Chapter 262 – Mountain

Dream spent around two weeks just getting the barren planets near Tersa for her to merge. Then, he spent an entire 6 months crafting fusion marbles. 

It was only 10 days after Dream had his battle that the Red Eye clan launched their first attacks on the Blue Blood clan. Because the Blue Blood clan had pulled back all its armies, the Red Eye clan was forced to meet them on their home turf. However, with Dream's ships and equipment, they had no trouble doing this. They exercised their fullest power, beginning their sieges on Blue Blood military strongholds and outer cities. 

Every battle was brutally fought. The Blue Blood soldiers did everything in their power to stop the advance of the Red Eye clan. Unfortunately, they were outclassed. The Red Eye soldiers were outfitted with far better weapons. Not only that, but there was a single person who was able to turn the tides of every battle. Melody.

By now, every class 5 of the Blue Blood clan knew who Melody was, and all the class 4's knew her horrifying strength. She had been dubbed the Blood Princess, a woman capable of drawing rivers of blood alone amidst every battlefield she walked. Combined with her beauty and equally elegant attacks, she was a famous figure. 

Only, after the incident where she was threatened, causing Dream to show and beat one of the patriarchs into a quivering mess, her identity became a bit special. Normally people would become fearful of her, or at least fearful of Dream who stood behind her. But quite the opposite happened. Class 5's started to target her. Her head became a trophy that all class 5's of the Blue Blood clan wished to attain. If they could kill her, they would make Dream angry with the Red Eye clan for not defending her. This would put Dream between the two clans instead of on one side, dooming both in the process. 

More than that though, Melody was a powerful asura genius who was the sister of a rumored demigod. These asuras didn't care if killing her spelled their doom. It would be a glorious achievement, earning them vast prestige. To make the most of their lives in battle and emerge victorious over a great foe, that was an asura's dream. Surviving to tell the tale was secondary to having actually spelled the legend.

After all, people die all the time. A single person in the vast universe was nothing. Asuras understood their insignificance, so they didn't wish to climb to become some kind of god. Instead, they sought to make the most of their tiny lives. Becoming the greatest Asura they could, facing their fears and conquering great conflict. They created their own small stories, and they did it all through strokes of their blade. 

And right now, Melody was that great conflict. She wasn't strong, but her name was huge. Even the class 6's of the Blue Blood clan had called for her head. They had already earned Dream's ire. Killing his sister wouldn't make things any worse for them who could already be considered dead. 

With all this, Melody found herself constantly under great threat. Whenever she emerged onto a battlefield, there would be a class 5 that tried to take her head. Sometimes they would let her slaughter some thousands of class 4's before ambushing her. Because the Red Eye clan absolutely could not let her die though, there were always extra class 5's in her fleet. Only, this merely served to make her battlefields the largest and most extreme. 

There could easily be a dozen class 5's fighting on each side. And sometimes, one of the enemies would branch off and do battle with her. This forced her to fend them off, pushing her to her absolute limit of skill and power before one of her guardians got to her. After all, these class 5's didn't pull their punches with her, every attack aiming for her life. Even a few seconds of battle would result in a hundred exchanges and Melody's energy pool being depleted. 

But this extreme battle caused her to rapidly grow. After doing battle for several months, her skills increased in level while her personal level also went up a bit. She went from only doing a few seconds of battle to nearly a minute of battle with a mid level class 5. After some time, she welcomed the class 5's that wanted to take her head. Like them, Melody had learned the philosophy of facing great conflict, and to her, the massive target on her back only served to help her write her own legend. For her own sake, she refused to rely on Dream, facing everything by her own power. Each and every fight with an overwhelming enemy was another stepping stone to greater power and prestige. She grew during every battle. 

Yet she was never satisfied. She wasn't even happy when she was able to successfully repel a class 5. This was because of the discrepancy between her and her brother. She knew that he was preparing weapons of unfathomable power in order to fight class 6's. And here she was struggling with class 5's that he could instantly harvest the souls of. Even if she advanced to be a class 5 right now, she wouldn't come close to his power. 

This fact didn't bother her much before, but after that time he saved her from the old class 6, the thought began to gnaw at her. Over the several months of fighting, it got worse. 

Finally, a week after Dream completed all his fusion marbles, Melody stepped off the battlefield. She looked at her wrist. On it was another soul connection that Dream had left her in the shape of a bracelet. This one was much more functional, incapable of being hindered by any kind of barrier. She could speak with him at any time. 

"Open up a portal. I have a question for you."

Suddenly, she spoke into the bracelet. Two seconds later, a tear revealing the chaotic void opened in front of her. Melody stepped inside after a spatial power covered her. 

Not even a second later, Melody appeared on Tersa's planet, otherwise known as Tersa Prime. The place she was in was at the top of a massive mountain about 50 miles tall. She could see vast dirt plains all around her and huge seas. It was mostly barren, but the sight left her startled. She had only witnessed the merging of the planets, not the proper formation of one. This was a new sight. 

"So what's up?"

As she stood there looking around, Dream pulled his attention away from his workbench. It took Melody a second to turn to him. He was in his mortal shell, looking like a normal man in his prime. It almost made her forget how unfathomable he actually was. 

"I have a question."

"About?"

"What am I lacking?"

Melody asked straightforwardly. Dream was a bit surprised as he rubbed his chin. 

"As a person?"

"No, you ass. My power. My skills. I just turned level 381 a day ago, but even if I were to become a class 5 tomorrow, I couldn't lay a single scratch on you. Not even ten thousand year old class 6 asuras who have devoted their lives to the art of killing are able to hold you down. So what is it? What the hell did you do to come this far, and what don't I have that lets me reach even a fraction of that power?"

"Hm..."

Dream sat back into a chair, his gaze piercing through Melody momentarily. Melody just stood there, waiting as he formulated his response. 

"My power comes from one thing: my mind."

Dream eventually pointed at his head.

"I've never told anyone this, and only my wives know, but not long before we entered that portal to come here, I touched two concepts."

"Concepts?"

"Yes. Actual concepts. Rules that govern the entire universe. I touched two of them. One was the concept of Physical Reality, otherwise known as science. The other was the concept of Ethereal Force, otherwise known as magic. Basically, I understood science and magic so much that the concepts that govern those things decided I was worthy enough to leave the smallest mark on them. They acknowledged my comprehension. And I have two skills that I've maxed out, the first being particle manipulation and the other being a skill that encompasses everything that has to do with magic. I've walked a path of manipulation, controlling all energy and material through sheer understanding."

"...Alright."

Melody slightly nodded. This information was rather shocking, but she just kept listening. 

Dream rested his chin on his hand.

"Those are basically the sources of my power. Now, I don't expect you to suddenly become a nerd like me and study science, but if you're trying to reach the pinnacle of power, there's only one way to do so. You need to start using that head of yours and comprehend the very foundations of the skills you use. And I don't mean just learning how to swing a sword better. You need to understand why your energy moves the way it does, why it transforms, how it transforms, and know exactly what it is doing and trying to achieve. You need to find the why behind everything you do."

"And comprehend a concept?"

"Well, preferably yes. But start with a closer goal. Look, If I've understood anything, it's that true power doesn't come from the System that gives us levels and all that. It comes from understanding the universe around you, and through that understanding, you can learn how to wield more power. I'm able to contend with a class 6 due to my attainments in aether manipulation, or spatial magic. That's because I understand the nature of space and dimensions. If you don't understand your skills or the whys behind their function, then you'll never get stronger because you can't wield power that's beyond your understanding. I hate to tell you this, but you'll need to start getting a bit academic."

"..."

Melody was silent as she thought about his words. She knew that Dream was smart and that his powers were aimed at controlling things, but she didn't realize that they were that profound. To think he actually touched a concept. His understandings were unfathomably deep. 

But it also told her that if she wanted to reach his level of power, she had to elevate her mind to that level as well. How could you wield power that you didn't even know was there? If Melody could increase her understanding of the forces she controlled, then she could reach to higher heights, touching upon their sources and coming to wield their most profound and powerful forms. 

Dream spoke again. 

"I've learned that class 6's form their soul into a core during their advancement, and this advancement gives them the ability to comprehend and draw upon the power of concepts. This means that true power doesn't come from mindless killing and leveling up. It comes from studying, from knowledge and wisdom. And from my understanding, concepts cover everything there is in the universe.

"I say this: if you want to get stronger, focus on the truth of the universe that you believe in. If you believe that death is the way of the universe, then walk down a road of pure death. If you believe that destruction is the way, then walk that way. If you believe in creation, then walk that path. Find what you believe in, jump down that rabbit hole, and dig to its darkest depths. The way of the asura isn't a bad one, in fact. Conflict is indeed one of the most prevalent truths of the universe, the thing that drives the growth and destruction of all living beings across the cosmos. But conflict is too broad a concept. Maybe narrow it down a bit. Start somewhere that you can see and understand. But keep an end goal in sight. Again, find what you believe in, and devote your being to it. I believe that's how you're supposed to walk the road to true power."

Dream relaxed into his seat with those last words. He already understood Melody's plight. He also understood that she was struggling with more than just a lack of power. She needed direction, a bigger goal to pursue. She needed a place to look that spelled out higher power for her. She didn't know where she could gain such power, and it likely scared her to think that she couldn't gain that power. 

Now, it was like something clicked in her mind. Melody sat there for a long while, pondering in silence. She looked at herself and all the things that comprised her, then thought about her philosophy. What kind of truths did she believe in? If she had to be like Dream and touch a concept, which one did she think would fit her best? It had to be one that was comprehensible to her but also far above her. It would be the mountain she climbed and based her being around. 

Getting this far, her mind lit up. She smiled a bit and zoned in, looking at her brother. 

"...Thank you."

"Sure. By the way, I'm not going to be locked away for much longer. After I build another batch of ammunition and upgrade Aegis, I'm coming back. Give or take two weeks."

"That fast? The war hasn't really gone anywhere."

"And it doesn't have to. My emergence only concerns the class 6's. The clan can figure everything else out after I've harvested some souls."

"I guess... I'll go back then."

"Tell Vela and the patriarchs I said hi."

Smiling, Dream swiped his finger, opening the chaotic void. Melody rolled her eyes and stepped through, appearing in the center of the Red Eye clan. 

"Melody?"

After the portal closed behind her, Melody heard her name. She turned and saw Vela. They both stood outside the Hall of Elders.

"Hello Vela. I just talked to Dream. He says hi."

"Oh. That's ni-"

"He also says he's returning in two weeks. I think he's almost ready to fight. Anyway, I'll be on the battlefield until then. I've got things to do."

Melody quickly left with those words, flying off to board a military ship. Vela remained still, processing Melody's words for a bit. She then shook, turning and running back to the hall where she came from. 

"Patriarch!"

.............

........

"Alright, I think that's good. Looking sharp, Aegis."

Dream spoke as he gazed upon Aegis. Two more weeks quickly passed, and as he told Melody, he finally finished his preparations. 

Aegis stood there rigidly in his armor form. He was no longer the metallic grey armor he used to be. Now, his body was almost entirely black, and from the surface of his armor came tiny wisps of spatial fissures. These spatial wisps constantly distorted the nearby light and made Aegis look like some kind of dark ghost. 

This was Dream's improvement to Aegis. After building Aegis's mana body, Dream had enchanted Aegis, modifying his soul in order to enable him to operate spatial magic. After over a week of non-stop work, Dream was able to perfect Aegis's armor form. 

The result was this ghostly form. The entirety of Aegis's body was covered in extremely small spatial fissures that revealed the chaotic void. Dream had taken the mana atoms of Aegis's skin and arranged them into hexagons. Within each hexagon of mana atoms was a void fissure. Dream had created many layers of these hexagonal arrangements. Across Aegis's entire body, there were a few trillion of these hexagons and void fissures, creating a few-inch thick armor of chaotic void. 

To build this armor was extraordinarily complicated. Dream had to find out how to balance the pull of the void fissures within a mere atomic hexagon. There were only 6 mana atoms in a hexagon, and they needed to produce and maintain a void fissure while not collapsing in on themselves. They also had to be controllable. Aegis also had to be able to operate this by himself. And with multiple layers, Dream had to keep the space between each layer separate from each other while also allowing their powers to support each other. He couldn't allow all the void fissures to merge together and destroy everything, so it was a delicate balancing act. 

Going even further though, this armor had to be able to take a beating without failing and destroying itself. These problems plagued Dream, and it took many hours of design to come out with this working product. 

At first, Dream didn't intend to be so complicated with this. He had thought that he could just turn Aegis's body into a layer of chaotic void. But after Aegis almost exiled himself to the void, Dream had to develop a more manageable solution. 

With this arrangement of mana hexagons and atomic fissures, Dream was able to cut on the power costs while also allowing Aegis to manage the power of each layer. Aegis could focus more power on one area and could still launch attacks while the void armor operated. After all, if he were just a solid layer of void, then no attacks could be sent out. With this, both he and Dream would have an easier time throwing out attacks. 

Basically, the armor didn't get in the way and could give the same defensive power with much lesser costs. While it was more complicated to build, it was much more versatile, efficient, and in some ways stronger. Dream was exceptionally pleased with the outcome. 

"Thank you for your blessing, my lord."

Aegis bowed after adapting to his body. At the same time, the void armor deactivated, revealing his standard body underneath. 

Because Aegis's body was now mana atoms, Aegis could make them look however he wished. As Dream had discovered, mana wasn't so different from regular material, so with the right changes, it could be made to look and feel like any material he wanted.

Aegis took advantage of this to build himself a different body. Now, he was a humanoid in a butler suit. His head was metallic with no defining features. He didn't even have a face. It was just a silver head almost like that of a mannequin. As for the butler suit, it was a standard white and black. His hands were even equipped with white gloves. 

Dream couldn't help but chuckle when he saw this form. It seemed that Aegis really wanted to play the butler part. As for his head having no face or features, Dream didn't ask. Aegis was already his own soul, so he could have his own idiosyncrasies. 

Dream waved his hand.

"Eh, this is no blessing. You're your own man now, Aegis."

"I will always be at your service, my lord."

"If that's what you wish. I'll gladly accept your service. Now, we have work to do."

With a spin, Dream turned to his nearby workbench. On top of it were two pistols. One of them was his standard model 1911 handgun chambered in half inch nuclear fusion crystals. The other was a new one he recently designed. 

Dream picked up the second pistol, feeling its frame. The pistol was designed after a revolver with a wooden grip and shiny grey metal body. Its design wasn't over the top, almost resembling the Colt Python. However, the noticeable feature of this pistol was the large barrel that was 2 inches wide. Because of this large barrel, the rest of the pistol was bulky. The best description for this pistol was a hand cannon. 

This hand cannon was his new spatial weapon. With it, he could fire clusters of aether, having them tear open space upon impact. This gun used the chaotic void as a weapon, and Dream had prepared many rounds to fire with it. Each round also didn't take nearly as much energy as the fusion crystals to build and enchant, so it didn't take many months to create a stockpile.

"Very nice."

Pleased with his weapon, Dream slid the hand cannon into a brown shoulder holster. He then grabbed the 1911, also placing it in the shoulder holster on his opposite side. With those two weapons under his arms, he turned back to Aegis. 

"I think I'm just about ready to go. You go head over to the planet. Find the patriarch of the Red Eye clan and tell him I'm coming, and that I don't plan to wait very long before attacking. After that you can find Melody and notify her. I'll meet you there in a bit."

"Understood, my lord. We shall await your arrival."

Aegis bowed with impeccable etiquette. Then, he was suddenly sucked into the chaotic void, teleporting to the asura planet. 

Meanwhile, Dream lingered on Tersa Prime, making last minute finalizations.