Shen Ze, once a powerful cultivator, struggled against a Grade 3 System. After a century of war, he was exhausted, while the immortal Systems remained endlessly functional. A voice calling itself Compass Carburettor offered Shen Ze a deal: return to his original owner, Immortal, and have his causality strengthened. Shen Ze agreed, shedding the power bestowed by Mascot and reclaiming his identity as a cultivator. His return surged Immortal's power, and Compass Carburettor then inducted Shen Ze into the Secret Society. Compass Carburettor extracted the essence of a Grade 3 System, Ancient Strengthening, and used Lore and Tell-Tale to imbue Shen Ze with the concept of Ancient Strengthening. This act caused a massive surge of power, reigniting Shen Ze and other defected Heroes, who shed their false allegiances and returned to Immortal's army.
"You…scoundrel!" Zaira shrieked, shoving Magister aside and lunging at Compass Carburettor.
Compass Carburettor activated his Boots of Transmigration and vanished, but unexpectedly, spectral chains pursued him, ensnaring him and yanking him back to the fray at the System World's threshold.
"You've been causing chaos all this time. Now, you'll face the consequences," she bellowed, unleashing a Grade 3 Core Skill that caused his form to decay.
"Not while I'm here!" Shen Ze conjured a blade and struck, bisecting the chains binding Compass Carburettor. His sword instantly blistered, shattering into countless fragments that shredded her energy-infused physique, inflicting wounds all over.
Universal Weapon—Hate Erasure!
Compass Carburettor's monocle gleamed brilliantly as an energy beam struck Zaira, momentarily stunning her. However, mere moments later, the impact was absorbed by a surge of Mental Energy that shielded her mind, neutralizing the assault on her behalf.
Tch!
Having achieved his primary objective, Compass Carburettor prepared to withdraw from the battlefield and manipulate events from the shadows. Alas, Zaira showed no inclination to permit this. She recognized him as the instigator behind the string of calamities plaguing her.
Consequently, her foremost intention was to eliminate him.
"Are you certain you can dedicate your full attention to me?" Compass Carburettor suddenly chuckled, his right hand seizing the energy seeping into his body with the intent to transform him into a decaying mass. The Mental Energy solidified, morphing into an insect that took root as a tangible entity through the power of his Universal Anthozoa.
He clenched his fist, crushing the insect that had materialized into a mortal being, thus purging himself of the Grade 3 Core Skill's effects.
Responding to his provocation, Zaira shifted her focus towards the entrance, observing Mascot grinning lecherously as he plunged deeper into the System World. His intent was conspicuously clear.
As the Immortal's Army began to rally back to him, with Shen Ze's empowerment acting as a catalyst, Immortal's strength surged. Though not yet at his peak, he gradually reclaimed half the might he wielded in the prior conflict where Zaira had slain him.
That substantial strength enabled Immortal to wreak havoc unchecked, his sword beams carving through the void, decimating Grade 3 and Grade 4 Systems alike. Like a chained serial killer finally set loose, Immortal moved with predatory ferocity among his foes.
"I'll eliminate you first!" Zaira conjured a dozen Core Skills, launching them at Compass Carburettor, forcing him to defend with all his might and drawing upon every ounce of power from his Concepts.
"The System World's breach widens!" he proclaimed, channeling Lore and Tell-Tale at maximum capacity, thereby causing the rift in the System World to expand, admitting more entities.
"Oh no, you won't!" Zaira interrupted his onslaught, sending him hurtling away, which halted the widening crack and initiated its gradual closure. She was performing multiple actions simultaneously, teleporting across the area to assail the Genre Representatives.
The less powerful Genre Representatives, along with the armies of Immortal, Mascot, Magister, and Technocraft, contrived to hold the Grade 3 Systems at bay, while Technocraft and Magister confronted the three Grade 4 Systems.
Mascot pursued Zaira relentlessly, yet frequently, when the circumstances allowed, he launched attacks into the System World. His actions ensured Zaira could not deviate from the System World for more than a fleeting moment.
Otherwise, he would seize additional opportunities to penetrate deeper and wreak more destruction. This was the very reason she could not dispatch Compass Carburettor.
Empowered by the Concepts of Space, Mortality, Ancient Strengthening, and Representation, Compass Carburettor found himself cornered by Zaira's assaults. To vanquish him, she would require sustained focus on him for a considerable duration – a luxury she did not possess.
It would take her at least two minutes of intense combat to defeat him. Furthermore, she would need to concentrate solely on him throughout this entire period. Unfortunately for her, such a commitment was unfeasible.
By then, Mascot and Immortal would have advanced deep into the System World. Should they manage to obliterate the data of even a single Grade 3 System, the balance would decisively shift against her.
With this realization dawning, Zaira momentarily repelled Mascot, impaled Immortal with a spear, and then stomped on Compass Carburettor, fixing him with a glare. "You… how deeply have you infiltrated the System World?"
"How deeply have you infiltrated the System World?"
"How deeply have you infiltrated the System World?"
Her cry ripped through the void and echoed across the System World, even reaching the Astral Network, leaving her stunned. It was clear that Compass Carburettor had orchestrated this, drawing everyone's attention intentionally.
Furthermore, this was his way of sending a message through action.
"I have infiltrated even your Astral Network."
"Zaira, have you ever contemplated..." he grunted, being pressed down by her foot, which possessed the weight of a dozen universes. Shielded by numerous dimensions due to the Concept of Space, he calmly inquired, "Are all the Systems aligned with you?"
"What?" Zaira exclaimed in surprise, her hair suddenly falling out of place in her agitation. Her eyes turned red with fury as a pair of fists slammed into her face, causing her to bleed like an ordinary mortal for a few moments.
She staggered back several steps, gazing at Compass Carburettor's figure that had struck her, muttering nonsensically, "You... impossible! That cannot be!"
"The evidence is right before your eyes," Compass Carburettor stated. A serpent then emerged from his sleeve, consuming the blood that trickled from her, before retreating and disappearing into a miniature tower he possessed.
Despite the serpent's presence unsettling her for an unknown reason, Zaira could not dwell on it, for something dire was unfolding within the System World.
"Hahaha! That was brilliant, Compass!" Immortal bellowed with laughter. "My predecessor made an excellent choice in protecting you. This day makes his sacrifice profoundly worthwhile!"
Within the System World, Grade 1 Systems began to turn on their own kind, one after another. They preyed upon their brethren, devouring their Core Skills, even at the cost of sustaining injuries themselves. After gorging themselves, they underwent a permanent racial transformation into Haggons, boarding trucks en masse and vanishing from the System World.
Assaulted by those they considered allies, the Grade 1 Systems lost all trust in each other. They commenced indiscriminate attacks on anyone in sight, as an overwhelming number of them were being annihilated by these rogue Systems.
For the first time in its entire history, the System World descended into a brutal civil war.
