Beyond the Bloodline

Chapter 426: The Prelude to the Final War

Restricted Galactic Regions

Outside Dead Zone Region

Zanerth Universe

May 6th

Year 2020 of the 51st General Calendar

"That’s the thing you call a ’Dead Zone’? How did that happen?"

Those were the first questions to leave the lips of the Witch of Chaos, Angela Cathedral, as she stared at a massive portion of the universe entirely veiled in something resembling a grey fog, its reach slowly increasing alongside the universe’s natural expansion.

Following Sarina’s message that the Dead Zone had expanded, she’d come here with the Hybrids to see this so-called ’Dead Zone’ that had Sarina acting so serious, and after witnessing the sight with her own eyes, she felt little more than mild curiosity toward its origin.

It was a vast stretch of intergalactic space spanning several hundred thousand light-years, drowned in a dense grey fog that resembled thick smoke and could not be seen through by any conventional means.

Nearly all forms of unconventional perception failed within it, and even those blessed by the Concept of Knowledge and bore ’Eyes of Truth’ risked permanent blindness if they stared into it for too long.

"Your former associate, the one who tried creating those Anti-Hybrid Soldiers. He finally lost his rocker and attempted to erase all life in the universe. I erased him first, and that’s where it happened."

Jamie gave that brief explanation, and the moment Angela heard ’erase all life in the universe,’ she immediately understood who he was talking about.

It was then she realised she couldn’t remember his name or face.

"I see. You’ve gained the ability of complete Erasure through your Void power," she said, understanding that Jamie was responsible for this.

Jamie only nodded silently, his gaze fixed on the other Hybrids who had moved closer to assess how much more space the grey fog had consumed.

"There are living beings inside that thing. Trillions of them," Angela said, and Jamie nodded, as he could also detect the trillions of life signs within the Dead Zone.

"They’re more ’Dead’ than ’Alive,’ though. Dead Lifeforms, born from and of this pseudo-nonexistence..."

Jamie’s remark earned a look from Angela, but she made no comment on his choice of words and simply returned her attention to the Dead Zone.

"Where are my glasses?"

To Angela’s question about the glasses created with the stolen Conceptual Authority of Knowledge, Jamie replied immediately.

"Ask your daughter."

He had no idea where they were, and if anyone might have them, it was likely Olivia, since she held most of Angela’s personal effects, including some even Olivia didn’t know she possessed.

While the two of them spoke, Miranda updated the other Hybrids on the information she, Jamie, and Sarina had gathered from Ikerth and Deryn’s memories, explaining what had happened in ZWF4105, along with all of the Neo-Extinction Legion’s plans they had managed to uncover.

Richard had already briefed his siblings on his and Miranda’s discovery of Reverse Comprehension, using the Dead Zone’s pseudo-nonexistence to deconstruct universal laws.

With Miranda’s additional information, especially her analysis of Ikerth’s combat, they quickly arrived at a conclusion for why the Dead Zone was expanding.

"The Annihilation Catalyst has become able to fully weaponise pseudo-nonexistence. The Dead Zone is expanding so they can absorb more ambient universal laws and gather more echoes, which could then be used to deconstruct laws..."

Olivia muttered her analysis, and after a few seconds, she glanced at the Dead Zone with narrowed eyes.

"That thing has an army inside there... the deconstruction of laws is to empower that army!"

With the information she’d received, she figured out what Jamie and Angela had already seen through with their higher dimensionality and Existence Realms.

Jamie clapped after she said that, his expression one of a parent proud of their child for getting something right, the expression Angela should have been wearing instead.

Olivia shot him a strange look, but Jamie ignored it and continued with what he intended to say.

"We need to open a War Council. It’s good that those old relics are still around. As for those who left, I’ll just drag them back in."

As he spoke, cosmic energy erupted from his body, racing through the folds of space faster than light to pull every Supreme or Grand Supreme who had been trying to return to their territories outside the main Zanerth Universe—running away because Angela was awake—back into the universe.

"I spoke with the Estean Vampire Kings and Queens months ago about this, and it seems my worst fears have come to pass," he continued, gesturing toward Miranda as he spoke.

"We’ve decided that, unlike the war against the Destruction Supreme, Estea won’t serve as the vanguard this time. We’ll let the other galactic powers take that role, especially those physically closer to the Dead Zone."

"Hold up, Jamie, this isn’t the time for political games," Richard shot back immediately, and at that, Jamie shook his head.

"Oh, now’s exactly the time for them. Didn’t you see the nonsense they pulled during the short period when all six of us weren’t active in the universe?

Just a few months, and everything fell into chaos, and a billion-year secret came to light. Your mother’s awakening has alerted the one Eternal I didn’t want learning about this whole Dead Zone situation and has made them aware of the Zanerth Universe."

Jamie was referring to Akasha, the Eternal of Wisdom and Knowledge, whose Cosmic Conceptual Authority Angela had stolen a portion of.

That Authority, which had been dormant for over a billion years, had suddenly become active with Angela’s awakening, and there was no way Akasha wouldn’t notice it and realise that Angela had returned.

If he chose to look even briefly in Zanerth’s direction and noticed the Dead Zone, he would, just as Angela and Jamie had, immediately see through it and perceive the trillions of Dead Lifeforms within, and there was no way he’d allow ’Inverse Comprehension’ to keep existing within the Cosmos.

Jamie’s agreement with Roland, the Eternal of Causality, would amount to nothing, since he was certain Roland wouldn’t be capable of holding back a serious Akasha.

There was, after all, a clear gap in power between Second Generation Eternals like Akasha and Third Generations like Roland.

"Also, have you forgotten the schemes they tried to pull when we were all weakened after that battle 450 million years ago?

As far as I’m concerned, they started these ’political games’, and I’m simply bringing them to an end."

Pausing briefly, Jamie went on, "Estea will join the war, but we won’t be the ones leading it.

And when I say ’Estea’, I’m including the four of you as well. Aside from those of you who’re also tied to other intergalactic powers, have your forces stay their hand.

We would NOT be the ones sending our subordinates out to die first."

That final statement reminded them of the beginning of the full-scale war 450 million years ago, when they had first confronted the Destruction Supreme’s forces head-on.

It stirred memories of the subordinates and friends they had lost at the start of that conflict, back when they hadn’t fully grasped how severe the threat truly was, or just how dangerous the Heralds of the Original Extinction Legion already were.