universe itself.
In other words, no one could rise beyond the Universe from here—any attempt to do so would mean stepping directly into Pantheos.
Even still, a minor hub of existence... technically, it was still a part of Pantheos... even if a very small part of it.
This meant that all possibilities were always on the table, and even if the ultimate limit of power was the Cosmic Union, nothing was ever truly absolute.
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Far beyond the reach of ordinary star systems and even the great spirals of galaxies, in the silent gulf between entire Galaxy Clusters, a single figure lay stretched across the void.
A Titan God, so vast that the nearest clusters of galaxies appeared only as modest ornaments scattered around his frame, lending him the scale of a true giant rather than something that could ever be measured against a single world.
He had long black hair that drifted weightlessly around a face carved from stillness, and black eyes remained closed as though in deep sleep.
The cold light of distant galactic arms washed faintly across his skin, yet nothing about him moved except the slow, almost imperceptible rise and fall of breath that belonged more to eras than to moments.
Until a voice sounded directly inside his mind, clear and deferential.
[Master...]
At the sound of the words, he kept his eyes closed and remained still.
His voice alone replied, low and deep, sending faint tremors through the surrounding darkness.
"Speak."
[There is a strange fluctuation of Fate within Titan Subject Krax Von’El, one that I can’t see clearly.] The voice said as it continued.
[Of all current specimens under observation, this one continues to display the highest degree of promise and ambition. He remains the strongest candidate for the greater plan.]
The Titan God slowly nodded as he spoke again.
"The one on that strange world... Kalpa?"
[Yes, Master.]
"Interesting..." thought the Titan God as he considered Krax—just one of many titans in the vast expanse of this Minor Existence to whom he had granted a system.
It was never simply about empowering them.
In truth, the Titan God was using Krax and the others for something much darker.
Yet, seeing the potential Krax had begun to show, the Titan God reached inward for one of his authorities.
[Authority of Fate (5%)]
HUMMMMM!!!!
In that instant, his dark eyes flicked open, sharp and unblinking.
Almost in the same motion, he pushed himself upright, the sudden movement sending vast ribbons of intergalactic dust curling and drifting from his shoulders, twisting through the air like lazy trails of smoke.
With the System as his catalyst, he looked toward the Grand Loom of Fate, where an endless tapestry of threads stretched out in quiet, radiant intricacy.
He traced the single strand tied to Krax Von’El, and almost immediately, a frown crept across his face.
"Why does this young Titan... have so many locks..." he muttered, voice quiet yet heavy with mild irritation.
Along the length of that single Fate line, moment after moment stood fixed and unyielding—battles that could not be avoided, near-deaths that had to be endured, successes that were already written into the weave.
As mentioned, it might be possible to dodge a Fate Lock for a time, but eventually, it would return without fail.
His focus shifted to the next lock, looming just hours ahead.
There, unmistakable within the threads of the Loom, Krax Von’El stood on the brink of death.
The Titan God’s dark eyes remained narrowed, their gaze locked upon the luminous weave of the Grand Loom as the cold light of distant galaxies continued to wash across his immense form.
His hair drifted around his shoulders while one vast hand rested loosely against his knee, fingers occasionally flexing as though testing the weight of the threads he examined.
When he spoke again, his voice reached the System without urgency, yet every word carried the absolute expectation of obedience.
"It seems... like adjustments are needed on my board." He muttered as he continued.
"I won’t be able to influence this Fate Lock directly... but we can reduce the damage to acceptable levels."
In that moment, he extended a fragment of his will, sending several carefully selected items into the System’s possession.
These included spatial formations and artifacts meant to extract the small group of Titans bound to Krax and relocate them to a nearby world beyond the Orin Star System.
He didn’t fully understand why or see the bigger picture, but he knew that as long as Krax stayed within the Orin Star System, his path to becoming what the system was shaping him into would be blocked.
Along with the items, he also sent a single Above Origin skill.
"You need to act right away," he went on, his gaze still fixed on the swirling strands before him.
"In just moments, a local king in that world will wipe out millions. Almost every barbarian rallying under the specimen’s banner will be gone in an instant."
Krax’s original goal was to build a faction strong enough to prepare for the Titan God’s descent.
And if it wasn’t clear from his words... The God, he, never truly cared for anyone under Krax’s banner who wasn’t a Titan.
But now, with so many Fate Locks on Krax and sensing the weight—and possible danger—within Kalpa, the Titan God’s purpose had shifted.
’If this specimen is truly the one,’ he thought, ’I can leave this strange world behind.... Especially since my ascension is near.’
He had lived far too long to be lost in curiosity over a foreign world.
He had planned to descend only to unravel Kalpa’s mystery, a way to pass the time until his ascension beyond this small existence.
But if such a journey might endanger his life, he’d rather save his strength for the grander stage awaiting him.
He paused briefly, the faintest hint of a detached, clinical smile tugging at the corner of the Titan God’s mouth.
"But I have to admit... that’s quite impressive for such creatures. For a single king... to kill so many."
Before letting his brief surprise distract him, he continued speaking in the same steady tone.
"Once the smaller pieces are out of the way, the same King will take on the remaining Titans. After that, he and the specimen shall have a battle...."
Throughout the exchange, his gaze never left the Grand Loom.
Thread after thread of the locked sequence unfolded before him with merciless clarity—the sudden surge of power, the near-instantaneous collapse of the barbarian forces, the methodical advance toward the handful of Titans, and the final battle.
The System’s consciousness registered a clear pulse of surprise as the full shape of the coming event resolved within the weave.
[Understood, Master. Initiating extraction and skill deployment immediately.]
The Titan God gave no further reply.
He continued watching the Loom, black eyes reflecting the cold light of countless distant galaxies while the first faint tremors of the approaching fate lock began to ripple along the specimen’s thread.