The Oracle Paths

Whether it be the scorching heat, the swirling tumult of the plasma storm, or the lethal radiation, every previous metric had been amplified tenfold, rendering Jake's earlier adaptations futile. Jake wouldn't have been taken aback if the ambient temperature and pressure had surpassed the heart of a supergiant star.

The frigid chill Jake once radiated after absorbing and converting all this heat and kinetic energy couldn't keep up, and he was incinerated, vaporized before his brain could process his fate. His body was already utterly disintegrated, reduced to a fine slurry of subatomic particles.

The moment Jake had bellowed an open threat at his unseen foe, it was his mental sense that had roared, the resultant psychic shockwave lost in the plasma storm like a pebble in a pond.

Despite this, the main culprits aided by the Dungeon Digestor distinctly heard his words, a cold chill gnawing at their spines, their hair standing on ends.

"At least, he's dead," Syrbarun exhaled in relief, calmly observing the holographic screen displaying live what had become a hellhole, hostile to any form of life.

Rigel, standing by his side, pursed his lips as if to object but thought better of it.

Behind him was a horde of Sinewshades standing at attention, motionless, and silent, awaiting orders.

Among them, the iconic figures of Drakon, Epsilom, and Lyra stood unmoving and rigid as gargoyles, their gaze devoid of emotion. If one looked towards the Sinewshades, some distinguished themselves with familiar auras or remnants of equipment.

One of these monsters bore a more delicate figure, resplendent with a conqueror's aura, its thirst for victory forming a tangible intent surging forth around it. The gladius sword with its scarlet blade hanging absurdly at its waist clashed with its grotesque appearance. Its twin bulges of flesh swelling on its chest were equally hard to ignore.

Another of these monsters was almost identical to the others in size and muscle, but its former dark hair still clung to its scalp, giving it a comical appearance. Its black combat suit was well preserved, indicating this Sinewshade was a recent addition.

"Should be good now, right?" Syrbarun asked, licking his lips with anticipation.

"Let's wait until the end of the plasma storm before drawing any hasty conclusions," Rigel flatly declined.

Because of the blinding light produced by the plasma storm, they had been unable to monitore what was happening inside the room for some time. Due to the extreme conditions capable of melting standard Voidsteel with ease, the Dungeon Digestor too had withdrawn its consciousness, relinquishing this part of its territory.

This was their plan from the start, a minor sacrifice they were willing to make to eliminate the two problematic threats: Jake and Saros.

"I can't believe we had to do this to kill a fucking fourth-Ordeal Player like us," Syrbarun complained once again, eyeing the colossal damage to the Magnetic Resonator.

"We can't help it. His bloodline and strength have far surpassed our projections,"

Rigel said with a nonchalant shrug. "All the capable Voidshifters and Sinewshades have been requisitioned to contain Cekt. As for the Dungeon Digestor, it's immature and needs all its energy for-you know what. It's a miracle that it's assisting us at all. For a Rank 3 Aetherist, this Wendok sure knows how to bluff. The two Voidshifters he dispatched to aid us are already proof that the plan has veered from its initial course. But regardless of whether we succeed or fail, our objective has been achieved. That's why the Dungeon Digestor decided to fast-forward the proceedings with this clumsy ambush that severely damaged its structure, all in an effort to take out the enemy."

Syrbarun snorted in disapproval, his anxiety inexplicably refusing to leave. Feeling on edge, he unconsciously began squeezing the silver sea urchin-like object in his hand, as if it were a stress ball.

An ultrasonic sound, inaudible to human ears, permeated the surrounding Voisteel walls, but to his neighbor Rigel and the other Sinewshades, the noise was as grating as someone clashing cymbals right next to their ear at 4 A.M.

Witnessing this, Rigel didn't utter a word, although internally he was itching to unscrew the offender's head with his massive stone hands.

"This is the third time in six minutes you've ordered the Voidshifters to act," the Gorgonite chided, a hint of irritation seeping into his stony voice. "Don't you think that's enough?"

Syrbarun's face twitched, but brushing aside Rigel's rebuke, he lifted his chin and snapped back, "I am well aware that the Voidshifters aren't exactly keen on taking our orders, and that these time disruption spells are exhausting, but something just doesn't sit right with me this time."

"Hmm? Your Digestor instinct?" Rigel raised an intrigued eyebrow, akin to a perfectly sculpted piece of amethyst.

The minotaur in a mech suit shook his head. "Not at all. It's the instinct of my host."

Rigel frowned at his half-baked excuse. "Are you fucking kidding me? Your host is a damn Vrusug. A stupid herbivore, good for nothing but chewing cud. If you let its instincts influence you, you'll end up fearing anything with claws and teeth. Pull yourself together!"

Syrbarun stiffened under the rebuke, but instead of wisely acknowledging it, he reflexively squeezed the silver sea urchin in his hand a fourth time.

"..."

"..."

As with the first activation of the Magnetic Field Disruptor that Jake had witnessed, the plasma storm generated by the collision of the two opposing magnetic fields lasted a full hour, if not more. It was as if the Dungeon Digestor wanted to ensure they were well and truly dead after sacrificing an entire section of the Magnetic Resonator.

To anyone who could see the 3D hologram of the latter, it would appear that an entire area of several hundred kilometers radius had been hollowed out, akin to a giant cavity next to the Conversion Chamber. This colossal void was now filled with incandescent plasma under high pressure, with temperatures reaching upwards of 200 million degrees Celsius at the coolest points.

This was the price to be paid to dispose of Jake and Saros. If the Dungeon Digestor could have directly trapped them in the funnel, designed to withstand such conditions, it would have done so, but alas, it was nearly impossible.

If a plasma storm had occurred while Jake was still in the funnel, he would have immediately retreated, having ample time to cross the barrier erected on the surface even before the Magnetic Resonator could plunge towards the event horizon of the black hole.

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After what felt like an eternity, the Magnetic Field Disruptor finally ceased emitting and what remained of the Magnetic Resonator corrected its orbit, distancing itself from the black hole's event horizon. As soon as it moved away, the clash between the magnetic fields ceased, and the black hole stopped spewing out plasma. Similarly, the plasma already trapped in the funnel ceased being stimulated, and its temperature and activity level began to drop gradually.

The plasma storm was officially over. The Conversion Chamber, which had never stopped operating at full tilt, continued to hungrily absorb the superheated plasma to convert it into Aether, and soon the white-hot plasma filling the enormous cavity where Jake and Saros had been began to recede, much like the sea after high tide.

As the plasma rapidly withdrew from the ravaged zone, Syrbarun and Rigel held their breaths, their eyes glued to the screen before them with rapt attention. The Vrusug's fingers were ready to squeeze the silver sea urchin in his hand at the slightest anomaly, and while Rigel appeared unperturbed, his sea urchin was also in hand, ready to be activated at any moment.

"A-are they dead?" Syrbarun stammered nervously, his bovine eyes wide, searching for their corpses.

"Don't bother," Rigel tsked. "You won't find anything after a plasma storm of this magnitude. If you do find something, it means we've failed. You should be praying we find nothing. That's the way it should be."

Syrbarun didn't immediately nod in agreement as the Gorgonite had expected. As the silence stretched on, Rigel turned to look at him, and his face abruptly stiffened upon seeing the Vrusug's jaw drop and his trembling, sweat-covered face.

A scandalous and terrifying possibility surfaced in his mind, and following the minotaur's gaze, Rigel reluctantly turned his resigned eyes to the holographic screen that his companion was fixated on. Seeing two familiar figures appear on the screen, his face froze, paling in turn.

"H-how is it even possible?!"

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