The Birth of Eclipse

The Blue Heart Stone was a powerful mana core used as a catalyst for ice magic or to maintain barriers.

A Legend-grade catalyst.

It was created by the ice witch Kentra, who processed the essence of Niflheim—the realm known as the Frozen World—into a mana core.

Any magic-class player talented in ice would have gone wild at the sight of it. That was how valuable this item was.

However, it has nothing to do with you.

“That’s for us to find out.”

I smirked.

The Blue Heart Stone. It was an item I had planned to acquire if the chance ever came, yet here it was, walking straight into my hands.

This is exactly why people should live virtuously.

I rummaged through the Pocket of Desire tied at my waist. From its depths, the catalyst that had slumbered there for so long finally emerged into the sunlight—the Sun Stone.

A mineral infused with the power of the sun, I see.

“We got it after defeating the hidden boss on the twenty-fifth floor. Don’t you remember?”

Hmm. Now that you mention it, such a thing did happen.

It was a powerful catalyst obtained from destroying the guardian statue that protected the ruins, The Sun Carved from Stone. An item that formed a perfect counterpart to the Blue Heart Stone.

I had acquired it months ago but had no immediate use for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it, so it had simply been stored away.

“It finally gets to shine.”

Hehe.

I swallowed my laughter and gripped both catalysts tightly, one in each hand. A bone-chilling cold radiated from one palm while skin-melting heat blazed from the other.

“Mors, you there?”

“Hehe, you called for me, yes?”

“I want to purchase the Veil of Oblivion.”

“Customer, how did you even learn of the Veil of Oblivion?”

“Is the source of that information important?”

“Not at all, no. However, the price of the Veil of Oblivion is somewhat…”

“How much?”

“Five hundred thousand CP, yes, hehe.”

Cheaper than I expected. Earth’s recent entry into dimensional competition must have driven the price down.

“Don’t make me repeat myself. Or I’ll simply find another merchant.”

“Oh heavens, that won’t do at all! I shall provide it immediately, yes!”

Mors handed over a piece of black fabric.

The Veil of Oblivion was a consumable item similar to player sniping, only aimed at the System itself. Since durability dropped by one with each use, it could be activated five times total.

The stars above began to stir the moment they saw the Veil of Oblivion. Purchasing it was essentially a public declaration that I intended to keep secrets from the constellations. They were probably going insane with curiosity about what I was planning.

“No.”

I draped the Veil of Oblivion over my head, and the constellations’ gazes were instantly severed.

“Goddess, I have one request.”

Oh? A matter that requires borrowing this one’s power?

“I’m about to collide these two catalysts.”

Opposing forces, clashing together.

“Synchronize with my Polar Night and suppress the repulsive force for me.”

I explained the method in detail. Nyx would need to synchronize with my Polar Night stat to restrain the violent backlash.

Hehe. It is not a difficult request. Then, what offering shall you present to this one?

“I heard a new signature cake has been released.”

The contract is established.

Nyx spoke with solemn dignity.

I exhaled slowly, shedding my tension.

The same exhaustion that follows an all-out sprint washed over me. Unlike when I converted stats into magic power, there was no noticeable change in my other senses.

One minute. That is more than enough.

Nyx melted into my shadow. The instant her essence fused with my Polar Night, an indescribable sensation awakened every corner of my soul.

KWAAAAAAAANG!

Polar Night surged from beneath my feet, dyeing both sky and earth in absolute blackness. The immense power came from converting every stat I had accumulated through Devour.

I could sense everything within a radius of several kilometers with perfect clarity. With a single thought, I felt I could blanket the entire world in darkness and do whatever I wished.

An overwhelming sense of omnipotence, as if I had become a god.

Only then did I vaguely realize that the realm Nyx had shown me existed far beyond the domain of transcendence.

When I used Demonic Power to convert everything into Polar Night, I had felt nothing. It seemed my own skill was simply not yet high enough to perceive it.

Synchronization is complete. You may begin.

Nyx’s calm voice brushed across my mind.

“I’m counting on you, Goddess.”

I slammed the two catalysts together with all my strength.

The moment the Sun Stone and Blue Heart Stone met—

Thump—thump—thump—thump—!

My heart, reacting to the danger sensed by my sixth sense, pounded like mad.

In less than a tenth of a second, the two catalysts began generating an explosion. Or rather, the repulsive force created by the collision of two diametrically opposed powers.

It was an enormous surge of energy that my body—its stats fully converted by Demonic Power—could not endure for even a hundredth of a second.

Nyx’s darkness coiled around the two violently repelling catalysts.

Not bad at all. They truly do contain the power of the sun and the cold of the underworld.

“Can you afford to sound so relaxed?”

Heh heh heh. Who do you think this one is!

“The Goddess of Night.”

Precisely. Therefore, trust in this one. The night possesses the power to embrace all things.

Nyx’s voice overflowed with confidence.

Impressive. The repulsive force between the two catalysts was so immense that even my current strength could not suppress it. To awaken their true power by colliding the Sun Stone and Blue Heart Stone, I would need to be at least twice as strong as I was now.

Mana control. Physical durability. Many other conditions had to be met to completely restrain the backlash. If I simply tried to crush it with brute force, both stones would explode.

Yet Nyx handled the difficult process with ease.

Before my regression, I had devoured many essences and even earned the right to carve my name upon the stars. Even so, the realm Nyx perceived was not something I could easily glimpse with my past experiences.

Truly a realm beyond realms.

Interesting.

While this one struggles to contain the repulsive force, you are smiling leisurely.

“Who’s the one acting leisurely?”

Hmph. You cannot even kneel in reverence of this one’s greatness.

“Yes, yes. You are truly magnificent, Goddess.”

Not a single gram of sincerity can be felt in that voice.

The two catalysts had been radiating energy for about thirty seconds when they suddenly stopped repelling each other. Instead, they grew viscous like oil and began to bind together.

Blue and red tangled intricately. After roughly forty seconds from the initial collision, the Sun Stone and Blue Heart Stone fused as naturally as if they had always been one.

It is done.

“Thank you for your hard work, Goddess.”

I merely guided the energies while suppressing them as much as possible, just as you instructed.

“It turned out perfectly. As expected, the great Goddess of Night is on another level.”

You have finally come to recognize this one’s greatness.

“Ah, your greatness is so vast that even if the sky were used as parchment and the earth as ink, it could not all be recorded.”

Hmm. You are not attempting to mock this one, are you?

Whoops. She caught me.

“Just a moment. Let me check if it was properly made.”

I quickly changed the subject. Fortunately, Nyx’s attention shifted to the newly fused catalyst.

Truly concise, yet perfectly suited to its origin.

Nyx smiled softly.

A crystal born from the fusion of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠two completely opposite properties.

“Exactly. The amplification rate has increased as well, and it can serve as a catalyst for either attribute.”

A powerful item capable of fulfilling the roles of both the Sun Stone and the Blue Heart Stone. Not only that, it could recover its own energy, making it a semi-permanent catalyst.

Any magic-class player would have lit up with greed at those options.

Now, be honest.

“About what?”

You would not have gone to such lengths merely to obtain a catalyst.

“It wasn’t that much trouble.”

Then why did you spend five hundred thousand CP to block the constellations’ gazes?

Fusing the two catalysts had not been easy. It was such a dangerous process that I could not have even attempted it without borrowing Nyx’s power alongside Demonic Power.

Simply leaving the Tower would have been enough to avoid their eyes, but I had chosen to fuse them immediately after completing the mission just in case.

“Have you gained the ability to read my mind?”

This one has watched over you for quite some time. Your thoughts are as clear as daylight.

“You’re right. I’m going to Devour it.”

The power of the sun and the cold of hell already contained essences, but the new ‘origin’ created by their fusion had produced an essence of even higher rank.

A sweet fragrance tickled my nose. Without hesitation, I devoured the Polar Point.

A simple explanation for a five-star skill. Nyx furrowed her brow.

For all the effort, it seems rather lacking.

“Simple is best. That’s how it’s always been.”

It does not appear all that different from Fusion Qigong.

“Ah, it’s actually quite different.”

Fusion Qigong was a skill that combined two or more designated skills to elevate them into the realm of ‘miracle.’ Compatibility between the chosen skills mattered greatly.

In contrast, Eclipse required colliding energies with poor compatibility in order to maximize destructive power.

“Its applications will vary wildly depending on how it’s used.”

I see. In other words, you will demonstrate its uses from now on.

“Look forward to it.”

Hehe. That aside, let us hurry and taste the new cake.

Perhaps because the skill’s description was so plain, Nyx quickly lost interest. But this essence possessed power worthy of the effort that went into obtaining it. She would see soon enough.

After disconnecting from the Tower, I kept my promise and presented Nyx with the newly released cake.

Green? How terribly ominous.

“You’re being dramatic. This is the latest trend—mint chocolate cake.”

Of course, it was a flavor I personally despised. Still, I hoped it would suit the goddess’s palate perfectly.