Within the hidden structure drifting in the unreachable depths of the Edge, alarms began to pulse again.
› Middle Rule Stage–level energy detected
The Guardian Spirit shot forward from its resting platform, "What? Again? What is happening in this galaxy…"
Its voice vibrated with something between disbelief and irritation. It had already dispatched a report to the Void Emperor about Adrian's Early Astral–level signature and was waiting for a reply.
And now another alert… another entity surpassing the established galactic ceiling of the Early Rule Stage.
"Who is it this time?"
Its shimmering form darted across the console as a projection flared to life.
There, the Demon Emperor stood amidst carnage, devouring demons in a frenzy, pulling their essence into himself with threads of night-like energy.
› Arcane Concept Detected: Devour Concept
"So that is the reason…" The Guardian Spirit immediately understood.
This situation was not like Adrian, whose concept was something unrecorded, something beyond every archive the universe knew. This was different and recognizable.
In the universe, natural concepts such as fire, space, void, time were known collectively as arcane concepts.
And the Guardian Spirit could see that the Demon Emperor was pushing an arcane concept to extremes, becoming a Rule Stage being without a divine concept.
To step into the Rule Stage, one normally required a Divine Concept, a higher-tier concept created by merging multiple arcane concepts into a superior concept.
And even these Divine Concepts differed in rank, depending on what arcane concepts were used in their creation.
Some forged from common arcane concepts like the five elements, while others were wrought from devastating arcane forces like gravity, time, void, creation, and life.
Arcton, for example, had a divine concept which merged five elemental concepts, but still, if he faced a being with a divine concept made with arcane concepts like time, space, or other ones, he would be suppressed, because of it being a higher tier, like how Adrian's Source was naturally higher in tier than anything.
And the Devour Concept… That concept was one of those terrifying, arcane concepts that, when pushed to its absolute limit, could become monstrous.
The Guardian Spirit's form pulsed with agitation. Tendrils of golden light spiralled outward, tapping into deeper archives.
Some of the strongest sects in the universe refined ultimate-tier divine concepts by using devour as their foundation. The Guardian Spirit knew the signs well.
The projection zoomed closer. The Demon Emperor was no longer merely strengthening himself. He was transforming the devour essence seed into a rule core so dense it no longer resembled an arcane concept at all.
If the Demon Emperor kept devouring more, the entire galaxy could be destroyed!
The Guardian Spirit's mission was to protect this galaxy from external threats, hence the galactic barrier that the Void Emperor created. Internal conflict, however horrifying, was outside its jurisdiction…
"I cannot interfere… but I cannot allow the galaxy to be consumed either…"
It was forbidden from acting inside the galaxy directly; its role was surveillance, guidance, and protection against external invasion. Yet the Demon Emperor's current rampage could become something indistinguishable from an extinction-level anomaly.
The console flared again.
Another pulse of energy registered in the projections.
The readings spiked, climbing past thresholds the Guardian Spirit had never witnessed in this galaxy.
The Guardian Spirit stilled, "He's surpassing Middle Rule Stage too quickly. If he keeps devouring, he may break into High Rule…"
Its golden form dimmed momentarily, processing the implications. High Rule Stage entities could obliterate star clusters with casual gestures. The galaxy's barrier would hold against external threats, but internal collapse was another matter entirely.
Only one being in this galaxy held enough authority to stop the Devourer now, "Adrian…"
With that realization the Guardian Spirit made a decision it had avoided for so long.
For the first time since arriving in this galaxy, the Guardian Spirit abandoned the main structure. Its golden form tore through space, leaving behind shimmering fractures as it raced toward Nyseren.
The structure's lights dimmed in its absence. Consoles continued their automated monitoring, tracking the Demon Emperor's ascent and Adrian's distant signature.
If it delayed any longer, the Demon Emperor would grow past the threshold of even an Astral anomaly.
And then nothing, not Adrian, not the empires, not even the ancient cultivators, would survive what came next.
...
Adrian stood within the central command hall of Nyseren, surrounded by rulers of the five empires. He had summoned them the moment he sensed irregular fluctuations from the demon sector's mana tides.
The moment he opened his mouth to address the rulers, a figure of golden essence materialized in the centre of the room.
Everyone tensed. Even Adrian's eyes narrowed; not because he sensed hostility, on the contrary, he sensed nothing until the Guardian Spirit had already appeared. That alone made every ruler in the chamber uneasy.
No spatial distortion, no mana signature, no warning whatsoever.
It simply existed where it hadn't a heartbeat before.
But the moment Adrian felt its presence, he recognized it. This was the same energy he had encountered within the Edge structures.
The golden light, the guardian spirit that had tested him, spoken riddles about essence and existence.
Adrian's eyes narrowed, "You…"
Before he could say more, the Guardian Spirit spoke, its voice echoing with urgency, "The Demon Emperor is rampaging. His energy has surged past the Middle Rule Stage, and it grows every moment."
Adrian frowned, "Rule Stage? What is that?"
He had encountered fragments of knowledge beyond Stellar. Arcton had wielded a divine concept; the Guardian Spirit itself had mentioned the Astral stage during his trials. But no one had ever explained the full hierarchy, the proper names, the boundaries that separated one realm from another.
"There is no time to explain," the Guardian Spirit replied sharply, "If he is not stopped soon, he will become strong enough to devour this entire galaxy."
A ripple of shock passed through the rulers.
Lysandra reacted first, "I will contact the ancient cultivator our empire has ties with. They may—"
"No." The Guardian Spirit cut her off immediately.
"Those ancient cultivators you speak of are merely Early Rule Stage. They will die the moment they face him."
Alice's jaw tightened, "Then what do we do?"
The Guardian Spirit's faceless head turned toward Adrian, "Only someone stronger than the Demon Emperor can kill him now. In this galaxy, that is him."
Every head in the chamber snapped back toward Adrian.
They had known Adrian killed an ancient cultivator, but they had never imagined he had already surpassed every ancient cultivator within this galaxy.
Even Adrian was stunned. He knew he was strong, knew his Source granted him authority over rules itself, which enabled him to kill Arcton with relative ease.
But to hear it stated plainly, that he stood above beings who had cultivated for tens of thousands of years, that the survival of millions of worlds depended solely on his strength—
Adrian's fists clenched at his sides; his Source Seed pulsed within him.
Now the fate of the galaxy rested solely on him.
The rulers stood in silence, watching the only being capable of saving them toward a battle none of them understood.
And for the first time since, they felt truly powerless.