"I'm not gonna like it, eh?" Leo sighed, sharing a brief look with Nyx.

"No, you won't," Naz'Tor confirmed. "You're powerful, very powerful for this stage of the Outbreak. However, Superclusters require a lot more than just raw power to defeat if you aren't at least a rank above them. To this day, the denizens of the Void have developed only three methods of stopping them. One of which doesn't even destroy it."

He frowned, not really believing that during all those previous Outbreaks, people didn't come up with any more ideas. "Are you really telling me that's it? You got to admit that's quite underwhelming."

The merchant chuckled. "Oh, I know, but you have to understand that when dealing with the Void, there are only really three ways to defeat it. Containment, perfect control, or total destruction. There is no other way. Trust me, beings smarter than us have tried and failed."

"If you say so," Leo slumped against the wall. "So what are they?"

"The first method focuses on containment," Naz'Tor explained. "With the help of the System, large groups of survivors exterminate every single Voidling around the Supercluster and together set up a barrier made up of Safe Zones. It completely stops the spread and gives everyone a chance to relax and farm the Supercluster for resources."

"Yeah, that ain't gonna happen here. At least not now," he snorted. "One, I don't have a group that could even help me with the first part. And two, I only know how to create a Safe Zone from Nests. From what I know, creating them in the middle of nowhere should be impossible even for people with the right job."

"In the beginning, yes, that's the case. However, later on, their jobs offer much more freedom when it comes to claiming land. Of course, the price for creating Safe Zones outside designated areas is quite high."

Leo hummed. That was certainly a valuable piece of information for the future. Holden would be beside himself if he heard that.

Maybe I will pay them a visit one day after all. We will see. He shrugged, looking at the transmitter in his hand. "So the other two methods..."

"Ah yes," the merchant exclaimed. "Those are focused purely on destruction as perfect control isn't really possible with Superclusters. At least not on the scale we would need it to work."

"Got it."

"Now, just like a Nest, a Supercluster has a core. It binds everything together and provides it with the power to grow. If you don't destroy it, everything within can regrow, and you will have to do everything again. So, the second method is quite obvious. Find the core, destroy it, and then watch as the Supercluster crumbles."

Leo furrowed his brow. "Somehow, I doubt it is as easy as it sounds."

Naz'Tor exploded in laughter. "Of course not, child! Each core is hidden, always beyond the Supercluster itself. One time, it might be nestled within a rift, and the next, on an entirely different planet. Thankfully, nowadays, we have tools to help find its location, but you still have to get through hordes of Voidlings to get there. And that's not even mentioning what may be waiting for you on the other side of the rift or gate."

"So for now, London is completely fucked. Is that what you are trying to say?" He summed it up, a wry smile claiming his lips.

"I wouldn't put it so bluntly, but yes," the merchant confirmed. "For the time being, all you can do is weaken the cluster by killing and destroying whatever you may find inside. It may not do much, but it should give the other humans enough time to grow stronger and work towards the first method."

Leo clicked his tongue. "That's assuming there are any people left in London at all. I have seen a few Voidling corpses here and there, but nothing more."

"I'm sure there are," Naz'Tor replied as if he knew something the others didn't. "Take your time, grow, evolve, and find allies. That's the only way you can stop the Supercluster for now."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"I guess so," he sighed. "Though, what about the third method?"

The merchant remained silent for a short moment. "Remember what I told you in the beginning? How does power only matter if it eclipses the Supercluster by at least an entire full rank?"

"Yeah," Leo nodded. "What about it?"

"That's your third method. Total annihilation. Destroy the entire Supercluster with a single attack, and the core won't have anything to use its regenerative power on. Sounds simple, right?"

"Right," he drawled, head falling onto his knees. "Really simple."

Naz'Tor chuckled. "Don't sound so down, young Akirian. I'm sure you will manage... Now, if you have nothing else for me, I'm disconnecting. The bill will come to you in a moment. Good luck."

With that, the transmitter went silent, never giving Leo a chance to return the goodbye. The merchant must have been in a hurry or just wanted the conversation to be finished.

Shame he didn't forget about our deal. He snorted, accepting the trade offer that just appeared in his vision. The System verified mark was missing this time, but considering how their exchange went, he wasn't surprised.

Means I will have to take everything he just told me with a grain of salt. Not perfect, but it could have been worse. At least I got to ask a few questions of my own.

'Leo?' Nyx spoke up, her tail nudging his leg. 'What now? Does our plan change?'

He shook his head. "Not quite. Tomorrow, we will keep on scouting London and searching for survivors. Lily is still my priority, but if we can find a group, I might as well warn them about the Supercluster. That's if they will even hear me out."

'And after?'

This time, Leo shrugged. "No idea. Let's just focus on the present for now. The past and the future are unnecessary distractions... Anyway, you can go to sleep. I will stay up for now and see if I can reach my soulscape now."

'Just remember to get some rest too.'

He nodded. "I will. Don't worry, I will."

Just as he closed his eyes and was ready to take the final step toward unlocking his soulscape, the System interrupted him. It forced a single message into his vision, a message he didn't expect to get any time soon, and definitely not while sitting deep in the London subway.

You have reached level 28. Class and Racial attributes have been distributed. Please assign your 3 free attributes.

What? Leo blinked. Level up? But I didn't do anything. Hell, I'm sitting on a damn floor. What the hell is going on?

Yet the longer he looked at the notification, the more he remembered. Vision's ascension, after all, unlocked his ability to grow stronger just from passively absorbing Essence from the air. It seemed the ability worked in the end.

Okay... I'm definitely not complaining. Even Nyx got another level up after we've killed all the Voidlings on the way here. He noted. Alright, just like last time, all into Soul.

The message disappeared, and the usual power surge went through his body. At this point, he barely noticed it. A definite improvement from a few days ago.

Now, let's get back on track.

Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The Essence within his soul stirred, slowly enveloping his entire body in a thin protective layer. Next, the mythical energy filled his mind, just as it did during all his previous attempts.

How stupid I was. A smile formed on his lips. All this time, I tried to pull only my mind into my soul. Using Devour as the base of my technique is all right, but how could I have forgotten about the last ingredient. Even Nikra pointed it out to me when we met.

A Soulscape is a place of balance. A place where the three main pillars become one. He chuckled. So why did I forget about the body?

Without any further delay, Leo pulled his Essence back, this time keeping his entire body surrounded. It didn't want to go at first, but then, slowly, the energy returned, dragging along a perfect copy of his body that soon connected with his mind and together dived into the waiting soul.

He gasped, eyes opening to the world he had only seen once before. The dark land covered by a thin veil of shadowy mist was still there. The same went for the sky, which, while still mostly consumed by ever-growing darkness, now possessed hundreds of small clouds of violet and red floating around.

He looked down, and just as he had expected, his entire body became one made entirely of shadows. Yet, it still felt as natural as it did the last time.

A loud chuckle escaped his throat, one that soon changed into pure laughter. In the end, he did it; he managed to return to this place, just as Nikra had told him he would.

Well. Leo grinned. I'm here, kiddo.