Chapter 356: Overlord’s Will

The planet’s atmosphere was pierced by a fleet of Flying Warships descending at high speed. Within seconds, several figures leaped from the vessels, hurriedly landing around Priam.

When she saw the horrifying state he was in, Mirra’s face twisted. Without hesitating for even a second, she rushed toward him, channeling every drop of her power into desperately healing him.

Priam took a deep breath, feeling a subtle wave of relief pass through his body. However, by the time all of Mirra’s Ether was completely depleted, his wounds had barely recovered by 5%.

When one became a Sage and advanced through the levels of the first Rank, an individual’s mortal physiology itself began to restructure, gradually refining itself toward immortality. Throughout the three Sage Ranks, the metamorphosis continued: first the body was shaped, then the mind, and finally the soul.

Only after completing this entire transformation, at the peak of the Exalted Rank, did a Sage have a chance to cross the final threshold and become an Immortal.

Priam, who was now at Level 9 of the Enlightened Rank, had already had his physical structure completely rebuilt through this process. Because of this semi-immortal constitution, the amount of energy required to regenerate his tissues had multiplied hundreds of times—to the point that even extremely high-level medicinal pills were practically useless to him.

Even so, Priam ignored the excruciating pain consuming his flesh.

He raised his hand and gently stroked Mirra’s head, reassuring her. Then, he turned his gaze toward Dandara, who remained in serene and patient silence, and finally looked at Mishnar, whose expression was grave and filled with concern.

Adjusting his breathing, Priam turned toward the north.

"Before drawing any conclusions, wait until I finish everything."

Without waiting for a reply, he advanced at a quick pace across the barren land.

Mishnar merely nodded in silence, following right behind him, driven by uncontrollable curiosity.

After walking for a few minutes, Priam stopped in an arid and desolate plain, identical to the state of devastation the entire planet had been reduced to.

He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes.

Inside the Nexus Seed, his consciousness searched for an invaluable herb—of which he possessed only a single specimen.

Its name was Corpse Flower. He had found it during the mission on another world, among the treasures obtained by the people of the 4th Branch. Whoever had acquired it possibly had no idea just how rare and incredible this thing was.

Focusing as much as possible, he also mobilized the energy of his soul and mind in perfect synchronization.

[Synthesize?] [Yes / No]

He confirmed the command without hesitation.

[Power Rune: Necromancer’s Puppet]

[You can remotely control bodies for a limited period of time. During this time, you can use everything the body possesses. A connection with the true body is maintained, allowing energy to be transferred.]

Priam opened his eyes as a dense, dark Power Rune emerged between his hands.

Around him, Dandara and Mishnar on the ground, along with the entire army watching from the prows of the Flying Warships, keeping their eyes fixed on him, immersed in tense silence.

It was at that moment that Priam took something terrifying out of his spatial ring.

It was a body.

"!"

The exact millisecond that body appeared, the pressure in the air dropped drastically. Every Elder and powerful figure present felt the oxygen freeze in their lungs. Everyone’s hearts began pounding wildly as their senses were swallowed by the male corpse lying on the ground.

It was like witnessing the presence of something supreme, immaculate, and sacred—an existence that shouldn’t be there at all.

The aura emanating from that body was unmistakable, leaving no room for doubt.

"A... an Immortal..." several Elders stammered, completely terrified.

Priam carefully positioned the corpse. It was a tall and elegant male humanoid, with perfectly harmonious features, yet it emanated an overwhelming, bestial, and ancient aura. He had found it during that mission on another world, inside that strange vessel. (Chapter 259)

At the time, Priam had kept him simply because he had no reason to leave him behind. Later, after gaining access to more advanced syntheses, he came across the Necromancer’s Puppet.

Unfortunately, since the main herb was absolutely unique among his resources, this would be his only opportunity to use the Power Rune.

Without wasting any time, Priam cast the Power Rune onto the corpse’s forehead, watching it sink into and disappear beneath the Immortal’s intact skin.

Before activating the control, he took a staff out of his spatial ring. At the tip of the weapon rested a sphere glowing with a mesmerizing, dense golden light.

It was the World Power Essence, which he had recently taken from a Sorcerer on the last planet he had saved.

That energy had been capable of completely devouring the Sorcerer’s life force. Manipulating it directly would be extremely dangerous. But inside an Immortal-level corpse?

Besides, Priam strongly doubted that the essence could damage such a resilient structure; he himself would be completely safe from any backlash.

Priam placed the staff between the corpse’s fingers. Then, he crossed his legs, sitting in a lotus position on the packed earth, and closed his eyes.

With a single pulse of his will, he activated the mental connection with the rune carved into the body.

"!"

A jolt of terror ran through the Elders, causing several of them to recoil in shock.

The Immortal corpse’s eyes opened!

A slight tremor ran through the figure until its posture stabilized and it gently sat down on the ground.

At first, Priam found it extremely difficult to control a body remotely. It was a bizarre sensation: every movement required a conscious and deliberate command.

For any ordinary individual, executing the simplest movement would take long, awkward seconds. However, Priam possessed a Transcendental Anima. All he needed to do was concentrate his mind to the limit, and the reality around him seemed to slow down until it almost stopped. Those seconds would pass only inside his mind, while in the outside world they would be almost nonexistent.

Within moments, he could already coordinate fluid movements with the Immortal corpse. Highly complex actions, such as engaging in direct combat, would still be an immense challenge... but he wouldn’t need any of that right now.

Priam made the Immortal figure stand up.

[Time Remaining: 870 seconds]

Through the deep pupils of the Immortal body, the System’s green window appeared in his vision.

Priam shifted his consciousness into the corpse; he sensed the existence of an intact core and meridians, but they were completely empty. In the most literal sense of the word, it was an immortal and indestructible vessel—and "only" that.

He turned the figure forward, fixing its gaze on the seemingly empty space.

The body thrust the staff forward and released all the energy concentrated within the golden sphere, allowing it to flow directly into the body he controlled.

*Buzz*

The air vibrated. A subtle and unique energy coursed through the corpse’s meridians. It was a wild, overwhelming force that tried to invade and corrode every inch of the flesh.

However, faced with the immortal structure of that supreme body, the energy couldn’t cause any damage at all, remaining perfectly contained and channeled within the meridians.

At that exact moment, new notifications lit up.

[World Power Essence – Overlord’s Will]

[Its power can dominate any energy it touches, stealing it from the control of even the laws of the world. Its essence is a weaker version of this, but it still possesses incredible capabilities]

Priam’s heart—in his true body, sitting on the ground—began pounding.

The Sorcerer from before had sacrificed himself solely to summon this same essence, breaking through all the defenses and barriers that had been prepared on that planet in a single blow.

’But... why didn’t they send something like this to the other two planets?’

Recalling the memories he had absorbed from the old Sorcerer, Priam began connecting the dots. Perhaps this essence was an extremely dangerous secret, a forbidden resource that the Sorcerers avoided using at all costs. They had selected a single planet to guarantee victory, using it as an emergency trump card.

If the situation worsened, with no other choice, they would then use the same thing on the other two planets in subsequent attacks.

’Well, that doesn’t matter now.’

Priam redirected all his focus toward the void in front of him.

He raised the staff, pointing with surgical precision at the coordinates where he knew the hidden entrance was located.

’Go!’

The peculiar and devastating energy shot toward nothingness...

**CRACK!**

A sharp, deafening snap tore through the air.

"WHAT?!"

Everyone watching from the ground and the Flying Warships widened their eyes in utter shock. A crack tore through the fabric of space and violently extended upward, as if the very structure of the world were being forcibly broken apart.

Space split open like a monstrous throat.

Immediately afterward... a dense and terrifying aura of corruption poured out from within the crack, contaminating the air.