Chapter 154: Nihility State
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 154: Nihility State
In the brief moment the illusory monsters stood dazed, Taro Ball seized the opportunity. He lunged forward, scattering a handful of previously collected World Tree leaves into the sky.
A split second later, Taro Ball triggered a Reverse Refinement on every single leaf simultaneously.
They transformed into bursts of blazing fire specifically designed to eradicate these illusory monsters.
The flames swept through the area.
In an instant, a massive swarm of illusory monsters suffered devastating casualties, their remaining forms dissolving into the fire.
The surviving monsters were all drawn by the commotion Taro Ball had caused, surging toward him in a frenzied tide.
Seeing this, Aisarakus breathed a sigh of relief. She then turned her gaze to the branch beneath her feet.
It was a branch carrying the Rules of Fate.
The greatest problem she faced now wasn't whether she should strike the World Tree’s branch...
It was whether she could even scratch it.
Aisarakus took a deep breath.
"If it were before, I might truly have been powerless..."
She held out one small hand, staring at her palm.
"But now, I am a member of the Dragon Race who has unleashed her full power."
With the help of the World Tree, Aisarakus currently possessed enough strength to maintain the stability of the world—a level of power that could almost rival a True God from the age of the deities.
Now, if she were to turn that power against the World Tree itself, what would happen?
Aisarakus shook her head.
All she knew was that high in the sky, a majestic white-haired figure was drawing almost every attack away to help them.
Even if she struck now, the World Tree wouldn't be able to divert enough power to stop her.
And even if the World Tree held a grudge against her in the future, leading to her being abandoned by the entire Dragon Race once again...
At least she would have the protection of the others.
At that thought, Aisarakus hesitated no longer.
She leaped into the air, her dragon tail whipping violently toward the branch below.
Slash—!
In an instant, the branch carrying the Rules of Fate was forcibly torn open, leaving a massive gash.
From deep within the rift, flickers of shimmering golden light emerged.
Aisarakus immediately retreated.
In the next second.
Before everyone's eyes, Taro Ball instantly transformed into a phantom that was practically non-existent.
[Nihility Retrograde]
[Nihility: Consume 50% of current Max HP to enter the Nihility State. In this state, external interaction with you is reduced to 0%, while your interaction with the outside world is reduced to 1%. Duration: 60 seconds.]
Nihility Retrograde was the advanced Class that evolved from Void Walker after Taro Ball’s third job advancement.
While retaining all the abilities of a Void Walker, the Nihility Retrograde gained one of the most broken status effects in the entire game.
Though the cost was immense, the duration short, and his own ability to interact with the world was weakened to the extreme, these prices were practically negligible compared to the positive benefits provided by the Nihility State.
By virtue of the Nihility State, Taro Ball quickly vanished from everyone's perception.
Including their memories.
At this moment, even Xie Bai, who was busy trading blows with the World Tree high above, failed to notice that a person had disappeared.
However, even if the entire world ignored Taro Ball, he still retained that microscopic 1% ability to influence the outside world.
Within a few short seconds, Taro Ball cut down the confused illusory monsters nearby, broke through the encirclement, and arrived beside the golden wound.
He looked at the rift with a solemn expression, then reached out, focusing his will.
A second later, a faint, ethereal interface appeared before him.
[Gap of Fate]
[???]
[Enter?]
"Yes."
The moment the word left his lips, Taro Ball vanished from the spot.
When he opened his eyes again, Taro Ball found himself in an extremely abstract space.
Golden rings, each engraved with complex patterns, were layered and interlocking, yet they appeared perfectly orderly.
They floated within this void, constituting the entirety of the space.
In the center of this area sat a simple, ancient wooden armchair, and upon it leaned a figure.
Without hesitation, Taro Ball leaped and traversed across several rings, heading straight for the figure.
Seated in the chair was an old man with hair and a beard as white as snow.
[Sleeping Diviner Lv.300]
Seeing this Diviner, Taro Ball took a deep breath.
Possessing memories of his past life, he knew very well that the "Sleeping Diviner" before him was actually a vessel left in the mortal realm by the God of Fate.
It was similar to how Gliese could descend his consciousness into Sacred Light.
Thanks to the Nihility State, Taro Ball did not disturb the sleeping Diviner.
But to prevent his weak interaction with the world from waking the Diviner early, he kept his movements as light as possible.
His target was the ring in the Diviner's hand.
It was a ring with a single missing section.
The rest of the ring was engraved with eight distinct numbers.
The missing section was exactly the gap Taro Ball needed to exploit.
He raised his hand, releasing a faint, almost imperceptible aura that drifted toward the ring.
A crystal-clear command appeared above the ring:
[Emptiness is the sign of Nihility; where Fate is lacking, there Nihility resides.]
The gap in the ring was filled by Taro Ball's Authority of the Void.
Though it still looked like a piece was missing visually, in a conceptual sense, the ring was now a complete circle, its void filled by "Emptiness."
In the next instant, a sliver of pure, flawless white light emerged from the gap in the ring.
Wait... pure, flawless white light?
Suddenly, that light transformed into an ultimate radiance that filled the entire space, sweeping outward.
Taro Ball did not dodge.
When the light dissipated, Taro Ball remained standing where he was, completely unharmed.
The armchair and the Diviner opposite him also showed no signs of damage.
However, the surrounding golden rings had all shattered into fragments that drifted through the air.
The Diviner finally opened his eyes.
"Gliese..."
An incredibly heavy, muffled voice came from his mouth.
"What exactly are you trying to do in my Divine Kingdom?"
A second later, another, even more resonant voice echoed through the space.
"Prospero, I merely sensed that some dust seemed to have drifted into your Divine Kingdom, and I was simply doing a bit of cleaning for you."
The voice paused.
"To my surprise, however, it seems my senses deceived me. This dull, tedious space appears to contain only yourself."
"For that, I offer my apologies."
With that, the voice faded away, leaving the Diviner sitting alone in his chair.
"That fellow..."
The Diviner lowered his head, looking at the ring in his hand.
Then, his brow furrowed slightly.
"It's been completed? And it was completed by 'Emptiness'..."
He murmured to himself.
"Could it be that the power wielded by this final Child of Fate is Nihility?"
"Can such a power... truly become entangled with Fate?"
He fell silent for a moment, then slowly stood up from the armchair.
"Never mind. I will deal with the matter of Nihility later. Right now, if I don't act, it seems the World Tree outside is going to suffer."
With a wave of his hand, the Diviner opened a golden tunnel and departed.
Taro Ball, still maintaining his Nihility State, followed silently behind the Diviner.