Chapter 693

Chapter 693

My gaze sweeps over my new buff, and I feel my stats automatically increase by a massive amount. Not only have I gained over 200 million new links of loyalty in an instant, but the amount of stats I can borrow in total has risen to 50%.

At the same time, I feel a new wave of perception explode out from the tower and wrap around the entire globe.

Not only can I feel and see every single human connected to the system on the planet, but now I feel connected to all 21,480 dungeons covering the globe. There are five labyrinths that hit my senses as well... three of which are not ranked up, all below the threshold that the one in the Crimson City achieved.

However, there is one large labyrinth in Central City that is on the same rank as the one I've been building from the leftover mana in the artificial mountain range.

This sudden rush of information sends hundreds of thousands of notifications into my consciousness.

My personal certificates of ownership for all of these mana constructs are the first things I see, but the vast majority of the notifications I receive are contracts that are linked to these dungeons. The individuals' names flash through my mind, but I don't recognize anyone on the list to match the over 500 million human names I have access to on this world.

I wonder if they're old contracts from before the great war, or if these names are from beings on other worlds...

It's quite the information overload, but the notifications in my ears don't stop there.

For some reason, the voice that reads them aloud is different, more proper and elegant. The text before me shimmers with dense green threads.

[Analyzing New Lord of World M3-99051...]

[Prepayment For 1 Set of Premium Avatars Detected, No Further Resources Required...]

[Mana-Qi Soul Energy Core Detected...]

[Pure Demon Lord's Core Detected...]

[Fully Formed Green True Core Detected...]

[1.20001 Low Quality Ether Detected...]

I feel green divine energy ripple through my body. At first, Celia's barrier blocks it, but I witness Ember allowing the light to probe him, so I relax and do the same.

Once it finishes and disappears a few seconds later, a perfect body double of myself forms a few meters in front of me; however, it is made completely of mana, and there are three empty cores in its chest.

The same cloning design is being made in front of Ember's body too, and when they finish, a final text option appears before me.

[Assimilate With Avatar]

[Re-Synchronize]

Ember grins and walks right past the lifelike designs in front of us.

"We're not going to need these."

He allows the silver light that's been shimmering around him to retract back into his chest, and I see a bright green True Core cycling the threads he absorbed on the walk up emit a dense pressure on our surroundings.

Trace amounts of silver threads vibrate in his flesh in microscopic areas that haven't yet fully adapted, but seconds later a wave of white energy washes over his whole body to completely mask all of the silver threads from my gaze.

He turns back and raises a hand to motion for me.

"Come on, those avatars were for that Vermillion Family Demon. There's no point in claiming a fake body if we have our own real ones."

I look at him, then back at the floating image of myself. Then, I grin and walk past it too.

"I guess you're right."

We cross the disk of black material floating in the tower, and the whole world watches.

I speak up to the 517,230,991 Links of Loyalty still watching.

"We did it. This world belongs to the humans, and it will remain that way."

I simultaneously feel the [World Wide Connectivity System Interface] activate in my mind, showing panels to share live videos through anyone's eyes peer to peer, text broadcasts to the whole world, and even information and item trading marketplace interfaces rushing through my mind.

Users have already begun using this, as the moment I accepted the [World Token], everyone gained access.

Private groups can be created, instant transmissions enabled, protected sales initiated, and even quest creation features activated where a random link of loyalty anywhere in the world can ask for anything they need, and anyone connected to the network can accept.

My mind rushes through hundreds of other features, even virtual combat training showing all of the Rising Emperor's skills and imagery of me using them in combat scenarios in the past. Plus, request options to borrow those skills, all handled and moderated by generals, commanders, and knights in real time.

The resources that are now instantly available to this planet are quite impressive. I can think of thousands of ways new hunters have far more opportunity to succeed in this new world, but I push this to the back of my mind while continuing to walk forward and speak.

"I will be leaving for the Upper Realm. I suspect my victory against the demon that sought to claim this world won't go over well with their leaders. It will be my job to protect the world above, and your job to become stronger and work together below for when I return. We are humans, rulers of our own world, and soon, many more. Become strong, enjoy your lives, and make me proud."

I smirk, turning off my spectate mode while turning to Ember, then stopping a few meters in front of the dense green Divine Rift.

Stolen story; please report.

"This is safe to jump through? We're not falling right into the demon's territory full of their Green-Cored Lords, are we?"

He laughs.

"No. All these green rifts lead to highly regulated zones. We will be in no danger for quite a while once we arrive. Well—then again—I've never attempted entering the Upper Realm without an avatar. It should be fine... as long as you can handle the pressure..."

I raise an eyebrow, but he just shrugs and continues.

I start to see millions of windows and floor markers far off in the distance, and the true enormity of these structures become clear.

The impossibly large towers are actually hundreds of kilometers wide each, and tens of thousands of kilometers high. The city itself begins to stretch past the distance my peripherals can keep up with as I continue to get closer and closer.

The towering structures look like palaces created for gods...

Then again, when I think about what kind of beings live here, this statement might not be far from the truth.

A new textbox rings in my ears.

[Level 1 Surveillance Zone Reached: Stated Cargo: World M3-99051 Lord]

[Analyzing Cargo...]

Green light from high up in the sky comes raining down on me, scanning every inch of my body, but not making it through Celia's barrier at all.

It stops a few seconds later, and another textbox with the same voice appears.

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

The green light covers me again, but the same result occurs.

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

It happens a few more times, and my heart speeds up each time it does.

I re-open my link with Ember and tell him exactly what's happening while the process continues.

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

"Not good... Try to open up your barrier and let it scan your body. I managed to make it through, but I have an Ether Cloak on my silver threads. This zone is too well-surveilled for me to come over and help."

I do as he's instructed and lighten the airtight seal that Celia has created, as our minds and emotions are linked.

However, the instant I even make the barrier waver, I gasp for air and reflexively fall to my knees.

My senses are overwhelmed by a divine pressure that makes the tower we just climbed feel like childsplay.

Not only is the thread count in the air mind bending, the gravity that pushes down on me is far too strong to withstand when Celia isn't supporting my body like an exo-skeleton.

The incredibly dense green clouds of threads tear through my saturated body and almost evaporate every last physical cell I have left in mere fractions of a second.

The remaining flesh is forced to press against the bottom of the Ether Orb.

I seal the barrier back up and begin writhing in pain on the bottom of this clear orb, continuously regenerating my flesh while processing the new green threads in my core for over a full minute.

The green light from above catches this momentary glimpse of my being.

[Hold Still: World Token Detected]

[Detection Lost]

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

As I stand to my feet and try again, the same process repeats, and I fall again, unable to even withstand a drop of the pressure outside this protective orb.

[Hold Still: World Token Detected]

[Detection Lost]

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

It's impossible for me to even use any normal mana or skills, as doing so opens up a small portion of the purple barrier and exposes me to the outside world.

I'm stuck in quite the odd scenario...

When I stand up again, a new notification hits my ears.

[Level 2 Surveillance Zone Reached: No Valid Cargo Detected]

[Following Safety Protocol: Eject Unauthorized Load]

The white orb sending me flying through the sky toward this massive floating city stops moving.

Then, it completely disappears into thin air.

The sensation of falling takes over as my vision turns green again while I plunge into the depths of the endless clouds below.