Luther, who had been secretly watching from the shadows, finally stepped out of hiding.

“Rachel, congratulations!” he said warmly, offering her a smile.

Luther had recently attained Rank 14, an achievement he owed entirely to Rachel’s permission to access the Gray Energy. This access made him dependent on her since she had the power to sever his Gray Energy connection anytime she wished. For a Rank 14, Luther was unique; he was the first of his rank to wield Gray Energy without earning the position on his own merit. Life isn’t always fair; some are fortunate enough to have the support of powerful allies, while others are born into hardship with no one to turn to for help.

"Yes, the Omniscient Mastery of Wisdom is incredible! It’s the best omniscient mastery path we could’ve pursued,” Rachel replied happily, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

“So, what now?” Luther asked, his tone guarded. There was a reason he hadn’t revealed himself until now, and his hesitation wasn’t without cause.

Moments earlier, something unusual had happened. The Omniscient Rachel had unexpectedly absorbed every incarnation of herself, including the main Rachel. Luther knew it wasn’t supposed to unfold that way; in theory, the main body of Rachel was meant to absorb the Omniscient Rachel, not the other way around. Although it shouldn’t have mattered much, it was still a disruption to his plans.

“Well, I’ve already taken over everything,” Rachel replied, a triumphant glint in her eyes. “I am now the only Rachel. All other incarnations are gone. My control over the Gray Realm has increased to an unprecedented level. Even with Omniscient Mastery in the Dao of Wisdom, I can’t figure out how to forcibly seize the Gray Realm. But I believe it’s possible. If I can decode the key, I’ll be able to take control of the Gray Realm once again. For now, though, I think I have a way to steal a small piece of its infinite domain,” she said with a smile.

Luther looked astonished. “Then… we succeeded?” If Rachel manages to take control of even a small piece of an infinity domain, she will ascend to quasi-Rank 15.

Rachel shook her head, her expression cool. “No, Luther, don’t misunderstand. I succeeded—not you.”

Luther blinked in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“Luther, ever since I achieved Omniscient Mastery in the Dao of Wisdom, I’ve been thinking deeply about a lot of things. And you know what’s strange? Even with all this wisdom, I still can’t fully understand where you came from,” she said, her eyes narrowing.

“So?” Luther asked, sensing there was more to her statement.

“How can I, with an omniscient level of mastery, be unable to know everything about you?” Rachel continued. “Of course, there’s only one logical conclusion.”

“Do you really think I’m an agent of the Creation?” Luther asked, his expression blank, though he had already guessed her suspicions and was waiting for her to confirm them.

With Omniscient Mastery in Wisdom, Rachel could comprehend nearly everything. Yet, Luther’s origins remained a mystery, one of the few secrets she couldn’t uncover. She knew that only the Gray Realm and the Creation itself had such mysteries that even her wisdom couldn’t penetrate.

“That’s exactly what I think, and I’m certain I’m right!” Rachel replied confidently.

Luther shrugged. “Well, there’s no point in hiding it anymore. You’re right,” he admitted. “But remember, even with Omniscient Mastery in Wisdom, you can still be mistaken. Your success is also my success. So I’ll say it again: we succeeded—you and I, both of us!”

“It’s frustrating that even with Omniscient Mastery in Wisdom, I still don’t fully understand you! Explain yourself!” Rachel demanded, shaking her head in exasperation. She knew almost everything—she even understood the origin paradoxes of the Creation and the Gray Realm. But when it came to the Creation’s hidden schemes, there were still blind spots she couldn’t pierce. Clearly, the Creation possessed its own Omniscient-level masteries and could still conceal certain truths from her.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“The Creation has layers of secrets, some of which are guarded more closely than even its origin paradox,” Luther replied. “Do you know why the Gray Realm broke away from the Creation? Let me tell you—it was because of you. The moment you came into existence, you set everything in motion.”

“I caused it…” Rachel murmured, a thoughtful look crossing her face. She quickly ran calculations in her mind, her omniscient wisdom processing the data. “Yes, it seems you’re right!” she nodded, realization dawning on her. “I was the root paradox of the Creation but also the root paradox of the Gray Realm. When I abandoned the Creation, the two separated.”

“But… why don’t I remember why I abandoned the Creation?” Rachel asked, turning to Luther, her voice laced with curiosity.

“When you first appeared, existence itself was in its infancy,” Luther explained. “Infinity didn’t yet exist—you brought the Seed of Infinity with you. That’s why you were my root paradox. To preserve that Seed, I had to seal you within me. But you didn’t want that, so you ran away, taking part of me with you. However, you only managed to escape with part of yourself; the rest of you remained within me.” At this point, Luther admitted not only to being an agent of the Creation, but possibly even its will.

“In a sense,” he continued, “you and I are the same. I wanted us to create the groundwork, to set up existence as a foundation, while you wanted to play an active role. We never saw eye to eye. But still, you carry part of me within you, and I carry part of you within me.”

Rachel pondered this and nodded, processing the implications. “But then, how can the Seed of Infinity survive after being split?” She knew the Seed wasn’t itself infinite and could be destroyed. Her omniscient mind recognized this vulnerability almost instantly.

Rachel now knew that the only way to destroy infinity was to destroy its seed. Before achieving Omniscient Mastery in the Dao of Wisdom, she hadn’t known any of this.

“That’s precisely why I’ve done everything I could to support you up to this point,” Luther said. “Without my help, you wouldn’t have made it this far. When you ran off with your part of the Seed, you were severely injured. Your fragment of the Seed was at risk of destruction, which would have doomed both our portions. So, I found you, recreated you, and helped you grow to this point.”

"After that, I switched my root paradox, concealed your existence, and used my Omniscient-level concealment along with hidden Daos to cover everything. That’s why, even with Omniscient Mastery in Wisdom, you still cannot penetrate my layers of concealment."

“You wanted my portion of the Seed of Infinity to heal, and that's why you helped me,” Rachel said, realization dawning on her.

“Exactly. And now, I have no desire to force or seal you again. You know, as I do, that the Seed is in danger. If it’s destroyed, everything will vanish. So, let’s merge once and for all to stabilize existence,” Luther urged, his tone calm but firm. His original plan hadn’t been like this, but now that things had unfolded this way, he had no other choice.

“No. That’s not going to happen,” Rachel said, her voice unwavering.

“You know the Seed is at risk, don’t you?” Luther asked, his face impassive.

“Of course, I know,” she replied. “But merging with you is no different than death for me.”

Luther’s expression softened slightly. “I hope you’ll reconsider. We don’t have much time.”

“We have enough,” Rachel replied coolly. “I did enjoy discussing it, though. Now, you may leave.”

Standing in the Gray Realm, Rachel extended her control over it. With her powers at their peak, she could expel Luther whenever she wished.

Luther smiled knowingly before fading from sight.

Rachel closed her eyes, letting out a weary sigh. “We have, at most, a few quintillion years until the Seed of Infinity falls. But perhaps I can stretch this brief time into eternity,” she thought to herself. She knew, however, that this solution was only temporary—a mere bandage on a wound too deep to heal. Despite her omniscient wisdom, she could not devise a permanent fix to the ever-looming threat.

“I need a plan,” she resolved, deciding to take her time, confident she could think of something.

Raising her hand, she snapped her fingers.

Snap!

Instantly, all reality connected to the Gray Realm vanished. In one powerful gesture, Rachel reset everything originating from the Gray Realm, allowing her a fresh beginning.

“Time to rebuild everything,” she thought, a new determination burning within her.

Now, with her omniscient mastery, she could reach quasi-Rank 15 whenever she wished. Complete control over the Gray Realm still eluded her, as the key to it lay beyond her grasp. Yet, she was certain that, in time, she would find a way to reclaim it once and for all.