Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 3082: Comprehension

Three weeks had passed since their arrival at Kharzun Hold.

As for Versa’s request, Emery had never seriously considered refusing. The plan carried real risks, but abandoning several thousand people to die behind a failing barrier wasn’t something he could simply walk away from.

This was, after all, the purpose of his mission. His recent report had only confirmed it: Emery currently stood as an unofficial ambassador of the Magus Alliance in Tartarus, and building goodwill with its people mattered, especially with those desperate enough to genuinely need his help.

So while the dwarves spent the past three weeks making their final preparations for the migration, Emery used the time for his own.

His Mark of Divinity, paired with the Astral Link artifact, had made quick work of the Soul Resonance Staff. He had fully refined the Tier 7 spirit weapon within a week, far faster than he could have managed in the past.

With the complete refinement of the artifact, Emery also gained access to a set of polearm techniques and a unique spell. A chant to activate the resonance rings embedded around the staff’s crown, allowing each strike of the weapon to unleash a powerful spiritual attack.

Emery quickly put the techniques through their paces, practicing several combinations and testing how the resonance attacks flowed through his movements.

A faint smile appeared on Emery’s face.

It was another trump card he could rely on a battle.

For the remaining two weeks, he focused entirely on the spatial shard.

Emery had high hopes that the shard would provide a significant boost to his comprehension of the Law of Space, but he kept his expectations modest. After all, he had only a limited amount of time to work with it. The previous spatial shard had taken him more than two years to completely refine, and this one was no less profound.

To his surprise, however, he found that he could absorb this shard much faster than he had in the past.

As the strange spatial energy merged into his soul, the intricate understanding contained within the shard gradually unfolded before him. Countless principles of space that had once seemed distant or difficult to grasp now became increasingly clear, as if a layer of fog had been lifted from his mind.

[Your comprehension in Spatial Law has increased]

[Your soul power has increased]

[Law of Space: 65%]

At this stage, even a single percentage point came at a brutal cost. In just three weeks, Emery had consumed roughly a quater of the shard and gained a percentage points—a pace that would have seemed impossible before Baeldum.

”It seems the gains in my comprehension of Spatial Law, along with my recent understanding of the Origin, are allowing me to absorb this shard much faster.”

With each increase, Emery could feel the change spreading beyond his own soul. The spatial principles he had absorbed seemed to resonate with the Khaos energy within him, sending faint ripples through his inner domain.

The Khaos Domain trembled.

Deep within the darkness, all three Khaos Gates reacted almost simultaneously. Their ancient structures gave off a faint vibration, as though they had sensed the improvement in Emery’s understanding of space. Even the connection between the gates and his two avatars seemed to become clearer. The invisible bond tethering their souls pulled tighter, allowing Emery to sense the presence of his avatars more distinctly despite the vast distance separating them.

Emery’s eyes narrowed as he observed the reaction.

”Comprehension of the Law of Space really is the key here.”

The realization made him reconsider what might happen if he could completely refine the spatial shard. His current progress had already strengthened his connection to the Khaos Gates. If he could absorb the entire shard, perhaps he could finally gain enough understanding to access the gates without the restrictions that had plagued him since entering Tartarus.

And if that happened, it might do more than simply improve his ability to travel through space.

It could give him a genuine path between realms.

The thought alone made Emery’s expression grow serious.

”If one shard isn’t enough...” he murmured, his gaze falling toward the remaining spatial energy. ”I’ll get more Parasite X cores.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

”There should be plenty scattered across this realm.”

A knock interrupted Emery’s thoughts. Before he could respond, the door opened and Soltz let himself in.

”What is it?” Emery asked.

”There’s something you might be able to help with,” Soltz said. ”Come with me.”

Emery followed him through a winding series of tunnels. Three weeks had clearly been enough for Soltz to settle into Kharzun Hold. He moved through the underground passages without hesitation, already familiar with the maze of tunnels, and nearly every dwarf they passed greeted him by name. Some nodded respectfully, while others offered brief words of acknowledgment before returning to their work.

The two of them continued deeper into the mountain, gradually leaving the populated sections of the settlement behind. With every level they descended, the air grew noticeably hotter. The comfortable warmth of the main settlement slowly became an oppressive heat, and before long, Emery could feel it against his skin.

”Where are we going?” Emery asked.

”To the heart of the mountain.”

They descended several more levels before finally emerging into a massive cavern.

A wave of intense heat rolled over them.

The cavern walls glowed faintly with deep red light, and heat shimmered through the air in visible waves. Somewhere beneath their feet, molten rock flowed through the mountain like a massive underground river. It was an environment that would have been nearly unsurvivable for anyone below the Grand Magus realm without specialized protection.

Four dwarves stood inside the cavern, all possessing Grand Magus-level cultivation. They had gathered before what appeared to be an enormous metal wall built directly into the mountain. A massive sealed door was embedded within it, its surface covered in dense formation runes that pulsed faintly beneath the surrounding heat.

Bragnir stood among them.

The other three dwarves wore neither armor nor weapons. Instead, they were dressed in simple, soot-marked clothing, their beards and faces carrying the unmistakable signs of craftsmen who had spent years working around furnaces and molten metal.

Bragnir’s eyes flicked toward Emery for a moment before settling back on Soltz.

”You really think he can?” he asked, his tone flat. ”What’s a Two-Cosmos supposed to do that we couldn’t?”

Soltz shrugged.

”Well, no one here can do it, so we might as well let him try.”

Emery took a moment to properly examine the scene. The enormous metal structure wasn’t a wall at all.

It was a forge.

A massive one, with its outer frame embedded directly into the mountain. Even after countless years, traces of its former glory remained. Thick metal plates covered its surface, while old formation lines ran across them, faintly glowing beneath layers of soot and mineral deposits.

From their exchange, apparently buried somewhere beneath it was one of the hold’s most treasured possessions.

Something they had intended to reclaim and take with them during the evacuation.

Yet none of them had managed to reach it.

Emery couldn’t help but feel a flicker of interest.

”What exactly is it?”

Bragnir’s expression became unusually solemn. When he answered, his voice carried a weight that bordered on reverence.

”An Earth Core Flame”