CHAPTER 86: A NEW RELIGION
With a slight whirring sound, the elevator opened, and Diana arrived on the ground floor. Military men and workers alike greeted her, the former entering a salute. Yet from beginning to end, she spared them no glance.
When she walked out of the building, the rows of guards saluted, yet before their eyes, her figure seemed to blur, and then Diana disappeared.
None of the guards bat an eye, as they went back to their duties.
For something as important as the Nexus Core, one would have thought Diana would have placed it somewhere close, like underground the building she always stayed in.
Yet, that couldn't be farther from the truth.
.....
Diana appeared within an enclosed space. The place was large, its size no smaller than a grand hall. Yet there was nothing within it except for a massive object floating at its center.
It was a colossal multifaceted crystal suspended in midair, its countless surfaces reflecting rivers of golden light that flowed endlessly beneath its translucent shell.
This was the Nexus Core.
Streams of information flooded her mind immediately she came close to the core.
Population.
Resource reserves.
Food production.
Military strength.
Territory expansion.
Threat assessments.
Thousands of reports flowed endlessly through her vision.
But she ignored them all.
She accessed the Bird's Eye View ability, her vision seemingly covering the entire city.
Her gaze lingered for a moment before she focused on the first person. Yet one couldn't have guessed who she checked on first.
Diana's eyes followed the general's every action. Every movement. Every decision. Even as the latter carried out the tasks she had handed him, she continued to watch him. Only after an hour passed and she found nothing unusual did she focus on other figures.
She observed Richard for a while, her eyes remaining placid. A few minutes passed before she checked on other figures to watch out for.
Finally, the Bird's Eye View focused on an inconspicuous two-story building, but her vision barely fell on it when she quickly canceled the skill.
Diana stood there for an entire hour, her face still cold, without any change in her expression.
Countless thoughts flashed within her mind, her thoughts churning so wildly that one would have wondered how her brain hadn't exploded.
Then, she touched the Nexus Core, the crystal pulsing under her touch.
'Accept.'
The hologram of a man instantly appeared before Diana.
Blond hair, chiseled jaw, and those cold eyes. It was almost as if the man was the mirror image of Diana, and if they were placed side by side, a hundred out of a hundred would claim both were a match made in heaven. That was just how much they complemented each other.
"How are you?" A deep voice echoed within the silent space.
"Fine."
The man nodded.
"How are the tasks I gave you?"
An imperceptible light flashed within Diana's eyes.
"I have gathered enough resources to commence the project. But there are not many people within the Citadel with enough talent to handle such matters."
"What about Richard? Isn't he still bringing survivors back to the Citadel?" The man threw a random question.
"He is already starting to outlive his usefulness."
The man nodded in understanding.
"Recruit those with enough knowledge. Even without a matching class, they should still prove of assistance."
A frown formed on Diana's face. Seeing this, the man continued.
"Nexuses from the other continents are far ahead of us. Just like we guessed, they are hiding a great secret. If we assume the information we received before is correct, and they have indeed been working on that alien technology for over two decades, then it's only a matter of time before they bare their teeth. Their starting point is just so far ahead of us."
'Yet you were able to seize a Nexus from their hands,' Diana thought inwardly, but her face retained its cold look.
"The Nexuses in our territories are our only chance to contend against them, even if only barely. For now, they have no easy way to get to you, so this is our best and only chance to grow. And we have to take full advantage of the one year the system will be opened to us."
A secret only the most powerful and resourceful could garner was spoken almost carelessly. If the survivors knew the system shop they were starting to rely on would only last for a single year, just how would they feel? And how would they react? Unfortunately, many would realize this too late.
"I know," Diana responded calmly.
"Good." The man paused before he continued. "What about Nexus 14?"
It had already been a week since the system announcement. By now, the original ten Nexus Citadels had already grown to fourteen.
It was just that the United Federation controlled seven, and the Empire controlled five of them.
That left them with only two Citadels.
The gap between them was just too wide.
"I was only able to establish a connection once," Diana started. Seeing the man not respond, she took it as her cue to continue.
"It seems the governor of the eastern territory wasn't able to recoup his powers. From my investigation, the new City Lord is a former mercenary. But when the other party noticed my presence, he decisively cut the connection."
"Hmm... that is a bit troublesome." The man looked at Diana with a piercing gaze. "We can't afford to be divided against the other continent."
"I'm aware. I'm already working on forming an expedition to conquer the Nexus."
"Good." The man nodded.
And then silence ensued.
No one spoke for a long time, at least ten minutes passing.
Their eyes remained locked, neither willing to look away as they searched for the slightest flaw in the other's facade, hoping to glean information the other had no intention of revealing. Both silently probed for weakness, each knowing the other was doing the same.
Finally, Diana asked,
"Is that all?"
"There is one more thing," the man started, yet the cold look on Diana's face suddenly cracked. Her instincts screamed at her.
"I need your help in spreading a new religion..."
The words barely left the man's lips when Diana's mind churned, her intention quickly moving to cut the connection.
But it was too late.
"$@#@$$$$!"
"AAAAAH!"
A painful shriek left Diana's lips. She fell to her knees, her body curling like a shrimp.
She felt as if billions of needles were piercing into her brain, and her eyes felt as though molten metal was being poured directly into them.
Diana found herself transported to another space.
There was endless darkness around her, and she seemed to be suspended within the void.
Then a throne big enough for several planets to be placed upon it like balls on a chair appeared before her.
Clusters of galaxies streaked within its frame, and the sight would have appeared majestic if it wasn't for the figure sitting upon it.
"ARGH!"
The figure was veiled by a dense white fog, yet it didn't need to be clear for Diana to know how impossibly humongous they were.
But what truly threw her into this inhuman torture were those eyes.
Eyes she could barely glimpse.
The sight of countless rows of eyes, each larger than worlds, layered endlessly upon one another and stretching beyond her perception as though entire universes had been fashioned into pupils sent her mind into shock.
This wasn't a sight she was meant to see.
That was a higher being, and her very existence was paying the price for witnessing it.
The pain couldn't be described in words.
Unwilling to continue this torture, Diana pierced her fingers into her eyes with such force that her eyeballs burst with a wet pop.
But as if that wasn't enough, her hands continued to dig into her eye sockets, the action forming squelching sounds that would chill the heart of even the most battle-hardened soldier.
Time passed as she convulsed and writhed in agony, desperately trying to escape a pain that seemed to have no end.
As for the man, he continued to look at her with cold dark eyes.
[What a dangerous woman!] An ancient voice suddenly boomed within his mind.
'Indeed, she is very ambitious.'
Even after saying this, the man's face remained impassive, his cold eyes fixed on Diana's squirming body.
It wasn't until thirty minutes later that he spoke in his mind again.
'Has she been marked?'
[Yes. Though, I doubt her mind will still be the same. No one...]
The voice had not finished when the man interrupted.
'She will survive.'
The mysterious being didn't answer.
Normally, they would have scoffed at such a ridiculous claim.
But they had already come to know that this world their will had entered was no ordinary one.
Far from it.