Emperor of the Source

Adrian and Hestia stood within the UNI-Hub's corridor, watching as the figures of Yselia and Casmir moved further away, their presence gradually fading into the distance until they disappeared completely into the teleportation section.

After a brief silence, Hestia turned slightly toward Adrian, her expression carrying a mixture of contemplation and genuine curiosity.

"Did we really have to keep provoking her?" she asked. Her voice remained measured, "Bleeding her financially during the auction was a calculated move to damage her sect's foundation, but openly mocking her afterward… was that truly necessary? By pushing her to that extent, we are ensuring that when she strikes, her wrath will be absolute."

Adrian gave a faint, knowing smile in response. To someone like Hestia, who had spent years carefully balancing politics, resources, and survival in order to protect her sect, deliberately provoking a powerful enemy would naturally appear reckless. But Adrian's path had been shaped by different circumstances and far harsher lessons.

"If we do not crush the hand raised against us," Adrian replied calmly, his gaze still tracking the direction where Yselia had vanished, "then that hand will never stop striking. We are only safe when we are feared."

He had learned this lesson the hard way during his encounters with the Aethelian Empire, where patience and restraint had been interpreted not as strength, but as weakness, inviting further humiliation and aggression. Back then, he had come to understand that protecting those under him required more than endurance; it required establishing absolute boundaries that no enemy would dare to cross.

But still, one cannot do things recklessly, because that would ultimately not end well. Adrian was not acting out of blind recklessness right now. His recent surge in strength, particularly the dramatic increase in his mana reserves, played a role in his confidence, but it was far from the only factor guiding his actions.

Adrian continued, his tone steady as he revealed the underlying layer of his actions. "If we had remained silent, she would have recovered and launched a direct assault. But now, by deliberately suggesting that we intend to use our new wealth to buy out the Ashen Vortex Sect's mercenaries, we have misled her. Everything I said today was meant to create that misdirection."

Hestia's pale gold eyes sharpened as understanding began to take form within them, the pieces of his strategy falling into place.

"She now believes I am nothing more than an arrogant, discarded disciple," Adrian said, his voice dropping lower as a group of cultivators passed nearby. "She thinks our entire plan revolves around outspending her and purchasing the loyalty of her allies. Because of that, she is leaving this place convinced that she fully understands our limits."

He paused briefly, his gaze drifting across the vast expanse of the UNI-Hub before continuing in a softer tone. "When she finally moves against us, she will expect to face an overconfident lesser minor sect relying on wealth rather than strength. That expectation will become our advantage when the war begins."

Hestia remained silent for a moment as she processed everything. Her mind, which had been burdened with countless concerns in recent days, now refocused with clarity. The misdirection Adrian had created was simple on the surface, yet it opened multiple strategic pathways. Even if Yselia eventually saw through the misdirection, the mere existence of that possibility would plant a seed within her and would influence her decisions.

Yselia truly did not know the exact financial capacity of the Crimson Vital Sect; she would only know that the sect had been earning well. This would create uncertainty within her. What if the Crimson Vital Sect truly had enough resources to influence the Ashen Vortex Sect? What if the mercenaries shifted their allegiance?

Mercenaries operated based on profit. While long-standing alliances did exist, they were not immune to influence. Even if Yselia suspected deception, she would be forced to act as though the threat was real. She might increase her spending to secure her alliance, reinforcing contracts at higher costs simply to prevent any possibility of betrayal. In that sense, Adrian's misdirection had already begun to take effect.

After considering all of this, Hestia finally spoke again. "Your idea is sound," she admitted, "But there is a problem. We know the Everlasting Pill Sect has an alliance with the Ashen Vortex Sect, but we do not know how strong that connection truly is. Even Yselia herself spoke of a million-year alliance. If that is true and if their alliance is extremely strong, then what we have done today may not have any real impact."

Adrian nodded slightly. "That is fine. There is nothing wrong with testing the waters. Even if it achieves nothing, it does not change the outcome. We will win this war regardless."

Hestia's gaze sharpened immediately, "How can you say that with such certainty?" she asked, taking a half-step closer. "As you already understand, even hiring mercenaries will only prolong the conflict. And while both of us are at the Peak Rule Stage, I am certain Yselia can hire someone of similar strength if she expended high-level resources. In the end, the outcome of this war remains unpredictable. So how can you be so sure of victory? What is your plan beyond mercenaries?"

She had asked this question once before, back at the sect, but Adrian had not answered her then. At the time, she had assumed that he intended to call upon the forces behind his mysterious origin, and she still had this same assumption. However, the situation had escalated significantly. As the sect leader, she could no longer afford to remain unaware of the true strategy. If Adrian's plan was not what she believed it to be, and if it carried risks she had not accounted for, then she needed to prepare her own contingencies.

"I understand that you may have things you cannot share," Hestia continued, "Everyone has their secrets. But you must also understand the situation we are in. This is not a minor conflict. Our sect could be destroyed in this war. As its leader, I need to know whether you have a real backup plan."

Adrian remained silent for a moment, his gaze resting on her as he considered her words. The request was reasonable. Hestia carried the weight of thousands of disciples. And this was the first time Hestia had directly asked about his hidden capabilities, not out of curiosity, but out of responsibility. From his perspective, there was nothing unreasonable about her request. If he possessed a plan that could determine the fate of the sect, then the sect leader had every right to know its nature.

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Without answering immediately, Adrian raised his hand and summoned a spatial portal. "Come," he said calmly. "This is not the place to discuss it."

She nodded, and the two of them stepped through.

…

They emerged into an empty void.

Hestia's gaze swept across the surroundings before settling on a distant world. She immediately recognized the relic world, confirming that they had arrived within the Virelith Galaxy. She had visited this location before, but why had Adrian brought her here to speak?

Before she could ask, Adrian activated his domain, enveloping her within it.

Unlike before, where his domain had been limited to a mere thirty meters, this time he tried expanding it far beyond that restriction. Before, he couldn't push it more than thirty meters. Even when he tried it, it only expanded by a few more inches, and that caused his mana reserves to drain at an alarming rate. But now things were different.

His mana reserves, now reaching one hundred million mana units, allowed him to sustain a level of output that had previously been impossible. Combined with his partial comprehension of additional arcane concepts such as boundary, continuity, and those derived from the Crimson Will Lotus, his Source had also grown significantly stronger.

The expansion continued steadily until it reached approximately five kilometers in radius. Beyond that point, pushing further introduced a strain that felt physically unbearable, and his mana reserves began to dip at a noticeable rate. Recognizing the threshold, he stabilized the domain at five kilometers, where it felt completely natural, the mana consumption minimal enough to sustain it for extended periods.

However, this display was not the true trump card he had planned for the war. He had a different plan, and Hestia, being a peak rule stage being, served as a perfect opponent for him to test it.

"Attack me with your full strength," Adrian said, his voice carrying clearly through the void. "Use your offensive authority techniques."

Hestia looked around the domain in silence. She had previously witnessed Adrian's Crimson Vital Dominion, but this was the first time she had seen the manifestation of his primary divine concept, which she already knew was an Ultimate-tier divine concept.

She looked around the domain, analysing it. It's not easy to come across an Ultimate-tier divine concept. But even as a Peak Rule Stage cultivator, she could not identify the arcane composition of the domain. There were no clear indicators, no familiar patterns to analyze, making it fundamentally different from anything she had encountered.

When she heard his instruction, she turned toward him with a slight frown. "Full strength?"

"Yes," Adrian confirmed.

Though she did not fully understand his intention, Hestia chose not to question further. If this was his answer regarding the "absolute strength" he had mentioned earlier, then she would see it for herself.

Her own domain expanded in response, clashing against Adrian's. Crimson essence surged outward, meeting the white-grey radiance at its edge. She matched his range, maintaining a five-kilometer radius. At the moment of collision, the authority within the space divided accordingly, settling into a balance of thirty-five percent against thirty-five percent, with the remaining portion belonging to the reality itself.

The collision created visible ripples where the two domains met, crimson and white-grey energies pressing against each other in a silent contest of will.

Hestia summoned her weapons from her spatial ring. Two lengthy crimson cloths appeared in her hands, each ending had a sharp blade attached to it. The fabric shimmered with condensed essence, alive with her divine concept. As she began to move, the cloths extended outward, flowing like living entities, their motion accelerating as she rotated her body with precision.

The cloths responded to her intent without delay, extending and retracting in perfect harmony with her will.

To Adrian, it appeared as though multiple whips had been unleashed simultaneously, each carrying a lethal blade. Hestia's hands moved extremely fast, controlling both her weapons, which created afterimages of the oncoming attacks. In an instant, what appeared to be just 2 separate blades multiplied into eight separate blades and came towards him from different directions.

Adrian observed everything with his source eyes active, recognizing the complexity behind it. His perception expanded, revealing the intricate rule modifications woven into her assault. This was not as simple as Marivelle's doings.

Marivelle merely made her afterimages real through her offensive authority technique, using all of her authority to achieve it. But here, Hestia was doing exactly the same as Nightshade. She employed multi-layered authority techniques, dividing her authority to achieve multiple effects simultaneously.

One portion of her authority was already being used to lock the surrounding spatial rules, suppressing them and preventing Adrian from teleporting. She knew Adrian had spatial comprehension, and she was not giving him the chance to teleport away from this attack.

Meanwhile, her remaining authority still existed, and Adrian truly had no idea what Hestia would use it for.

As the blades closed in, other than the 2 real blades, everything else was mere afterimages. He could see it clearly, but Hestia could convert illusion into reality through her offensive authority technique.

Adrian also realized that contesting her control over spatial rules would require time he did not have. The only options remaining were direct movement or defensive authority techniques.

In that moment, he saw the full extent of her combat prowess. Her alluring beauty, her precision, and the absolute control she wielded over both weapon and authority combined into a presence that resembled a war goddess.

Her pale gold eyes remained focused, calculating. Her hair flowed behind her, framing her determined expression. The way she moved through the void, the absolute control she demonstrated over both her weapons and authority—

And in that brief moment of distraction—

The attacks landed.

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

The blades pierced through his limbs and torso simultaneously from multiple directions. Blood sprayed into the void, crystallizing instantly. His left shoulder, right thigh, and both arms, the strikes had targeted every major limb with precision.

"Damn... shit," Adrian muttered through gritted teeth, the pain surging through his body.

Hestia's expression shifted in surprise, "What are you doing? Why are you just standing there like that?"

She retracted her weapons immediately, the crimson cloths snapping back. As the blades withdrew, the afterimages dissipated, leaving only the two real blades. Crystals of his blood clung to the metal.

Adrian felt the pain through his body, but he quickly activated the Breath of Life. Emerald essence spread from his body, wrapping around the wounds as tissue began to knit itself back together. The holes in his limbs closed, bones fusing, skin regenerating until no trace of injury remained.

"It's nothing," he said, steadying himself as the last of the pain faded. His voice carried an edge of embarrassment, "I just got distracted. Come again."

Adrian truly got distracted... He had been analyzing her techniques, breaking down the layers behind her attack, studying the precise modifications she made to reality's rules. But at some point, his focus had shifted. The image of her in motion, the precision, the overwhelming presence she carried in combat, had momentarily pulled his attention away from the incoming strikes.

And in that single lapse, he had taken the full attack head-on.