Chapter 526 - 524:Devouring successful.

Chapter 526: Chapter 524:Devouring successful.

The bleeding, all-encompassing, lightless black of devouring came from the center of my outstretched palm as it made contact with the fabric of reality itself.

HUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMM!!

A low hum traveling through the entirety of the region.

I squinted, a sharp drop in chaos energy alerting me to the act currently happening.

CRACK!!!

The sharp sound of something fracturing thundered through the silence as the eyes of Xuan and Su Yin slowly widened.

"How..." I could hear Xuan’s disbelieving voice from behind me.

"This... this can’t be..." Su Yin was trying her best not to be heard, almost as though she was afraid something would happen.

I paid them no heed, closing my eyes as I focused.

The strain was unlike anything I could’ve expected because—

<<DING!!>>

<<Devouring in progress...>>

I had finally begun taking the high planar galaxies, and they were heavy.

"Fuck!" I could feel the strain not just on my energy, but on my very existence. It felt like trying to shove an elephant through a small door.

"Damn..." I hadn’t expected it to be this difficult. I could destroy these galaxies with a mere snap; a little miscalculated punch and all five of these galaxies could be snuffed out of existence, so I had expected devouring them to be just as easy.

"Taking in and destroying something are two very different things, my love. One involves mindless destruction. The other, as you’re doing now, involves not just acquisition, but integration as well. Because you’re not just devouring—you’re trying to attach such a massive existing system into your soul, and that is a different ball game," Shaia explained, her voice comforting as she could also feel the unreal strain in my body.

"Damn it!" My jaw clenched.

"Devour, goddamn it!" I couldn’t help calling out loud, hoping it could somehow accelerate the process.

Like fuck it did.

<<DEVOURING IN PROGRESS...>> It felt like my system was mocking me with those words.

Hummmm!!!

A sound like that of a buzzing bee’s wings beating resounded through me as I began feeling it: attachments to my soul. Not just worlds, but the beings inhabiting those worlds themselves.

I could feel them. Hundreds. Thousands. Tens of thousands... millions... billions...

"Woah!" My eyes snapped open in amazement and wonder. It felt surreal. Each new addition of a planet felt like I was being attached to not just the celestial body, but to every beings within. I could feel each heartbeat. Each wish. Each prayer. It hadn’t felt this overwhelming when I devoured Aetheris—maybe it was because taking in the middle-grade planet had been too much of an instantaneous process, but this time...

"Sha... Shaia, what is happening?"

"That, my love, is you finally attaining the status you truly deserve. And this is just the beginning."

<<DING!>>

<<Your core world’s presence is being elevated...>>

The notification snapped me from my awe as Terra’s surprised voice rang through my head.

"Husband... something... something is happening."

I focused my gaze inward, and...

"Damn..."

Terra was glowing. Like a flashlight, she shone a verdant, blinding green as a suffocating aura came out of her body.

"Looks like you’re getting a massive upgrade, my wife." I smiled, noticing the lessening strain on my body and soul as some of that weight was finally being shared by Terra, her body anchoring itself to the feeling of taking in multiple worlds every second—and not just middling or low-leveled worlds, but high-grade ones as well.

<<Your existence level is being refined...>>

"Finally..." I muttered quietly as I could now feel my being get elevated. It was slow, but so was the process of devouring five galaxies in their entirety, with who knew just how many worlds were there? What about the number of beings? I didn’t even want to start thinking about it, as I’d already lost count of exactly how many consciousnesses had been attached to my soul.

The overwhelming number of prayers to "immortals." The absurd number of those hoping to challenge "heaven." It was shocking.

"This is going to take some getting used to." Feeling the process not going any faster, I turned to the others. "I’ll be indisposed for a few minutes or more. Don’t let anybody disturb me."

Shulvan was already by my side before I could even complete the sentence, while the others let go of their bored expressions as they took a stand around me.

I nodded gently, sitting cross-legged and trying to close my eyes, but not before—

"Hmmm... I’ll just take my seat here if you don’t mind."

Aunt V purred as she sat comfortably on my lap, leaning her back into my chest and closing her eyes, Lucien having somehow found his way back into her embrace.

Nyssara sat behind me, her back touching mine as she remained silent, her actions doing all the speaking.

I smiled. "Thank you, ladies."

They didn’t reply.

"Stubborn women indeed."

Amused, I closed my eyes, delving deeper into the wondrous feeling of having multiple consciousnesses speaking and praying to me, trying to understand and manage it—because if it was this loud and disorienting every time, then I might go crazier than I already am in the not-too-distant future.

And so, my consciousness vanished. The world outside disappeared. The feeling of everything else was ignored as all that remained was me and the mounting number of existences being added to my own.

...

...

...

<<DING!!>>

I didn’t know how long it was. How long I’d been out for. But the system’s loud sound finally snapped me from my trance as my consciousness slowly returned, awareness registering as the world outside—or lack thereof—finally came back into focus.

<<DEVOURING SUCCESSFUL.>>

The message floated like a grand declaration before my mind’s eye as I waited for the moment of truth, and I didn’t have to wait long:

[DING!]

[You have successfully acquired the collective capacity of five galaxies...]

There it was. Five galaxies. Acquired and integrated into my being.

[Your core world, Terra, has successfully assimilated the acquired collective of planets.]

[Your core world’s presence has been elevated...]

[DING!]

[Your existence has been elevated...]

{Existence}: Fledgling (65%)...

Looking at the slew of notifications flooding my screen, only one thought registered in the back of my mind:

"Ahh... finally."

Finally, it was done. And now, it was time to take stock.

...

...

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A/N: sorry fellas, I could only do one more. But bear with me just these few months more. I’ve got bigger plans for next year, let me survive these turbulent times first, and as always,

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Thanks for reading.