Standing amidst the sprawling nihilistic zone, Scott stared at the hovering Calamities, their defiance quashed under the weight of his authority. His gaze shifted, drifting toward the floating head, which remained still, its eyes fixed on the Calamities. Unlike the others, the head was ensnared by the Chains of the Abyss, their blackened links slithering over its form, constricting it inch by inch.

It’s a shame this is all I can manage for now, Scott mused, his fists clenching at his sides. I’d love nothing more than to crush them outright, but I’m not strong enough yet. His attention flicked toward Orion.

The mage stood unnervingly still, his flailing hair sealing his eyes shut. Whispers of the void poured from his slackened jaw, an eerie hum filling the air.

“Orion, can you hear me?” Scott called out through the party channel. Silence answered.

He adjusted his stance, his voice steady but louder this time. “Orion?”

The whispers faltered, their insidious murmurs slowly fading into nothingness. Orion’s slackened jaw twisted grotesquely back into place, and the strands of hair covering his eyes shattered, falling away like brittle shards of glass. His eyes snapped open, gleaming with delirium, and his lips twisted into a crooked grin. “You called?”

Scott’s brow furrowed slightly. Can he really control that ability of his?

“That was... quite the riveting experience,” Orion said, his voice tinged with a mad excitement as he rolled his shoulders, resetting his posture. “I had no idea your authority would be so... magnificent. Tell me, what do you plan to do with them?” He nodded toward the subdued Calamities.

Scott’s gaze hardened as he returned his attention to the creatures. Without a word, he raised his right hand. The nihilistic zone coating the earth churned in response, its blackened surface rippling like liquid shadow. From the depths, massive tendrils erupted, twisting and coiling as they reached for the Calamities. The tendrils snaked around their immobile forms and began to pull, dragging them slowly into the void.

Scott and Orion watched in silence as the Calamities disappeared—with no resistance, one by one, swallowed by the abyss. Once the last was gone, Orion broke the silence, his voice barely restrained. “Will that be enough?”

“They won’t wake from their stupor,” Scott replied flatly. “And unless I permit it, no one can leave or enter the nihilistic zone. When they’ll be reduced to nothingness... I can’t say. But for them, this is the end.”

Orion studied Scott carefully, his eyes gleaming with fascination and a growing smile. “You’re taking on Calamities by yourself now. I can’t help but feel... thrilled.” He paused, his gaze drifting to the nihilistic zone gathering beneath Scott’s feet. His voice turned unexpectedly serious. “And the others? What of them?”

“Zara and the others are still missing,” Scott said, his tone unwavering. “But… Ember is dead.”

Orion’s pupils dilated slightly at the revelation. His lips parted, as if to speak, but no words came. Instead, silence hung between them like a heavy curtain. After a moment, Orion sighed, his shoulders sagging.

“How do you feel about it?” he finally asked.

“I don’t feel anything.” Scott’s voice was clear, almost unnervingly calm. “No... I should say, I can’t feel anything.”

Orion’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. His gaze dropped, lingering on Scott’s shadow, as if finding in it the answer he needed. He didn’t press further.

“Were they responsible?” Orion asked instead, his voice quieter. “Or was it coincidence the Calamities came here?”

“They were responsible,” Scott answered without hesitation. “Ember was their target. I suspect they’re working with the territorial lord. Zara and the others... they may have been sent into another timeline. That’s only a theory—I have no proof.”

“A reasonable theory,” Orion murmured, his hand cradling his chin in thought. After a beat, he chuckled softly. “But it does make you wonder. With all this chaos in their territory, why hasn’t the territorial lord—or one of their subordinates—shown themselves?”

“There are more Calamities nearby,” Scott said abruptly.

Orion’s head snapped toward him. “There are?”

Scott’s brows furrowed. “You didn’t receive the notification?”

Wordlessly, Orion shook his head, his expression darkening.

Scott’s frown deepened. “I don’t know if they’ve moved further away, but I received a notification when I first arrived: the Calamities of Pain, Thunder, and Envy are close.”

Orion’s expression tightened as he processed the news, his mind clearly racing. After a moment of silent contemplation, he spoke again. “What do you intend to do next?”

Scott’s gaze remained fixed on the horizon. With Ember gone, Zara and the others missing, and Calamities prowling the area—not to mention the unknown motives of the territorial lord—they were surrounded by danger on all sides. The other lords and alliances within the various territories loomed ahead, further compounding their problems.

“I’m going to find the Tree of Life,” Scott announced. His sharp gaze fixed on Orion, noting the widening of the mage’s eyes and the subtle parting of his lips.

“The Tree of Life?” Orion echoed; his voice tinged with a mix of disbelief, excitement, and anticipation. “Isn’t that what they call the World Tree? Are you telling me... it actually exists?”

Wordlessly, Scott retrieved a snow-white beacon from his inventory. Its surface glowed faintly, almost imperceptibly, yet it radiated an aura that felt alive. Holding it aloft, he said, “It does exist. And with this, I’m going to find it. Will you help me?”

Stolen novel; please report.

Orion’s eyes locked onto the beacon, his expression flickering with curiosity and uncertainty. “Where did you even get that?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “And why... why does it feel alive?” His gaze darted back and forth between Scott and the enigmatic object, a silent demand for answers etched on his face.

The beacon disappeared back into Scott’s inventory. Then, he explained—his voice calm, yet weighted with purpose—how he had obtained the beacon while traversing the treacherous pathways of White Hell.

When his tale concluded, Scott asked again, “Will you help me?”

Orion chuckled softly, a grin spreading across his face. “Of course, I will. If the Tree of Life truly exists, how could I not want to see it with my own eyes?” His grin widened as he added, “That said, this sounds like a long-term goal. For now, shouldn’t we focus on finding the others? What do you think?”

Scott nodded in agreement. “You’re right. Although we don’t know where they might be, one thing is certain—they came here. And excluding the Calamities, who can traverse freely between territories, the only way to enter or leave is through the territorial lord’s authority. In short, we need to find the lord of this territory.”

A low, ominous laugh escaped Orion’s lips. “I agree,” he said, summoning a small vial from his inventory. Without a word, he smashed it against the ground. Hundreds of tiny seeds spilled across the cracked earth, scattering as if guided by unseen hands. The seeds rolled further and further away from Scott and Orion, growing larger as they moved.

“Let my clones track down that coward,” Orion said with a smirk. Then, he glanced back at Scott, his tone shifting to one of casual inquiry. “Do you plan on bringing Fi-Fi into this?”

Scott shook his head. “Let’s leave her out of this for now,” he replied, but his words trailed off as a stray thought crept into his mind.

“What is it?” Orion asked, his curiosity piqued.

Scott didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze upward and called out a name. “Toi. Are you there?”

A sharp crack echoed through the air, cutting through the tension like a knife. The fabric of reality itself split open, and from it emerged the examiner. Toi’s piercing gaze swept across the duo before lingering on the devastation left by the earlier battle. His eye passed over the alien head, still bound in chains, then shifted skyward to the unblinking, all-seeing eye watching from the heavens.

Finally, he returned his attention to the pair, his expression unreadable. “You’re far more terrifying than I imagined,” he said, his focus settling on Orion. “How do you carry such heavy voices without your mind collapsing?”

Orion merely smiled, his gaze alight with interest. “And you’re even nosier than I imagined,” he quipped.

Toi ignored the jab, shifting his attention to Scott. “And you,” he said, his tone unnervingly calm. “A being like you shouldn’t exist.”

Scott’s brow arched. “Is that a threat?”

Realizing his words had been poorly chosen, Toi raised his hands in a placating gesture. “No, no. That’s not what I meant,” he said quickly, offering a chilling smile. “What I mean is... are you even aware of what you’ve become? Authorities grant immense power, yes, but they come with equally immense drawbacks. A natural balance—unless, of course, you ascend to godhood.”

Scott’s irritation was evident in the way his brow furrowed. “And what exactly are you trying to say?”

“The authority you wield—the Authority of Madness—is infamous for driving its users to ruin. Madness consumes them, leaving them crazed, delusional, homicidal, even suicidal. Yet here you are,” Toi explained, gesturing toward Scott. “You’ve wielded it against Calamities, no less, and emerged unscathed. It’s almost as if... everything harmful has been devoured.”

Scott’s gaze narrowed, his mind turning inward. He understood Toi’s implication. My nihilistic nature... it’s devouring even the side effects of the Authority of Madness.

As Scott fell into silent contemplation, Toi continued, his voice low but heavy with warning. “Your actions here today will ripple through your fellow competitors for the throne. And believe me, that’s never a good thing. Worse still, the gods themselves will hear of your victory over the Calamities. They’ll come for you—Calamities, gods, competitors. All of them. And they won’t hold back.”

The weight of Toi’s words settled like a suffocating fog. For a moment, the trio stood in silence, the examiner’s warning hanging heavy in the air.

“So,” Toi finally broke the stillness, his tone more practical now. “Why did you call for me? Normally, I wouldn’t answer a summons in a foreign territory—it’s against the rules. But the territorial lord appears to be... absent. Be warned: the moment they return, I’ll have to leave.”

Scott and Orion exchanged glances. At last, the pieces clicked into place. Now they understood why the territorial lord had failed to appear, even in the face of such an invasion.

“All timelines are connected to the Endless Bridge, correct?” Scott asked, his gaze fixed on Toi.

“Yes, that’s the case,” the examiner replied with a nod. “Why do you ask?”

“What territory houses the links leading to the Tree of Life?” Scott’s tone was calm, almost blank, but his eyes sharpened as they bore into Toi. The examiner hesitated, surprise flickering across his face.

“You know about that?” Toi muttered, his voice low, though the shock quickly gave way to a wide, maddened smile. His single eye glinted with an almost predatory light. “Sadly, you lack the qualifications to know that. It’s not just you, though. None of the current lords are permitted access to that information—”

“What must I do to gain that authority?” Scott cut in; his voice unflinching.

Toi’s grin faded, replaced by a calculating look. “Everything comes back to the competition between lords,” he said after a brief pause. “Claim a position in the top ten, and the right to that knowledge will naturally be yours.”

Scott’s features hardened, though he stayed silent. I had a feeling he’d say something like that, he thought bitterly. Who knows how long this trial is going to drag on? I can’t just sit around waiting.

“There is... another way,” Toi added, his tone almost nonchalant. Scott’s attention snapped back, the weight of his focus pressing down on the examiner.

“If you were to conquer and amass a significant number of territories,” Toi explained, his eerie smile returning, “you would command a far greater portion of the authority granted by the Administrator. With that kind of power, you’d easily locate the territory housing the links of your choice.”

Toi paused briefly, his grin widening. “However, should you pursue this path, you’ll be painting a target on your back. Most of the lords will become your enemies—”

“I don’t care about that,” Scott interrupted, his voice as sharp as a blade.

Toi chuckled softly, the sound unnervingly light. “Well then, I wish you the best of luck.”

With a courteous nod to both champions, Toi turned and began walking toward the portal. But before he could step through, Scott’s voice rang out.

“Before you leave, tell me what you scattered in my territory.”

Toi stopped mid-step, turning back to face Scott with a faint smirk. “I’m afraid you don’t have the authority to know that. Frankly, not even I know what it was.”

“And you expect me to believe that?” Scott fired back, his brows knitting into a sharp scowl.

“Believe me or not, it changes nothing,” Toi answered, his voice dry, yet laced with finality. “If I had any intention of being underhanded, surely I wouldn’t have done it so openly—especially knowing you can perceive everything happening within your territory.” He paused, the glint in his eye taking on a faintly mocking edge. “I’m sure we’ll cross paths again soon. Until then, take care.”

With that, Toi disappeared through the portal.

For a moment, Scott and Orion stood in silence, the tension of the moment lingering like a distant echo. Then, Orion turned to Scott, his expression equal parts curiosity and anticipation.

“So,” Orion said, his tone lighter now. “What’s the plan?”

Scott met Orion’s gaze, his eyes brimming with cold determination.

“We declare war,” he replied.