So What if I Transmigrated into a Honkai Beast?

Chapter 425 - 417 - The Cancer of All Worlds

Shesha, calm and composed, ignored the surrounding gazes and walked slowly toward the seat prepared for the Imperial delegate by the Interastral Peace Corporation, located at the first position to the left of the main dais.

At the same time, the "Chairman" of the Interastral Peace Corporation, who was presiding over the meeting, also arrived at the host's platform.

"Esteemed guests."

A resonant and powerful voice clearly reached the ears of every participant. Flanking the Grand Monarch was the "Grand Artisan" of [The Architects], also a Grand Monarch. The presence of two Grand Monarchs, combined with the home-field advantage, provided more than enough of a deterrent.

"Thank you all for attending."

"Let's dispense with the pleasantries. This session of the Interastral Peace Conference..."

"Officially begins."

A soft light scattered across the night sky, and the crown of the Imaginary Tree was clearly visible in the distance.

This was the interstitial layer between the Void and the Imaginary Tree, a "high-dimensional subspace" where thoughts and spiritual will could be materialized.

That's right. The beings known as Astral Gods existed within this space.

While it was no great feat to traverse [Imaginary Space] and the [Void Zone] to see the Imaginary Tree—a feat most Grand Monarchs could accomplish—to linger for an extended period in this "high-dimensional subspace" required the "philosophical" trait of an Astral God.

Simply put, any life form that could stably manifest here had to command a sufficiently powerful Path. The Astral Gods achieved this through their absolute mastery of a single Path (a specific rule of the Imaginary Tree), whereas the Monarch... relied on the sheer quantity of his Paths, which surpassed that of the Astral Gods.

"The last representative of Order has arrived."

An ancient and deep resonance echoed within the subspace. A twinkling point of starlight gradually materialized into a vast, boundless nebula.

Qlipoth, the Astral God of Preservation, one of the most ancient primordial Astral Gods. His true form was a terrestrial planet that, after countless eons of growth and evolution, had gradually taken on the appearance of a major nebula. While the Interastral Peace Corporation organized the "Peace Conference" in the material world, Qlipoth, as the convener, had initiated this grand-scale "Astral God Conference" in the high-dimensional subspace.

"Our meeting can now begin."

The Monarch was not an Astral God, but from Qlipoth's address, it was clear that this primordial god already regarded him as an equal.

A few points of starlight flickered in the night sky, representing the attending Astral Gods. Although Qlipoth vouched for the meeting's security, most of the gods had merely sent projections of their consciousness here; their true bodies were hidden away in some corner of the high-dimensional subspace.

None of the Astral Gods present showed any dissatisfaction with Qlipoth's decision to invite the "Order Grand Monarch." In any circle, might makes right, and the Order Grand Monarch, who had defeated "Lan"... was someone more than half of the gods present could not afford to provoke.

"I am sure you all have an inkling as to why this conference was called," Qlipoth's resonance continued. "I will get straight to the conclusion..."

"The sea level has risen, on a scale more than ten times that of 17 Stellar Eons ago."

"..."

The assembled gods were silent.

Although there was no open communication, allied gods had already begun to express their unease to one another. The "rising sea level" of 17 Stellar Eons ago was the largest "abyssal invasion" the "current cosmic system" had ever suffered. It had dealt a severe blow to the "Astral God system," which had only recently been born on the Imaginary Tree. Due to their Paths, the Astral Gods were more willing to obey the Tree's will than the Ancient Beasts, but having just endured the "Twilight Wars," they were far from having recovered their full strength.

More than a third of the Astral Gods had fallen in that catastrophe.

According to Qlipoth, if this time the scale was ten times greater... the cosmos might face direct annihilation. Of course, the current generation of Astral Gods was also many times more powerful than their predecessors, so it wasn't a foregone conclusion that they would have to repeat the "cycle."

"According to the feedback from the anchors I have established, this rise is still ongoing, and some of your 'friends' have already been affected by the abyss."

The [Great Attractor Substrate] that the IPC used as its headquarters? Qlipoth had placed a total of 164 such structures at various points along the border of the Tree and the Sea. In the eyes of this ancient god, they were nothing more than slightly sturdier "anchors."

Still ongoing meant that the power of the abyss was still growing. This bad news wasn't as bad as it could have been. But Qlipoth's mention of "friends" being affected... that was what truly worried the gods.

"Qlipoth, are you certain?"

A twinkling star grew brighter as another Astral God's true body arrived. This was also one of the primordial gods, and an old acquaintance of the Monarch—

Fuli, the Astral God of Remembrance.

"In my recollection," Fuli's presence emanated, "the highest level the abyss can affect should not exceed an [Emissary]. The power of the Path held by a Grand Monarch should be sufficient to resist the abyss's corrosion."

Nearly every event that had occurred in countless universes since the birth of the Astral Gods was imprinted in Fuli's mind. As one of the oldest and most powerful Astral Gods, Fuli's status was in no way inferior to Qlipoth's. He was the most qualified to raise this question.

"Fuli."

"The end is preordained, but the flow of time is not immutable."

Another star's brightness changed. But it did not grow brighter; instead, it dimmed at an astonishing rate. Simultaneously, a voice drifted in from an unknown location.

"Final Monarch?" Qlipoth asked in Fuli's stead, but was met with a long silence. The Final Monarch had only sent a "warning"; his true body was still traveling upstream against the river of time.

"The words of the Final Monarch are not sufficient proof," another voice declared. "He is but a pitiful slave to the (Tree), with no standing of his own."

Yet another Astral God's true form manifested. Aha, the Astral God of Elation, a god with "single-target" universe-destroying combat power, a supreme being who had climbed to the very top of the Tree. Only the heavyweights among the gods dared to speak in such a gathering. The newer ones, even if powerful, wouldn't dare to interject so casually, such as "Lan" and "Nous."

"Qlipoth," Aha continued, "the Quantum Sea didn't just recently become like this. For the past 10,000 years, it has been ceaselessly expanding its domain. I never thought that using any means necessary to gain power was a bad thing."

The more practitioners of the Path of Preservation, the stronger Qlipoth became. Based on this rule, Aha's words were not wrong.

"But if you want all of us to act, you'll need some evidence. Among those Greenskins of Gormoth's, the 'Big Mek' should be a Grand Monarch you are all familiar with. I've observed that fellow, and he hasn't been affected by the abyss."

Scratch-building a super-titan was the universe-shaking feat that the [Greenskin Grand Monarch], honorifically known as the "Big Mek," had once performed.

"The coordinates of this [Greenskin Tribe] are practically on the sea level. If the abyss's corrosion is as exaggerated as you claim, I don't see how the Greenskins could have been spared."

Gormoth, the Greenskin Astral God. The retainers of these twin gods (Gao-ge and Mao-ge), the [Greenskin Tribe], had behavioral patterns very similar to the [Swarm]. However, because over 95% of the [Greenskin Tribe]'s strength was lost to infighting, they had not been targeted for annihilation by the other Astral Gods like the Swarm and Tayzzyronth.

"Their mental state, logically speaking, should be even more susceptible to the abyss's influence," Aha concluded. His words carried great weight. As could be inferred from the [Path of Elation], he was a bona fide "God of Lulz." He greatly admired the "do-as-they-please" Greenskins, and occasionally observing and snatching a few from Gormoth was one of his unique hobbies.

"Hmm—" A muffled grunt appeared along with a star that glowed an unsettling green. "Aha's got a point. I haven't noticed any problems with the Greenskins' mental state. Of course, it's possible they were never normal to begin with..."

"Gormoth," whom Aha had just mentioned, had also appeared on the scene.

"But! No matter who the opponent is, as long as there's a fight to be had, that's enough! On this point, we strongly support Qlipoth's proposal!"

"..."

Such an ally was hard to classify as good or bad.

"No, Aha," Qlipoth's resonance corrected him. "I never said the corrosion began at the sea's surface."

"?"

The closer one was to the border of the Tree and the Sea, the harder it was for the Tree's power to be fully exerted. This was the area most vulnerable to abyssal corrosion, bar none.

"Order," Qlipoth suddenly addressed the Monarch. "I must trouble you to recount your prior encounter for Aha and the others."

The attention of all the Astral Gods shifted to the Monarch. But he appeared completely at ease, paying no mind to the gazes—curious or hostile—from the distance.

"The surface threat of the abyss has been mostly eliminated."

The Monarch's opening line was a bombshell.

"Just as Elation said, the activity of the Quantum Sea has gradually increased over the past ten thousand years, and the area submerged by the 'seawater' has grown ever wider." He did not address the Astral God of Elation by name, as Qlipoth had... It was a matter of attitude and seniority; the Monarch's status was not yet high enough for such familiarity.

"These are merely superficial phenomena," the Monarch said, his tone shifting. "The Empire has been at war with the abyss for ten thousand years. The abyss's power is gradually receding into its deeper reaches. If we say the initial level of the abyss covering the Tree was 1, then now it has probably receded to -3."

This was the greatest value of the Empire's existence. It wasn't that there were no Astral Gods powerful enough to eliminate the Monarch, but the reasons these few chose not to act, besides the enormous cost of achieving their goal, included the contribution the Empire made to the entire cosmos. Without the Empire's containment and campaigns, the danger of the Quantum Sea would be far greater.

During the war with "Lan" and the [Xianzhou Alliance], the Empire had diverted over ninety percent of its fleet from the Quantum Sea. This had led to devastating blows against the civilizations that had migrated or established themselves in the "coastal" regions over the thousands of years. A total of 15 star sectors and 41 mid-level or higher civilizations were destroyed during that 200-year period.

The Empire was the authority on the abyss.

"But," he continued, "the receding abyss is not simply departing. The 'seawater' that has disappeared from the vicinity of the 'Tree's roots' has used other mediums as springboards and has already approached the upper half of the trunk... It is not yet certain if the crown has been affected."

"The numbers may be small, but the corrosion is now unavoidable."

"Greenskin," the Monarch addressed Gormoth. Although it sounded somewhat disrespectful, the term was at least more formal than "Gao(-ge) Mao-ge." "Of your Emissaries, how many can you still contact?"

"..."

Gormoth hesitated noticeably. It was clear there was a problem with his communication with his Emissaries.

"One, or two?" Before Gormoth could answer, the Monarch provided the answer himself.

"Your retainers are numerous, but aside from the [Greenskin Emissary · Green Prophet], the other tribes are completely ignorant of the spiritual domain."

Pop.

Two oversized, transparent jars materialized from "information" into solid form. The red "giants" submerged within no longer resembled their original forms, but Gormoth recognized them at a glance.

"This is 'Ironhide' and 'Az'an'."

"The bodies of retainers who have strayed from the [Greenskin Path] will all turn this blood-red color... In terms of retainer loyalty, I doubt anyone would think these two [Greenskin Emissaries] would voluntarily forsake their faith."

"There was another, 'Stasnik.' The corrosion was too severe. After he was reduced to mincemeat, it was impossible to piece him back together."

"Theoretically," the Monarch concluded, "the only Emissaries you can still communicate with are the 'Green Prophet' and 'Gulu'."

"..."

The Greenskin's rare silence confirmed the truth of the Monarch's words.

"Isn't this situation the result of you slaughtering too many of the [Antimatter Legion]?" a sudden voice broke the silence as another star brightened rapidly.

"Oh?" The Monarch showed a flicker of curiosity. "I hope you won't regret your statement."

"Arrogant," the voice shot back. "Remember, this is the high-dimensional subspace, a place where an Astral God can exert their full power."

The only Astral God who would show such hostility, aside from "Lan," was... no one else.

"It's the same everywhere," the Monarch retorted. "I hope the irrationality you're displaying now isn't the result of abyssal corrosion... After all, you are an Astral God who has delved deep into the abyss before."

He didn't kill, but he aimed for the heart.

"You!?"

Before Lan could finish, the Monarch cut off his fury. "The swift annihilation of the Antimatter Legion did indeed create an opportunity for the abyss. I will admit to that mistake."

As mentioned before, although the Antimatter Legion had destroyed countless civilizations, it had also sealed off the channels for the Quantum Sea's corrosion. With the civilizations gone, the abyss had no fertile soil in which to grow. The problem was, this method also yielded nothing for the Imaginary Tree... although the many civilizations on the Tree's crown hadn't been of much use in fighting the Quantum Sea anyway.

"However," the Monarch stated, "this accounts for less than ten percent of the current situation."

"Preservation alluded to it earlier. Let me be more direct: the best way for the abyss to corrode the Imaginary Tree is to corrupt an Astral God. In that case, the Path the god commands, as well as their subordinate retainers, civilizations, and factions, will all become an even greater source of contamination."

Clink.

The Monarch casually tossed out a fragmented crystal. With its appearance, every Astral God, whether their true body was present or not, showed an extremely obvious emotional fluctuation.

"This is a Path that materialized due to abyssal corrosion."

"I shattered it during our fight."

Two simple sentences, meaning that "another" Astral God had died at the hands of the Monarch.

"I have no way of determining its original identity."

"Its name, after being corrupted, became..."

"The Astral God of Madness · The Outsider."