BOOK 4: CHAPTER 17: TERRITORY

No less than half a day passed before the stream of Might, mixed with pure Blood and Vitae, had seeped fully into the four colossal sculptures. It was already the morning of the next day, though David wasn’t tired. He hadn’t been tired for quite a while now.

Ascendants don’t need as much sleep as others, he thought—ignoring the fact that he wasn’t even a full-fledged Ascendant. Any normal Ascendant would start at 1-Star. His situation was different. And now that he had created four Idols, David was once again further away from advancing to 1-Star.

“At least the bonds didn’t weaken. That would have been worse than losing some progress,” he muttered to himself, his eyes lingering on the Idols, whose grayish surface was now crimson and even more vibrant than pure Blood.

The sculptures no longer looked like inanimate masterpieces. They were coated in a black, seemingly all-consuming frame of Void that contained his presence. Each of the four Idols was a part of him, and they felt alive—even if they weren’t.

Conjuring the information of his Divine Seed, he confirmed his suspicion.

[Divine Seed]

Rank – Starless (0.85%)

Affliction – Unique (Twin Paths)

Champions – 1 (Electra)

Idols – 4x Guardians (Orhain – Firm Connection)

Sworn – 0

Bonds – 6211 (25 Neutral)

Path of Favor – 4224 (895x Favorable, 1736x Trusting, 1487x Loyal/Follower, 104x Believer, 2x Devotee)

Path of Conflict – 1962 (492x Negative, 289x Critic, 609x Dissenter, 572x Opponent)

He lost exactly 78 percent of his progress to 1-Star. However, if not for Electra investing most of her Might previously, even that wouldn’t have been enough.

Aside from Divine Seed’s progress, his Corrupted Divine Heart felt empty—deprived of a large chunk of its power. A quick check of his status screen confirmed that his Vitae had decreased to a mere 116 units—exactly 200 less than before. Cleansing a portion of the land of the dead, devouring several ruined cities over the course of the last few weeks, and more had been infused into the Idols, transforming them into Guardians.

While Vitae was still strong, the sudden disappearance of nearly two-thirds hurt a lot.

David’s bond with Electra flared up and filled him with warmth, images, and information only a century-old Sacred Beast could have.

“Yeah, I know. I didn’t lose any power, but that doesn’t mean it’s a pleasant sight,” he grumbled as Electra informed him that he still retained the power intertwined into his body, mind, and soul. He wasn’t weaker than before, yet that didn’t change the hard facts: it would take a while for the steady stream of power to refill the gaping holes the creation of four Idols had created.

He was not weaker than before. It just felt… weird.

Looking at the Idols, David was rather satisfied. Everything he felt from them felt right, and he didn’t doubt his decision to stunt his progress for a moment. He was sure the benefits would outweigh the loss of progress within a few months. Ｒ𝘼Ŋȱ𝐁ĚṦ

The Idols were like Echos. However, they did not consume any energy at this moment, as David sent them into hibernation. They were a part of him, but the Idols didn’t need him to activate and unravel their power. Their defensive mechanism would trigger the instant danger approached Orhain and threatened its citizens. Anyone who prayed to the Idols would strengthen their connection with him, elevating the power gained from their bonds beyond their regular limit.

Somehow, normal Idols were like Champions. Unmoving Champions, but Champions nonetheless.

David’s Champions, on the other hand, were more like Champion Golems. After all, they could move, attack, and defend.

He scooped them up, stored them in his defective storage device, and searched for the perfect location to place them. It sounded like a good idea to place them around town—precisely where most citizens gathered and passed by—but he discarded that plan after a moment.

Right now, Orhain was merely a small town. It housed just under 4,000 people and was well protected by two-layered walls and various defensive mechanisms. But how long would Orhain remain a mere town? He had 31 anchored Rifts connecting to other dimensions with various valuable resources across Kamia, and some of those Rifts were connected with other worlds.

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Orhain was near the center of the isolated country, and it could transform into its capital as long as he played his cards right. It would require time, resources, energy, and lots of help from Maja and others, but that was within his means. He could rebuild Kamia, cleanse it of the undead plague, and transform Orhain into its capital.

Therefore, considering his options and the known future plans for Orhain’s expansion, David retrieved the Idols and installed them in the locations where the town planned to grow in the near future. The main streets, plazas, and market squares would be constructed around the Idols, transforming them into anchor points for the future capital of the isolated country. Or should he call it a ‘kingdom’? His kingdom-to-be?

David placed the last Guardian Idol, completing a perfect square that encompassed the entire town and nearly 50 square kilometers of land, when the Corrupted Divine Heart stirred. It pulsated with tremendous force, interrupting David’s thoughts of the future. His mind blanked momentarily as System notifications popped up, while something deep within his heart changed and shifted—expanded.

It was the Divine Seed, and it grew stronger even though it shouldn’t have.

[Congratulations Ascendant, you meet all requirements to claim your first territory!

To fortify your right to claim the native settlement, Orhain, and the surrounding landmass, you need to maintain your connection with the natives and strengthen them for an extended period.

To grant nearby Ascendants the opportunity to dispute your claim to Orhain, and the surrounding landmass, you have to stay within your territory for–...]

The screen disappeared all of a sudden. It was replaced by a vibrant red screen that contained a new message.

[Error! Error!

Starless Ascendant has been detected!

Terminate the right to claim!

Error! Error!

True Divine Seed has been detected.

Twin Paths have been detected.

One Champion - Sacred Beast - has been detected.

Four Guardian Idols have been detected.

6211 Bonds have been detected.

Connection to the Weave has been verified.

Commence.

Time required to claim Orhain and the surrounding landmass → 89D:23H:59M:59S]

[Remark: To claim a territory the Ascendant requires, at least, 100 bonds of the lowest rank, and a 1-Star Divine Seed.

A vast and fortified connection to the Weave allows you to claim smaller territories in a shorter duration.]

“What the fuck?”

David was still staring into the empty air before him even as the System messages dispersed. Confused, he checked on the Divine Seed, only to realize that nothing had changed. Not really, at least. The percentage of his Divine Seed was still the same, and it hadn’t suddenly reached 1-Star either. Yet, while nothing seemed to have changed on the surface, David felt a well of power stir within him.

He felt like he was on the verge of collapse, yet at the same time, it felt like his connection to the Weave was growing. The connection was strained, but its presence was more intense than ever. Not even the fight with the Ancient Death Knight was comparable.

Electra hissed excitedly and nudged his shoulder with her tiny head. More information—detailed and incredibly helpful—riveted through the bond, explaining... a lot.

“You knew this would happen? Why didn’t you tell me anything?”

Emotions passed through their connection.

“To surprise me? That is... cocky.” David burst out in laughter.

Being a Starless Ascendant was not unheard of, apparently. However, Starless Ascendants weren’t supposed to be able to claim a territory. It may only require one bond at the fourth stage or higher, but it also required access to the Weave, and that was not something a Starless Ascendant was supposed to have—let alone four Idols spreading their influence across the territory.

The distance from Starless to 1-Star was wide. However, it was insignificant compared to the gap between 1-Star and 2-Star. A 1-Star Ascendant didn’t have to spend 20 percent of their hard-earned progress to cheat their way into creating an Idol. David did. Worse even, if he hadn’t cheated using [Bloodlife Echo], an enormous amount of pure Blood and Vitae, it would have cost twice as much to create an Idol.

That was definitely not something a Starless Ascendant could afford.

But despite the thousands of bonds, four Idols, a firm connection to the Weave, and a Sacred Beast Champion, David would still have to stay 90 days in Orhain to completely claim the town?

Staying three months in the town was hardly an issue, but the gains were what confused him. However, it all explained itself once Electra’s information packages nestled in his mind.

Claiming a territory will connect me to the land? he thought, tilting his head as he let the information sink in.

Connecting to the land would bind him to the Earthen Union, which—just like any other world—was directly connected to the Weave. It would strengthen his connection to the Weave and reinforce his bonds with all those who resided in his territory.

“Will that affect the neutral bonds as well?” he wondered, which Electra confirmed with a subtle nod.

“And I don’t have to stay in Orhain after the territory is mine. The bonds will naturally grow stronger.” David muttered, grimacing like a fool.

It looked like his plan to transform Kamia into his headquarters would work out fine. He’d make sure the town would thrive and transform into a massive city. And, if the opportunity arose, he would transform the rest of Kamia into his territory as well. But to do that, he would have to remove all those with the means to dispute his right to the country.

There weren’t any Ascendants in Kamia—not that he knew of, at least. However, there were various anchored Rifts connecting to worlds that had Ascendants. David couldn’t tell how far the Earthen Union was or how long it would take before the first foreign Ascendants descended upon the world, but he would have to make sure he was stronger by then. Strong enough to defend his territory, and strong enough to spread Conflict when Favor was no longer a feasible option.

But first, he had a territory to claim!