The Empyreal Gem Master

The golden rings fell out of the severed limbs and floated in front of Alexander, three of them going towards his right hand as the fourth one floated towards his chest.

With an eruption of golden radiance, he frowned as he felt a tinge of pain as the 13th golden ring fused itself on his chest- almost lining the exterior of his Enneagram!

6 golden gem rings on the right and left hands each.

1 on the chest.

After they were bound to him, tendrils of golden radiance began to pulse around him as heavy changes began to occur!

They were swept by a wave of gravity as they became drawn towards the center of the hollow mountain- Alexander and his Minions, and even the now lifeless body of the Priestess and her forces.

At the same time, the 13 floating islands within this hollow mountain began to spin and rotate rapidly- at such a shockingly fast pace and in the same direction as soon, they achieved enough speed to make it seem like a single band of light was formed and humming around the hollow mountain.

Alexander and his forces were at the center of this all as others looked around worriedly, but Alexander simply felt the bountiful Ruler’s Covenant Authority flowing within him as a moment later, he looked up!

All 13 keys on him lit up brightly.

At the peak of the hollow mountain, a golden pillar of light shone down and smashed into him, isolating his figure from all others entirely as in the next moment, everything and everyone faded away from his eyes.

Immense silence descended.

When he opened his eyes again, he seemed to be weightless floating in space as his body…was not here.

He raised his hands and saw that they were made of pure energy- currently shining with an aurora of blue, crimson, and green lights that began to be entangled by waves of gold.

Experience new tales on empire

In this space, it was only him and…

SAA!

The visage of an old man that emerged from an illusory golden Mountain!

The old man had white gold strands of hair as he emanated Great age and wisdom, but his gaze towards Alexander was currently an unfriendly one as he spoke out calmly.

[You have a single chance to ask a question and obtain an answer. What do you wish to know?]

…!

The voice was monotone.

Similar to his Enneagram, but different!

It held emotion and coldness within it as Alexander couldn’t help but stare at this illusory figure of an old man with caution.

But the old man said nothing else.

He only stared at him with the same coldness as after a minute passed, Alexander gathered his thoughts and asked the question that was plaguing him this whole time.

"What…is happening to the World of Ephesus?"

…!

A simple question.

But it was one that nobody could say they definitely held an answer for.

The gaze of the old man became even more unfriendly after getting such a question, but he spoke nonetheless as if he was bound by something.

[Ephesus, like other worlds, is simply evolving. Changing from what it once was.]

WAA!

[Energy is finite. Creatures of worlds are akin to parasites that take and take without giving back. Thus, worlds have had enough, and are seeking means to change this. To heal. Energeia Star Ascension is not enough, so Ephesus Pioneered a different way to heal and propagate. Extermination of the masses is the first step, more will follow.]

…!

The voice of the old man was absolutely chilling as he spoke, mentioning the lives of billions as if they were nothing.

[But nothing can be done without a cost. For Ephesus to achieve its aims, it had to pay a cost to balance out the Scales of the Covenants. Thus, there came the Sacred Mountains. Tools of resistance that the parasites of worlds could use to stand a chance in the new Age that Ephesus envisions- if they are powerful enough to attain ownership of such Mountains. You were lucky to arrive the moment this Sacred Gold Mountain formed as no Ruler has yet risen to protect it. Regardless, you have now gained ownership. Maybe, just maybe, you might be a useful parasite that can give back to Ephesus. This…completes the answer to your question.]

"...!"

Alexander’s eyes were unfathomably stern as he looked at the old man who began to pulse with golden light.

Ephesus.

It all revolved around Ephesus.

Other worlds erupted with Energeia Star Ascension as they underwent an emergence that generated a tremendous amount of energy.

But at the end of the day, even with all of this energy, the resources of the Worlds continued to be drained as they died again and again.

Dead worlds.

As if it had seen this fate for itself, Ephesus chose another path entirely- one that took other dying worlds as it shockingly fused them into itself!

But everything came at a cost.

The old man stated that the Scales of the Covenants had to be balanced!

Ephesus couldn’t simply move to eradicate everything on it as those living within the world had to be given a chance against this action.

The Sacred Mountains were this chance.

The old man looked at Alexander with distaste as he continued.

[You have gained Ownership of the 9th Sacred Mountain of Ephesus, the Sacred Gold Mountain.]

[With the Ownership, you have gained Limited Ephesus Land control as you can shroud and protect the Sacred Gold Mountain from the harsh environments of Ephesus.]

[With Ownership, no other Mutated Gem Chimeras from different regions or Sacred Mountains of Ephesus can step foot on the Sacred Gold Mountain.]

[With Ownership, you have gained 13 Ruler’s Covenant Authority points that relate to the Covenant binding this mountain- the Covenant of Gold.]

[As the Owner of the Sacred Gold Mountain, your Existence will slowly acclimate to the authority until it gains the understanding of the Covenant of Gold. Ruler’s Covenant Authority can be used to hasten this process and grant you entry into the recognition and understanding of the Covenant of Gold even faster.]

…!