Chapter 351: The Goblin King’s Future

Eden stared at Arthur as the corrupted roots continued tearing through the chamber, her golden wings beating slowly while she considered his request.

Behind her, the World Tree’s heart pulsed unevenly, and Ronin stood beneath the tangled branches with purple Miasma pouring from the cracks in his artificial core.

The group had managed to survive his full power, but everyone could feel how much strength they had already spent keeping the five streams from being destroyed.

"You want me to bring a future version of Vedas here?" Eden asked. "Not just make him a little stronger, but bring forward a version of him who has already grown much more powerful?"

Arthur nodded. "Your Future Manifestation lets you synchronize someone with a possible future state. If Vedas continues evolving, he could become much stronger than he is now. We don’t need to make that future permanent. We just need enough power to challenge Ronin while we work on separating him from the Tree."

Eden looked toward Vedas, who stood beside Arthur with King Maker held firmly in one hand. His golden armor was scratched from the battle, but his posture remained steady, and the light leaking from his helmet showed no sign of fading.

"I can try," she said at last. "But I need you both to understand something. I’m not bringing an actual person from the future into the present. I’m synchronizing Vedas with a possible version of himself, one that represents what he might become. The farther that future is from who he is now, the harder it will be to maintain."

"So we should choose a future that isn’t too far away?" Vedas asked.

"That would be safer, but we need enough strength to make a difference." Eden’s expression tightened as she tried to balance the possibilities. "I don’t know how long I can maintain a Level 70 version of you, and I’ve never tried manifesting such a large difference in power before. If the synchronization becomes unstable, I may have to end it immediately."

Vedas considered this for a moment before looking at Arthur. "Then we use whatever time she can give us. I don’t intend to waste it."

Arthur grinned. "That’s what I wanted to hear."

Sun, who had been listening while keeping Long raised against a nearby root, looked between them with growing concern. "I would like to point out that we’re discussing a plan where our fairy temporarily creates a much stronger version of our Goblin King, and then sends him against the man currently controlling an entire tree. Is anyone else hearing how ridiculous that sounds?"

Kong raised his hand. "I think it sounds great."

"Of course you do."

"Future Vedas might be strong enough to fight me properly!"

Vedas turned his helmet toward Kong. "If we survive this battle, I will be happy to demonstrate how much stronger I have become."

Kong’s grin widened. "You promised!"

"I said if we survive."

"That still counts!"

Melo watched the exchange with her ears tilted forward, her five tails curling behind her as dream mist drifted across the floor. "It’s reassuring that some people can still think about friendly competition while the rest of us are trying not to be crushed by an angry tree."

"He’s not angry," Athena corrected, raising Aegis as another root scraped across the wall. "The Tree is resisting Ronin’s control. We need to remember that distinction, especially if the manifestation gives us enough power to damage the surrounding structures."

Mithra glanced toward Arthur with a faint smile. "You heard her. Try not to turn the heart chamber into a battlefield any more than it already is."

Arthur looked around at the broken floor, the damaged walls, and the roots that had torn through the ceiling. "I think that request came a little late."

"Arthur."

"Fine. I’ll be careful."

Vedas gave a quiet laugh. "I’ll believe that when I see it."

Eden drew a deep breath and moved closer to Vedas. Her wings spread, releasing golden particles that floated through the chamber like tiny stars. She placed both hands against his chest armor, and the particles began circling him in slow spirals, growing brighter as she reached into the possibilities surrounding his future.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then Vedas’s body became surrounded by golden light.

The glow expanded until it swallowed his entire figure, and the force of the manifestation sent a wave of mana rushing through the chamber. Arthur felt it strike him like a sudden current, and his eyes widened as the energy within his body surged in response. The pressure he had been struggling against throughout the battle seemed to fall away, replaced by a strength that settled into his bones and spread through every part of his body.

His breath caught.

The five Mirrors responded.

The familiar sensations of Reality, Adaptation, Foundation, Light, and Darkness stirred within him, their separate influences drawing together as the golden light around Vedas grew brighter. Arthur felt his perception sharpen, allowing him to see the weaknesses in the roots surrounding them with a clarity he had never experienced before. The changing flows of mana no longer appeared as disconnected movements. He could follow them, recognize their irregularities, and understand how one change affected the rest of the battlefield.

Then a notification appeared before his eyes.

[Mirror Resonance Detected.]

[Reality Sight has evolved.]

[Reality Sight → Reality Dominion]

[The Adaptive has evolved.]

[The Adaptive → Adaptive Sovereignty]

[King’s Mark Authority has evolved through Foundation Resonance.]

[King’s Mark Authority — Piercing Light → Sovereign Piercing Light]

[King’s Mark Authority — Columns of Light → Pillars of Dominion]

[King’s Mark Authority — Light Aura → Sovereign Light Aura]

Arthur stared at the notifications, but the sensation of growing power had already reached a point where he could barely contain his excitement. His strength continued rising, and the mana surrounding him condensed until the golden light around his body became visible to everyone nearby.

The breakthrough struck him all at once.

His physical strength rose, his mana surged, and the pressure of his rank advanced beyond its previous limits. Arthur felt the change settle through him, bringing him to Gold Rank as the five Mirror abilities resonated with the future power unfolding before him.

For a moment, he could only stand there, feeling the difference.

Then his gaze snapped back to the golden light surrounding Vedas, and a massive grin spread across his face.

"Gold Rank," Arthur murmured, before his grin widened even further. "And Vedas is still getting stronger. This is incredible!"

Sun stared at him. "You just advanced to Gold Rank, and your first reaction is to look excited about how much stronger everyone else might become?"

Arthur glanced at him. "Would you prefer that I complain?"

"No, but I would prefer to understand how you keep finding ways to make the impossible happen!"

"That’s easy," Arthur replied. "I keep trying things."

"That is not an explanation!"

Before Sun could continue, the golden light surrounding Vedas erupted outward.

A massive figure descended from within the radiance, his feet touching the broken floor with enough force to send a wave of golden mana through the chamber. The light faded around his body, revealing brilliant golden armor covered in ancient runes. The armor was thicker than the one Vedas currently wore, and a full helmet concealed his face, leaving only narrow eye slits that leaked trails of golden light.

Long golden-orange hair flowed behind the helmet, and golden feathers drifted constantly around his body. In one hand, he held an enormous spear surrounded by swirling golden-white light. A golden sword rested across his back, its blade fully drawn as several luminous rings revolved around it.

The pressure of his presence settled over the chamber, so commanding that even the roots surrounding him seemed to hesitate.

Arthur felt the rush of mana again and laughed in disbelief.

Vedas stood a short distance away, staring at the future version of himself.

"That is me?" he asked.

Future Vedas turned his helmet toward him. "A possible version of you."

His voice was deeper, carrying the weight of someone who had fought countless battles and survived them. He looked toward Arthur, then at the corrupted roots covering the chamber, and finally at Ronin standing before the golden heart.

"I assume you have brought me here for a reason."

Arthur’s grin became almost impossible to contain. "Level 70?"

Future Vedas paused. "You can perceive my level?"

Arthur glanced at the information that had appeared in his mind when the manifestation completed.

[Future Manifestation: Vedas]

[Level: 70]

The number was far beyond anything he had expected to see from his closest combat partner, and the sight filled him with excitement. He had watched Vedas grow from a much weaker Beast into a Goblin King, but seeing a possible future version of him standing before the group made that progression feel more real than ever.

"Level 70," Arthur repeated, looking delighted. "Vedas, you’re incredible!"

The present Vedas looked from Arthur to his future self, his golden feathers drifting around his armor. "I must admit, I would like to see what I become."

Future Vedas raised his spear, and the golden-white light surrounding its shaft intensified. "Then watch closely. We don’t have much time."

Eden hovered behind him, her wings trembling as she struggled to maintain the manifestation. Golden particles streamed from her body toward the future Goblin King, connecting them with fine strands of light.

"I can feel the strain already," she admitted. "The difference between his current state and this possible future is enormous. I can maintain the synchronization for now, but I don’t know how long I can keep it stable."

Arthur turned toward her, his excitement giving way to concern. "Don’t push yourself beyond what you can handle. We only need enough time to create an opening."

Eden nodded, though the effort was already visible in the way her wings beat unevenly. "I’ll tell you when I can’t maintain it anymore."

Ronin had watched the entire manifestation in silence, but his expression had changed. The purple veins across his body pulsed as he drew more power from the World Tree, and the roots surrounding him rose in response. For the first time, however, the overwhelming pressure he had used to dominate the chamber did not force the group to retreat.

Arthur raised his hand.

Golden light spread from his King’s Mark, but this time it behaved differently. The new Sovereign Light Aura flowed through his companions with greater force, strengthening their movements and connecting their presence across the battlefield. Vedas’s spear burned brighter, Mithra’s movements became sharper, and Sun felt the mana flowing through Long respond with increased intensity.

The effect reached even Kong, whose crimson markings flared as his strength rose. He looked down at his hands, then toward the future Goblin King.

"Now that looks like a proper opponent!"

"Save the competition for later," Sun told him, though his own grin betrayed his excitement. "We might actually have a chance now."

Arthur focused on the five streams behind Ronin. Reality Dominion revealed the unstable points in the corrupted connections, while Adaptive Sovereignty helped him adjust to the changing flow of energy. His upgraded Sovereign Piercing Light gathered around his hand, condensing into a concentrated beam of golden power, while Pillars of Dominion began forming across the battlefield to restrict the roots and create a path toward Ronin.

The new abilities did not solve the problem, but they gave Arthur far more control over the battlefield than he had possessed moments earlier.

"Vedas," Arthur said, turning toward his partner.

The present Goblin King nodded, already understanding what Arthur intended.

Future Vedas stepped forward, his golden-white spear angled toward Ronin while the rings around his sword revolved faster. Arthur moved beside him, Dusk held ready, and the two advanced together with the ease of partners who had spent countless battles learning to trust one another.

Ronin raised his hand, and the roots surged toward them.

This time, the attack did not force them back.

Future Vedas swept his spear through the air, releasing a golden-white shockwave that tore through the incoming roots without striking the heart behind them. Arthur followed by raising Pillars of Dominion, forcing the remaining branches away from the path and creating an opening that had not existed before.

The two pressed forward, one using overwhelming power to break through Ronin’s defenses, the other controlling the battlefield and guiding their attacks toward the vulnerable connections.

Ronin’s expression finally hardened.

He had relied on the World Tree to give him enough power to overwhelm everyone in the chamber, yet Arthur’s group had found a way to challenge that borrowed strength.

And for the first time since the battle began, Ronin was forced to defend himself.