Chapter 270: Absorbing Null
Lucifer chose to casually ignore his son having energy that would make early Primogenial realm existences jealous despite merely being a Monarch realm.
Turning back to Arthur, he analysed the seal on Arthur as he spoke.
"A ’True name Seal’, huh?
That’s quite a risky action, don’t you think?"
"I was, but it was also the best I could do at the time. I also made it so that he could release the seal anytime he wished, but he’s not foolish enough to do that now since he still cannot contain that extra energy."
"You also seemed to have accounted for the fact that the ’extra energy’ was increasing too."
Cattleya nodded in affirmation to the words of Lucifer who was analysing Arthur’s true name seal that left the boy’s body with an amount he could contain without it breaking down.
To put it in simpler terms: Let’s say Average Intermediate Stage Epic realms possessed 100 units of energy, with physical bodies and energy cores powerful enough to contain 120 units of energy.
Arthur’s body was currently capable of holding 220 units of energy on a regular basis, and about 240 if he pushed it. This would have been nice, if it wasn’t for the fact that Arthur’s maximum energy levels were breaking past the 400 units barrier already.
The True name seal on him, sealed away those extra 200 units that he could not handle, leaving him with an amount he could deal with.
But if Lucifer directly implanted that energy core into Arthur’s body, the end result would be Arthur going over the limit again, and he’d have to deal with the same shit he had to deal with for the first 13 years of his life.
’it’s like he has the energy level of a higher realm than he currently is. I think his energy is reflecting the realm he should have been born in, but could not because of my actions.
Haa....I really messed shit up, didn’t I?’
"All right. Let’s go with method B.
The one that’s gonna have you training to control null for a while.
First off, release your energies to your maximum, and infuse it with the law of destruction’s power, however, do not try to manipulate the law of destruction’s energy, just let it flow on its own."
The vestige casually spoke as he used his right fingers to pierce through the shell of the orb in his left palm, before beginning to drag out what looked like black tendrils with purple prominent circuit patterns resembling cracked lines running through them.
"Now then...activate your Annihilation...I need to see the physical expression of your energy circuit stretching itself throughout your body.
It’s basically like your nervous system."
Arthur nodded in response before taking a deep breath and releasing his body’s energy in a burst that created a small crater on the ground around him.
Magic power, aura, divinity, and anti-divinity.
The four energies took on a silver hue, tinted with a tinge of the law of destruction’s crimson red.
He then held up his right fist and clenched it, with his skin turning dark silver with faint white circuit patterns tracing his energy circuits underneath his skin.
The white patterns quickly took on a purple hue with the activation of his ’Annihilation’, something he had recently become able to do without having to use Extreme Nothingness.
"Good. Now then..."
Lucifer completed the extraction process, pulling out a smaller black ball of dark purple circuit lines running around it and intersecting with each other.
*HUMM!
The ambient cosmic energies thrummed lightly, with Cattleya and Creusery widening their eyes in shock as they felt instinctive fear coming from the orb in Lucifer’s hands.
Cattleya had to hold herself back from reflexively attacking it, while Diablo on the other hand, only just casually raised his arm and manifested his own deep red energy circuits.
"I see...so it really is incompatible with me."
He compared the circuit patterns on the back of his palm, to the ones on the back of Arthur’s palm and then the ones on the black orb.
"Their root patterns are different."
"Indeed... Null gives one the ability to manipulate null energy, and it’s a sub-power under the concept of Destruction’s aspect of Nothingness. When he’s stronger, he’d be able to manipulate Nothingness itself.
That’s where you differ.
Yours can also be said to be under the aspect of Nothingness, but it’s a variation of an existence manipulation type power that lets you ’Erase’ things."
Lucifer clenched the black orb inside his hands, tossing the shell that still had a ton of energy inside it to Diablo and saying.
"Use this when you’re making the homunculus. It’s not necessary anymore."
Without waiting for a reply, he took the black orb of purple glitching circuit patterns that were constantly intersecting with each other and spoke to Arthur.
"Grit your teeth kid...this might hurt a bit, but you’re so gonna love the end result."
"W-!"
Arthur’s words were cut off with Lucifer abruptly slamming the orb into his chest, his eyes widening as he saw the purple circuit patterns burst out of the orb and latch onto his skin, rapidly melding into his body.
He felt his heartbeat accelerate, and the purple circuit patterns manifested all around his body, even on his face, and then...he lost consciousness.
◇ ◇ ◇
Looking at the purple circuit patterns that were travelling around Arthur’s body and melding into his very soul, Lucifer narrowed his eyes and spoke.
"This kid...when he reaches the realm I was at, his power over null would be even better than mine.
Tsk...Talented brat."
He shook his head and then turned to look at the rest of the Vaughn family before saying.
"I would have liked if there were four of you, but I guess I’d have to make do with th-"
His words were cut off when Inglis who was inside the domain’s Research lab came out to ask Diablo something.
"Oh good. Four of you...come with me."
"Huh?"
Cattleya very obviously wanted to object but Lucifer had already predicted this, grabbing her by the arm and saying.
"He’s not gonna die or anything. He’s not even gonna feel any pain, contrary to what I initially assumed.
If anything, he’d be a lot stronger when he’s awake.
Now come with me to the treasury."
He then used cosmic energy to wrap around their bodies and move them all to the Domain’s treasury, pushing the doors wide open and sauntering in like he owned the place...which was actually the case.
They were all met with the same sight Arthur experienced, with powerful artifacts lying around the large treasury, each one emitting absurd energy waves, making Inglis wonder just what kind of material was used to make the room given that she could not sense the energy of these artifacts till she entered.
Creusery on the other hand, saw one random artifact on the floor and picked it up, narrowing his eyes as he noticed something about it.
"This...i-"
"Trash."
"Huh?"
Lucifer cut him off, walking up to him and grabbing the artifact from his hands and looking it over before continuing.
"Yep...it’s trash.
I think this was one of my first attempts at creating cosmic artifacts. How many million years ago was this again? Anyway, it’s bullshit."
