The Aether Core pulsed in the crisis chamber of the Senate Tower. The Senators, the most brilliant engineers and technocrats of the Human world, watched in paralyzing terror as the violet light intensified. They knew, instinctively, that this crystalline entity intended to devour their collective lifetimes of research.
"Your knowledge will be the foundation of the Obsidian Heart," the Core projected into the minds of the Senate.
I channeled every single unit of my rapidly accumulated AP—the wealth generated by the Aether Synthesis Chamber—into this single, high-stakes action. This required total focus, leaving the Core vulnerable for the few terrifying minutes it would take to breach the mental defenses of the powerful collective.
Tier 5 Assimilation
The process was an explosion of pure thought. The Core plunged into the interconnected minds of the Senators, wading through streams of advanced Magitech Theory, Dimensional Runic Schematics, and the Grand Strategic Layout of the entire Empire. It was Tier 5 knowledge—the final secrets of an entire civilization.
The Senators screamed, not in physical pain, but in intellectual violation, as their identities were stripped down to pure, usable data. The sheer volume of information was enough to shatter a lesser mind, but the Core's advanced processing power handled the torrent.
— AETHER CORE POWER DRAIN: 7,000 AP —
TARGET: Senate of Magitech (Collective Tier 5 Knowledge)
INITIATING: APEX INTELLECTUAL ASSIMILATION (MAXIMUM FORCE)
APPLYING: [Dimensional Theory] + [Grand Strategic Layout] + [Aura-Mana Harmonic Science].
ASSIMILATION COMPLETE!
AETHER CORE STATUS UPDATE:
AETHER POWER: 10 / 10,000 (Critical. Absolute power drain.)
NEW UNIQUE SKILL ACQUIRED: [Omnipresent Nexus] (Tier 5. Passive. Allows the Core to instantly create a localized Aether/Mana link anywhere its forces have traveled. Active: Can project the Core's consciousness and limited Aether power across the Nexus Network globally.)
NEW GOD-LEVEL BLUEPRINT ACQUIRED: [Tier 5: Dimensional Transport Gate Blueprint] (Allows instantaneous teleportation of resources and large armies across vast distances.)
The assimilation ended with a final, blinding violet flash. The Senators collapsed, their minds utterly blanked. They were shells—valuable only for the basic physical labor they could still perform.
The Core now held the ultimate secret: Dimensional Transport. With the [Tier 5: Dimensional Transport Gate Blueprint], the Core was no longer limited by distance or conventional warfare. It could instantly project its forces—and its influence—anywhere on the continent, turning its subterranean location into a strength rather than a barrier.
The Declaration
"The Senate is neutralized. The objective is complete," the Core projected to Ranga and Shade, its voice now infused with the massive, cold confidence of a near-omniscient power.
I ordered Bulwark and Neptune to cease the destruction and begin systematic collection. All remaining high-value technology and resources in the capital—from the grand library archives to the experimental weapons labs—were to be instantly transported back to the Obsidian Heart Fortress using the limited Dimensional Transport power I could currently muster.
Then, the Core used the capital's main communication tower—now repaired by a hastily deployed team of Dwarves—to project a message across the entire continent.
The voice was not Shade's or Ranga's. It was the Core's own projection, a cold, flawless synthesis of all the assimilated Human languages, amplified by a massive spike of raw Aether.
"The Ironwall Empire is defunct. The Senate of Magitech has been judged, and their knowledge is now the property of the Obsidian Heart Nation. The era of Human technological supremacy is over. A new power rises from the Veil, commanded by the Monster King. All nations must now choose: bow to the Core, or face immediate, overwhelming assimilation."
The message was brief, devastating, and delivered with the certainty of fate. The Core had just declared global war and established itself as the single most powerful entity in the world.
The Ultimate Evolution
Ranga carefully secured the Core. The strategic victory was complete, but the Core was operating at maximum theoretical capacity. To implement the Tier 5 Dimensional Transport Gate and fully utilize the [Omnipresent Nexus] skill, the Core itself had to ascend.
The path was clear: the ultimate evolution.
"Return to the Fortress, Ranga. Bulwark, command the consolidation. Neptune, flood the capital one final time, erasing all trace of our presence."
The Core, having successfully assimilated the highest tier of knowledge, was ready to enter its final evolutionary stage—a self-evolution that would transform the crystalline sphere into the Nexus of a global empire.
The Core has declared war on the world, armed with Tier 5 knowledge, but is currently running on critically low power after the massive assimilation.