Ben lost track of time, but as soon as he finished mapping the flow, he went to a random ruin and set some Array. And he put inside it the multiple emergency notes with the information he absorbed.

Yet, Ben didn't show any happiness. The feeling of his mind wanting to explode didn't allow him to.

The exhaustion drove him to a state of absentmindedness, where he acted with a clear goal but was still somewhat careless.

So, because of that, the notes weren't clean at all. They were just some messy information dump. And they weren't even standardized, as some notes held different data, expressed and organized in diverse forms.

However, Ben didn't focus on fixing that, as he didn't mind how it looked, only if it contained some valuable tip or not. He could act like that because the presentation wasn't as important. He had chosen to bring attention to those notes with his actions rather than sit around and wait.

So, that's why he moved as soon as he finished setting up this simple Array. And once Ben was gone, the world's future hinged on a few fragile-coded Array lines.

---

The had been going through a hurricane of issues for over a year.

First, they dealt with the consequences of the war.

Then, it was an all-out preparation for what might come. The drastic change surprised the faction's members. But that surprised those from outside that had relations with them even more.

The latter noticed how the were preparing for some world-ending catastrophe. And while some received some intel on why they were acting like this, they had a hard time understanding the extreme actions.

Many have even considered it was only an excuse to turtle up due to their last war. But also found that weird because of how easily the won.

But the rumors outside didn't stop Ginn's faction at all. And their close friends from the Clearsky Auction could notice it the most, how desperate Ginn and the other were.

However, despite their decisiveness, the still were as much in the darkness as all the other groups.

Even Ginn stopped feeling the ritual once the consequences of the battle against it cooled down.

Yet, disconnecting from the flow didn't make Ginn calmer. It had the opposite result, as he grew even more frantic once that happened.

"You're going insane," Max commented on Ginn's state.

"No need to tell me. I know. Do you also need to mention how I'm just a spoiled brat? Too comfortable with always being in control?"

"We don't mean it like that," Mirana added.

"This might not work," Dinna said.

"No. Let me rephrase that. This thing won't work."

Dinna Mortez was worried about her friend's future. His actions grew destructive as his power kept expanding.

"I know. But do any of you have a better idea? I can't dig a hole and hide. And does such power level even counts if I can't do anything with it? It's a waste."

"But your body may implode. And I can't do much on that case." Max Bluebear replied.

The Doctor looked pale and anxious.

"Ben would likely say I'm being too safe."

"But he isn't here. He's gone with Syd, and we got no news about him." Mirana said bitterly.

"I can't sense it. I can't see signs of it."

"Don't you think it failed? I don't understand why that couldn't be the case." Yuri Green asked while sitting in the corner of the room.

"You know already. It feels like it healed, as in the damage was patched."

"But isn't Ben's action taking too long?" Dinna asked. "He doesn't seem the kind of person to be patient."

"Who knows what that asshole is doing. I only know that I want to be able to act if needed. And if taking those risks is required, then so be it."

"Alright, on my side, the preparations are done." Dinna notified her friends.

"You were the last, so do we start immediately? I hope that when we finish, we also have good news from Matt and Eloise." Mirana asked.

"Do it since the less we wait, the better," Ginn said hurriedly.

"Yukk, begin it!" Ginn yelled.

---

The world was acting like usual. However, deep behind the curtains, some inquietude sprouted, as some incredible figure became tense. Even if those apex figures didn't take action, every change in their intention sent waves of worry through their peers' hearts.

---

"First, it was the asshole from Volcano acting weird, and now we have a rat sniffing around?" Duke Greatstar asked.

His subordinates trembled under the Duke's angry gaze.

"We already began the torture. However, there was no response. The subject is completely unresponsive to our procedures."

"So, since you all are useless, you came to ask for help. But why can't you do your job?"

"This guy is an oddity. We've never seen anything like it before. Otherwise, we wouldn't disturb the Elders."

"We hold high interest toward anything eccentric. Why don't I have a look at it?"

A young man interrupted the Duke without showing modesty.

"Weren't you all occupied worrying about Volcano?" Greatstar asked.

"Well, since a rat came around, it could also be related to us. We're unique, so we expect that unique things also respond to our actions."

"But no one should know you are here."

"And those idiots who act like babysitters shouldn't have noticed anything, either. But here we are."

"Fair enough then. Since we're working together, I won't mind, but don't reach for more than you should. This place is still under my jurisdiction."

"Just some kid playground. Do you think I care enough? Once I finish the job I came here for, I'll be leaving."

The Duke ignored the lack of respect. While he felt he needed to be careful, he could only act so authoritarian, given the people above this young man.

"Should we prepare the dungeon? Our guest will be paying a visit."

"Don't bother with that. Just bring the creature here. We can dissect the body in the open, so you don't have to worry about me going into places I shouldn't."

"Alright, bring the prisoner here," Duke ordered his subordinates after showing an angry expression for a short moment.

"Duke, Duke, you shouldn't wear your expressions on your face so easily. You're lucky I'm a humble man, or you might lose your life for nothing."

Yet, Greatstar only humphed in return.

---

The Greatstar Duchy had been peaceful for thousands of years.

The public especially loved the current Duke due to his caring reign.

Many held him as the perfect ruler, and around the world, his influence grew as people tried to learn from how good he was at managing his territory.

Today was just another day in this busy capital, as people happily lived their lives.

Bussiness happened as usual, and the weather was fantastic. However, something brewed hidden from everyone's eyes.

Inside the Duke's castle, a special guest was waiting for a prisoner.

Despite it taking more than an hour, the young man showed no lack of patience. He just sat beside the Duke's throne and enjoyed some tea.

Breaking the silence in the room, the Duke's subordinate who informed about the spy finally came back carrying a body.

They carried the chained and unconscious prisoner into the room and closer to the throne.

Perusing the cultivator in front of him, the Duke didn't notice anything unique about his aura.

Neither did the young man beside him.

However, they could easily see it.

The head of this middle-aged man was cut in half and exposed some deep-black matter.

They could all also see that the same matter was inside the prisoner's arms and chest.

The Duke's subordinates had cut the man and exposed his weird inside.

"No wonder they were adamant in showing this to someone else." The young man whispered.

"He showed no reaction while being cut?" The Duke asked.

"No. The last movement the spy showed was before being caught. He shut himself completely off since then."

"And you mentioned that this matter can't be interacted with?"

"It didn't respond to anything we did. And we tried everything, which includes bringing a swordsman and trying to slice it."

The Duke looked to his left and saw the young man's eyes beaming.

"You seem very happy."

"My master will be delighted with such an incredible gift."

"I hope you don't swindle me out of its value."

"You shouldn't bite more than you can chew. Keep testing us, and you might see this Duchy obliteration."

"As if you can act so naughty. If you could, you wouldn't be acting from the shadows."

"Somethings are worth the risks." After saying this, the young man stood up and began walking toward the prisoner.

The Duke stopped his provocation but didn't stay behind and also stood up and walked closer.

The cultivators around them all tensed up, preparing for any unexpected occurrences.

However, they didn't act out of worry but only out of habit.

Since the young man taking the lead was the strongest in this room by far, no one else felt unease.

If anyone questioned their carelessness, they would ask: 'What could even happen with an apex figure inside the room?'