by Ivan Kal
“Does he know?” Vin asked.
The woman with the fire for hair nodded. “He is next to her now, trying to reach her. He would be here otherwise.”
Vin didn’t understand the depth of Heart of the Mountain’s and Moirai’s connection, but he knew that there was nothing that Heart of the Mountain wouldn’t do for her.
“What are we going to do about the incursion?”
“I’ve already sent the fleets patrolling possible access points. If anything else comes through, they will be dead before they could even think about calling their masters.”
“This was a close call,” Vin said cautiously. “We could’ve lost everything.”
“I know, trust me. I am keeping a much closer eye on everything now. It will not happen again.”
“I hope so,” Vin said as he watched the monitor and the ascended on it.
“Let us hope that Morgan doesn’t cause more problems than he’s worth. An unlocked soul-implant was not supposed to be allowed back into the World. He already knows more than he is supposed to.”
“I trust that he will exercise restraint, as he had so far. In any case, there are dangers in the World worse than anything in the Tower, and power seeks power. I don’t doubt that he will run into something that will be his match.”
“Let’s hope that he has more sense than his father had at his age.”
Vin didn’t know what kind of trouble Heart of the Mountain had gotten himself into, but he doubted that Morgan could get himself into anything similar. The World was isolated, and he had access to only one of the continents. Without even taking in account the disparity in the level of power. What was the worst that could happen?
EPILOGUE II
A piece of Antaris Truthspeaker hid deep within a soul of another. Unseen, undetected, he watched as the group left the Tower, watched as they talked and discussed their plans for the future. His host was strong-willed, but was not on the seventh step of the Path. And their soul could not protect itself.
He had accomplished his goal. He had found the base world, the place that the adversary used to raise his army. The place that was the sanctuary for the Cursed Beast, and yet he was too weak to act. He couldn’t open the link to his master. He knew that he needed to be patient.
Antaris’s presence alone would slowly convert his host, for he had within him the seed of Chaos. But a whisper at a right moment, a pull or a push, would hasten it. As time passed by, Antaris would gain strength, and a time would come when his soul would grow again and take over. He would wear flesh again.
But he knew that even then, patience would win him the day.
Antaris would gift to his master their greatest enemy’s progeny. Then, this world would be ushered into the true life, their enemies’ plans thwarted—and perhaps the adversary would stand defeated.
Thank you for reading!
Hello!
I have a short message for you all. Many of you already know this, but this is for the people who are not aware. All of my books take place inside a shared multiverse, and some characters crossover from series to series. But it is not required for you to read all the series in order to understand what is happening, each series has its own set of characters and storyline which is contained inside of that series. The multiverse stuff is mostly background and side stories, and I will always explain everything that is relevant in every series, so you will never feel like you are missing out. Reading the other series might give you some insight into the characters that appear across different series, but it will not give you all the answers as every series takes place at a different point in time, with thousands of years and sometimes more in between the events. Every series is also a different genre, and while the overall rules of the multiverse are the same, each series has its own feel, and you should not feel the need to read something in a genre that you don’t enjoy! Don’t worry, everything will always be explained where necessary and you will not miss out on anything!
In case that you do want to check the other books out, here is a rough timeline of the multiverse:
Rise of the Empire (space opera, sci fi with fantasy elements in the second half of the series)
Chaos and Order trilogy (coming soon! This trilogy will have the multiverse stuff as the main storyline and will set the stage for the background conflict)
Universe on Fire (sci fi-fantasy)
Eternal Path (mix of eastern and western fantasy)
Tower of Power (LitRPG, fantasy)
You are of course not required to read them in chronological order to understand things. The multiverse threads are mostly background in every series so far, but the characters that are crossing over do originate in a few of these series, and you might learn more about their origins. That’s it! Thanks for reading!
If you liked this book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. Honest reviews of my books help greatly by bringing them to the attention of new readers. I would be grateful if you could spend a few minutes writing a short review (a few words is fine) on Amazon.
Join my Discord for the latest info on releases and to discuss the story with other readers: Discord.
Patreon.
Sign up for my mailing list to be notified when a new book is released: Mailing List
Turn the page for a look at my free LitRPG/Cultivation web serial that is NOT connected to KalVerse available on RoyalRoad:
CHECK OUT THE EXCERPT FROM MY FREE WEB SERIAL:
INFINITE REALM - MONSTERS AND LEGENDS
In the beginning, or at least something resembling a beginning, there were only the Three: entities born out of nothing and everything, existing in the void that contained everything. The Three had always existed, or if they’d had a birth, they did not remember it. The Three did not know of a time when they had not been in one another’s presence. They existed for time beyond counting, and in that time they had done many things: argued about the nature of their existence, fought, loved, hated, and ignored one another. In time, they devised games to occupy themselves. Yet over the ages, they grew bored of it all. They knew one another as well as they knew themselves, and so there were no longer any surprises, as each could anticipate the others’ actions—until, one day, an idea struck them at the same time, a way to break the monotony and boredom.
They discussed the best way to proceed, argued about the details of their plan, but eventually decided that a practice run was the best way to proceed, so that they could learn, and adjust before enacting their idea. And so the Three joined their powers and brought into existence reality itself. Infinite universes, in countless forms with unending iterations of every universe. It took them some time to get it right, but eventually they manipulated this new reality to give birth to life in its immeasurable variants and shapes. Over countless ages they watched over it, refining and manipulating life to create more and more interesting beings.
In the end they realized that for all that there was, and a countless amount of beings for them to watch, patterns emerged, and again their boredom returned. Seeing that they had reached the limit of what this reality could offer them, they decided that it was time for them to move on to the next stage. They had prepared to wipe out all of reality in order to craft a new and improved version, when one of them made a suggestion for them to pick those worthy from the doomed reality and allow them a chance for survival. A test. The others agreed. They created the new reality, and a system, Framework, that would allow the races to gain more power in order to survive and thrive, which introduced more chaos to entertain them. Each of the Three fashioned one facet of the Framework, and all three of them gave a sliver of themselves to give birth to a being whose job was to watch over the Framework and deal with the mortal beings. Then they picked nine worthy races across the reality which was soon to be destroyed, and they chose nine iterations of each race across the multiverse.
And to them they gave the Framework, and the test of worthiness.
***
Ryun sat on the flat top of the
mountain looking at the sky. It was a beautiful day; the sky was blue and sun shone radiantly down on to the Earth. He cast his eyes down, and took in the endless ocean stretching in the distance in front of him. He was so high up that he could see the curvature of the Earth clearly. If this was the world of before the Framework, he would not have been able to take in such a sight, as he would’ve frozen to death or died from the lack of air. But that world was dead, and he was not who he used to be. The sight around him was, in a single word, wondrous. It did not look at all like the world was about to end.
He used a mental command, and a screen flashed in front of his eyes.
Time to the end of the world: 00 hours 09 minutes. Rankers, be ready for transport to the Infinite Realm.
It would not be long now.
He wondered what the next world was going to be like. Would it be like Earth from before the Framework, or perhaps the jumbled mess that it had become after? In the end, it would not matter much to Ryun. He had accomplished his goal here and looked forward to see what is to come. He had picked this location because of its view; he wanted to have at least one pleasant memory of this world before he moved on to the next. Still, he should’ve known better that the fates would not allow him peace.
The six people reached the top of the mountain he sat on. He had believed that they would not get here in time when he had felt them first take step onto the mountain, but it looked like the power they had gained in the last few months was far greater than he had assumed, and they were faster than he thought they would be. He had watched the Ranker list carefully over the last few days—once he had figured out what was happening, of course. He had been surprised that they would attempt something like this—he would’ve thought that they would find it abhorrent—but it seemed like they wanted him dead more than they cared about their ideals. Of course, in the end, it would not be enough. It never was.
Not even here, at the end, would they abandon their quest for revenge. Ryun didn’t really hold it against them; after all, he had done the same.
Ryun sighed and stood up, abandoning the view and turning around to gaze at the six. They stood there glaring at him with hate in their eyes, their gear resplendent in the midday sun, their weapons held at the ready. They were already standing in formation, three in front, two behind them, with their last member standing at the back. Ryun wondered why they put their most powerful front-line fighter at the back, but he did not dwell on that for long. The time when he had to worry about tricks and traps had passed. There was nothing on the face of this world that could kill him now.
“So, you have come for me, here at the end,” Ryun commented.
“Not even the end of the world will save you from justice, monster,” the woman in the front spat at him. Gloria Hightower was one of the most powerful Classers on Earth—she had always been in the top one hundred on the Ranker list. Still, she had been in her forties when the Framework had arrived, and even with the slowed aging that came with those high levels, her silver hair betrayed her age, even though her high vitality made her skin look smooth and soft. She wore high-quality armor, and held a long, awakened two-hander, an epic weapon that could level alongside her.
Ryun cast his eyes to the others. He recognized them all. The two men standing next to her were Marcus and John Grisom, twins who were considered the two most powerful spear users on the planet. Wearing their dark red cloth garments and holding their awakened spears at the ready made them look intimidating to most. Behind them were Nkiruka Bezi and Anastasia Sokolova, top Ranking mages, their robes moving softly in the wind as orbs of power hovered over their palms. And lastly there was the man wearing a light, white suit of armor that contrasted his dark skin, holding a sword that resembled a katana: Zacharia Gardner. Seeing his eyes peeking out of his dreadlocks made Ryun feel an echo in his heart, but it was an old pain. Ryun had long since buried it deep.
There was a finality to their eyes. They had come here for his head, and they would not be dissuaded from their path. That was something that Ryun could respect.
Time to the end of the world: 00 hours 06 minutes. Rankers, be ready for transport to the Infinite Realm.
There was not much time left. For a moment, he considered stalling, but he dismissed the thought immediately. He could see it in their eyes that they would not let him. With an inward sigh he summoned his own awakened sword, a long and thin double-edged sword resembling a jian. The six stiffened and prepared to attack, but he didn’t give them the chance.
[Inevitable Step]
And he was among them, standing just next to Gloria. Ryun did not know what the name of her Class was, but he had fought her often enough to know her abilities and skills. He slashed to the side with a simple |Cut|. His sword glowed with an eerie green light and was met with her own, and the shimmering gold field that surrounded her blade met his sword and nullified his attack. But even with his |Cut| nullified, his physical stats were too much, and the golden light cracked and shattered, allowing his sword to smash into hers. He felt her using more abilities to counter him, but it was useless. His sword moved without stopping, sending her flying backward and into John Grisom.
Ryun stepped back and allowed Marcus Grisom’s spear to pass harmlessly through the space where his head used to be. He spun around, the glowing threads in his vision guiding his movements. He followed them until he was turned to face the spearman, and then he stepped off the path the threads showed, stabbing forward instead with his sword. The spearman blurred, using a movement ability of some kind and pulled his spear back in time to block Ryun’s attack.
But his paltry strength was barely enough to move Ryun’s sword a bit off target. The blade sunk into the spearman’s shoulder and Ryun took a deep breath, getting into the breathing form for his {Empower}. Qi inside of his core flowed through his body and into his arm, and a shimmering light enveloped the sword as he prepared to slash upward and cut the man’s head off. Before he had a chance, however, a ball of crimson fire smashed into him, throwing him a step to the side. His sword ripped out of the spearman’s shoulder, leaving a large gash. Thankfully, Ryun’s black robes were enchanted with protection and the fire did little to him. Keeping up his breathing form, Ryun empowered his entire body, pushing himself to even greater limits than his stats allowed. A spear of ice flew toward his head and he stepped forward, evading it and using [Inevitable Step] to close the distance with Marcus again. He felt Nkiruka use some slowing ability, but his step could not be stopped—it was inevitable. The air around him shifted as the distance disappeared between him and Marcus. With his Qi coursing through his veins, he activated the skill |Greater Cut|. His sword exploded with green light, and a spectral blade extended from his sword, extending his range.
Ryun saw Marcus’s eyes open wide, and saw him trying to use his abilities and skills to escape, but it was too late. His spectral blade cut through him from the left hip to the right lower ribs. His body parted and the two halves fell to the ground. A pained cry sounded somewhere behind him, but Ryun gave it no heed. He felt the vibrations in the air and knew that Gloria was charging at his back. He activated his ability [Bringer of Sorrow], and a wave of emotion exploded from him, hitting everyone in his vicinity. He saw the two mages falter as they prepared to throw spells at him, their eyes watering and chests constricting. He turned around and followed the threads that only he could see with his sword meeting the overhead attack from Gloria.
Her two-hander had a golden spectral blade extending from it, the same as he had used just a moment ago. Her |Great Slash| smashed into his sword, which was strengthened with his Qi and glowing softly with a silver light. The ground beneath his feet cracked and splintered as his body was driven down by the force of the attack, but he did not bend. A spear flashed from her side, a weeping spearman thrusting at Ryun’s heart. With a mental effort and an intake of air, Ryun cycled his Qi throughout his body, bringing his {Empower} base technique up to its evolved form. {Tranquil Mantle} calmly spread through his body
, a layer of silver light spreading to engulf it. He moved out of the way, even as he pushed the great sword back with a monstrous burst of strength.
Then a dragon made out of crimson fire was flying at his head and Ryun grew tired of playing. He switched his breathing form and the {Tranquil Mantle} winked out. With a pause of his breath, his Qi was charged, and in the next moment he unleashed his fruit technique: {Final End} roared out of him, a silver wave of Qi that could not be stopped. The dragon winked out and as it was blown away, Gloria’s sword cracked and shattered, followed by her armor and then finally her body, which splintered in a shower of blood and bone blasting back away from Ryun and showering John Grisom as the wave reached him. He saw the man’s spear shatter and he heard the bones in his arms break as he was blown back. John was lucky; he had been far enough away to survive. The blast carried over and staggered the two mages, sending them to the ground. With an [Inevitable Step], Ryun was above John, and before the blood-covered man could even register what was happening, he was decapitated.
Turning around, he pulled his Qi back and activated a skill. He swung his sword and a green shimmering light swallowed his blade. It looked as if his sword had disappeared into space itself, but in a fraction of a second the |Spatial Cut| slashed into Nkiruka from twenty paces away and cut her head off just as she was getting up. Anastasia looked at her dead companions, horrified, and Ryun pushed off the ground using only his monstrous stats to move. He reached her faster than she could react, and stabbed his sword into her chest.
Finally, he turned to look at the last person standing. Zacharia Gardner had not moved from the start of the fight; his sword was unsheathed and was resting on his hip, held by both hands, and pulled back as if he was preparing to strike.