Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster’s Power

While this massive structure falls, and the black stone crumbles to dust under its own weight, all of the High Quality ether in the surrounding area is pulled in toward us.

It feels so refreshing to finally experience the full range of natural energy flowing through the Purple Zone. Before, all we could do was absorb small pockets of Celestial energy that didn't even fill a single-digit percentage of the atmosphere.

Now, finally, we can take advantage of the pure ether that once filled the entirety of the lower realm.

Not only are we absorbing the High Quality ether that was expelled during the ritual, but our presence moves out to every edge of this domain. All of the natural High Quality ether in the air, and the energy expelled from killing the hiding Ascended Demons, it all begins to flow in dense white pathways toward us.

There are a few obstacles we avoid.

The first three being Ulgar, Vardon, and Axel. It isn't fully conscious, but instead, the moment our new Primordial Aura and High Royal Vibrations touched them, they only had two options to choose from.

Be instantly vaporized like all of the Ascended Demons, or accept a link of loyalty under the Rising Emperor and Empress that are making their presence known.

Each of them adds a few million worlds to the world wide connectivity system, but they are not the only ones I feel being linked.

As our shockwave ripples through the forest, our Primordial Aura overrides the pressure coming out of all of the Primordial Trees. Over a billion notifications hit my mind, and the intricate aura of each individual tree now makes far more sense. Each one of them in this domain grants me millions of worlds each.

My glyphs all flicker, and small spurts of potent memories flow in through miniature enlightenments. Not only do I master the Dryad's language further, and comprehend their glyph patterns on a much deeper level, but I understand their history too.

I don't lose consciousness, I'm able to continue staring out over this domain while watching how these trees came to be in the back of my mind.

I see the scenes I inherited earlier, of the millions of Dryads that all poured their life essence into creating the invisible domain's barriers. However, in those old memories, there were no trees yet in the Purple Zone.

Memories flash by of many Dryads pouring into the domains after their protection barriers have been completed, and the strongest leaders take root into the bottom of the zone. Hundreds of millions, even billions of years pass, and these protectors filter the air, refining the ether brought up to this zone by their underlings while their leader, the current overseer, watches them all from above.

When other races enter this zone, they grant them safe passage, and a place to transfer their inheritance to future generations. Then, eventually, a safe place to live indefinitely in the outer settlements once their time in Ritual Domains is complete.

However, there is a violent shift in the peaceful order of things. The exact cause for this shift is unknown in these memories, but I can feel their pain, as somehow, their overseer has fallen.

Many of these Dryads went into a permanent state of dormant shock after this severing of their connection to their leader. In their current forms, they cannot die, but they have been stagnant in a state close to death for what feels like an eternity.

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I can feel that there was a message sent to all of them right before the severing, but these memories were not inherited in a normal fashion. When I try to probe for it, it just fades...

All I can feel is that it was linked to the sense of hope they hold onto, and that very feeling is what is triggering right now.

It's the warm and trusting aura that wants to help Maria and me whenever we make physical contact with any leftover ether commands.

I still do not know why, but over a billion ancient worlds that were connected to these dormant Dryads connect to the worldwide connectivity system, and I feel strands of Primordial Aura flowing downward through the zones, and spreading out deep into the Lower Realm.

Instantly, the new worlds I'm connected to enter my consciousness, but I also feel the intensity of everything else going on below me.

My Primordial Aura floods into these points where the pressure of my links of loyalty's wills are the strongest.

The closest specimen is of Seraphel and Abby going through a transformation in the Cyan Zone. An enormous Tree is forming around Abby in her Immortal Healer's body as portions of the Dryad's Legacy awaken in her.

She has already drained the entire zone of its ether and divine energy stores, and the roots of her tree are breaking through the bottom of the zone. Not only that, but extreme pressure cracks through the top of the zone as well, splitting the sky with dark blue cracks.

Invisible strands of aura connect our souls, and the pressure of my new Primordial Aura, and the addition of so many Ancient Dryads, forcefully triggers the next stage of her awakening.

More memories flood through her mind, and a structural change in the Primordial Aura she already controlled takes place.

The holographic Tree of Life she holds together with her aura grows stronger, and the sky above breaks apart. The growth rate of the branches and lush leaves can't be stopped. They tear into the space between zones, and begin breaking through the floor of where the Dark Blue Zone's Celestial Sea once was.

At the same time, the roots of this growing tree crack through the structural support at the bottom of the Cyan Zone, but collide with a bright white array made of High Quality ether before it can break through any further.

It is made of Ancient Demonic High Quality glyphs, put into place by the Imperials once they took over the Upper Realm. It should be an impenetrable barrier for anything in these zones without fully awakening Glyph imprints that can wield High Quality ether. That is why it was considered the perfect prison.

However, as the tree's roots begin to spread over its enormous smooth outer edges, tiny specks of High Quality ether residue float out of it. This begins to be slowly consumed by Abby's aura, in a similar fashion to the Corruption and Source Resin that absorbed High Quality ether by itself, not entering her Soul Energy pool directly.

This is not where my vision stops.

I feel my Primordial Aura pouring through all of my soul ties, flowing into the generals in the Green Zone. Then, the commanders, knights, and Administrators all throughout the galaxy.

I see the exact position they're in, faced against strange Demons with artifacts left behind from an ancient era.

From a quick scan, I see they've already done quite a bit of damage, killing thousands of Demons wearing High Quality Glyphs while they themselves all hardly even wield Celestial energy.

It's impressive, yet I can tell their tricks of targeting faulty armor won't work to finish the job.

Especially against the small pocket of Demons they've pinpointed and named Elites.

They wield weapons that hold natural Primordial Aura, and they're far more intelligent and naturally stronger than all of the other Demons in this Army.

From the memories I absorbed from the First Blood killed moments ago, I'm positive these Elites are remnants of the Outer Guard's Generation left behind.

They're going to need even more help handling them.

I instantly open up a telepathy channel with everyone on the battlefield, but receive extremely strange feedback once I do. It seems like every single one of them is using the Celestial Grade Mind Palace, replicating the Rank Up process I used to gain an edge on the Vermillion family head.

Despite not being able to reply or contact the outside from their states of extreme concentration, my Primordial Aura still flows in.