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Chapter 557 - Near-Death Experience

Daniel had experienced many things. He had fought through uncountable battles, witnessed things only a handful of entities could boast to have seen, and survived situations that would have left the most tenacious fighters in dismay.. Yet, despite all the experience he had accumulated, at this moment, even he could not help but feel his confidence slowly start to crumble.

Around him, in this unusually quiet pocket of space, thousands of cultivators who could turn him into dust with the snap of a finger, were quietly waiting to be pointed in his direction-his only means to defend himself, was now unusable, forcing him to spend what felt like several minutes, but were only a few seconds, thinking of a new way out. To add to the pressure, was Daniel’s awareness regarding how quickly a system like his could provide an answer to the right question.

"The universe in question is now part of the domain of High Lord Conflict." Said Mirah with a silvery tone. Her eyelids flashed open, revealing a pair of crystal-like eyes tainted by a familiar golden hue. This revelation caused the faces of the old champions of Fate to churn in dissatisfaction, while the observing cultivator looked at one another in doubt. Daniel, almost as if given a new lease on life, breathe a sigh of relief.

To the higher ranked domains, the conflict between the domain of Fate and it’s counterpart Destiny was no secret.. A conflict caused by a difference of views which, once resolved, would ultimately redefine the very laws of existence. This confrontation had seen many parties involved, to a point where even the aspects of existence themselves could not avoid but getting brought into it.

Everlasting relationships were put to the test, absolute truths were challenged, and a war for hegemony had started to become a real possibility.. But then, unwilling to see the multiverse that had birthed them be swept by a conflict between deities, Destiny interjected. His nature put importance to free will, a force which shaped one’s destiny and contributed to the creation of the colorful universe his kin was born from. To let everything be destroyed to prove a point would be akin to admitting that nothing mattered, and that everything was written in Fate.. so, instead of fighting, he proposed an alternative.

After millennia spent arguing, Fate and Destiny ultimately agreed to let the multiverse show its own true colors. Destiny was allowed to passively grant his gifts to noteworthy creatures who earned them, leaving the validity of his existence for its champions to prove-In exchange, the inhabitants of the other domains were free to impede their growth, turning their demise into an undeniable proof of Fate. This was how the peculiar existence of the champions of Destiny came to be.

However, that was not all. While most aspects of existence would not dare challenge this agreement out of the fear and respect they felt towards Fate, that was not the case for all of them.

As powerful and as ancient as Fate itself, the aspect of Conflict had chosen to remain impartial. This impartiality was absolute, and any attempt to fight against it meant declaring war to the domain of Competition, one of the most dominant powers within the multiverse. For that reason, the appearance of a nest of Destiny’s champions within Competition’s domain was an extremely big deal, as no one would dare to challenge a high Lord’s decisions, not even if ordered by another one.

As Mirah revealed the birthplace of Destiny’s newest champions, the champions of fate started to notice the doubt in the eyes of the observing cultivators. Their domains served Conflict as much as they served Fate, so who were they to demand cooperation from Conflict’s domain, or even invade it.. These doubts spread like wildfire, until finally, one of the leading champions of Competition’s domain stood up, and said, "This problem appears to be above us mid and low domains.. Should we postpone the decision?"

"Yes, this matter is beyond us." Said a champion of War’s domain.

"We yield to the peak domains’ decision." Added a champion of the aspect of Victory.

These few voices belonged to the representatives of the domains most loyal to the domain of Competition, who broke the silence in a successful attempt to cause hundreds more to rise-each rejecting their responsibility in hunting down Destiny’s champions. Soon enough, these hundreds of voices merged into an incomprehensible mixture of sounds.

The champions of Fate could not help but look in silence. Their most important mission, in fact, the only mission Fate itself had ever bothered himself with giving them, was to prove that Fate was absolute.. And due to something that was beyond their control, that mission was in jeopardy.

Daniel observed quietly. If there ever was a chance for him to take his leave, this was it, but as he placed his hands onto the cold surface of the pearly white table, the Overlord of Horror’s domain walked next to the old couple whose child he had just killed, and whispered a few words to them.

The old couple seemed reassured by the Overlord’s words, as they caused them to immediately regain the confidence of the omnipotent and omniscient domain they believed to be. "Silence, please." Said the old woman. "The nest being within the domain of High Lord Competition is extremely unfortunate, and it will require an audience with High Lord Fate to resolve.. But as champions, we still have things we can do."

As the old woman finished speaking, she turned towards her companion, and gave him a simple nod, after which he once again turned towards the championess of Destiny, and said, "The powers of a champion of destiny are unpredictable, but while that is an advantage, it is dampened by the predictability of their character. If their universe of origin has been opened to the multiverse, then most of them have likely left it already."

Suddenly, a feeling of doom crept up Daniel’s spine. Without thinking twice, he closed his eyes and focused on a simple thought.. ’Give me a way out of here.. Now!" Underneath his eyelids, a faint golden color emerged within his irises, signaling the activation of his Karmic System, but right when a window should have formed within his mind, nothing happened.

"We will hunt down the ones who have left the domain of High Lord Conflict. Meanwhile, we will work on getting the rest with our Lord’s aid." Added the old champion of Fate, turning Daniel’s fears into reality. "Find them." He blurted while tugging at Mirah’s chain.

Daniel was aware of what a lack of response from his system meant. It had happened to him when he and the others had traveled to the past, where his system was unable to help him come back to his time due to a lack of ways. Unfortunately, the same has happened now. No path meant that there was no way for him to escape on his own terms, which were the guarantee of his survival.

Despite this set back, and the increasing feeling of anxiety that poisoned his mind, Daniel kept thinking.. Until he finally found an alternative. In the span of a few moments he took control over the essence present in his body, and used it to gain full control over the space which he occupied. The moment Mirah would reveal that he was one of Destiny’s champions, he would step aside, and collapse the space he was controlling.

While dangerous, Daniel had guessed that his system was somehow bound to the multiverse’s spacetime, and that a drastic change like time travel would somehow hinder its function. So what if he left the boundaries of space and time itself? If there was no safety in the time and space that surrounded him, maybe the abyss that lay between the universes would have refuge for him. A simple plan was hastily put together, but then..

"There are four hundred and seventy-two locations. The closest ones being three gathered in the Trigate, right outside of the portal that leads to their home universe." said the young woman with a hint of sadness.

Daniel was taken aback.

Seemingly satisfied by the championess’s statement, the old woman turned towards the crowd, and said, "We will compile a list with your tasks, and deliver it to your domains within the next few days. Go back to your territories, and prepare." She then turned around, giving her back to the crowd, and with a simple nod of her head, caused the previously closed portal to once again open, almost as if aware of her intentions. Before walking through it, however, she slowly turned towards Daniel’s confused figure, and added with an uncharacteristic malicious tone, "I won’t forget the one who caused my son’s death. We will be seeing each other soon." She then left, followed by her more agitated companion and the rest of the champions of Fate.

Still at a loss for words, Daniel could not help but stare at the disheartened figure of the young championess of Destiny, whose dispirited expression turned into a confused one the moment her eyes met Daniel’s, right before stepping into the portal.

The following hour went by without noticing, as Daniel had more important things to ponder than the traditional closure of an Exalted Assembly. It was only as the champions began to leave the pocket dimension that the Overlord approached his table, and snapped him back to reality with much more politeness than he had reserved to him before.

"The assembly has come to an end. You are free to leave at any time." Said the Overlord right before rejoining with the rest of his domain’s champions. He then left, before Daniel could even think of showing any courtesy back to him.

In Daniel’s mind, the same few questions kept circling like a dog chasing its tail. The reason why his system had failed to find him a way out was of no concern to him, as he had already made a guess. Despite his beliefs, Daniel was never in danger to begin with-hence why when asked to find a safe way out of the pocket dimension before the woman could denounce him, the system had failed to respond. Not because there was no answer, but because the question was wrong. Had he asked for a way to survive the Exalted Assembly, it is likely that the system would have given him the option to simply wait.

While he could not help but blame himself for this mistake, which could have possibly been lethal had the circumstances been different, this was not what was puzzling him. What he couldn’t understand was why the championess of Destiny had not exposed him. Had she helped him? And if she had, why did his confusion look so odd to her? A malfunction of her system was out of the question, as Daniel himself had verified that his system worked by confirming her existence as ’the closest one of Iewah’s children’.. Yet, he was still alive.

With these questions still buzzing in his mind, Daniel mindlessly walked past the hundreds of champions of Law and champions of Order, and left the pocket dimension through the communal portal, finding himself back on Polis.

Originally, Daniel had decided to take part in the Exalted Assembly in order to find a way to get rid of the Blood Legacy of the Blood Clan, but while he had failed, he had not left empty-handed. An immense amount of information regarding the universe was now at his disposal, as well as a universe which he could use under the protective blanket that was the aspect of Karma.

His only worry was the threat that the other domains posed to his universe, where all the people he cared about lived.. But at least for now, he knew that they were safe under the protection of the aspect of Conflict.

With some time to spend, and no reason to stay in this universe, Daniel headed back towards his own ship, and alongside Ashura and the others he left Kosmos, and headed through the multiversal portal.