Chapter 431: Chapter 431 - Tamers War - Final Ingredient King Coleoran Hexenmane received the war report from outside a closed door, the messenger’s words filtering through like whispers of failure. The bridge remained blocked, with no signs of real progress. It was expected for a distraction, but still felt unpleasant to think about the massive resources he had invested for mobilization. And there was still no news from Hagen... they were taking longer than expected for some reason he couldn’t determine from his position, and his group had the most important mission they all had to wait for. The only relatively good news was that the traitor on the other side, in whom they had also invested so much time and resources, was finally bearing fruit. Though not without problems either. Ravenspire had to be sent to rescue Kassian... a mission that seemed it would succeed without too many problems with his high-level flying squadron, but represented a waste of valuable resources. Ravenspire could have used that proactivity to take the bridge when they activated phase 2 soon. At least the damned Goldcrest brat had finally decided to take the last phase of his treatment to fully develop the ’puppeteer’... the most interesting abyssal beast according to Selthia, which had only accepted him. The messenger withdrew, his steps receding down the corridor without ever having entered the room where his king waited. ♢♢♢♢ Coleoran remained alone with his dark thoughts. He briefly wondered if he could unblock the bridge using simply his own power... everything they had obtained up to this point. Was it really necessary to go to the maximum? Risk everything on this final gamble? ’No,’ he corrected himself mentally, his hands clenching into fists. ’That’s not the point... this ’great power’ isn’t the point. This potion is the only path to fulfill my true objective, power is a secondary effect.’ Once they were ready, he could send the true leaders to finish this insignificant war and obtain what the crystal needed beneath the castle. He just needed two things... to wait for Hagen to guide the abyssal creatures toward the World Dragon’s Light, then those wouldn’t interfere with the crystal when it connected, and second... he needed to complete the last potion to fully unlock the potential he had been seeking for years. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺 And that very second of those two needs was right within reach of his hands. There was no other option to reach the ’perfect internal world’ that the Grand Crystal had promised would exist within it at the end. The promise had consumed his thoughts for years, a realm where death held no dominion, where pain could be edited out of existence, where every imperfection could be corrected through absolute control. There was indeed no other option... ’NO!’ he roared internally. ’NONE!’ Coleoran lowered the hands holding the ceremonial dagger, the crystal gleaming with inscriptions that pulsed with abyssal power. The blade found flesh with minimal resistance, penetrating the chest of the Silver-rank tamer who had been waiting silently for his fate. The man didn’t even scream. The preparation process had included sedatives that kept his mind calm even while his life drained toward the receptacle that would capture his vital essence as Coleoran extracted his ’mana core’. He was the first of many he would sacrifice to unlock the true potential of a tamer incorrectly called ’abyssal’. That abhorrent potion... First, he had taken the personal risk. His son Rhys wasn’t ready to succeed him, but risking him first was unthinkable. Just as endangering Selthia, his little star who was more valuable than all his armies combined. Giving initial power to Ravenspire, Bloodwyn, or Venmont would have been dangerous too. Although they were loyal, if they obtained too much power before him, they might begin questioning why they followed orders instead of giving them. ’I have no other choice,’ he thought as the sacrifice’s blood mixed with ingredients that had cost fortunes to obtain. ’But my girl insisted it was safe.’ All that remained was believing in the Grand Crystal’s words, transmitted through the innocent lips of a girl who didn’t fully understand the horror of what she translated. ♢♢♢♢ The potion was ready after an hour of meticulous preparation. The liquid in the chalice was such a deep purple it seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Small currents of energy danced on its surface like miniaturized serpents, and the air around it distorted with power that transcended anything Coleoran had experienced before. The King drank it without hesitation, it was too late for doubt... the metallic taste of blood mixing with the very essence of transformative power. The effects were immediate and overwhelming. His corrupt Silver beasts, which had been struggling with the limits of their rank, finally ascended to Gold. He could feel each one transforming within him, their forms evolving, their powers expanding. But the physical change wasn’t the most significant. The difficult control of beast sensations disappeared like a ghost before light. The constant anger that had been corroding the edges of his consciousness reduced to a manageable whisper. Part of his mind seemed to feel better, hear with greater clarity. And the Grand Crystal... the Grand Crystal whispered promises he could now understand with relative clarity. Visions of a world where death was optional, where pain could be eliminated, where all uncertainty and fear could be resolved through absolute control. A perfect world encapsulated within the crystal, waiting only for someone with sufficient power to feed it... to create it. ’Closer,’ the crystalline voices whispered. ’Closer to your true objective.’ Now with this power in his hands, he could be sure he had the means to increase his subordinates’ power enough to end this war, but without them ever surpassing him. Now he had the means to push the conflict toward its inevitable conclusion. Now... The King breathed deeply, feeling power that rivaled ancient legends coursing through his veins. ’No,’ he decided with a clarity that surprised even himself. His past sorrows for his people mattered little now... he felt different. ’Winning this foolish war of irrelevant numbers can wait.’ There was something much more important that required his immediate attention. Something that could determine not only the outcome of this minor conflict, but the fate of the world itself. ’First... if Selthia takes it too... what kind of things will she hear this time?’ The little girl who had been his faithful translator deserved to hear better the voices she had been channeling. And if the process elevated her to the same level of clarity he had achieved... The possibilities were both thrilling and terrifying. In the silence of his chamber, surrounded by the remnants of rituals that would have horrified any observer, King Coleoran began planning not the victory of a war, but the transformation of his reality itself. After all, what value was there in being king of kingdoms if you could create worlds?