Emperor of the Source

Adrian floated quietly through the barren void of the micro-dimension, his presence calm on the surface while his senses remained spread across the sealed space like invisible threads.

Beside him, Hestia, Lara, and Maelis moved in silence. Their auras were tightly compressed, each of them wary of any sudden ambush or hidden authority technique that might be waiting within the darkness.

The battle with Yselia had left Lara and Maelis badly drained. Adrian had already cast his willforce recovery spell upon them, sending golden essence into their minds to soothe the strain in their consciousness, but full recovery would still take time. There was also the matter of mana depletion.

But, for now, they did not wait to recover. A strong energy fluctuation had erupted from the direction where Torvain, Caelum, and Varcain had gone to battle Asteria, and none of them could ignore it. Whether it was a sign of victory, collapse, or disaster, they had to check on them first before deciding anything else.

Suddenly, Hestia's gaze sharpened. "Ahead," she said, her voice cutting through the dead silence of the void.

Adrian had already sensed it. Three familiar auras were approaching them rapidly through the darkness, each one weakened but still stable enough to recognize. A few moments later, Torvain, Caelum, and Varcain drifted toward them. They looked battered, their faces pale and their bodies visibly strained, as if every movement required more effort than it should. Yet despite the exhaustion radiating from them, their domains were intact, and most importantly, they were alive.

"You survived," Lara said first, relief breaking through her usually composed voice.

Hestia's pale golden eyes locked immediately onto Torvain. "What happened?"

Torvain halted before them and offered a respectful, weary bow. "We fought against Asteria and killed her, Master. Her Rule Core has been shattered. She will not be returning."

The words froze the group for a moment.

Killing Asteria was not a small achievement. She was not an ordinary Peak Rule Stage being hired from some unknown battlefield, nor an elder who had barely crossed the threshold. She was one of Ignis's greatest assets, a true monster of the Ashen Vortex Sect whose physical speed, battle instincts, and reserves of mana and willforce could grind down opponents through sheer endurance. For three newly ascended Crimson Vital elders to kill someone like her was monumental.

"You killed her?" Hestia asked, and for an instant, pride flashed through her eyes. But her tactical mind pierced through the victory almost immediately, seeing the danger hidden beneath it. "How? Her physical speed and vast reserves should have overwhelmed you over time. Even with the three of you assisting one another, how did you secure the kill?"

Torvain exchanged a complicated look with Caelum and Varcain. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering. "We couldn't fight her normally, Master. The battle just prolonged, and if continued, we would be fully depleted and die first. So, we activated our energy body arts."

The atmosphere within the void froze.

Hestia's expression changed instantly. Her crimson aura flared involuntarily, shock and anger warring across her face as she moved closer to the three of them. "Are you out of your minds?" she demanded, her voice sharp enough to slice through the oppressive pressure of the micro-dimension. "You entered energy forms while already fighting Asteria in that condition? You know the price of that art. It burns your Rule Core. If you could not win against her even with three of you supporting one another, you could have escaped and regrouped. Why would you push yourselves into using a suicidal method?"

Her gaze swept over them as though she expected their bodies to begin crumbling at any moment. She herself had suffered from the backlash of an energy body art, an injury that had nearly doomed the Crimson Vital Sect and allowed Yselia to hunt them for years. Hearing that her elders had taken the exact same gamble made her heart twist with anger born from fear.

"Sect Leader, please calm down," Varcain said quickly, raising his hands. "That is exactly what we need to report. We did activate the art. We felt our authority rise, and we fought her in that state until she was dead."

He paused, looking down at his own hands with lingering disbelief. "But the backlash never came."

Hestia stopped. "What?"

"Our Rule Cores are intact," Caelum added, placing one hand over his chest. "We expected the cores to burn. We prepared for our foundations to crack. But the transformation was impossibly smooth. It was as if something within us actively stabilized the energy flow, correcting the imperfections of the art before it could damage the core."

Lara and Maelis stared at the three men in stunned silence. Energy body arts always demanded a price. That was a fundamental law known throughout the universe. To gain power beyond one's limits meant sacrificing one's foundation, whether through damage to the Rule Core, collapse of the physical body, or some other form of backlash. To hear that Torvain, Caelum, and Varcain had bypassed that law was almost incomprehensible.

Adrian remained silent, his expression perfectly neutral, but his mind processed the information at terrifying speed. "No backlash?" he repeated softly, not as a question to them, but as an internal confirmation.

He had not been there to witness it, but the mechanics clicked into place almost instantly. When Adrian used his Source Form all this time, he had never suffered damage to his source seed. He had only experienced rapid mana depletion and willforce strain. After learning more about ordinary energy body arts and the destructive backlash they carried, he had classified his own Source Form as fundamentally different, something the Source allowed him to enter without suffering the price ordinary cultivators paid. To be honest, even he had not fully understood the Source and all its implications.

Torvain, Caelum, and Varcain did not possess the Source itself, but they did possess something connected to it: The miniature Source Seeds.

Had those seeds stabilized their energy forms somehow? Adrian was not entirely certain, but what else could explain this situation?

"The miniature Source Seed did not merely accelerate comprehension," he realized, a profound sense of clarity settling over him. There were other properties hidden within it, properties he had only begun to uncover.

Perhaps the seed could refine internal energy flow, correct inefficient structures, and prevent destructive backlash when a cultivator entered a state close to conceptual embodiment. Perhaps it acted as a stabilizing fragment of the Source itself, silently repairing the flaws of lesser techniques without revealing its presence.

He did not speak any of that deduction aloud.

"Regardless of how it happened," Adrian said, moving forward to break the tense silence, "you are alive, and your cores are intact. That is what matters right now."

He raised his free hand, and golden essence pooled in his palm. "Do not resist."

The willforce recovery spell activated. Golden light separated into three distinct streams, flowing smoothly into Torvain, Caelum, and Varcain. The moment the essence entered their bodies and circulated toward their minds, the deep, agonizing strain in their consciousness began to knit itself back together.

Torvain's shoulders dropped as clarity returned faster than it should have. "Thank you, Elder Adrian," he muttered, rubbing his temples as the pressure inside his mind eased.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

With Asteria dead and Yselia having fled, the immediate threat to their group was gone. The suffocating tension that had gripped them since entering the sealed space eased considerably, but no one mistook that relief for safety. Ignis, Balthazar, Morwenna, and the other Peak Rule Stage beings were still active somewhere within the micro-dimension, and the war outside had not paused simply because one battlefield had ended.

"We need to discuss our next steps," Adrian said, his eyes sweeping over the group. "Yselia escaped. Asteria is dead. But Ignis, Balthazar, Morwenna, and the other Peak Rule Stage beings are still active somewhere within this dimension. The war outside is also raging."

He looked directly at the elders. "Your willforce is recovering, but you are still heavily depleted. Engaging Ignis or the others in this state would be a death sentence, even with your energy body arts behaving differently now. You five need to return to the outside battlefield."

Lara frowned. "Return outside? Elder Adrian, the battle there is immense, but the true outcome of this war will be decided here, inside this dimension."

"Exactly," Adrian replied. "Which is why you need to manage the outside. The other sect leaders left hidden Peak Rule Stage beings roaming the main battlefield. We have our own. Octaven and Kaelar are handling them, but they cannot be everywhere at once. I need you to lead our disciples and ensure our lines hold."

Torvain exchanged a glance with Caelum, then nodded slowly. "Understood. In our current state, we would only become liabilities against Ignis or the others."

Adrian then turned his gaze toward Hestia.

"And you," he said, "need to go to the Virelith Galaxy."

Hestia's eyes widened fractionally. "Excuse me?"

"You have fully comprehended Verdant Genesis, Hestia," Adrian said, ignoring her surprise. "The only thing standing between you and the Astral Stage is the time and safety required to fuse your Rule Cores. You cannot do that here. One stray attack from Ignis or Balthazar, one disruption at the wrong moment, and your fusion will fail. If that happens, both cores could be destroyed."

Hestia's crimson aura flared slightly, her immediate rejection manifesting before her words did. "You want me to leave the battlefield? You want me to leave you here alone?" Her voice grew sharper with every word. "Adrian, Ignis and the others are monsters who have ruled the Andromeda Galaxy for millions of years. You expect me to simply walk away and let you face them by yourself?"

"No," Adrian said, shaking his head. "I expect you to end this war."

Hestia stared at him.

"If we defeat Ignis or the others today, another problem could arise tomorrow," Adrian continued. "We talked about this already, Hestia. The only way to break the chain of endless galactic war is absolute, undeniable supremacy. Only an Astral Stage being can provide that."

Hestia moved closer, frustration clear in her eyes. "Then we both can go back to the Virelith Galaxy. You have the comprehension as well. You can ascend too. Why do you need to stay here alone?"

"Because if we both leave, this micro-dimension remains, and the Peak Rule Stage beings inside remain an immediate threat," Adrian explained patiently. "Think about it. What if they break the sealed space and descend upon the battlefield outside? Before, we believed our elders could hold the situation, but right now, they are weakened. If anything happens before we complete our ascension, our disciples will be slaughtered. Millions of lives could be erased in minutes."

His gaze held hers steadily. "Someone has to keep them contained here, Hestia. Someone has to hold the line."

"And you think you can hold off multiple Peak Rule Stage beings by yourself?" Hestia demanded.

"I can manage," Adrian said simply.

Hestia stared at him in silence. She knew he wielded ninety percent authority over his primary divine concept, making him a True Peak Stage being. But Adrian had already explained his concerns back when they were in the Virelith Galaxy. He did not want to reveal his primary divine concept or expose the truth that he possessed an ultimate-tier divine concept. Revealing an ultimate-tier divine concept could bring future problems. It could invite Major Sect scrutiny, hidden monsters, and attention far beyond Andromeda. If they revealed the merged Crimson Vital and Verdant Genesis ascension instead, then it would provide a cleaner explanation for their rise and offer a safer path to ending the war.

That plan meant Adrian would not use his full strength here unless forced. And if he did not use his full strength, anything could go wrong.

"Anything could go wrong," Hestia whispered, her resistance weakening beneath the weight of his logic even as her heart refused to accept it.

"I know," Adrian said. "That is why I am staying. If something goes wrong here, I am the only one who can fix it before it reaches the others."

For a long moment, the elders floated in silence, fully aware that they were witnessing a decision that could determine the fate of the Andromeda Galaxy. Hestia's expression shifted through anger, fear, reluctance, and understanding before finally settling into something painfully controlled.

"If you die here, Adrian, I will pull your soul from the void and kill you myself."

A faint, genuine smile touched Adrian's lips. "I will keep that in mind."

Without wasting another second, Adrian raised his free hand.

Opening a portal was a matter of spatial comprehension, but opening a portal from within a sealed micro-dimension specifically designed to prevent escape was a feat that bordered on the impossible. It required overwhelming mastery over the Arcane Concepts of Space, Boundary, and Continuity, along with enough authority to force the sealed structure to accept a passage it was never meant to allow.

For Adrian, it was never truly an issue.

Two distinct portals materialized in the dark void. The first crackled with the chaotic, violent energy of the Andromeda battlefield outside, its edges trembling from the endless clash of domains beyond it. The second shimmered with a calm, serene violet light, anchored directly to the inner-zone base of the Azure Garden in the Virelith Galaxy.

"Go," Adrian commanded.

Torvain, Caelum, Varcain, Lara, and Maelis bowed deeply to him. Their bodies were weary, their willforce still recovering, but their eyes had regained clarity and purpose.

"May the stars favor your blade, Elder Adrian," Torvain said roughly before turning and leading the elders through the first portal. The rift snapped shut behind them, sealing them back into the war.

Hestia floated before the second portal. She looked at the shimmering violet light, then back at Adrian.

"If things go wrong, use your primary divine concept," she said softly. "Do not worry about anything else. Survival comes first. If consequences come because of it, then we will deal with them afterward."

"I will, Hestia."

She studied his face one last time, then gave a single, firm nod. Her crimson robes swirled as she stepped through the rift, and the portal collapsed instantly behind her, the tear mending itself until nothing remained but the suffocating darkness of the micro-dimension.

Adrian remained alone in the sealed void.

The silence pressed in on him, but it did not feel empty. Somewhere within the micro-dimension, powers that had ruled the Andromeda Galaxy for millions of years were still clashing, each one carrying endless experience, hidden techniques, and the weight of sects built across eras.

Adrian closed his eyes and looked inward. His Mana Sea roared with more than one hundred million mana units, a vast ocean of energy that made him feel as though he could casually shatter the micro-dimension if he truly wished. His willforce, though still difficult for him to measure directly, remained immense due to the countless connections from [Crown of the Source].

If he wished, he could enter his Source Form immediately. He could reveal absolute one hundred percent authority, unleash Absolute Source Order, strip Ignis, Balthazar, and Morwenna of their power, and attempt to erase them. Even if the cost of erasing them proved too high, he could still battle them directly with an authority no one here could withstand. It would be clean and efficient. It would end this battlefield before anyone had time to understand what had happened.

Adrian opened his eyes, and a dark crimson hue flickered within his irises.

That path had risks.

He had no intention of revealing his true foundation unless it became necessary. But he did not worry because of that restriction. He had spent decades cultivating, accumulating power, and preparing for exactly this kind of moment.

More importantly, he was a cultivator. To grow, to truly master combat at the absolute apex of the universe, he needed to experience the grinding, brutal reality of a proper Peak Rule Stage battle.

He needed to understand how beings who had lived for millions of years fought when pushed to their limits. He needed to feel their layered authority techniques, navigate their domain suppression, face their instincts, and test himself against the finest warriors Andromeda had to offer.

Back when he had revealed his one hundred percent authority in the Virelith Galaxy, he had seen how it could break even True Peak Stage beings psychologically, forcing them to kneel rather than giving him the battle he needed. If he revealed that power too early here, the same thing might happen again.

In a way, although his decision not to reveal his full strength came from concerns about the future, a part of him also wanted this. He wanted a real battle.

"Let us see what millions of years of experience actually looks like," Adrian murmured to the empty void.

A terrifying explosion of deep crimson light erupted from his body. The Crimson Vital Dominion expanded violently, washing over the void like a tide of blood. The heavy, oppressive concepts of Vitality, Blood, Force, and Pressure intertwined, forming a perfect, suffocating domain of Mid-Tier Peak Rule Stage authority.

The void trembled around him.

Adrian summoned his weapon, not the white-grey Source Blade, but a long, elegant sword created entirely from condensed crimson essence.

He turned his gaze toward the deeper regions of the micro-dimension, where he could already feel the distant, violent clashes of fire, gravity, and shadows. Ignis should be out there.

With a faint, anticipatory smile, Adrian kicked off the invisible floor of the void, his body blurring into a streak of crimson light as he shot forward into the dark, ready to hunt.