Power of Runes Chapter 530: Nexus Event (1)

[10 days before the present] - [Ash’s Clone POV]

Ash thought as he sat inside a famous restaurant in the Realm of Eden, slowly enjoying a delicious piece of meat that had been perfectly seasoned and carried such a delicate taste that he couldn’t help reaching for another piece even after finishing the previous one.

There were already four empty plates beside him, and this was his fifth plate, yet somehow, he still felt like ordering more.

"Mmm-shm-uh-ing ghn-a hahh-en...?"

His voice came out muffled as he tried to speak while chewing a massive bite of steak, earning a strange look from the waiter standing nearby before Ash simply waved his hand, signaling that he didn’t need anything else for now.

Currently, the real consciousness of Ash was still comprehending the ’Rune of Time’ and had no actual Time to spare for synchronizing with the consciousness of his other clones, which meant that the clones had no idea what the ’Will of Harmony’ had told Ash.

Ash himself had taken the words of ’Harmony’ seriously, but he believed that as long as he continued comprehending the ’Rune of Time’, everything would eventually be fine, so he never informed Eva or his other clones about the danger that might be approaching.

It was hindsight on Ash’s part, believing that perhaps his luck had finally begun turning around.

But he was very wrong, though if he knew who his enemy was and what it was capable of, he might not have made this mistake.

His hindsight was because of the lack of information on his side or may be because the pettiness of the Runes.

After wiping his mouth with a tissue, Ash’s clone paid the bill and even left a generous tip before stepping back into the bustling marketplace outside, where countless people moved through the streets while vendors called out to passing customers and various voices blended together beneath the noise of the busy city.

Because of that strange feeling, he had even contacted Eva and asked whether everything was going fine with his real body, thinking that perhaps the uneasiness was somehow related to the automatic cultivation Eva was performing for him.

But that was the wrong direction of his thoughts.

Dumping the responsibility on the Main body, the clone of Ash slowly made his way through the crowd, weaving between the people as he headed toward the center of the city, where a massive statue of an Angelic being stood nearly five hundred meters tall, its enormous figure watching over the surrounding area as countless people passed beneath it throughout the day.

The central part of the city was separated from the rest by a wide circular river that flowed around it, while countless bridges connected the two sides and allowed people to move freely between the bustling city and the center.

Ash eventually stopped beside one of those bridges and leaned against the railing, allowing the pleasant wind to run through his hair as he looked over the flowing water below and watched the reflections of the surrounding buildings slowly move across its surface.

"Honestly, it’s tiring to keep thinking about something unknown."

The unknown was always frightening precisely because it was unknown, because when someone had no idea what they were facing, there was no way to prepare properly, and that uncertainty itself was enough to create even more fear.

"I am pretty sure the main consciousness must also know about this danger, but seeing how he hasn’t given any instructions... either he knows what is going to happen and is thus too busy to communicate with us, or maybe he can’t sense this uneasiness because he is comprehending the Runes."

Ash rested his arms against the railing and remained quiet for a moment, letting the wind pass over him as he tried to sort through everything he could possibly think of.

There were many aspects of his abilities that he had yet to test, and if he were to say that he understood every aspect of his abilities, it would simply be a lie, because he hadn’t spent nearly enough time using them to know everything they were capable of.

Even Eva couldn’t completely help with that, because she could only simulate things based on the present data and information available to her, while the actual implementation of a skill could always differ from the simulation or lead to something completely unexpected.

Ash remained silent for another moment as he looked toward the distant statue and the endless stream of people moving beneath it.

"Although there is nothing I can really do when I don’t even know what I’m supposed to prepare against, there is still one thing..."

His gaze slowly sharpened as he finally thought of something that could at least increase their chances.

"...I can do to boost the chances of whatever the main consciousness is planning or boost the chances of my survival."

Ash looked at the distant statue of the Angelic being, which had been sculpted with such fine precision that even the smallest details of its appearance had been carefully preserved, making it seem less like a statue and more like a real existence frozen in a single moment.

The Angel stood tall with six enormous wings spread behind its body, each feather carved clearly enough to show even the smallest layers, while its long robes flowed around its figure as though a gentle wind had been caught within the stone.

Its face carried a calm and dignified expression, with sharp yet graceful features and slightly lowered eyes that gave it the feeling of silently watching over the entire city, while a faint smile rested upon its lips without making the expression seem too warm.

One hand held a long staff decorated with delicate patterns, its tip shaped like a shining halo, while the other rested naturally beside its body, giving the entire figure a quiet sense of authority rather than aggression.

The statue’s wings rose high above the surrounding buildings, and countless thin golden lines had been carved across the surface of its body and robes, forming patterns that caught the sunlight and made the enormous Angel appear to glow from a distance.

AAsh stared at it for a moment before his gaze slowly shifted toward the people gathered around its base.

**

[Title: Chaos Harbinger]

[Effect]:

Current Accumulated Chaos: 2.003%

**

"I have no idea what is going to happen, but I might as well create Chaos across all three Realms and give myself a better chance of facing whatever is coming..."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the calm atmosphere around the bridge was shattered by a terrifying explosion.

-BOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!

The enormous Angelic Statue in the distance suddenly burst apart, its entire body collapsing from the center as a violent blast tore through the massive structure, sending countless pieces of stone flying in every direction while a wave of dust and debris rushed outward across the surrounding streets.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

"RUN!!!"

"GET AWAY FROM HERE!"

"THE STATUE! THE STATUE JUST EXPLODED!"

The peaceful crowd instantly descended into chaos as people screamed and scattered in every direction, some stumbling over one another in their panic while others desperately pulled their companions away from the falling debris.

Ash remained where he was, his body leaning against the bridge railing as his hair was blown backward by the shockwave, while his eyes calmly followed the remains of the five-hundred-meter-tall statue collapsing into a massive cloud of dust.

The explosion had been powerful enough to completely crush the statue, reducing the carefully carved Angelic figure into countless broken pieces that rained down across the enormous plaza, yet the force had been controlled with enough precision that none of the nearby buildings were destroyed and, despite several people being thrown to the ground and others suffering minor injuries from the flying debris, not a single person lost their life.

Ash narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the scene unfold.

People were running.

Guards were shouting.

Several powerful auras were already appearing from different parts of the city as experts rushed toward the source of the disturbance, while frightened civilians gathered farther away and pointed toward the ruined statue with expressions ranging from fear to confusion.

The calm marketplace from moments ago had disappeared completely.

In its place was noise.

Panic.

Movement.

Confusion.

Chaos.

And Ash couldn’t help but smile faintly as he watched it spread.

He pushed himself away from the railing and glanced once more toward the shattered statue, his expression becoming slightly more interested when he noticed how quickly the disturbance was already attracting attention from the surrounding areas.

It was only one statue.

One carefully chosen target.

Yet within a few seconds, an entire section of the city had been thrown into disorder.

And this was only the beginning, because in the days that followed, Ash’s clones operating throughout the Heavenly and Abyssal Realms became increasingly ruthless, killing more and more people whenever doing so helped push the situation further into chaos, while the humans and other races living within the Mortal Realm remained untouched, since Ash had no interest in creating unnecessary bloodshed where it served no purpose.

Even if killing could have made things easier, Ash himself had little interest in it.

The memories of Elysia still remained somewhere within him, and whenever he thought about needlessly taking a life, he could almost imagine the way she would have looked at him before telling him that killing wasn’t something that should be taken lightly, and although she was no longer there to say those words, the thought alone was enough to make him settle for causing chaos without turning everything into slaughter.

Killing itself did not count as Chaos.

But killing could certainly give Chaos its wings.

And while his clones continued carrying out their work throughout the Heavenly and Abyssal Realms, Ash simply allowed the disturbances to grow, letting fear, suspicion, conflict, and disorder spread farther than any single clone could have managed on its own.

Time continued to pass, and before he realized it, ten days had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Now, in the present, a notification suddenly appeared in front of the same clone that started everything.

**

[Nexus Event Detected.]

[A major event capable of causing significant changes to the current flow of Fate has been detected.]

[Although you are free from the restraints of Fate, the beings and existences connected to you through your Soul remain deeply intertwined with its flow. Therefore, this particular event, already connected to your existence, cannot be avoided.]

[Do you wish to use your accumulated Chaos to influence the outcome of this Nexus Event in your favor?]

→ [YES]

→ [NO]

**