"It looks like I'll have to keep this."

Merlin knew that he could not destroy the base for now. Nonetheless, he must control the people, at least until the void-level warships had been manufactured.

As for the energy, Merlin's Golden Ray Armor had devoured the Dimension Core. Naturally, he could give up a portion of it. As the Dimension Core was immense, even just a small portion was enough to maintain the operations of the entire base.

The only troublesome aspect was to control the Atlans in the base. Now, he could not leave them for the base would not operate as normal, and Merlin could not possibly stay in the Atlan Dimension the entire time.

"It looks like I can only control the entire base for now. After resolving the matter of the Atlan Dimension, I'll let the Mind avatar1come here to replace me and control the people in the base."

Merlin was unwilling to let go of these people in the base. After all, those who were involved in manufacturing the void-level warships were surely Atlans who knew the most about their civilization. They were valuable. Moreover, Merlin still hoped to continue creating more void-level warships in the future.

"I'll leave behind a portion of my Mind Power first to control the base!"

Merlin had a flash of inspiration. Now that he had the Illusory World, he could divide a portion of his Mind Power to construct an individual illusory world. However, this would cause some loss to Merlin's Illusory World.

It was just that this additional illusory world would be far too small, and would not harm the core of the Illusory World.

"Illusory World, divide!"

Merlin swiftly divided the smaller illusory world which enveloped the entire base. Nonetheless, the Mind Power in this world could not be maintained for long, so Merlin had to leave the Atlan Dimension as soon as he could, letting the Mind avatar take over in overseeing the secret base.

"Didimoss, let's go."

Merlin immediately left the base with the black cat Didimoss, appearing once again in the hopeship. Now, it was time for Merlin to attempt controlling the entire Atlan civilization.

"Merlin, do you want me to gobble them up? These Atlans are puny indeed but their warships are rather impressive, though the flavor's nothing much…"

The black cat Didimoss smirked. In his eyes, the only categories were tasty and not tasty.

"Can you eat all of them?"

Merlin shook his head. Before this, he was uncertain that he could control the Atlan Dimension but now, after obtaining the Dimension Core, his assurance was much greater.

The entire Atlan Dimension was built by the Vestigial Tribe, so it was significantly different from the dimensions which had slowly formed in the Void Zone. The dimension created by the Vestigial Tribe, naturally, did not have an Elemental Origin and could not be controlled by Legendary Wizards. Even ultimate existences could not control it.

Nonetheless, this dimension was ultimately created by the Vestigial Tribe. Of course, the Vestigial Tribe had its way to control the dimension. When the Vestigial Tribe left it behind, it was meant for those who had the blood of the Vestigial Tribe.

Therefore, the Dimension Core was the key to controlling the Atlan Dimension! Whoever who could obtain the Dimension Core would then control the Atlan Dimension. According to the Vestigial Tribe's plan, only the Golden Ray Armor could devour such a colossal Dimension Core, and the Golden Ray Armor could only be controlled by those who had the blood of the Vestigial Tribe and the Brain of Life.

Cycle after cycle, only the Vestigial Tribe would finally obtain the Dimension Core and control the Atlan Dimension. No one else could control it. However, an anomaly like Merlin had appeared. Even the Vestigial Tribe would have no way to predict that there would be something as mystical as "the Matrix" that could absorb the program controlling the Golden Ray Armor that was left by the Vestigial Tribe. This indirectly allowed Merlin to control the Golden Ray Armor and devour the Dimension Core, thus obtaining the controlling rights to the Atlan Dimension.

Now, Merlin was faced with two options. How should he control the Atlan Dimension?

If he suppressed the Atlan civilization by force, then slowly moved Spell Casters into the Atlan Dimension, based on the haughty attitudes of the Atlans, it would be difficult for them to live in harmony. Who knew how many disputes would erupt?

Therefore, assimilation would not work at all. In that case, there was only one other recourse, which was to purge the entire Atlan Dimension, leaving only the Altans in the base who were forever controlled. This would return the Atlan Dimension to an uncivilized era with no intelligent life.

Before the Atlan civilization, a few intelligent civilizations had been born but they subsequently vanished due to various reasons.

"Wiping out the Atlan civilization… This is a civilization war. There's no wrong or right!"

Merlin shut his eyes lightly. As someone who could be labeled as a contender in the Void Zone, the Legend Glory of the Spell Caster civilization, Merlin had witnessed the rise and fall of weak civilizations. Back during the war against the Rock Tribe, a contender's attack could destroy a dimension, causing the puny civilizations in the dimension to vanish completely.

Nevertheless, this would be Merlin's first time destroying a civilization by himself!

"Destroy then…"

Merlin spoke softly. Through the Dimension Core, he had already controlled the Atlan Dimension. he could mobilize various forces in this dimension.

At once, countless Spatial Windstorms began to wreak havoc while various natural disasters assaulted the starships. If the Atlan civilization still had a power source, they could even withstand some of the Atlan Dimension's forces.

However, the Atlan civilization which had lost its power source was incomparably fragile. Even the mightiest warship could not be activated. This was a civilization built upon energy. Fortress cannons, armed spaceships, and other various weapons all could not be used.

"Boom boom boom."

Thus, Spatial Windstorms swept over and starships exploded one by one. Countless Atlans were wailing in tears. Perhaps many of them were innocent, not knowing anything about the war between the Atlan civilization and the Void Zone's Spell Caster civilization.

Nevertheless, this was a civilization war. Once defeated, one must bear the consequences.

One starship after another was easily annihilated, making Merlin feel omnipotent. He thought about the Illusory World, which was also under his control. With a single thought, he could easily destroy the Illusory World.

"If the Void Zone was also controlled by someone, then aren't we pitiful with our fates always in someone else's hands?"

Merlin raised his head and looked at the sky, his gaze going beyond the Atlan Dimension toward the Void Zone. That vast and boundless, incomparably endless Void Zone, was it controlled by someone?

"A frightening being like Aruba who could freely travel between the Latitude Cosmos – even he didn't mention a controller. Most likely, the Void Zone has no controller. If I can materialize the Illusory World, then I'll become a controller of a Latitude Cosmo!"

All along, Merlin did not have much of an ambitious goal, constantly growing stronger, actively or passively. However, as he controlled the Atlan Dimension now and destroyed the Atlan civilization that had prospered once, his heart was finally gripped by longing.

It was the first time he had such an urgent desire, such a definite objective – to materialize the Illusory World as reality and become ruler of a Latitude Cosmo comparable to the Void Zone!

Perhaps only at that point, Merlin would not be treated by others as he treated the Atlans, controlling their fates.

The entire Atlan Dimension was now experiencing an apocalypse. The Atlan civilization that once prospered was drowning in calamities. One by one, the starships were annihilated by the Spatial Windstorms. In a few days, more than half of the Atlan civilization was destroyed.

If this continued, then in a few days, the Atlan civilization would be thoroughly destroyed. The splendid, brilliant civilization that they had established would become like the previous intelligent civilizations in the Atlan Dimension, reduced to history's dust.

The black cat Didimoss stared with wide eyes. Naturally, he could feel the changes in the Atlan Dimension. This misfortune of a civilization being destroyed and worlds cast into chaos was truly shocking.

From his perspective, even the warships and fortress cannons that had been a threat were now mere decoration, crushed into smithereens by the Spatial Windstorms. A civilization had collapsed in an instant just like that.

"Merlin, you've destroyed the Atlan civilization?"

The black cat Didimoss suddenly asked softly. He sensed something odd about Merlin.

"I've controlled the Dimension Core, so of course I control the Atlan Dimension. With the Atlan civilization around, the Atlan Dimension wouldn't be peaceful, so I might as well destroy them. The Atlan Dimension would be useful in the future, so I must control it. If you face the dead end one day, you can stay in the Atlan Dimension."

The black cat Didimoss nodded. He was just somewhat taken aback that Merlin could destroy a civilization in an instant. Not even ultimate existences could do something like this for they had no way of destroying the Atlan Dimension.

Nevertheless, since Merlin was controlling the Atlan Dimension, it was different. It was a piece of cake for the controller of a dimension to destroy a civilization in the dimension. All that was needed was a thought.

The Spatial Windstorms caused incessant devastation. In the end, other than the hopeship, other places of the Atlan civilization were in ruins. Perhaps some escaped this calamity by a fluke but after the Spell Casters had moved into the Atlan Dimension on a wide scale, these Atlans who had escaped would be of no threat.

"Didimoss, devour those on the hopeship. Eat anything you want to, except for the secret base."

Merlin pointed at the hopeship behind him. There were still people from the army and ordinary Atlans inside. Merlin had not forgotten them. He only wished to preserve the secret base that manufactured the void-level warships. Other Atlans were unnecessary. Keeping them would only be trouble.

"Haha, Merlin, I can finally have a feast."

The black cat Didimoss gave a deafening snarl as his body swelled up, turning into a fearsome monster that opened his mouth, starting to devour frantically in the hopeship…

The author states "Maxim avatar" here but this is likely a typo, considering that only the Mind avatar can employ Mind Control.