Power of Runes Chapter 526: Unrestrained Urgency

[15 days before the present]

Ash had already begun focusing almost entirely on the comprehension of the Runes, leaving Eva to handle the other aspects of his cultivation while he concentrated on the one thing that required his direct attention.

After his body had grown stronger, the problem that had once limited his comprehension had also disappeared.

Previously, whenever he forcefully comprehended around 0.1% of a Rune’s total knowledge using [Eye of Omniscience] at once, his consciousness would eventually reach its limit and fall into a brief blackout, forcing him to lose valuable time before he could continue.

Now, however, his body and Soul were strong enough to endure the pressure without collapsing, allowing him to continuously process the knowledge he gained instead of being forced to stop after every small increase.

That change alone had greatly increased the speed at which he could comprehend the Runes.

Through the normal method of slowly understanding and absorbing the knowledge revealed by a Rune, Ash could now comprehend around 0.5% of a glyph within an hour, and although the process still required patience and concentration, it was far more efficient than what he had been capable of before.

There was still another method available to him, one that he had already used in the past by forcefully pulling in a large amount of Rune knowledge at once and allowing himself to slowly digest it afterward, but that reckless approach could only allow him to capture around 0.4% at a time, making it inferior in the long run despite being faster in the short term.

With no immediate danger chasing after him and his existence still hidden from those outside, Ash finally had something he rarely possessed.

Time.

And with that time, he decided not to rush.

Before moving on to anything else, there were two things he wanted to accomplish.

The first was increasing his comprehension of the Rune of Truth, because the deeper his understanding became, the more faster he could be able to comprehend the other Runes, while the second was something he considered even more important.

He wanted to awaken the Will of the Runes.

Ash wanted to communicate with them directly, ask them the questions he had accumulated over the years, and finally understand things that couldn’t simply be obtained through ordinary comprehension or searching.

But before he could do that, he needed to raise his Rune comprehension to 10%.

Only then can he hear the voice of the Runes once more.

Among all the Runes he possessed, the Rune of Harmony currently had the highest comprehension at 6%, making it the obvious choice to begin with, and after considering the time he had available, Ash decided to focus on it first.

The process was slow, but it was steady.

With his current state, it took him roughly a day and a half to increase his comprehension by another 1%, and because he needed to move from 6% to 10%, the process required around six days in total.

Six days of outside world obviously not inside the Soul Space.

For those six days or approximately 24 years, Ash remained almost completely immersed in the Rune of Harmony, quietly absorbing its knowledge and allowing his understanding to deepen little by little without forcing the process beyond what his current state could handle.

And as each day passed, the percentage continued to rise.

6%.

7%.

8%.

9%.

And finally...

10%.

Ash had reached the threshold he had set for himself, and only then did he finally pull his consciousness away from the vast insight of the Rune of Harmony, having completed the first step toward the next stage of his plans.

The moment Ash reached 10% comprehension of the Rune of Harmony, the vast stream of insights within his consciousness suddenly slowed down, and instead of the usual feeling of countless pieces of information rushing through his mind, everything gradually settled into a strange calmness that spread deeper and deeper until even his own thoughts seemed to become quieter.

At the same time, the power of the Rune of Harmony began reacting on its own, with countless tiny golden dots appearing within the darkness around Ash before slowly spreading outward and connecting with one another with some invisible force, forming an enormous network that continued expanding until it covered his entire field of perception.

The scene before him was strangely beautiful, because nothing was separated from anything else, yet nothing was mixed together either.

Light existed beside darkness without destroying it, movement existed beside stillness without disturbing it.

And countless forms of energy flowed in different directions while somehow maintaining a perfect order, creating a balance that felt so natural that Ash found himself staring at it for several moments without speaking.

As he continued watching, the entire space seemed to become even more detailed, with countless small changes taking place everywhere at the same time.

And whenever something moved or changed in one place, another part of the space seemed to respond to it almost immediately.

Not through force but through a quiet connection that kept everything from falling into disorder.

It was only then that Ash understood what he was actually seeing.

This wasn’t simply a strange phenomenon created by the Rune.

This was the Rune of Harmony revealing a small part of its nature.

And as Ash quietly observed the endless balance surrounding him, a familiar voice finally echoed through the space.

{You finally reached 10%.}

Ash’s eyes moved slightly as he looked around, but just as before, there was no figure he could find anywhere, and the voice seemed to come from every direction at once.

"You again."

There was a faint sense of relief in his voice, because unlike the first time he had encountered the Will of Truth, this voice didn’t immediately make the entire space feel like it was about to crush him.

{Yes, me again.}

The response carried the same gentle and slightly amused tone Harmony had always possessed, yet this time something felt different.

Ash noticed it almost immediately.

There was urgency hidden beneath those calm words.

"You sound different."

{Do I?}

"You’re trying to sound calm, but you’re in a hurry."

For a brief moment, there was silence.

Then Harmony answered.

{You noticed that quickly. You’ve got a great perception.}

Ash narrowed his eyes.

"What happened?"

The answer did not come immediately, and the strange space around him remained calm as countless golden dots continued moving in perfect order.

{Something is happening outside your awareness, and I need you to understand that you cannot afford to waste too much time anymore.}

Ash’s expression became serious.

"What exactly is happening?"

{You don’t know enough yet for me to explain it properly.}

"Then how am I supposed to understand?"

{You aren’t supposed to understand it yet.}

Ash stared into the empty space.

That answer annoyed him almost immediately.

"You dragged me here just to tell me that I don’t know enough?"

{No, I brought you here because you have finally comprehended enough of the ’Harmony’ for me to speak to you again, and because there is something I need you to do before the situation outside develops any further.}

Ash remained silent for a moment before asking, "What do you want me to do?"

{Comprehend the Rune of Time.}

The answer came without hesitation, and for the first time, there was a slight change in Harmony’s normally gentle voice, almost as though it was a little disappointed that Ash had chosen to comprehend ’it’ first.

{I would have preferred you to reach 10% of Time before Harmony, but there is no point complaining about that now. We don’t have enough time to wait for you to slowly choose which Rune you want to comprehend next.}

Ash frowned slightly after hearing those words, because although he still had no idea what was happening, the urgency in Harmony’s voice had become even clearer.

"Why the Rune of Time?"

{Because you need it, and because the situation outside is moving faster than we expected. You need to reach 10% comprehension of Time as soon as possible. That is the only way for you to survive.}

Ash remained silent for a moment before asking, "What do you mean by ’it’ is the only way for me to survive? And how do you know that?"

This time, Harmony’s answer carried a different kind of weight, though it dodged Ash’s first question.

{Because all the Runes are connected. It doesn’t matter whether a Rune is currently within your Soul or in someone else’s Soul, its Will can still communicate with the other Wills, and through that connection, we can know what is happening with one another.}

Ash’s expression changed slightly.

"So even the Runes that aren’t with me can talk to you?"

{Of course.}

Harmony’s voice became slightly impatient, as though this was something obvious.

{The only ones we cannot perceive are the sealed Runes. Until someone absorbs them, their Wills remain completely cut off from us, but every Rune that has already been possessed can still remain connected to the others regardless of who carries it.}

Ash slowly nodded as he tried to understand the information, although it only made the situation seem stranger.

"So you already know what’s happening."

{We know enough to be worried.}

The response came quickly.

Ash narrowed his eyes.

"Then does that mean all of you know what is happening around the other Runes as well?"

{Yes.}

There was a brief pause before Harmony continued, its voice still calm but no longer hiding the urgency beneath it.

{And that is why I’m telling you to stop wasting time. Whatever you were planning to comprehend next can wait. Reach 10% of Time first.}

"Ten percent?"

{Yes.}

The answer was immediate.

{As quickly as you possibly can.}

Ash stared into the strange space surrounding him, still unable to understand what had suddenly caused the Will of Harmony to become so urgent.

"What happens when I reach ten percent?"

Harmony remained silent for a moment.

{Then we will have more room to act.}

Ash frowned.

"Act against what?"

Another silence followed.

{Something you are not ready to understand yet.}

Ash’s expression became even more confused.

"You keep saying that."

{Because it’s the truth.}

Harmony’s voice softened slightly, though the urgency never left it.

{I know you have questions, Ash, and I know you dislike being told to move without understanding why, but there are moments when knowing everything isn’t necessary. Sometimes, you simply need to do what you can before the opportunity disappears.}

Ash didn’t answer immediately.

He had absolutely no idea what the Rune was talking about, nor did he understand why reaching 10% of Time was suddenly related to his survival, but there was something in Harmony’s voice that made it clear this wasn’t a request it was making casually.

"Fine."

Ash finally answered.

"I’ll comprehend ’Time’ next."

{Good.}

For the first time, a little of the tension disappeared from Harmony’s voice.

{Then do it quickly. Don’t worry about the other Runes for now, and don’t waste time trying to force the answers out of me before you’re ready to understand them.}

Ash sighed lightly.

"You’re really not going to tell me anything, are you? You won’t even tell me how is it related to my survival?"

{Not yet.}

The answer came so naturally that Ash couldn’t help but smile helplessly.

"...Fine, but when I finally understand what everyone is hiding from me, I’m going to make sure all of you answer every question I have."

Harmony gave a soft laugh.

{I know. And when that time comes, I won’t stop you.}

The strange space around Ash slowly began fading, yet just before the connection weakened completely, Harmony spoke one final time, and although its voice remained gentle, the urgency behind it was now impossible to hide.

{Go to the Rune of Time, Ash. Reach ten percent as quickly as you can.}

The last thing Ash heard before the strange space completely disappeared was Harmony’s quiet murmur, but this time carrying unrestrained urgency that he has never shown before.

{We really are running out of time... The one who sealed us... is about to return.}

**