Chapter 674 Shattered Circuits and a Damaged Formation
Unnamed Research Facility
Calnola Island Country
Divider Ocean
June 13th
Year 1053
A pleasant jazz melody resonated through the atmosphere as a gentleman, adorned in a meticulously tailored three-piece suit, drew a magical circuit in the air.
On the operating table in front of him, was an unconscious elf with their chest laid bare and the magic circuit board floating mid-air found its root on their body.
The magic circuits flickered with a blue light as he drew up an additional one. The instant he finished, however, they changed colours to a bright green and the man smiled.
He picked up a notepad with the number '#37' written at the top and scribbled some things on it before setting it back down onto another table.
"So that's the reason why the Heroes Level up faster. The Laws of 'Replication' and 'Proliferation' work in tandem to duplicate the amount of exp they absorb on each kill."
A small smile graced his face as he summoned the energy of close to a dozen World Laws and condensed it at the tip of his pen, before continuing to draw his magic circuit.
The circuits flickered with blue light as he slowly constructed an additional segment.
"If I get this done, I can make these Fakes finally be able t—GAK?!"
The man suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot through his body, from his chest and straight to his head.
His hand moved out of the path he was tracing and the straight line he was drawing in the air became curved, intersecting with a different segment of the circuit.
Suddenly, the flickering blue lights of the circuit changed to a deep ominous red, and then—
**BOOMMMM!!!
—the whole thing exploded in his face with the force of a large-yield conventional bomb.
The building he was in was completely blown to bits and the elf on the operating table was reduced to a mass of charred flesh in a second.
The flames died down almost instantly, and the man's figure was revealed. He had no scratches on his body, and there was only a little bit of soot on his suit.
His facial expression, however, was one of anger.
"This feeling...it's the same as when Dominik Died.
Evan Eris...it's him!"
He clenched his fist so tightly that his nails cut into his palms, barely holding back from punching a hole in the ground to vent his rage.
It was then that two streaks of light descended from above and landed right behind the man, revealing their true forms to be that of a brown-skinned dwarf with rusty red hair and a pale white-haired woman with slightly pointed ears.
Her gaze momentarily went to the corpse of the charred elf on the table, but she quickly looked back to the suit-wearing man.
"Lord First..."
If there was anything this woman—Cellica Berzon—knew, it was that the man in front of her was the kind to easily contain his emotions.
But right now, something made him feel so much anger that he clenched his fist hard enough to draw blood.
Kranul questioned with annoyance in his tone. A big problem for the Demonic Hand could have been solved if Vaeri had just taken action, but she didn't.
"You should know by now that Vaeri only listens to her contractor. Those two were already contracted even before they joined us, so I have no authority over Vaeri like I do the other Demons we unsealed.
Vaeri would not move unless her contractor wills it. The problem is that the said contractor could not care less."
From the man's words, it could be surmised that managing the 'Second Finger' was a hassle even for the Leader of the Demonic Hand.
"But if you went to them in person, they would listen to yo-"
"Has your intelligence reduced to be as low as your height?"
"..."
"?!"
The First Finger's question caused the area to turn silent.
Cellica wasn't the one being spoken to, but even she felt how deep that hurt, much less the dwarf whom the question was directed at.
As for Kranul, the man just went silent.
"Why would you even think to consider that as a suggestion?
The same reason I avoid the 'Second' is the same reason I am not on the Alpha Continent right now, ripping out Evan Eris' heart!!"
The First Finger's aura burst from his body and a terrifying pressure descended upon the area. Creatures of flight crashed to the ground and if it wasn't for his last bit of self-control, then every single existence on this island would have been slammed to the ground by the pressure he released.
"Right now, the World Formation is very weak.
Domnik helped us fill it before he died and despite the odds, Kethryllia did her best.
However, it's not enough. The Formation's efficiency reduced ever since we lost the Tenth, and it hadn't had time to heal when Dominik died and the Formation was damaged greatly.
If Kethryllia had died, it would have been a disaster, but Vaeri stopped that.
Now, we only needed a few more days for it to return to pristine condition but Maude's death has returned us to square one."
The man facepalmed and sighed heavily, taking a moment to calm himself before continuing.
"The only bright side about this is that Maude was the 'Ninth Node' so the damage her death has caused is not too much."
Looking at the Third and Fourth Fingers in front of him he asked.
"You know why I do not personally interact with the Second, do you not?"
"They are an 'Irregular'...a Grade 2 Irregular to be precise."
As the Central Node of the World Formation, if you were to go near them, they'd disrupt the World Laws that comprise the formation and the damage would be the same as if any of the 'Fingers' died.
If the World Formation is damaged any further, we may not be able to generate enough energy to force the rift open and widen it enough for Transcendents to pass through."
When he heard the answer that Cellica gave, the First Finger nodded in affirmation, before muttering something to himself.
"At least one of you still has their intelligence intact."
It took every single bit of self-control that Cellica had to not burst out laughing right this instant, somehow managing to maintain a poker face.
