Chapter 138: The Cosmic Pilar Of Death

?Nyxara had no answer to offer. Judging by her bewildered expression, she was just as baffled as he was.

?He could press further, but he wasn’t foolish enough to risk triggering another mental collapse. Whatever had transpired, it had been severe enough to make Nyxara lose control of her Authority and knock herself unconscious.

He had no intention of repeating that ordeal merely to satisfy his curiosity.

’?I’ll have to investigate this with extreme caution.’

?For now, he needed to analyze the true nature of the connection between his summons and the Nether World.

?Cassian summoned his [Lord Ledger].

?The familiar dark interface expanded before his vision, displaying information regarding his territory, troop capacity, Champions, and various administrative details of his domain.

?Ignoring the surface entries, he navigated directly to the core description of his unique troop type.

?His gaze locked onto a specific, highlighted passage:

?[Unlike standard Lords whose summoning gates return fallen souls to life, your summons remain permanently suspended between life and death. They rise as Undead.]

?Cassian stared intently at the words.

’?Suspended between life and death...’

?He re-read the line, letting the implications settle in.

?Then, a sudden realization struck him.

?His summons were fundamentally different from those of other Lords.

?Ordinary Lords retrieved souls from the Nether World and fully restored them to living flesh through their summoning gates.

Their troops were, for all practical purposes, resurrected beings re-entering the mortal plane.

?His own forces, however, were not.

?They remained perpetually suspended between two distinct states of existence, neither completely alive nor entirely dead.

?Their physical vessels and spiritual anchors occupied an extraordinary gray zone that allowed them to function as sentient Undead, meaning their connection to the Nether World was never truly severed upon manifestation.

?That subtle distinction explained everything.

’?If their connection to the Nether World remains open, then information can bleed through.’

?The realization was both fascinating and unsettling.

?Nyxara was a Champion, possessing far greater spiritual density and individuality than his standard troops.

If her continuous link to the Nether World allowed her to passively absorb lore beyond the baseline knowledge provided during summoning, then his other Champions might be doing the same.

?Morghanna might possess ancient knowledge she had never consciously studied.

His commanders might unknowingly understand spatial or elemental laws that remained complete mysteries to veteran Lords.

?Even his rank-and-file undead might carry fragments of ancient history buried within their subconscious, even if their lower cognitive capacity prevented them from expressing it.

?Cassian’s thoughts raced.

’?The Nether World has existed longer than most galactic civilizations. If it is anything like the Eternal Serpent, the knowledge contained within it must be astronomical.’

?The Eternal Serpent held secrets regarding the Lord’s Domain, the Cosmic Pillars, and the fundamental laws governing reality.

Even with three Divine Blessings, Cassian had barely scraped the surface of the universe’s true structure.

?The Nether World could be another boundless repository of primeval knowledge, a realm containing the origin of the Lord’s Domain, the nature of souls, and the true laws of mortality.

?Or perhaps something even grander.

’?Could the Nether World itself be a domain belonging to a Cosmic Pillar?’

?Cassian considered the theory carefully.

?The Nether World was intrinsically tied to death and the reincarnation cycle, making the [Cosmic Pillar of Death] an obvious candidate. But that was purely speculative.

?It was equally possible that the Nether World was an independent entity entirely. Perhaps it was a realm created by a Pillar, perhaps the realm was a Pillar, or perhaps its existence predated the current cosmic order altogether.

?He lacked concrete evidence to prove any of these hypotheses.

?For now, they were questions without answers.

?Cassian closed the [Lords Ledger].

?The discovery presented a massive strategic opportunity, but it also exposed a terrifying structural vulnerability.

?If his summons maintained an active, open conduit to the Nether World, then something within that realm might possess the power to influence or overwrite them.

Nyxara’s sudden agony was proof enough that the connection was a two-way street.

?And if Cassian intended to eventually challenge the Cosmic Pillars themselves, he couldn’t leave such a glaring flaw unaddressed.

’?If I ever have to wage war against a Cosmic Pillar, I can’t have my army turning on me because their link to the Nether World was hijacked.’

?The thought alone made his jaw tighten.

?His Champions were his greatest assets. Their specialized authorities, combat instincts, and infinite growth potential were essential to his rise as a Lord.

?Losing control of them in the heat of a high-tier war would be catastrophic. Worse, a sophisticated enemy who understood the mechanics of his necromancy might deliberately exploit that connection to tear his domain apart from the inside.

?Cassian had no intention of leaving that backdoor open.

?Still, there was little he could do to alter it at his current tier. Severing or modifying a cosmic link he barely understood could cause irreparable damage to his Champions.

?For now, vigilance was his only option.

?He would closely monitor his forces for abnormal behavior, investigate any unexplained knowledge they displayed, and strictly avoid asking questions that might trigger another catastrophic backlash.

?Eventually, he would uncover the true mechanics behind the link, and when he did, he would secure it permanently.

?Cassian let out a quiet exhale. "Well, that’s a problem for another day."

?Nyxara looked up at him. "My lord?"

?"Nothing you need to worry about right now." He offered her a warm, reassuring smile. "Just make sure you inform me immediately if you feel anything strange again."

?Nyxara nodded earnestly. "Of course, my lord."

?Satisfied that she had fully recovered, Cassian stood up.

?His gaze returned to the Arachnid’s headless corpse lying near the cracked wall.

?He had spent enough time theorizing about the cosmos. Whatever mysteries the Nether World held could wait.

?There was still an experiment to conduct.

?Cassian extended his right hand toward the alien corpse.

?"Now, let’s see if this works."

?He activated [Undead Summoning].

?Cerulean mana erupted from his palm, gathering around the Arachnid’s remains and spreading across the metallic floorboards in complex, glowing runes.

?Cassian watched the reaction intently.

?For all his theorizing, he wouldn’t know whether Nyxara’s explanation held true until the system delivered its verdict.

?And if the skill succeeded...

?He had just unlocked an infinite, multi-civilational pipeline for his undead army.

....

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