Chapter 4: "Where the hell did that energy come from?"
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Raphael gazed at the edge of the Sea of Souls, the vast expanse of the Immaterium swirling with an ever-shifting tapestry of colors and shades.
As she, Raphael, controlled the reflection of her Master's soul, she felt the weight of five intense gazes trained upon her, each one imbued with its own distinct power.
Four of these gazes emanated an overwhelming sense of malevolence, as if they were the very embodiment of Chaos's darkest impulses.
The essence of Chaos itself is a paradox; it transcends the binary of good and evil, manifesting in a chaotic swirl of motivations and outcomes.
Yet, Raphael recognized these four gazes as representations of the Four Chaos Gods, the Dark Ones, each one embodying a facet of the universe's disorderly nature—Malice, Decay, Desire, and Change.
Their presence was palpable, a chilling reminder of the destructive influence they wielded over both mortals and the fabric of reality itself.
In sharp contrast, the fifth gaze was markedly different.
It pulsed with a cold yet burning, calculating intensity, devoid of the chaotic malice that characterized the others. It was more... neutral, to some extent.
This gaze scrutinized the reflection of her Master, Kardia, with a deliberative intensity that suggested a deeper contemplation—an analysis of potentialities.
It weighed the significance of Kardia's existence, assessing whether he was a boon to humanity or a detrimental force.
Raphael's heart did not change even after she recognized the source of this scrutinizing gaze.
It belonged to the Emperor of Mankind, a monumental figure in human history who had once united humanity during its darkest hour.
He was a beacon of hope and an embodiment of sacrifice, yet he also bore the weight of grave decisions that shaped the fate of countless lives.
However, Raphael remained unfazed by the machinations of the five entities gazing upon the perfect reflection that she created of her Master, Kardia.
She could distinctly feel the simmering anger of Khorne, the Blood God, yet oddly, it felt remote, as if Khorne recognized the rising power of her master, Kardia, but feared that any direct intervention might lead to vulnerability.
Especially when there wasn't any type of information to be gathered on Kardia. The only thing Khrone knew was just that... Kardia seemingly came out of nowhere.
This restraint intrigued Raphael; Khorne, known for his thirst for bloodshed and dominance, seemed to be weighing his options with palpable caution.
In stark contrast, the essence of Nurgle washed over her, filled with a palpable aura of dread, yet Raphael stood unmoved by it.
Among the Four Chaos Gods, Raphael could feel Nurgle's emotions, and she could feel the most susceptible fear regarding her Master's potential.
Nevertheless, Raphael could also sense the creeping anger that thrummed through Nurgle's being—his once joyful, infectious laughter now muted as he was fearful of Kardia but also angered that he felt fear.
Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, was another story entirely. Raphael felt the familiar touch of panic that Nurgle expressed, yet Tzeentch quickly regained his composure, as expected from a deity of cunning.
It was as if he found the dynamics of the situation thoroughly entertaining, a grand tapestry of fate weaving before him. Yet, in his amusement lay an undercurrent of wariness.
On the other hand, Slaanesh, the youngest of the Four Chaos Gods, also known as the Dark Ones, exuded an air of indifference.
This nonchalance came as no surprise to Raphael. Although she did not know Slaanesh personally, she could intuitively grasp the essence of Slaanesh, who embodied the concepts of Desire, Excess, and Pleasure.
Slaanesh would hardly concern herself with the ascension of another godlike being. For Slaanesh, the pursuit of pleasure was the top priority.
Whether another Chaos God or a lesser deity was born in the Immaterium and began to grow in power was of no concern to her.
Flitting from one sensation to the next, Slaanesh seemed far more interested in indulgence than in the chaos of power struggles. In fact, she only participates in those power struggles because the game brought him or her... pleasure.
In this moment, Slaanesh's lack of regard for the brewing storm revealed a truth that Raphael found to be... expected.
However, Raphael remained unfazed by the machinations of the five entities, analyzing the reflection of her Master, Kardia.
....
Raphael ignored the intense gazes of the five powerful entities fixed on the body of her Master, Kardia. Instead, she shifted her attention to the "Shadow in the Warp."
She observed as the "Shadow in the Warp" struggled to escape Azathoth's death grip, but none of its attempts were effective.
This was particularly true now that her Master, Kardia, was growing stronger, which meant that Azathoth possessed more energy than ever, allowing it to exert greater control.
However, Raphael paid little mind to this; she focused instead on the new insights she gained from consuming the "Shadow in the Warp."
Azathoth was devouring a version of the Hive Mind that was not the true Hive Mind—it was more of a sub-Hive Mind.
But what did that imply?
In Warhammer 40K lore, each Tyranid fleet is overseen by a Norn Queen, akin to the role of an ant queen in a colony. The Norn Queen acts as an extension of the Hive Mind, giving birth to the Tyranids.
In extremely rare scenarios, the Norn Queen can operate independently while still adhering to the core principles established by the Hive Mind since its inception.
It is said that the Tyranids encountered in the galaxy are merely "cells" of a much larger super-organism.
In this context, sub-Hive Minds function like independent cells; they follow the rules laid down by the Hive Mind but can exhibit entirely different behaviors.
In other words, sub-Hive Minds are analogous to cancer cells.
Cancer cells in the human body are initially programmed to adhere to the original genetic code. However, at some point, a change occurs, prompting them to behave differently. The same principle applies to sub-Hive Minds.
While all Tyranids can be considered cancers, sub-Hive Minds are like the cancers within those cancers.
This implies that the sub-mind Azathoth was consuming was not the true "Shadow in the Warp."
Even if Azathoth devoured it, there would be no impact on the actual Hive Mind—the super-organism that controls all Tyranids, which resides outside the galaxy.
Raphael realized that to confront the Tyranid race, they needed to become significantly stronger. Even a single sub-Hive Mind was powerful enough to provide her Master with substantial energy.
Yet, Raphael disregarded all of this. She merely glanced at it, absorbed the information, and moved on.
She moved on to observe something more important. The growth of her master, or at least, the process behind that exponential growth.
All of that process took place inside the "Imaginary Space."
Raphael, who had the ability to manipulate the Imaginary Space—a sub-skill of Azathoth that functions as a personal dimension—continued her task.
What exactly was this task?
It involved separating the impurities, corruption, and essence from the various beings contained within the absorbed energy.
After all, Raphael would never allow corrupted energy to touch her Master's body, soul, and mind—not even for a million years.
So, how did this process work?
Energy was absorbed from the sub-Hive Mind and combined with the endless energy collected from the Immaterium by the "Black Hole," which Raphael created by understanding the unpredictable laws of the Immaterium.
This energy was then channeled into her Master's personal dimension, referred to as "Imaginary Space."
But what exactly is the "Imaginary Space"?
"Imaginary Space," also known as "Imaginary Numbers Space," is a sub-skill of the Ultimate Skill "Beelzebub, Lord of Gluttony," and now of the Ultimate Skill "Azathoth, God of the Void."
It represents a Chaos World.
So, what does "Chaos World" mean?
In the world of Tensura, "Chaos Worlds" have unknown characteristics and are tied to specific individuals, who possess complete authority to shape them as they desire.
The sub-skill "Imaginary Space" is classified as a "Chaos World."
The dimension belonging to Kardia, called "Imaginary Space," is virtually limitless in size.
This skill is recognized in the Tensura anime as the evolution of the sub-skills known as "Stomach" and "Isolation."
Since it evolves from the sub-skills "Stomach" and "Isolation," "Imaginary Space" can isolate the passage of time and space, isolate harmful or unnecessary targets, and convert them into energy.
For example, if a dying person were placed inside "Imaginary Space," they could technically still "survive," as time does not exist there, so their injuries do not worsen over time.
This concept applies to other factors, such as food and basic needs.
In essence, they would be in a state of stasis.
Additionally, because "Imaginary Space" is a sub-skill of Azathoth, it can isolate harmful essences, impurities, and unnecessary materials, converting them into energy.
This capability makes "Azathoth" the ultimate recycling skill.
Why is that?
Raphael was utilizing both Azathoth's skill and her own ability to separate and synthesize things to enhance efficiency.
She discovered that if she allowed Azathoth to handle everything, the process of making her Master grow stronger would take significantly longer.
Therefore, she decided to divide the workload.
Raphael would separate the impurities from energy, leaving behind a relatively "clean" source.
This cleaner energy would then be further purified through another skill and subsequently distributed equally to enhance Kardia's body and mind.
The separated impurities would be "devoured" and converted into useful energy, ensuring that there was no waste; in theory, it was recycling to the extreme.
The process was more efficient this way because Azathoth was not overloaded with three tasks at once.
Instead, Raphael could perform two tasks almost instantaneously as if she was breathing air, leaving only the final task—something Raphael herself could not accomplish—to Azathoth.
All of this process, as explained, is taking place at a level of speed that not even the Chaos Gods would be able to understand.
The efficiency of Raphael is unmatched.
Her efficiency is a perfect 999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999%.
....
Kardia was engaged in battle against the surrounding Tyranids, his noble red-golden eyes reflecting a sense of boredom as he effortlessly evaded their attacks, countered, and dispatched those brave enough to confront him.
A few hours earlier, Kardia had decided to stop using the Vimana, finding it dull.
He had grown to enjoy fighting, so he decided to stop using Vimana and just jumped into the fray once more, using both his weapons and his bare hands to eliminate the Tyranids.
Suddenly, Kardia sensed a tremendous shift occurring around him.
To call it simply a "change" would be an understatement; it was a profound transformation.
Kardia felt his psychic powers rising—not just his psychic abilities, but also his physical strength, both growing at an astounding rate that left him speechless.
With each passing second, his mental energy doubled, and his physical strength increased at the same rate.
Then, in the very next moment, the change became exponential, doubling his power and energy once again.
His mind felt clear and refreshed, his muscles possessed strength he had never dreamed of, and his energy reserves felt nearly limitless.
His strikes, dodges, and counterattacks became faster, stronger, and more precise as he finally showcased the full potential of his newfound abilities.
Despite this good fortune, Kardia was unaware of what was happening. So he just simply kept fighting.
But he did ask himself those questions, but with no answer.
"What the hell? What is happening? Where did that energy come from?" Kardia thought, bewildered.
He did not realize that Raphael had begun siphoning energy from the reflection of the Sub-Hive-Mind and the infinite energy of the Immaterium.
Yet, there was no time for speculation, as more Tyranids charged toward him.
It seems that even they began to suffer changes, as they are starting to become more irrational.
...
Every member of the Tyranid race, from the scuttling Gaunts to the towering Carnifexes, felt the piercing, anguished screams of the Norn Queen, the supreme leader of the Sub-Hive-Mind entrenched within the vast, churning mass of the Fleet.
The Norn Queen writhed in torment, her essence frayed and battered as the remnants of her soul were mercilessly consumed by the escalating power of Azathoth. The agony was excruciating, a dark torment that threatened to splinter her very being.
Yet, even ensnared in such pain, her will burned fiercely. With a commanding surge of psychic energy, she issued a furious decree:
"Eliminate that human AT ALL COST!"
These words, though unvoiced in the physical realm, echoed through the vast psychic web connecting all Tyranids across the unknown star system.
As the maternal figure of the entire Tyranid race within this Hive Fleet, the Norn Queen's psychic commands were absolute, resonating with the authority of a mother to her children.
Under her ruthless control, she swiftly redirected her forces, halting the myriad activities of the Tyranids scattered across the planet.
Hordes of Termagants abandoned their relentless feeding frenzy. At the same time, monstrous Warriors ceased their relentless assaults in other parts of the planet.
The Norn Queen summoned her children with an intensity born of desperation, driving them toward the distant clash where Kardia, the formidable human defender, fought valiantly against the encroaching swarm.
She felt the tide of battle shift, the vibrancy of her offspring's ferocity propelling them toward the fray, united by the singular purpose of eliminating the source of her torment.
The REAL hunt was on, and failure was not an option.
....
Back to Kardia.
"FUCK!" Kardia cursed in anger.
"Why won't you just die already?!" he yelled in frustration.
In a surge of anger, as the Tyranids attacked again, Kardia unleashed spiritual power outward, creating an effect similar to spiritual pressure.
At that moment, he heard an announcement in his mind:
[New skill acquired.]
[Extra Skill: Spiritual/Psychic Pressure.]
Kardia smiled, despite still feeling angry. However, the battle was far from over.
Some Tyranids, unaffected because they were outside the area of effect, continued their assault.
With astonishing agility and quick reflexes, Kardia dodged a bio-bullet that was shot his way, shifting his head just in time. But even that did not eliminate the danger.
As he moved to the left, a large bio-sword wielded by a towering Tyranid Warrior Prime swung down toward him. Kardia successfully evaded the attack by moving further to the left, allowing him to conserve energy and momentum.
Kardia then stepped back slightly and began to gather his strength in his right fist. In the next moment, before the Tyranid could react or launch a counterattack, he swung his fist.
There was no hesitation.
When Kardia's powerful fist connected, the sound reverberated as if the sound barrier had been broken.
The impact shook the entire environment, generating a strong gust of wind that swept through the forest.
Kardia's long hair flowed like snakes in the wind, enhancing his imposing presence in the eyes of the Tyranids.
Neither Kardia nor the Tyranids intended to back down; the battle continued fiercely.
In a remarkable display of flexibility, Kardia bent his knees and positioned himself horizontally to dodge an incoming attack from a large bio-weapon in the form of a saw aimed at his neck.
As he evaded the attack, in a golden portal that suddenly appeared in his hands, he summoned a spear into his hands even while maintaining that horizontal position.
The moment he returned to a standing position a millisecond later, he swung the spear with great force.
This was no ordinary swing; it was a slash infused with Kardia's intention and aura.
As he swung, a powerful golden slash seemed to emanate from the spear.
When the slash made contact with the Tyranids, the only thing visible was the body parts of the filthy creatures flying, accompanied by a rain of blood falling over him.
This attack was the result of the "Battlewill" arts that most characters in the world of Tensura learn, and it proved to be effective here as well.
The "Aura" in this context is akin to the "Haki" in the world of One Piece. However, Aura in the world of Tensura—and now in the Warhammer 40k universe—can do more than just enhance; it can do a lot of things.
Anyone who practices the "Battlewill" school of martial arts can strengthen themselves and their weapons with their own aura and perform incredible feats.
Aura can even affect spiritual life-forms like demons, angels, and other monsters. This is why Kardia thinks that Aura is very important in this world.
Kardia had just used an "art" called "Aura Slash," which allows him to shoot his aura in the form of a slash. The efficiency of the slash depends on the swordsman and the strength of the person.
The spear in Kardia's hands was actually pretty important, and it was also a pretty famous spear.
The spear is known as the "Declaration of the Great God," Gungnir.
Yes, this is the legendary spear of the King of Asgard, Odin, the King of Gods in the Norse Pantheon.
This version of Gungnir comes from the time when Hela, as the daughter of Odin in the Marvel universe, became known as "Merciful Queen Hela."
Yes, this was the spear that Hela took away from Odin, in that one episode of "What If...? Marvel."
This legendary spear has multiple names, such as the "Spear of Heaven" and the "Declaration of the Great God."
Kardia smiled as he held the golden spear in his hands. It felt right, for some reason.
But Kardia didn't stop there.
Kardia began to start pouring his aura and his psychic energy into that sword, and he also began to gather strength in his muscles.
As he prepared himself to launch an attack, Kardia observed through his multiple skills of perception his surroundings.
The Tyranids stopped attacking as they felt that Kardia was going to launch an attack.
Some of the Tyranids that could use Psychic energy began to feel that Kardia was preparing an attack, and as a collective force, they began rapidly move towards the front lines, as if they were going to join hands to make a shield where they could stop Kardia's incoming attack.
"Yeah, that is right! Work together!"
Kardia said sarcastically as he looked at how the Tyranids were preparing psychic shields.
When he noticed that he had reached the maximum momentum that he could possibly give to Gugnir, Kardia simply moved his entire body to throw the spear.
As the spear was thrown at lightning speed, massive shock waves were created, and those shock waves began to destroy the environment.
The trees, due to the pressure and power of these powerful shock waves, were uprooted and sent flying into the sky.
As the spear was thrown, if you were perceptive enough, you could see that a golden aura surrounded it, allowing it not be affected by the wind.
The Tyranids had used all of their energy to create barriers to block the spear, or even slow it down with their psychokinesis, saw the spear of heaven coming at them, and some of them were in fear, as if they had separated from the mind control of the Hive Mind.
This spear was not stopping; it was like a train that was moving at light speed, not stopping until it reached its destination. Gungnir's mission and destination were to kill these filthy Tyranids.
When Gungnir came into the range of action of the Tyranids, the Tyranids began to act, trying to use their psychic energy to slow it down, but none of their actions had any meaning.
In fact, it seemed to only anger Gungnir further.
Not even a second later, to the bewilderment of the Tyranids, Gungnir pierced easily, as if it were paper, the psychic shields, and later began to tear through the Tyranids one by one.
It was as if Gungnir had a mind of its own because the spear didn't slow down; instead, it began to grow faster, but it did not stop in its tracks, and even, it did some movements in the air to change position.
What Kardia was doing with Gungnir was that he was controlling it, and as he controlled it, he kept giving it energy to keep its speed, or to even increase, so it could easily pierce through the bodies of those filthy Tyranids one by one.
There was no escape for these beasts.
"I can do this all day," Kardia said as he kept controlling Gungnir, while also referencing one of the most iconic lines in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
And just like that, for thirty minutes straight, Kardia simply controlled Gungnir to kill the Tyranids.
But after those thirty minutes, Kardia actually was bored.
While he fought hand-to-hand with some tyranids that tried to sneak up on him, none actually had the strength to even compete with him.
So while he was bored and still controlling Gungnir in the distance, who was causing destruction at insane speeds, Kardia began to talk to the only reliable partner here, Raphael.
"Raphael?! What the hell is happening to them?"
Kardia asked Raphael a question, but was more confused than desperate.
His initial desperation and fear of the Tyranids had completely disappeared from his blood and spiritual system.
As he asked the question, Kardia summoned the twin he used in earlier chapters, and he slashed one of the claws of one of the Tyranids that attacked, but he had to later jump into the air because one of those damn beasts, which had all of its limbs cut by him, tried to bite his foot off.
Kardia quickly got his response from Raphael.
[I am using the Ultimate Skill "Azathoth, God of the Void" to consume the reflection of the soul of the Sub-Hive-Mind inside the Immaterium, Master.]
[They are getting irrational because Azathoth is devouring them. The power we are devouring from them is being looped back to you, Master.]
[The Sub-Hive-Mind identified us as the cause for its loss of power, and they are trying the hardest to eliminate you, Master.]
Kardia, who heard this response, was actually speechless.
Raphael was using Azathoth to devour the "Sub-Hive Mind?"
What the hell?
How the fuck was this happening?
Yet, he was getting the benefits, so he didn't really care.
"Ahh, fucking great! No wonder they see me as an existential threat and why they attack me so desperately," Kardia joked, rolling his eyes, though he wasn't actually mad.
However, he stopped joking when the Tyranids continued their relentless assault.
As Kardia counterattacked one of the Tyranids, he had to suddenly move and jump into the air—one of the Tyranids had made a smart move, attempting an attack from below. Fortunately, he noticed in time and managed to leap far into the air before the strike could hit him.
While airborne, Kardia summoned a bow and some arrows. He aimed at the approaching Tyranids and unleashed several powerful, reinforced arrows capable of piercing their bio-armor.
These arrows defied the laws of physics as they zipped through the air faster than the wind, outripped the speed of sound, and matched lightning's swiftness effortlessly.
What was even more impressive was that they maintained their momentum and altitude without faltering, delivering devastating impact with each strike.
At that moment, Kardia felt like the God of War, Ares—an unstoppable force and an immovable object.
As he landed back on the ground, Kardia made the bow disappear in a swirl of golden mist. In its place, a katana materialized in his hand.
Even with the katana gripped tightly, he didn't move.
He stood there, surveying the Tyranids with indifference, not moving even a muscle.
Some of the less intelligent Tyranids, driven by the rage instilled in them by the Norn Queen, assumed that Kardia had given up or was too exhausted to continue.
Fueled by their anger and hatred, they charged at him, desperate to eliminate the "monstrosity" in human form that had been single-handedly slaughtering them for hours.
Suddenly, they heard something that puzzled them.
Yes, even Tyranids can experience confusion.
The sound of heavy breathing filled the air, as though someone were taking in large amounts of air. In normal circumstances, such breathing might indicate a respiratory issue or a state of emergency, but this time it was calm, powerful, and precise.
Some more intelligent and aware Tyranids quickly recognized that something was very, very wrong. In a defensive instinct, they took several steps back, and when they took a look at Kardia from that distance, their putrified blood ran cold, as they saw it.
An eerie aura began to emanate from the man-like figure in front of them.
They could even visualize it: an image of a large eclipse surrounded by the brightest white light in the universe, symbolizing strength and hope. In the center of that light, a black sphere symbolized the darkest aspects of the universe, along with its cruelty and lethality.
This was the sensation any being could feel from Kardia when he activated his "Eclipse Breathing" style.
Kardia's already powerful muscles grew even more defined as the intake of air took effect. His veins bulged visibly on his arms as he continued his breathing technique.
Just as the Tyranids were about to leap towards him, Kardia took a single step.
This simple action altered the Tyranids' perception of speed entirely.
In an instant, he had launched himself hundreds of meters away. The next instant, he turned to assess the situation he created; he witnessed the results of that single step.
The Tyranids, as if frozen in place, didn't move, but not even seconds later, the Tyranids that seemed to be completely fine but frozen, suddenly began to show that in some areas, a red yet green liquid began to come out of them.
As the liquid came out, it was as if a switch was moved, as Kardia saw how all of those hundreds of Tyranids broke into small pieces before his noble red-golden eyes.
"It seems that combining my strength, Atomic Samurai's sword techniques, and Eclipse Breathing can truly create something never seen before," Kardia thought to himself.
Within that brief moment—or rather, those few moments—Kardia had executed Atomic Samurai's techniques with precision, cutting the Tyranids into tiny pieces at extreme speeds.
Kardia, through these fights, was just trying new tricks, new combinations of combat, and getting adjusted to his ever-growing strength and speed.
"This is getting pretty boring now." Kardia thought as he made a large leap into the air, and not even seconds later, Vimana, the same ship that he had used before, appeared.
Sitting on the golden throne of Vimana, Kardia began to assess the situation.
"Gugnir is still under my control, and because I keep infusing mana and aura, it keeps killing without any downside."
Kardia said as he watched in the distance, as he saw the spear that once belonged to Odin move through the battlefield with speed and power.
The Tyranids were so scared, but they couldn't do anything, as they tried to do everything in their power to stop the spear, but the spear could easily break their shields and kill them before they could react.
"What else can I try?" Kardia asked himself.
"I can kill them as easily as cutting paper," he thought.
Kardia began to think.
After some thought, Kardia found his answer.
"Right! Couldn't I try to control space to give me something like the passive "Infinity" barrier of Gojo Satoru?"
"That barrier could keep them away from me."
Kardia had forgotten that he could potentially learn to use spatial abilities, and the best one that he could use is definitely Gojo's version of spatial abilities.
Not that Gojo's spatial abilities were the best ones out there, but they are definitely cool and interesting.
With that in mind, Kardia called out to Raphael.
"Raphael! Find a way for me to acquire an ability similar to that of Gojo Satoru, the Limitless Technique." Kardia ordered Raphael as he continued to see how Gungnir kept killing the Tyranids with ease.
[Right away, Master.] Raphael was quick to respond to his question.
"That spear really is powerful." He mused, his eyes narrowing to see Gungnir at work.
He also noticed something.
"I actually should also use Azathoth to devour those Tyranid corpses. The entire battlefield is filled with them. Once Azathoth devours them, I am sure that is going to be a lot of energy for me."
Getting up from the throne of Vimana, Kardia slowly but surely walked towards the edge of Vimana, and when he stood at the edge of it, he later closed his red-golden eyes and extended both of his hands forward.
"In the name of Kardia, Azathoth, I command you to devour all of the Tyranids' corpses in this entire battlefield," Kardia, in a serious manner, called out those words to the world once again.
Although there was no need to give that sentence, Kardia wanted to say something, or even do something, as he was bored out of his mind. But because he was in a solo war against these Alien creatures, he needed to entertain himself with something.
So for the same reason, Kardia referenced the scene at the end of season one of Tensura when Rimuru became a True Demon Lord, and newly evolved Raphael, after taking off Rimuru, used Beelzebub to absorb all the magicules in the area.
Kardia did the same, but he did it to the Tyranids.
As Azathoth was summoned, Kardia saw how Azathoth quickly, like a snake of a million heads, began to shoot tentacles towards the thousands of Tyranid corpses that were in front of him.
Not even a second later, the entire battlefield that was filled with countless bodies of Tyranids was completely empty, except for the couple of hundreds of thousand Tyranids that were still alive.
Kardia, who walked back towards the throne in the middle of Vimana, sat down, and not even a few seconds later, he heard good news from Raphael
[Master, I have completed the task you asked of me.]
[Requesting permission to upload information,] Raphael communicated within Kardia's mind.
"Granted." Kardia did not stutter or hesitate; he simply allowed access.
At the same time, as those words left his lips, a large amount of information and ways on how to replicate Gojo's Limitless Innate technique came to mind.
In reality, Raphael didn't just replicate; she recreated the skill, optimized it, and later perfected it. That is what Raphael does.
What is the "Limitless" technique?
For those who do not pay attention enough, the "Limitless" Innate technique is an inherited technique from the Gojo family in the Jujutsu Kaisen universe.
It grants its users near-absolute control over space through cursed energy—or, in Kardia's case, psychic energy—at an atomic level, resulting in multiple subsequent effects and techniques within the overall ability.
The first ability that Gojo Satoru, and now even Kardia, was going to use is the "neutral" form of the Limitless.
The neutral form of the Limitless is known as "Infinity." Often misunderstood as simply the ability to stop, the true power of Infinity lies in its ability to slow things down.
According to Satoru Gojo, this concept is rooted in the convergence of an infinite series.
It is derived from the paradox of Achilles and the tortoise.
Just as Achilles will never catch the tortoise due to the infinite number of finite spaces between them, or how the real number one will never meet the real number two because of the infinite fractions separating them, an opponent will never touch Satoru, in this case, Kardia, because of the Infinity that exists between them.
Kardia was amazed.
As the spatial barrier of the infinity surrounding Kardia, Kardia could tell that because of his strength, his spatial barrier could even handle multiple power attacks without any problem.
"I can probably use this concept and fuse it with "Multilayer Barrier." I think that barrier is better than this one, as I can apply multiple effects to it. And if I can apply this concept to it, I can pretty much have a barrier that has multiple effects."
Kardia began to think about things, or how to improve techniques.
But he can do that later; he now wants to try something else.
"I guess I can try this..."
Kardia focused a portion of his psychic energy into his hand; from his hand, the psychic energy quickly formed a blue sphere.
"Psychic Technique Lapse Maximum Output: Blue."
As he said those words, Kardia, sitting in the throne of Vimana, launched the Blue Sphere into the distance, especially where he could see hundreds, if not thousands, of Tyranids.
While he had changed the name of the original technique, he saw it as fitting, as this world was filled with psychic energy, but the technique was relatively the same.
From that small blue sphere of energy, an increasingly powerful vacuum of space began to form, and the power of the gravity began to increase from that sphere.
The Tyranids, who saw that a blue sphere, out of nowhere came shooting towards them, were confused and scared, as they tried saw how that blue sphere began to create a vacuum in space, and they were being sucked into it.
As the Tyranids were beginning to get squashed, Kardia actually noticed something impressive.
He had not actually paid attention to the technique, but now, after seeing it, he was impressed.
"Raphael... you are truly a genius. You have combined the force of attraction from Blue with Azathoth's own abilities."
"Any creature, object, or item that enters Blue will be teleported into the Imaginary Space, allowing me to continuously draw power from it."
Kardia couldn't help but smile
"Damn... spatial powers really are overpowered. No wonder Gojo was seen as the strongest sorcerer," Kardia said as he leaned on his fist, placing his right arm on the golden armrest of Vimana's throne.
"No... this is boring," he added, feeling a sense of monotony.
It was funny how, at the beginning of all of this, he was scared for his life, and now... he was extremely bored.
This was the "Power" effect. Once you gain power, a lot of things in the universe change for you.
Kardia narrowed noble red-golden eyes as he sensed something, and when he checked what it was, Kardia smiled.
"The Hive Mind is even deploying the Tyranids that can fly. Interesting..."
Kardia, with a thought, controlled Vimana. He was going to start an air battle to see if the Tyranids could compete with him on Vimana.
Vimana, as a ship that belongs to the Gods, its design and structure were beyond its time.
Especially the Vimana that once belonged to the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, and that now belongs to Kardia. This Vimana can move at the speed of thought.
Kardia smiled as he simply began to control Vimana.
As the flying Tyranids began to move towards where his Vimana was, Kardia began to fly his Vimana.
For the following hours, you could only see a green light in the sky that belonged to a golden ship, which moved in different positions at speeds that you would never think a ship like this would EVER have.
Vimana moved up and down, or down to up, right to left, and while Kardia kept sitting on the Golden Throne like nothing. Of course, he was the one controlling Vimana with his mind.
"This is pretty boring."
Kardia had not even tried to shoot the Tyranids in the last hour because he was having fun flying Vimana, and it was also pretty funny how the Tyranids tried catch up with him, but they couldn't do anything.
But now, he was bored.
He now knew that he Vimana was too strong, and that he could use it perfectly.
For that same reason, summoning his Gate of Babylon, Kardia simply shot powerful weapons at them at what seems to be light speed, and defeated all of the flying Tyranids.
"I am actually pretty bored. I don't want to fight anymore. Maybe I can try to use numbers against numbers? But how can I do that?"
Kardia was thinking out loud, and he mostly did it because he had no one to speak with.
Then Kardia remembered that he also had the authority of the Shadow Monarch of the world of Solo Leveling integrated into himself.
Yes... he had the authority of Death, or in other words, Sung Jinwoo's necromancy power.
His unique necromamancy.
The literal person who has an army of undead.
In order to be able to leave this battlefield and find something to do, Kardia knew he needed numbers of his own. Just like he said earlier.
After all, instead of fighting, Kardia could be doing other things. Like planning his future plans for this world.
For that, Kardia needed to utilize Jinwoo's signature authority: his necromancy.
Kardia got up from the Golden Throne within Vimana, and as he walked, he gave the command to Vimana to get as close to the ground as possible. Vimana, obviously, as a divine machine, listened to the will of its master.
Vimana, under Kardia's orders, got near to where thousands and thousands of Tyranid corpses were placed. These were the corpses of the Tyranid that Gungnir, who was still working, had killed during this time.
"I think it works like this..."
Kardia concentrated his psychic energy, and as he did that, a shadow aura began to surround him.
In a few seconds, he managed to do it.
He wanted to make this moment even more impressive, make it more dramatic as seen in the anime. However, Kardia was pretty bored, and he was not in the mood to try to create a perfect scene for the following line to sound cool.
Yet, in the next moment, in a simple yet commanding way, Kardia uttered the words that every Solo Leveling fan wanted to hear.
"Arise..."
As soon as he spoke those words, shadows began to rise from the corpses of the slain Tyranid warriors and other minor Tyranid forces that Gungnir had killed.
This was the power of necromancy—the power of the Shadow Monarch, the King of Death.
This power was now his.
At the same time, Kardia felt a connection with these shadows; he could control their every thought and movement.
Returning to the Golden Throne on Vimana, Kardia later gave simple yet absolute orders to his new Shadow Soldiers.
"Attack them! Leave no one alive."
As if those were the words of God, Kardia saw how the newly arrived Tyranid Shadow Soldiers quickly obeyed his command and began to attack the Tyranids.
Most probably, if someone from the Imperium of Man, or even other factions, gets to see this scene, they would be left speechless as they don't know what the hell is happening.
"Interesting... they don't seem to use as much psychic energy as I expected," Kardia murmured to himself as he observed the shadows of the Tyranids he had resurrected battling against their former brothers and sisters.
He noticed something astonishing: every time the shadows killed a Tyranid, they grew stronger.
It was as if they were absorbing the psychic energy from the fallen Tyranids and becoming more powerful in the process.
"It's as though the game mechanics have shifted from experience points to actual psychic energy. It is as if they are trying to replicate my way of getting stronger."
In most video games, characters and summons gain experience points (XP) by defeating enemies to level up.
However, it seems these shadows absorb the psychic energy of their foes instead of merely accumulating XP as they did in Solo Leveling. This makes the experience feel much more realistic.
But what was more astonishing was that every time they grew stronger, he also grew stronger.
"Raphael, am I feeling this correctly? They are getting stronger, but I am also becoming stronger, right?"
While he was growing stronger because Raphael was consuming the "Shadow" in the Warp, which was the reflection of the Hive Mind, he felt stronger as his Shadows grew stronger.
Not even a few minutes had passed since he resurrected the dead Tyranids and commanded them to turn against their former brethren. Yet, in doing so, they were also contributing to his own strength.
[Correct, Master.]
[This phenomenon occurs because of the sub-skill "Food Chain," Master. When your subordinates become stronger, you become stronger as well. And when you become stronger, your subordinates grow even stronger.]
[It creates an infinite loop of strengthening.]
[However, the increase in strength is very little because you are too strong compared to your shadow soldiers.]
Raphael, with her sensual robotic voice, responded to his question, surprising Kardia.
"Damn... I knew this sub-skill was overpowered, but I didn't think it was going to be that overpowered.
He hadn't anticipated that such a sub-skill would be so overpowered.
"Arise!"
Kardia, who followed his Shadow Soldiers from the skies with Vimana, kept constantly repeating that same phrase over and over again. This was because he kept resurrecting the Tyranids that his shadows were defeating, while also reviving the shadows that had fallen in battle.
When a shadow is killed, it doesn't truly die; it simply returns to Kardia's shadow, where it is tied to him. However, Kardia needs to expend energy to summon it again.
At that moment, Kardia felt like a bottomless pit of energy, so he didn't really need to worry about energy for the moment.
The more his Shadow Army began to grow, the more it began to fight more efficiently under Kardia's command.
For the following hour, Kardia simply acted alongside his new army.
It was fun and productive.
Mostly, he did it to make sure that the army was growing in size and that it could defeat its enemies with ease before he left for some other part of the planet to try different things.
With an immortal shadow army that continues to grow in size and in power, Kardia was making more progress than fighting alone for more than ten hours.
It made him feel bad, but he knew that when people are working together, they can do more than a person working solo.
When one of his shadows grew enough in power, at least to lead the army for the moment, Kardia decided to take a break.
While he was not tired physically or mentally, he needed a break.
A break to think.
He needed a break from this war that he was forced into, so he could think and plan things out.
This is something that most races, including humans, in this world don't seem to do.
As Kardia, who sat in the Golden Throne of Vimana in the skies, smiled as he could see the entire battlefield.
"With an army like that, no wonder Jinwoo sometimes would just do nothing. This is pretty easy." Kardia said to himself as he watched in the distance how his Shadows began to tear the Tyranids apart.
The more they killed, the stronger they became, and the stronger they became, the stronger he became.
"Coming to this world had such a rough start. Not even my first day is over, and I am already forced to fight against alien monsters."
Kardia said as he tried to not sigh in frustration, as he truly wanted to be optimistic.
As he watched the shadows work from his throne, he felt how his psychic energy would decrease and increase rapidly. Still, because the increase was faster than the decrease, Kardia barely felt anything.
"I need something to truly begin to dominate the Tyranids, so I can relax and start thinking of other things," Kardia murmured to himself. He needed a force that could push them back.
As Kardia was thinking, he remembered that he had asked for a system for summoning.
Yes... a system.
....
End of Chapter 4.