Chapter 780: A Trail of Destruction
Twenty-four hours later, the scorched wasteland that had once been Sector 1 was now crawling with hundreds of gods.
Most were Transcendents, but scattered among them were several Half-Deities and a few Low-tier Deities, each combing the ruined land with their various Authorities, desperate to uncover what had transpired here.
The Transcendent Sentinels who had originally been stationed on the planet were gathered in a corner, surrounded and questioned relentlessly, as others tried to piece together the cause of the catastrophe.
But no one knew.
According to their reports, they had been in Sector 2, going about their usual routines, when a major facility suddenly erupted in flames.
Some nearby rushed to help, but the first responders didn’t return, and neither did the second wave.
When the third group finally reached the scene, all they found were the corpses of their predecessors.
Each body either had stab wounds in vital organs, heads crushed, and in some cases, skin scorched as though by an intense flame.
But far more disturbing was that not a single soul remained in any of the corpses. The lack of souls meant that even those with Pseudo-Authorities of Death couldn’t glean anything from the scene.
Before they could begin to make sense of the grim scene, a blinding flash of light shone across the horizon. By the time they reached the source, Sector 1 had already been reduced to what they now saw, nothing but ruin.
All their accounts matched. Not just in content, but in sequence, detail, and wording, so much so that it almost seemed rehearsed.
But it wasn’t. This was genuinely what every single one of them had experienced.
None of them could explain why Sector 1 had been reduced to a crater, why the Planet Lord was dead without a corpse, or why a massive gaping hole had been bored straight through the ground down to the planet’s core.
There was no evidence to work with. Aside from the destruction itself, the scene was void of any trace that could hint at who or what had been responsible.
The gods dispatched from BK-789 Central Command were quickly approaching their limit. Each one of them was on the verge of ripping their own hair out as they scrambled to find even the smallest lead, anything at all that could be sent back up the chain of command.
But just when it seemed the day couldn’t possibly get any worse, the one at the top of the hierarchy they had been scrambling to prepare a report for suddenly arrived in person.
◇ ◇ ◇
An overwhelming presence suddenly blanketed the entire planet like a second atmosphere, and at that moment, every living being across its surface felt not just fear, but instinctive reverence towards its source.
In Sector 1, those present wore shifting expressions, transitioning from confusion to awe, then from awe to fear, before they finally dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.
The Transcendent sentinels stationed on the planet followed suit, every single one lowering their heads in submission as a lone figure descended slowly from the sky, eventually landing on the ground.
The area was so silent that one could hear the sound of his foot touching the shattered earth, as clearly as a pin hitting marble.
Kneeling at the front, the Low Tier Deities tasked with leading the investigation were the first to speak.
"We pay our respects to the Ruler of Permanence."
And at their words, a unified chorus followed as every other figure present echoed, "We pay our respects to the Ruler of Permanence."
Only then did the man who had descended finally open his mouth to speak.
"Rise. Which one of you is in charge here?"
In response, one of the Low Tiers, who noticeably wore more adornments on his uniform, lifted his head and stood while keeping his posture respectful.
"It is I, Your Majesty," he said, raising his eyes to meet the gaze of the man before him.
The figure that stood for him wasn’t dressed in anything extravagant, as most would expect from a person of his station.
There was no regalia, no formal robes or flashy armour. Instead, he wore a simple dark grey shirt layered beneath a long, dark jacket that hung just past his mid-thighs, paired with unadorned trousers and similarly coloured shoes.
His facial features were clean and symmetrical, his jawline lightly defined, with no exaggerated lines or stern creases. He wore a neutral expression that revealed little, yet didn’t come off as cold.
His hair was a blend of black and dark brown, slightly tousled, and his eyes mirrored the same shade, dark brown mixed with threads of black.
Facing the one who had identified himself as the leader of the investigation team, the man stepped forward and asked plainly, "What have you discovered?"
The question caused the investigation team leader to bite down on his lip in silence. He opened his mouth to respond but hesitated, and then the voice asked again,
"What have you discovered?"
Instinct told him not to let that question be repeated a third time, so he bowed his head and answered quietly, "Nothing, Your Majesty. We haven’t uncovered anything."
For a moment, he braced for reprimand or worse, but instead, the Ruler of Permanence simply let out a low hum.
"Is that so? Well... not that I expected much."
He walked toward the massive hole in the centre of Sector 1, the one that stretched all the way to the planet’s core, and peered down at the sea of magma bubbling below.
After a moment, he asked, "Was this site contaminated with that strange energy like the one mentioned in the barrier breach report from a few days ago?"
The investigation leader quickly shook his head and answered, "No, Your Majesty. There was no energy contamination detected. By the time we arrived, there was nothing left."
The Galactic Ruler’s gaze then turned toward the tense Sentinels of Sector 2, who were standing some distance away, and he asked, "And what have you learned from them?"
The investigation leader calmly recited a summarized version of the story that the Sentinels had given, repeating it word for word.
Hearing this, the man remarked, "Their souls were missing, I see. There’s a very high chance that this is tied to the same culprit responsible for the Galactic Barrier breach."
The words caused the leader’s eyes to widen, as he hadn’t considered any connection between the two events.
But the man before him wasn’t finished. Speaking more to himself than anyone else, he continued, "The entire region was wiped clean. Just like last time. Only then, they must have been in a hurry, so they left traces of their energy behind.
But this time... they took their time and scrubbed this place down completely, removing every trace of themselves."
Returning his gaze to the investigation leader, he asked, "Have you attempted retrocognition?"
The leader immediately bowed again.
"Yes, Your Majesty. We used the Authority you bestowed upon us and tried to access the planetary records through retrocognition. However, we could not peruse the records as they had all been distorted."
At those words, the Galactic Ruler lowered his gaze and rubbed his chin in thought. "Distorted planetary records," he repeated. "I figured as much."
Then, turning to face the churning magma before him, he lifted his palm and declared.
|Authority of Temporal Permanence.|
An immense burst of divinity erupted from his body, the force of it pushing the investigation leader back a few steps. The ground trembled violently, the sea of magma below the crater roiling even harder, until suddenly, something shot out at astonishing speed, rising from the molten depths and floating before the Galactic Ruler.
It was the long, pillar-like structure that was previously embedded into the planet’s core.
The Galactic Ruler extended his hand, unfazed by the extreme heat, and placed his palm against it. Then, closing his eyes in silence, he gave a small nod.
"It’s true that the planetary records are distorted," he said at last, "but the records of my Permanence Anchor are perfectly intact."
At those words, the investigation leader’s expression lit up. "Then... with those records, we can identify—"
He stopped midway through the sentence, realizing it was pointless to suggest something the Ruler had clearly already begun doing.
The Galactic Ruler paid no mind to him and continued silently reading the records stored within the Permanence Anchor.
’It was a good decision to have my Anchors create duplicates of the planetary records as they are formed, for events just like this...!’
His thoughts abruptly cut off as, for the first time, his expression changed to one of surprise. His brows then furrowed as he reviewed the Anchor’s records once more.
"Just what kind of existence is this?"
Of course, there was no reply. The Anchor merely continued showing him the events that had unfolded, starting from the moment the Planet Lord accessed its power, which had been what alerted Galactic Central Command that something had gone wrong.
It was also the main reason the Ruler had left the Throne of Permanence to come to investigate the situation personally.
When he finally finished examining the records, he muttered.
"Even my Anchor only recorded a black, distorted humanoid mass..."
The moment those words were uttered, the leader of the investigation team froze. His pupils shook in disbelief, and a chill ran down his spine.
He couldn’t believe it. Even his Ruler’s Permanence Anchor... couldn’t clearly perceive the culprit.
’What kind of aberrant existence has descended upon our galaxy?’
Such thoughts ran through the mind of the investigation team leader.
While that happened, the Galactic Ruler stood in place with one hand on his chin, clearly deep in thought.
Then, breaking the silence, the Ruler finally spoke again.
"789, what do you make of this?"
There was no being present who bore that name or designation, and yet the question had clearly been directed at someone. The Transcendents and Half-Deities exchanged confused glances, unable to understand who he was addressing.
However, the Low-Tier Deities present instinctively understood what was happening, and they all stepped back without a word.
They realized their Ruler had activated his Galactic Ruler Authority and was now communicating directly with the galaxy itself.
After several long seconds, the Ruler’s voice sounded once more, not too loud, but loud enough for all to hear.
"I see. A Singularity existence that distorts the natural flow of universal laws... and passively, at that. I’ve never encountered one before. So this is how they function...
Even the planetary records of a Higher World like this can’t properly perceive them. That’s unexpected."
The investigation team leader, along with everyone else who heard the Galactic Ruler’s muttered words, was stunned.
They had all heard of singularity existences before, and like the Galactic Ruler himself, none of them had ever encountered one. But the tales surrounding them bordered on the unbelievable.
These were beings said to ascend through the ranks of power with unnatural ease, capable of sidestepping causality’s backlash even when violating its laws, and able to face opponents who, by all logic, should have vastly overpowered them, yet still emerge victorious.
To think that one of these irregular entities had entered their galaxy and was now wreaking havoc...
Just as they finished recalling those bits of information about singularities, the Galactic Ruler spoke again.
"Such an existence... would be a threat to my Permanence. They bring distortions into the fundamental flow of laws wherever they go. Should they come into direct contact with any of the Permanence Anchors, the outcome would be... disastrous.
They cannot be allowed to roam unchecked. They must be dealt with. Eliminated.
However, before that can happen, we need to locate them first, I suppose."
He looked down again at the Permanence Anchor floating before him, his gaze narrowed.
"But why didn’t they do anything to this? There’s no way they didn’t notice it. Unless..."
He trailed off, then muttered, "Unless they simply didn’t care. Better for me, I suppose. Doesn’t change the fact that they’re a threat, though"
Turning around, the man faced the investigation team gathered behind him and addressed them.
"We’re dealing with a Singularity entity. Planetary records are incapable of logging their presence.
Wherever they appear, they disrupt the natural order of universal laws.
They threaten Permanence, and such threats must be eliminated.
Why they came to this planet remains unknown, but that action was a mistake, because by doing so, they left behind a clue we can use to track them."
As he said this, the Galactic Ruler’s body began to rise. Slowly, he floated toward the sky, and while ascending, he gave a final command.
"789, that distortion captured by the Permanence Anchor, track it. Let’s find out where this singularity is headed."
