Reaper of the Martial World

Book 11: Chapter 102: Don’t Mind (2)

The atmosphere began to change rapidly.

Sometimes the pressure would drop. At other times, it would be so high that it felt that the sky was falling down upon them.

A streak of blood leaked from Dyon’s corner lip, but his face remained expressionless, it was as though he couldn’t tell what was happening.

In that moment, a familiar illusory white flame burned around his body. Numerous golden runes whipped around him ridiculous speeds.

Alauna could tell what they were immediately. These were the fundamental runes that created the foundation of arrays. Each was capable of tapping into a fundamental law of the world. Grasping these fundamental laws would theoretically allow one to create an array capable of performing any task.

One could liken them to the base ten number 0 to 9. With those ten variables alone, one could build any number in existence. By manipulating these numbers into variables and formulas, one could extrapolate toward the forces that controlled everything… gravity… electromagnetism… strong force… weak force… the unknown, undefined forces that have yet to be labeled…

However, despite knowing this, Alauna’s heart trembled fiercely because these fundamental runes… She had never seen them before!

There was only one possible explanation for this. These runes weren’t from her and her father’s realm… The truth was that Dyon had used three days to rip these fundamental constants from the jaws of this world’s laws!

‘… Do you really have no limits?’ Alauna thought bitterly.

To understand how shocking this was, one only need to look back toward the analogy drawn to the number 0 to 9. Only one thing needed to be said: these numbers had to be invented.

It’s hard to wrap one’s head around, but the number ‘0’ didn’t always exist. It’s concept itself had to be created by the minds of the past. In fact, its creation could be noted as maybe one of the greatest discoveries in all of human history.

This was something too difficult to understand. What was life like without a concept of 0?

As difficult as it was to grasp the answer to something like this, imagine how much more difficult it would be to create a concept of 0 without ever having had one before.

This was exactly what Dyon had just done. Even more shocking, he hadn’t just grasped this world’s ‘0’, he grasped its 1 to 9 as well!

Alauna thought back to the words her father had said just 3 days ago.

“I want you to see what it means to disdain everything.” …

The fundamental runes Dyon wrested away from this world continuously tried to break free, crumbling under his control only to be forcefully solidified once more. Again and again, the process repeated in a violent exchange, riddling Dyon’s body with injuries. Yet, he remained completely expressionless.

In their world, there were thousands of fundamental runes. Unfortunately, no one could claim to know the exact number, nor could one claim to have a perfect understanding of each of them.

This was exactly what Dyon realized, a reality that made him look down on the [Dao of Array Alchemy] all the more.

He was tired of relying on the Heavens to sustain his comprehension. He had no doubt that there were some fundamental runes the Heavens purposely hid or made near impossible to sense and comprehend. If one truly grasped them all… Not only grasped, but comprehended to the core… Only then would only truly be above the control of the Heavens.

However, Dyon knew his limits. For a world on the level of his own, something that forcefully snatching its fundamental runes was beyond his ability. Even attempting it would be asking for death.

But this world… This world that actually dared to place a jumping clown like Death before him… He would do as he pleased here.

If he couldn’t subdue this small, weak world, he didn’t deserve to take even the first step on this long journey.

“YIELD!”

Dyon’s sudden roar blasted the unblemished eight beast pillar apart, caving in the four golden double doors and sending them flying down their black corridors.

His Vajra Body appeared above him, shattering the ceiling above their heads and revealing a blue sun hanging in the skies.

The entire world shivered and trembling, the low whine of what sounded almost like a failing engine filling the ears of its population.

In that moment, every citizen of this odd world suddenly felt an emptiness in their hearts, as though something had suddenly been forcefully snatched.

Dyon’s seated body began to fly into the air, runes of gold, silver and bronze whipping around his body as though still struggling to break free.

There was something Dyon had come to understand during his meditation. Why was it that his alchemy didn’t work, but his [Judgement] weapon’s arrays had?  

At first, he dismissed it, thinking it was because [Judgement] only had similar enough laws to work. After all, [Judgement] held a lot of the same pain and suffering War, Famine, Death and Conquest wills had.

It was later he realized that he was right, but more importantly that this conclusion was even more important than even he thought. It was exactly this realization that allowed him to grasp the first of the fundamental runes of this world, allowing him to open the path toward comprehending the others.

“Come…”

The dozens of runes stopped spinning in place. In the end, they zipped toward Dyon and entered his forehead.