Chapter 744: 743. Ten Minutes Until Dawn (1)
[Congratulations!
You have successfully completed the Quest: Save Oasis from Destruction.]
The notification appeared before Ocean’s eyes just as he and Issyrha left Oasis through teleportation, seconds before they were supposed to arrive on Edrisyl.
Without warning, a different force seized him.
It wasn’t the familiar pull of spatial magic. This felt gentler, yet far more absolute, as though the world itself had quietly taken hold of his soul. Brilliant white light swallowed his vision and the sensation of weight vanished from his body altogether.
When he opened his eyes again, he was not in the skies above Edrisyl as he had expected.
Nor was he in Ocean’s body, he had reverted to Reina’s form.
She found herself standing atop an icy mountain surrounded by an endless expanse of snow-white peaks and drifting clouds. Everywhere she looked, there was only white. The horizon seemed to stretch into infinity, as though this place existed beyond the boundaries of the world itself.
Before Reina could gather her thoughts, the quiet sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the frozen landscape.
Along with them came the gentle, rhythmic clanging chime of bells.
She turned toward the sound, but the approaching figure remained concealed within a veil of white and pale blue radiance. The light obscured every feature, reducing the newcomer to little more than a glowing silhouette, yet despite its brilliance, it was strangely gentle. Looking directly at it caused no discomfort whatsoever still, it seemed like an uncannily familiar silhouette.
"...What’s going on?" Reina blurted out as the silhouette stopped in front of her.
The radiant figure seemed to incline its head slightly before a deep, masculine voice answered her.
"I summoned you here, child."
The words rolled across the frozen world like distant thunder. The air itself seemed to resonate with that voice, its authority so immense that Reina instinctively straightened her posture.
Reina struggled to keep the shakiness out of her voice, "You..."
"You haven’t recognized me?" the voice asked, carrying the faintest trace of warmth.
Reina stood speechless. Her thoughts had gone completely blank.
Before she could say anything, three notifications quietly appeared before her.
[You are standing in the presence of The Eternal Ascetic.]
[Your soul has been summoned to the timeless space between the worlds.]
[The Time across the universe has been stopped.]
Reina’s eyes widened.
"E... Eternal Ascetic?" She whispered.
A soft chuckle drifted through the endless whiteness.
She stared at the radiant figure in stunned silence. Never, not even after considering every possible outcome she could imagine, had she expected the Patron who almost never spoke to her to summon her personally.
Looking back, it felt almost unreal.
Among countless beings scattered across innumerable worlds, she alone had now stood before not one, but two Supreme Gods of the Heavens.
Whether that made her unimaginably fortunate or whether fate itself had guided her to this moment... she couldn’t tell.
Slowly, Reina lowered her head in reverence.
A moment later, she felt a warm, reassuring weight settle gently upon her head.
An immense current of energy surged through her body, so overwhelming that her knees nearly buckled beneath it. Every part of her seemed to pulse with brilliant light, yet she remained perfectly still, not daring to move until the hand was finally withdrawn.
Only then did she place a hand over her pounding heart.
Her body continued glowing for several moments before the radiance gradually faded, receding within her body. Reina slowly lifted her eyes once more toward the luminous figure standing before her.
"Congratulations on fulfilling your quest, child," the Eternal Ascetic, Lord Shiva said.
"Tha... thank you," Reina replied, unable to stop herself from stuttering.
A faint hint of amusement entered the divine voice.
"You weren’t nervous while speaking to The Preserver. Why do you stutter now?"
Reina cleared her throat.
"It’s nothing."
The Eternal Ascetic said nothing further.
Instead, one of the bluish-white glowing arms slowly extended toward her.
Resting upon the open palm was a small, perfectly round brown object.
Reina stared at it for a long moment before looking back up.
"...What is this?" She asked.
The answer left her utterly speechless and her eyes slowly widened as she looked back at the Eternal Ascetic, who seemed to be smiling beneath the veil of light.
"Go now, child," he said gently. "My blessing shall always guard you."
Back in the present, Ocean looked down at the small brown object resting quietly in his palm.
A faint smile appeared on his face before he slowly lowered himself to one knee and placed his other hand upon the scorched earth. The Supreme Healing Mana flowed steadily from his palm into the ruined ground, spreading silently beneath the cracked surface. Little by little, the charred soil regained its rich brown color as the traces of death lingering within it were gently washed away.
Once he was satisfied, Ocean withdrew his hand and dug into the softened earth with his bare fingers. It wasn’t a deep hole, only enough to cradle something precious. He studied it for a brief moment before giving a small nod to himself and carefully placed the tiny brown seed inside.
Almost immediately, a translucent notification appeared within the corner of his vision.
[Received Reward: Seed of Life.]
[The Seed of Life is the divine relic that contains the essence of the Almighty. It can only be bestowed upon an individual who has personally received the blessings of at least two Supreme Gods of the Heavens. The Seed of Life is a variant of the Seed of the World Tree which stood as the symbol of life and mana. Once planted, the Seed of Life will not grow unless it is continuously nourished by pure mana.]
[Warning: Certain criteria must be fulfilled before the Seed of Life can take root.
1. The original life must first perish.
2. The individual sowing the seed must possess the title of a God.
3. The seed must be nourished with the individual’s own life force for no less than ten minutes.]
[Failure to satisfy every condition before the time limit expires will result in the Seed of Life withering away.]
Ocean quietly read through the description before lowering his eyes toward the tiny seed resting within the earth.
Only now did he truly understand why the Eternal Ascetic had silently infused his body with divine energy before sending him back. Nourishing the Seed of Life demanded not only an immense amount of pure mana but also the sower’s own life force. Had he attempted it with his own reserves alone, he would have exhausted himself long before the ten minutes were over.
A quiet breath escaped him.
Without another word, Ocean gently covered the seed with the surrounding soil before pressing his palm flat against the ground once more. He slowly closed his eyes and guided the immense current of Supreme Healing Mana through his body, allowing it to flow deep beneath the earth where the Seed of Life lay hidden.
A new notification quietly appeared before him.
[Time Remaining Until Seed Germination: 09 Minutes 59 Seconds.]
The Supreme Aqua Dragon’s mana poured into the earth like a raging river. It flowed ceaselessly beneath the scorched ground, spreading farther and farther with every passing second until the sheer amount of pure mana made the entire island tremble beneath its weight.
The Dominus remained completely absorbed in maintaining the ritual and noticed none of it. The others, however, felt the change immediately. The invisible force holding them suspended in the air vanished without warning, and gravity reclaimed them all at once.
They landed upon the frozen ground in varying degrees of shock, their minds still struggling to process everything that had unfolded. Issyrha recovered first.
The moment her feet steadied, every ounce of frustration she had been suppressing surged to the surface. The air around her began steaming from the overwhelming cold radiating from her body as she marched straight toward Ocean, every step carrying the fury of someone who had just watched a Dragon burn down the World Tree.
She had barely reached the mound of ash before she stopped.
Only then did she truly sense it.
An endless torrent of mana was pouring from Ocean into the earth beneath her feet. His shoulders trembled faintly beneath the strain while wisps of pale blue mist drifted from his body, dissolving into the air before sinking into the ground again. It wasn’t merely mana being released.
It was as though something beneath the earth was relentlessly drawing it out of him.
Issyrha frowned and stepped onto the mound, intending to drag him away by force.
The instant her foot touched the scorched ground, an overwhelming sensation seized her.
It felt as though an invisible whirlpool had locked onto the very essence of her existence, threatening to pull not only her mana but even the strength of her Mana Heart into the earth below. Every instinct within her screamed the same warning.
Do not go any closer.
Issyrha immediately stumbled backward, genuine shock replacing the anger that had filled her moments earlier. She had stood before Demon Lords, fought alongside the ancient Dragons and even faced the Demon King without flinching, yet this quiet patch of earth made every fiber of her being recoil.
She remained where she was, watching helplessly as the pale blue mist continued rising from Ocean’s body while an endless current of pure mana surged deep beneath the island.
A notification quietly flickered before Ocean.
[Time Remaining Until Seed Germination: 07 Minutes 52 Seconds.]
None of the others could see it.
They could only feel the change spreading beneath their feet.
Zale, Erisgrirlum, Aelfric and Xeveris slowly lifted their heads as the same wave of pure mana passed beneath them. It carried an indescribably familiar feeling, ancient yet comforting, as though something forgotten had quietly begun stirring beneath the roots of the world itself.
"W-What is this?" Xeveris murmured.
Aelfric slowly widened his eyes as he looked toward the thawing earth.
"...This feeling..." he whispered. "It almost feels like Yggdrasil’s mana... but how could that be?"
Before either of them could make sense of it, a long sigh escaped Zale.
He simply lowered himself onto the icy ground, the tension finally leaving his shoulders as relief washed across his face. A small smile appeared despite himself.
"Master..." He muttered with a quiet laugh. "You nearly scared me to death."
He shook his head before looking toward Ocean.
"So... you already had a plan before pulling that stunt."
Erisgrirlum, Aelfric and Xeveris turned toward the Merfolk King in confusion. Zale merely smiled back at them before jutting his chin and quietly gesturing toward the mound of ashes that were rising in the air, circling around Ocean like a tornado coming alive.
Another notification silently appeared before Ocean.
[Time Remaining Until Seed Germination: 06 Minutes 47 Seconds.]
"Every ending... brings a new beginning."
The Eternal Ascetic’s words echoed quietly through Ocean’s mind as he felt something firm nudge against his palm from beneath the earth.
The network of roots erupted through the soil beneath him, spreading in every direction while greedily drawing upon his mana and life force. Ocean’s shoulders trembled from the relentless drain, yet he remained perfectly still. Slowly, delicate twigs pushed through the gaps between his fingers, brushing lightly against his skin.
Ocean opened his eyes.
An emerald bud had emerged from the earth.
Its tiny leaves slowly unfurled beneath his hand, impossibly vibrant against the sea of gray ash that still covered the surrounding ground.
Above them, the sky had already turned a deep crimson.
The four pillars of black light that had pierced the skies moments earlier gradually converged into a single point before collapsing inward upon themselves. In their place remained a vast black circle suspended in the sky, its darkness so complete that it resembled a bottomless void carved into the skies themselves.
The four who remained unfrozen instinctively rose to their feet.
For a brief moment, their eyes lingered on Ocean before slowly lifting toward the growing darkness overhead.
Issyrha’s expression hardened. Her gaze remained fixed upon the black circle as the ominous pressure steadily intensified around it.
The ritual was nearly complete.
Within moments, one of the Demon Lords would descend into the world.
She glanced once toward Ocean who was amid the tornado of the ashes of Yggdrasil.
The young Dragon never looked up. His entire focus remained on the tiny sprout beneath his hand as wave after wave of Supreme Healing Mana continued pouring into the earth without pause.
Issyrha slowly drew a breath before lifting her eyes back toward the sky.
From within the endless darkness, something moved.
A single enormous crimson eye gradually opened, its black slit-like pupil silently gazing down upon the world below.
Issyrha’s scowl deepened. Since matters had reached this point...
She would have to stop the Demon Lord herself before it crossed into this world.
A new notification quietly appeared before Ocean.
[Time Remaining Until Seed Germination: 05 Minutes 30 Seconds.]
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