Chapter 184: Ambush

Cassian stared at the notification for several seconds before finally dismissing it with a flick of his wrist.

?Could this be related to what the Eternal Serpent told me about dimensional rifts?

?He recalled their previous conversation.

?According to the Eternal Serpent, dimensional rifts were essentially controlled simulations modeled after the patches created by the Endless Blackness.

They replicated specific aspects of those cosmic intrusions, allowing Lords to adapt and prepare for the existential horrors they would inevitably face.

?However, there was a critical distinction.

?The true patches created by the Endless Blackness could only be accessed by Transcendent Lords.

The Orion Rift, on the other hand, wasn’t a Transcendent-tier anomaly. It was merely a sandbox established by the Lord System to cultivate its Lords.

?At least, that was how Cassian understood the mechanics.

?Which raised a fundamental problem.

?’If this place is a simulation, does that mean the entities inside don’t possess actual souls?’

?He glanced down at the decapitated creature decaying on the cavern floor.

?Perhaps that explained why [Undead Summoning] had failed. The authority required a corpse with a lingering soul imprint, and if the creatures within the rift were merely simulated constructs, there was simply nothing for his skill to anchor to or resurrect.

?Still, he couldn’t be entirely certain.

?The Orion Rift was also a legitimate harvest zone where Lords could extract real resources, physical treasures, and high-tier materials.

That meant the entities within it possessed physical substance far beyond simple hard-light illusions.

’?Perhaps the creatures are real, but their soul structures aren’t compatible with my necromancy. Or maybe the rift enforces a completely different law of reality.’

?Cassian weighed the possibilities before setting the thought aside.

?There was zero point in endless speculation without hard data. The next time he communed with the Eternal Serpent, he could ask directly and verify his theory.

?For now, he had far more urgent objectives to handle.

?Cassian opened his Vault interface and retrieved a sleek, palm-sized device.

?It resembled a heavy tactical compass, though instead of a traditional magnetic needle, it featured a high-resolution digital display encased in liquid metal.

Compact runic symbols were etched along its outer rim, pulsing faintly with a cold, pale light.

?This was the tracking unit he had salvaged from the Nova Seeker.

?After sending Silas and the Arachnid undead aboard the stealth starship to infiltrate the Arachnid Empire, Cassian had ordered them to scan the Orion Rift and locate the exact quadrant of the Arachnids’ covert operation.

?Silas had recalibrated the device’s navigation parameters before deployment, hardcoding it to lock onto the unique signal frequency emitted by the Arachnid Vanguard’s forward base.

?It was the precise reason he had brought the unit along.

?Cassian pressed the activation rune along the side.

?The display flickered violently before cycling through a barrage of rapidly decoding symbols.

A moment later, the readout stabilized, and a sharp, glowing crimson arrow materialized at the center of the screen.

?The arrow spun once before locking firmly onto a vector deeper into the cavern system.

?[Navigation Coordinates Acquired]

[Target Tracking Activated]

?Cassian surveyed the direction indicated by the signal.

’?Found you.’

?Gripping the device firmly, he turned to his Champion. "Let’s go."

?"Understood, my Lord."

?Nyxara stepped up to his side, her massive scythe vanishing into her inventory as her violet eyes scanned the darkness ahead.

?Cassian gave the monster’s carcass one last indifferent glance before turning his back on it.

?There was no reason to waste another second analyzing bottom-tier fauna.

If his deductions were correct, the Orion Rift contained secrets vastly more valuable than a deformed beast with a gaping maw.

?Guided by the tracking device, Cassian and Nyxara plunged deeper into the subterranean tunnels.

?Neither of them knew what cosmic horrors awaited them in the dark, but Cassian had already locked in his immediate target.

?Find the Arachnids, and destroy their operation.

....

Cassian and Nyxara continued following the vector indicated by the navigation device.

?The underground cavern stretched much farther than Cassian had initially anticipated.

Its winding subterranean network was interconnected by dozens of tunnels, some wide enough to accommodate starships, while others were barely large enough for a single traveler to squeeze through.

?Faintly glowing crystals embedded in the cavern walls illuminated their path, casting an eerie, iridescent sheen over the jagged terrain.

?However, the unsettling scenery wasn’t the only thing they encountered.

?Rift creatures frequently burst from the gloom, attempting to ambush them whenever they traversed narrow bottlenecks or crossed seemingly abandoned chambers.

?Unfortunately for those beasts, their efforts were entirely futile.

?Nyxara dealt with them with effortless lethal precision.

?Her scythe flashed through the dark, leaving behind a trail of severed limbs and lifeless carcasses.

Whether the entities struck from the floor, the ceiling, or hidden crevices, she systematically dispatched them before they could pose the slightest threat to Cassian.

?After all, her strength had grown exponentially following the Kragmar Dominion campaign.

?She had already consolidated her realm at [Tier II, Advanced Grade].

?Although she was officially registered as a First Order Champion holding an [A-Grade Potential], her actual combat output vastly surpassed standard classifications.

Armed with her High Undead Authority, battle instincts, and unique physiological enhancements, Nyxara could comfortably fight opponents as formidable as Mid-Tier IV Lords.

?That was an enormous gap in combat power.

?The rift entities they had encountered so far were mostly [Elite-Grade] beasts, ranging from two-star to three-star classifications.

Against Nyxara, they were nothing more than target practice.

?They did encounter a [Rare-Grade, One-Star] entity further down the corridor.

?Unlike the smaller fodder, it possessed immense physical strength, unpredictable attack patterns, and rapid biological regeneration, forcing Nyxara into a brief, intense clash before she ultimately severed its core.

?Even then, the outcome was never in doubt.

?With the passive amplification from the [Heart of the Living Dead] and the functionally infinite mana stream she drew directly from Cassian, her operational endurance was absurd.

?She could maintain her Authority continuously without risking mana exhaustion, as Cassian’s soul reserves replenished whatever energy she spent instantly.

?Combined with her innate martial mastery, it made her an absolute nightmare on the battlefield.

?Cassian watched her decapitate another ambusher with a casual, backhanded arc of her scythe.

?He couldn’t help feeling immensely satisfied. Having a Champion capable of crushing enemies two full tiers above her own realm was ridiculously convenient.

It allowed him to analyze his surroundings without constantly managing minor threats.

?Nyxara flicked the dark blood from her blade and glided back to his side.

?"My Lord, shall we proceed?"

?Cassian glanced down at the tracking unit. The glowing crimson arrow pointed firmly into the gloom ahead.

?"Let’s move. We’re closing in."

?They pushed forward through the winding tunnels, passing abandoned subterranean halls and branching paths. The deeper they ventured, the stranger the local geography became.

?The cavern walls gradually transitioned from raw stone into a dense, metallic composite.

Faint veins of artificial energy pulsed beneath the rocky surface, suggesting that this sector of the rift had been mechanically modified or terraformed.

?Cassian noted the structural shift but maintained his pace.

?The tracking device hummed softly in his palm. According to its signal readouts, they were right on top of the coordinates.

?Eventually, they reached a wide, three-way junction.

?Cassian checked the screen. The glowing arrow locked onto the passage veering to their right.

?He adjusted his footing and stepped toward the archway.

?However, just as he and Nyxara turned the corner—

?A blinding beam of concentrated energy tore through the subterranean darkness.

?It surged straight toward them.

?The beam was massive, scorching the entire tunnel and illuminating the cavern with radiant, destructive heat.

The surrounding bulkheads trembled violently, and shattered stone exploded into dust as the incoming attack closed the distance in a fraction of a second.

?Cassian’s blue eyes narrowed sharply.

?’An ambush?’

?Before he could evaluate the energy signature, the beam was already upon them.