Chapter 523 - 483: [Time Trace Weaver’s Engraving Blade]

Chapter 523: Chapter 483: [Time Trace Weaver’s Engraving Blade]

Roland’s consciousness sank into a sea of Chaos that defied description.

It was neither Darkness nor light, but the state of "existence" itself—countless layers of Entanglement, mutual Annihilation, and regeneration.

He "saw"...

No, he directly "became" a billion streams of light of indefinable color. Each stream was a memory or emotion that had been stripped away and crushed.

There were the frantic screams of researchers falling into madness within the Deep Well, the instantaneous numbness of test subjects turning to ash in a torrent of Energy, the indifferent, eternal "gaze" of the Son of Divine Remains, and even the dust-faint sighs of the countless beings who perished silently beneath Silver Radiance City to sustain it...

Pain, distortion, blasphemy, and the Void...

These were the main themes of the "Primordial Echo" that constituted the very essence of the Son of Divine Remains.

Like a tangible poison, they tried to seep into and assimilate Roland’s consciousness, to drag him into eternal madness and self-negation.

However, at the heart of this destructive wave of resonance, Roland’s spiritual core shone with a completely different light. It was not resistance, but understanding and organization.

The essence of the [Time Traveler] began to operate on its own, like the most precise hourglass, deconstructing and reorganizing the chaotic "Echoes" that surged toward him.

Fragments of madness were placed in the "past." Whispers of the Void were assigned to "possibility." Distorted pain was analyzed as "scars of the process"...

Using time as his axis, he forcibly established a framework of Order and causality upon this disordered Chaos.

Gradually, within this sea of chaotic Echoes made of pain and the Void, a few completely different "chords" began to be stripped out, amplified, and clarified.

One was a profound weariness and resistance toward a "predestined trajectory."

It was the innate hatred the Son of Divine Remains, imprisoned in an eternal cycle, felt for the rigid, unchanging "correct path" maintained by the World Serpent.

This hatred faintly resonated with Roland’s own Struggle against the shackles of fate.

Another was an absolute craving for "an end" and "rest."

This desire was not for death, but for a state of complete "stillness" and "completion"—an ultimate answer to a ceaseless, painful existence.

It resonated strangely and subtly with [Time Traveler].

The last and most hidden wisp was a quality of non-temporal existence originating from the deepest essence of the Divine Remains, something that transcended a linear Perception of time.

It could not be understood, only perceived as a blurry phantom existing in a superposition of "past," "present," and "future."

Roland’s Spirit trembled violently in the resonance.

He did not choose a single Echo. Instead, under the subtle protection of his contract and the guidance of the Son of Divine Remains, he forcibly captured and entwined these few "chords"—which faintly resonated with the rhythm of his own soul’s depths—and wove them into the core of his consciousness.

This was no harmonious resonance with a single, pure Primordial Mark.

It was a proactive "grafting" and "taming."

Using himself as the furnace and the distorted Echoes provided by the Son of Divine Remains as the material, he was forging his own, unprecedented "Primordial Mark."

It was a composite foundation of resonance built upon [the Struggle against cycles and restraints], [the craving for an end and completion], and [the vague Perception of a non-temporal phantom].

HUMMM!

In reality, a silent ripple suddenly spread out with Roland at its center.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze for a moment. The suspended motes of unstable Energy abruptly halted their chaotic Brownian motion, briefly forming a strange, crystalline arrangement.

Avril and the others watched in horror as a faint golden phantom, like the turning gears inside a precision clock, appeared on the left side of Roland’s face while his eyes were shut tight.

At the same time, all the pulsating light on the surface of the "Son of Divine Remains" itself abruptly extinguished for an instant, as if something at its core had been momentarily "extracted" or "overwritten." ℴ

When the light reappeared, its rhythm was now tinged with an unprecedented, faint, "calm" tempo, like a long-awaited gasp of breath after prolonged agony.

"Urk!"

Roland grunted and snapped his eyes open.

Deep within his eyes, the phantom of a golden second hand seemed to flash across his left eye, while his right eye looked as though it held the settled ashes of countless worlds.

And in the very depths of his pupils, a heart-stopping point of absolute Void remained.

The enlightenment was complete.

It didn’t bring a direct surge of Power, but it was as if a brand new "Gate of Perception" had been opened for him.

The world looked completely different in his eyes.

He could "see" the motes of Energy in the air, now marked with a flashing "dangerous red" that revealed their unstable state.

He could "feel" the intricate network of Energy veins and nodes in the facility beneath his feet, and even under all of Silver Radiance City, like a gigantic Magic Array.

But clearest of all, wrapped around the Space-Time structure of the entire city—especially the area they were in—were...

"Cracks" and "Weaving Threads."

Countless translucent "cracks," so fine they were almost illusory, filled every inch of his vision.

They constantly spread, healed, and tore open again, like a fragile Crystal Ball that was perpetually repairing and shattering itself.

And behind these cracks, countless slender "threads" glowing with a cold, silvery-white light were faintly visible.

These "threads" extended from the Void, their other ends sinking deep into some unknown place beneath the city.

They pulsed rhythmically, and with each pulse, they pushed the "cracks" in Space-Time to complete a miniscule "cyclical reset."

These were the "scars" and "stitches" of the time loop.

Moreover, through his newly acquired, vague Perception of the "non-temporal phantom," he could faintly "smell" an aura emanating from the source of these "Weaving Threads." It shared the same origin as the Son of Divine Remains but was more "orderly" and "cold."

It belonged to the "World Serpent." It belonged to Yemiga.

’The key to breaking this deadlock isn’t destroying this building with brute force, nor is it defeating Yemiga, who may have already become a Deity, head-on.’

’It’s about...’

’Finding the most fragile and critical "nodes" among these "Weaving Threads" that maintain the cycle.’

’Or, using my newly acquired resonance—born from the Struggle and the craving for an end—to "infect," "corrode," or "cut" them.’

As he was contemplating this, lines of golden text flashed in his vision.

[Trait Acquired: Time Trace Weaver’s Engraving Blade]

[Time Trace Weaver’s Engraving Blade: This ability originates from a unique resonance formed by fusing the shattered Echoes of the Son of Divine Remains.]

[It does not grant brute force, but rather an insight and power of interference specifically for "dissecting" abnormal Space-Time, allowing for direct visualization of its structure.]

[Uniform areas appear transparent; damaged areas show translucent black "cracks"; artificially maintained cycles appear as silver "Weaving Threads"; and unstable Energy Fields are marked with a red warning.]

[Through the shattered Echoes of the Son of Divine Remains, you can perform "Engraving Blade Interference" on visible Weaving Threads and cracks. This can slow their transmission, disrupt their rhythm, or project the resonance of finality toward key nodes to trigger local resonance and expose vulnerabilities. Additionally, using phantom Perception, you can identify the core "anchor points" within temporal superpositions.]

[This ability is still in its nascent stage and its effects are weak. It relies on a high degree of spiritual concentration and understanding of the resonance. Overuse will increase the burden and may trigger cyclical countermeasures. Its origin is intertwined with the painful essence of the Son of Divine Remains. When using it, you must hold fast to your true self and resist the corrosion of the Void.]

[Its essence is not a sharp weapon for disrupting time, but a "scalpel" forged specifically to pry open the cage of Space-Time, allowing you to perceive the texture of the shackles and find an opening to act.]

[This is a product of resistance, and also the beginning of the contract’s end.]

"Time Trace Weaver’s... Engraving Blade?"

After carefully reading the Trait’s description, Roland slowly raised his hand.

As the thought formed, a very faint halo of pale gold and dark red light began to swirl around his fingertips.

He gently touched it to the phantom of the clearest, constantly flashing, silvery-white "Weaving Thread" in the air.

PFFT!

A faint sound that only he could perceive rang out.

The part of the "Weaving Thread" that touched the halo instantly grew dim and sluggish, and its pulse became noticeably erratic.

Correspondingly, the healing speed of the Space-Time "cracks" in the surrounding area slowed down visibly.

’It works!’

Seeing this, a surge of joy rose in Roland’s heart. He then turned his head, looked at the twisted building whose light seemed to have dimmed slightly, and sent a calm inquiry through his consciousness.

"Is this the ’vision’ you promised?"

The whisper of the Son of Divine Remains returned, carrying an unprecedented weakness, as well as a strange satisfaction, as if a great burden had been lifted.

"Indeed... You have grasped the ’key’... Now, go find the ’door,’ and then... fulfill our contract..."

The whisper gradually faded into silence, as if this guidance had consumed an immense amount of its power.

Roland retracted his gaze. The strange phenomena in his eyes slowly receded, but the new Perception and the subtle power lingering at his fingertips—a power that could affect the Space-Time Weaving Threads—were undeniably real.

He looked at his companions and saw worry, shock, and questions on their faces.

"I’m fine."

Roland’s voice was a little hoarse.

"And... I think I know how to break this cycle."

It was a matter of using this new "vision" and "ability" to track and locate the core nodes where those silver "Weaving Threads" converged, to find the time loop system’s most vulnerable "Achilles’ heel."

Just as Roland was about to open his mouth to explain his discovery and plan to his companions, the golden text silently reappeared in the center of his vision.

[Arcane Enlightenment complete]

[Analyzing resonance source...]