Triune: The broken path
Chapter 42: A risk... merging

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: A risk... merging

Kael spent some time in the inn, finally piecing everything together. In a year, the contest would begin, and the following year would mark the legendary meeting between the female prodigy who wielded the space-time concept and the prodigy of the dragons.

Stepping out of the inn, Kael’s mind was filled with thoughts. Staying in this city without joining any faction was pointless. Being at the Demigod Realm meant he wouldn’t die easily, but was that enough?

Was this truly the path he had chosen? To remain stagnant?

His mind was in turmoil as he struggled to decide his next move. Should he stay here, gather information, and eventually become an adventurer? Or should he join the army and fight against those fierce beasts?

"Come on... I wield the concepts of chaos, nothingness, and void. I thrive in war, excel in chaos, and my hunger is never satisfied. I want more power," Kael muttered, stopping in his tracks. "It’s time to start planning for the future—to fully understand my concepts."

At some point, he found himself standing at the city gates. Looking at them, a smile formed on his lips, his heart racing.

"I will be both known and unknown."

With that thought, Kael stepped forward, ready to embrace the full unpredictability of the Middle Lands of the Realm of War and uncover the path to his true strength.

Two Days Later...

At the peak of a relatively small mountain, a cave had been carved out. It was large enough to fit a human, around ten meters deep, with an average height of two meters. The rough edges of its interior revealed that it was newly made.

This was Kael’s doing.

Sitting inside, he pondered.

"Among the strange things happening to my body, one stands out—I don’t feel hunger. But why?" he mused, his eyes scanning the open book in front of him.

"Sigh... this book has limited knowledge," he muttered before looking up. "She should be here any moment now."

As if on cue, a figure appeared—Elisa. She carried several books, her expression respectful as she approached.

"This is it, Chaos God," she said, bowing as she handed the books over. Kael nodded.

One of the reasons Kael hadn’t sought another slave was the drawback he had noticed after enslaving that soldier.

At his current realm, having more than two slaves would weaken him, siphoning away his strength in degrees that were unacceptable. The soldier had served his purpose and was now useless.

It reminded him of Ash.

For now, Elisa was enough. She had completed her current task, but Kael couldn’t get rid of her—at least not yet.

Why?

The situation was complicated. If Elisa were to die under suspicious circumstances, an investigation would surely follow. She was an Awakener, unlike the soldier. More importantly, her uncle was Drakus, a man whose true strength was unknown, but the fact that he kept a Demigod Realm fierce beast as a pet spoke volumes.

Kael had considered leading her into the forest and letting her die at the hands of a powerful beast, but it wouldn’t be easy.

The critical issue was the necklace she wore—something directly connected to Drakus. Using his All-Seer ability, Kael had discovered its true nature.

It could protect Elisa from danger.

That raised two key problems.

First, Kael had no idea how strong Drakus really was. If a monster of similar strength attacked, it wouldn’t kill her in time—Drakus would intervene. If the creature was stronger, it might succeed, but why would Elisa venture that deep into danger? Someone would surely accompany her. And even if she went alone, Drakus would suspect foul play.

That was exactly what Kael was trying to avoid.

And then there was another terrifying possibility.

What if Drakus wielded the concept of time? What if he could rewind events and see what truly happened? Or perhaps his concept was fate... or destiny?

Those were powerful concepts. Even a Seer ability was troublesome to deal with.

Although no one had seen Kael with Elisa, what if Drakus possessed the means to uncover the truth? Even if he didn’t, he was still a formidable man. If he hit a dead end in his investigation and started suspecting an outsider had manipulated his niece, then Kael would be in trouble.

The main reason Kael couldn’t simply leave was geography. Behind this city lay the path to the Wakon race. In front of him was the entrance to a perilous forest that even False Gods feared to enter. On both sides were military strongholds.

Even if he managed to pass through, the unknown awaited him.

Taking reckless chances wasn’t his style. This forest, however, was an opportunity—a place to grow stronger.

Kael finally made his decision.

"Good... Forget ever meeting me since the last time you saw me at the city gate. Return to your normal life," he commanded.

"Yes, Chaos God," Elisa murmured, her eyes going blank as she turned and walked away.

Soon, she arrived at the city gate. Her vision blurred.

"Huh...? What am I doing here? Whatever... I need sleep. This headache is killing me," she muttered before stepping into the city.

Outside, Kael sighed.

Being weak was a sin.

For now, he was safe. But if Drakus ever used his true strength, finding him would be effortless. And if Drakus connected Elisa’s condition to the death of that soldier... the pieces would fall into place.

After all, Kael might appear like an ordinary man.

But what ordinary man could carve out a mountain?

Kael flipped through the book Elisa had brought him, his expression shifting as he absorbed its contents. When he finally closed it, he exhaled a cold, turbid breath.

At last, he understood why beings at the Demigod Realm no longer felt hunger—they simply didn’t need food to survive. Yet, there was a deeper mystery. Ever since he had obtained the Void Concept, he hadn’t felt hunger at all. Why?

Perhaps it was linked to his concept. It seemed as though they were separate, but now, he could feel them slowly beginning to fuse together.

The hunger of the Void Concept wasn’t a physical hunger—it was a hunger for power. The Nothingness Concept, devoid of emotions, fed on all things, while the Chaos Concept thrived on war, destruction, and disorder.

Kael set the book down, his eyes blazing with newfound determination.

He wanted to do something terrifying—something no one had ever attempted.

He wanted to combine all three concepts into one.

No one had ever succeeded in fusing multiple concepts before—except for the legendary girl who had merged Space and Time. But that was only two. He would be the first to attempt three.

Kael was certain that if he succeeded, his strength would reach terrifying heights. Then, he could finally enter the forest and push himself to new limits. His goal was clear—at the very least, he had to reach the False God Realm before the one-year deadline for the contest.

If he could find it, good. If not, it didn’t matter.

But Kael had to go to that contest. He had to see the true strength of the Wakon race.

Because one day, he would slaughter them.

Sitting cross-legged, Kael closed his eyes. His brows twitched as his entire body trembled, his mind wracked with unbearable strain. Heat surged through his veins, fire burning through his flesh as his face contorted in pain.

Inside his mind, three colossal orbs—Void, Nothingness, and Chaos—floated apart. Slowly, they inched toward each other, tendrils intertwining as something new and terrifying began to take form.

***************

Wakon Race Territory

Deep beneath the surface, inside a massive underground battlefield, a lone figure stood in the center of a barren wasteland. The hot wind swept against her battle armor as she let go of the severed head in her grasp, the last of her enemies falling before her.

[Simulation Ended... Winner: Riya.]

A mechanical voice echoed through the empty field. The wasteland vanished, replaced by white metallic walls.

Up above, Sujikn watched from an observation deck, her sharp eyes fixed on the scene below. She turned to the simulation supervisor.

"What was the realm of her opponent?" she asked.

The supervisor straightened his posture, answering cautiously, "Same... Same realm."

Sujikn’s eyes narrowed. She had only arrived a few moments ago, just in time to witness Riya’s final strike.

"How many were there?" she pressed.

"...F-Five hundred."

A slow smile spread across Sujikn’s face.

"Good... Very good. Invincible at the same realm."

She leaned forward, pressing a green button on the control panel.

"Riya," she spoke into the intercom, "you did well. At this rate, you’re already invincible against those in your realm. You can stop here if you want. If you’re satisfied, exit the simulation—our lead supervisor will scan your vitals and provide you with the necessary diet and nutrients before you rest."

Down in the simulation chamber, Riya exhaled, still high on the rush of battle. Then, she heard Sujikn’s voice and glanced up at the glass, meeting her faint smile.

"No... I’m not done."

She knew this level of strength wasn’t enough. If she wanted to make a name for herself in the Realm of War, she needed more.

Sujikn chuckled. "As expected... Then, how about a fight against a Middle-Level False God?"

A predatory grin spread across Riya’s face.

"Why not?"

A flicker of darkness pulsed around her. It was subtle—there for only a moment, yet gone in the next, like an illusion.

The simulation chamber shifted. The white walls melted away, replaced by a dense forest. Across from her, a towering figure materialized—a four-armed warrior with a single, unblinking eye on its forehead.

"Behold," Sujikn announced, "the last recorded battle strength of the One-Eye, Four-Armed Clan’s greatest genius before he ascended to the High-Level False God Realm—hundreds of years ago."

Darkness swirled around Riya, expanding to cover half the simulated battlefield.

"Genius? Ordinary."

Her pupils dilated, swallowing the whites of her eyes until only endless blackness remained.

"All will die at my hands... and become my sustenance."

She moved.

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