Chapter 73 - Gathering

In a certain place completely devoid of anything, lacking even the concept of Time and Space, Time and Space still seemed to exist. It was paradoxical and impossible, but it was real. It was as though the Time and Space of this specific place did not coincide with the Time and Space of the universes it overlooked. And yet it existed among them, separate but not entirely so.

It was isolated in a strange way that did not at all seem natural. From within, one could tell that it was rather new, retaining its pristine air. But if one were to try to trace its origin, they would find that this space was quite ancient. It was not something that was recently created. It had existed for a long time even as the cycles in the universes came and went.

In this isolated place, a few presences emerged. They sat around a large round table as though holding a conference which was not exactly wrong. There were five of them, a dim light barely revealing their features. They were all silent as though waiting for someone to speak up first, but no one did, or so it seemed. While it may look as if these people have been waiting in silence for a very long time, seated idly around the table, to them, it had not even been an entire minute since they sat down. The concept of Time in this place was utterly skewed. But finally, a man with a sharp and rugged look dressed in black and gold robes spoke with undeniable authority.

"Vainglory, report on your progress. Has the ritual commenced?"

"Yes, Sire. All across Desire, the howls of agony resound. It will not be long before Desire overflows. We will soon be able to harvest the delectable fruits within."

A man replied with an air of pride so thick and dense that it was disgusting to even lay eyes on him. The others looked at him in derision as they could feel vanity in his appalling face as though he was the only thing that mattered in the entire world. Even as he replied to his master, he could not completely contain his arrogance despite knowing that he could be easily killed. He was a tiny existence, but it was because of his narcissism and vanity that his master trusted him with such a task. The master of the table did not mind it much, only nodding in acknowledgement before turning to another, a brutish hulking giant exuding an aura of slaughter.

"Vanquished Glory, how are preparations going?"

"Everything is ready except for that burnt bastard. I've tried contacting him, but he doesn't seem to care. The others have been pressuring him, but they can't do anything to the bastard. He's strongest among them."

Hearing Vanquished Glory's report made the man's brows furrow in contemplation. That 'burnt bastard' was indeed a variable that he could not control. They have left him alone for the longest time since he was not concerned with anything other than his own territory. That 'burnt bastard' was not one to involve himself in others' affairs and has not hindered them whatsoever. If it was just that, then the master of the table would not have concerned himself too much, but he had a feeling that the 'burnt bastard' was a potential obstacle. Although that feeling was faint, it made him wary. But for now, he intended to hear everyone's progress first before deciding what to do.

"Peerless, report on your progress."

"Nightless remains in slumber. Before long, the two paths shall merge which would lessen the burden. But there's been a problem."

"Oh, the ever-perfect Peerless, incomparable in all existence, has encountered a problem! I wonder what the little princess has done for there to be a problem when everything has already been prepared for you by Campanella?"

Vanquished Glory chided, sneering at the woman in mockery. Peerless was regarded as the second-in-command in this table, not because of her power, but because the master favoured her. Peerless was as her name suggested, a peerless beauty who could make entire universes go mad for her. No one among those seated around the table could get used her sheer beauty, even Vanquished Glory who seemed to hold some resentment toward her.

Her pale skin was especially enticing in contrast to the two incredibly sharp blood red horns on her forehead, each glowing with an ominous light. Her snow white hair carried the fragrance of flowers steeped in rivers of blood. Her pure white dress with a long red skirt made her appear like a saint of sweet death, delivering the lost and weary souls of the living from this world.

And her eyes, they were like mystical clear crystals as though moonlight had dropped from the sky, but they glowed with an unsettling and bright scarlet. It was these very same eyes that had captured the heart of the master of the table, wanting her for himself. But Peerless cared little for their admiration. She looked at Vanquished Glory with indifference as though she was staring at an insect, her sweet voice carrying immense killing intent.

"Silence, you dull and arrogant brute. No one will think you dead even if you closed your disgusting mouth for all Eternity. In fact, everyone would rejoice."

"Enough! I don't have time to indulge your petty squabbles. What is this problem you've encountered, Peerless?"

The master of the table was tired of listening to these two quarrel every time they met. Although not much time would really be wasted, he still did not want to hear such pointless things. Instead, he focused on Peerless' words. Although Peerless was not the strongest among them, she was definitely among the most powerful beings in the universes.

And although she was just an Ascendant, there was a strange power within her that seemed capable of affecting many things across multiple universes at once. This was not something even the master of the table could do. While others thought he was simply infatuated with Peerless, the real reason he wanted her was this. And now, she has encountered a problem. For someone like her to even call it a problem, the master of the table knew he must take it seriously. And so he waited for her answer, an answer that shocked everyone.

"A new path has emerged in Dreams."

Silence fell around the table as everyone stared at Peerless, checking whether she herself was dreaming. Her words were simply that unbelievable. But Peerless remained calm. She had already expected this reaction from them because she herself was just as shocked when she first learned of it. But she had already confirmed it, even using one of their associates' powers to try and pry information from that new path. So she sat there quietly, only waiting for the people around the table to regain their composure. And as expected, the first who reacted was Vanquished Glory.

"That's impossible! The Pinnacle War of Dreams has already been ongoing for an entire epoch! How could a new path be born?"

"It is… not impossible. The workings of the Crucibles are beyond us. Which is why our work is important."

The master of the table muttered under his breath, his words still ringing loud and clear through out the isolated space, quickly silencing Vanquished Glory's outburst. It was as he said. No matter how impossible they thought it was, it could not really be impossible if it already happened. The workings of the Crucibles were something that they could not comprehend even after many years of study. What they believed to be the logical laws of these Crucibles may just be circumstantial and prone to changes if any unknown variables acted out. After all, they were not gods. They could not hope to know everything there is to know about the Crucibles.

What worried him however was the fact this was the first time such a thing had happened. Now that there was a precedence, more would potentially come. And he was not just considering this in the context of new paths forming during or after a Pinnacle War had begun or concluded. He was seeing this as an anomaly, something outside his control. And since this new path was an anomaly, he was worried about its potential power. After all, anomalies can give birth to more anomalies. With a sigh, he turned to Peerless again and asked a different question.

"How is the progress of Dreams?"

"Over 50%, but it's not enough. It has encountered resistance making the influence shrink."

"Oh? Is the new path so powerful that it could shave off Dreams' influence by so much?"

This was what he was worried about. If this new path really was as anomalous as he was thinking, then it might just pose the greatest obstacle to him. His plans had already reached maturation. It should be smooth sailing from here on, but this anomaly could potentially push back their progress by several years. Indeed, he never considered the possibility of failure. To him, there was never a chance of failure. He would undoubtedly succeed, it was just a matter of when. But it was precisely the timing that he was worried about. He wanted to succeed soon or else more and more unfavourable things might occur. Fortunately, Peerless shook her head.

"No, it's not the new path. While the new path is indeed powerful, it has no Pathstriders, especially this late into the Pinnacle War. There's almost no one in Dreams who hasn't yet chosen a path. No one has even seen or heard of its Origin. The interference comes from outside – the Noblesse. They're trying to spark a Crucible War."

Hearing her words, the master of the table smiled.