After the Universal Will left, Luna began to materialize the Cosmic Door once more. The door gradually emerged from the tear, piece by piece, until it was fully formed. It stood in the space.
The spatial tear then disappeared. With its full emergence, the most critical phase of the invasion began.
Precision was paramount. One misstep could undo the entire plan. Fortunately, even failure carried no fatal cost. At worst, Luna would deplete her energy, which Lex could quickly replenish.
Beyond that, this small universe posed no real threat to them.
The instant the Cosmic Door fully materialized, space trembled for thousands of light-years and the young laws of the universe shuddered in its presence.
It stood vast and imposing in the void. Its presence anchored in the space as if it were a monolithic structure carved from the fabric of existence itself.
Its scale rivaled that of a star, and it radiated a mystery-shrouded power that defied comprehension.
The door stood resolute against the surrounding emptiness. The young laws of the universe clashed against its formidable laws, which carried traces of Dao.
The door stood resolute amid the void. The fledgling laws of this universe clashed against the ancient, Dao-infused laws it bore.
But the door's laws crushed them effortlessly. Within moments, a thousands of -ight-year radius became its dominion.
Thus, this region became a chaotic abyss and a lawless wasteland. Logic no longer existed here because any laws that tried to get in were obliterated time and time again.
Anyone who relied on the ordinary laws of the universe and dared to enter this lawless domain would meet a grim fate.
Without their natural order, they would be as vulnerable as a mortal before a god: completely exposed and unable to endure the eerie desolation of a domain where the concept of law no longer existed.
Lex stood on the other side of the cosmic door, waiting for the moment to arrive. "It's done; you can begin," Luna said in a tired voice.
Lex nodded and replied, "Good work. Rest for now and wait for me to finish. You will immediately return to your previous state."
He materialized the black egg adorned with Origin Law runes that he had created some time ago. As it hovered above his palm, he peered into it and sensed a faint consciousness stirring within.
He nodded in satisfaction, then turned toward the Cosmic Door. He extended his hand and reached forward, his arm vanishing into the threshold.
An enormous hand made of radiant golden energy burst forth from the other side of the cosmic door, crackling with powerful energy.
The very moment it appeared, the universe itself seemed to shudder—its laws twisting and distorting in protest.
Space in this lawless expanse trembled violently; stars millions of light years away flickered as if struggling to maintain their light.
On a dead planet, a massive, damaged robot lay motionless, its broken form stretched across half the planet's surface.
The landscape bore the scars of utter devastation: fractured terrain, crumbling ruins, and ghostly remnants of a once-great civilization.
Time had scrubbed away all life, leaving only dust and silence.
Suddenly, the robot's body shook. Its closed eye snapped open, and its red pupils glimmered among the debris.
"What is this… ominous sensation?" the robot rumbled, its voice grinding with age. "The laws… they're in turmoil."
Slowly, the gigantic robot rose. Dust and debris cascaded from its towering frame, revealing intricate engravings along its metallic body—symbols from a forgotten era pulsing faintly as if awakening from a long slumber.
It tilted its head, gazing skyward, scanning beyond the clouds and stars. After some time, it couldn't find anything, but it knew instinctively that Something ominous was happening.
He wasn't the only one who felt it. Across the universe, other powerful beings awakened as the laws trembled…
In the heart of the Greti Empire, Emperor Vorex sat on his throne, deep in thought. Then all of a sudden the intricate runes etched into his metallic chin glowed.
"Hm?" he murmured. A flicker of confusion crossed his stern visage, soon replaced by wary curiosity.
"The laws are disturbed. What could be powerful enough to shake the very fabric of the universe?" The thought lingered as a growing sense of unease crept into his mind.
For a moment, he considered contacting the other rulers.
"Should I alert them?" he wondered. Then he shook his head. "No. If I can feel this, they already know."
Countless mighty beings stirred across the stars—but one burned brightest among them: Empress Quintessa of the Vereti Empire.
Seated on her grand throne, she suddenly rose to her feet, startling the ministers gathered before her.
"Your Majesty, what has unsettled you?" one of them asked, bowing his head slightly.
Her voice rang firm, edged with urgency. "Bring me the Oracle Drive," she commanded.
A heavy silence fell over the room. The ministers exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions shifting from confusion to alarm.
"The Oracle Drive?" one of them said aloud, his voice filled with disbelief.
They all understood the gravity of her command. The Oracle Drive was not something summoned lightly.
Since the founding of the Vereti Empire millions of years ago, the Drive has been activated only five times. Each time, it nearly bled their energy reserves dry.
But each time, disaster had been averted easily.
The Oracle Drive was meant for moments of crisis, for times when the very survival of the empire was at stake. And now… the Empress had called for it once more.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" one minister burst out. "Our energy stores are low. The super black hole activation drained nearly half. If you use the Drive now, we'll be left with a quarter, making us vulnerable to our enemies."
The other ministers also had the same idea but there were also some who were able to feel that there is something they didn't understand going on.
"This is no longer about our empire," the empress said solemnly. "This concerns the fate of the universe. It is far graver than you know."
"What! The fate of the universe, what can be so powerful that can threaten it" said one of the ministers
"This is not the time for debate," one of them looked back hurriedly. "Go get the Drive, " he instructed his assistant who was standing behind him.
Minutes later, the Oracle Drive was brought forth from the Imperial Treasury. It was a white, spherical core surrounded by nine concentric rings that hummed with arcane energy.
The device floated into her grasp. With a flash of light, she disappeared and reappeared on top of the palace. The ministers teleported after her, their hearts heavy with foreboding.
The palace's peak was a vast, circular platform inscribed with intricate magical runes. Standing at its center, the empress suspended the Oracle Drive above the runes, its rings still rotating at a steady pace.
She closed her eyes, channeling her energy and divination law into the device. The rings began to spin faster, gaining momentum.
"Get in formation! Channel the reserved energy to me in four… three…" she commanded, her voice firm. The ministers swiftly complied, bracing themselves for the immense energy drain.
As the crucial moment arrived, the Oracle Drive's rings spun so fast they appeared motionless.
She immersed her consciousness in the device and projected herself into the flow of timelines. It drifted through the currents of fate, searching for answers.
At first, she saw a timeline in which Lex never invaded. However, something felt wrong. She could sense the universe's laws slowly eroding and her divination state becoming unstable.
With a furrowed brow, she redirected her attention to a different timeline and then to yet another.
Each possible future exposed the same unsettling reality: a formidable force was consuming the Laws of the universe.
After going to several timelines, she finally found the one she was looking for.
Whoosh!
She found herself floating in the void, surrounded by shattered space rocks colliding in eerie silence.
She teleported forward, crossing several light-years toward her empire's northern regions.
What she saw made her breath hitch—utter destruction. Entire planets and galaxies lay in ruins, reduced to cosmic graveyards. Some regions were shrouded in pure darkness, devoid of even dying stars.
After countless jumps across dying space, she reached the remains of her empire. The once-thriving galaxies under her rule were now lifeless husks.
As she scanned the area, she spotted a monstrous entity soaring through the void—a cosmic beetle.
As soon as it noticed her, it rushed toward her, its massive mandibles glowing ominously purple.
"What is this?" she muttered, intrigued. The creature lunged at her, but she obliterated it effortlessly with a mere flick of her hand.
Yet something felt off.
"Its strength is mediocre. How could it possibly destroy galaxies?"
She examined a piece of its remaining flesh, probing deeper into its genetic structure. What she discovered made her eyes widen in shock.
"How is its genetic structure this perfect?"
A creeping realization took hold of her. "This isn't possible..."
She delved further, unraveling the DNA strand by strand. As she reached the core of its genetic composition, a primal warning surged through her.
An unfathomably powerful, unseen force loomed just beyond her reach. Her instincts screamed at her to stop or be annihilated.
Meanwhile, beneath the World Tree, Lex sat with his legs crossed and slowly opened his eyes.
"A clever little one. You're lucky you didn't pry too far," he said calmly.
Luna, perched on his shoulder, glanced at him curiously. "Did someone just try to spy on you, Master?"
Lex chuckled. "Just a fleeting insect… one already marked for death."
Crack!!
The Oracle Drive let out a sharp, piercing crack as it struggled to peer into something beyond its comprehension. Two of its rings fractured instantly, the once-flawless mechanisms grinding to a halt.
The remaining rings shuddered violently before ceasing their motion altogether, leaving behind an eerie silence.
She forcefully pulled herself out of the divination state. A sharp pain tore through her chest, and she coughed up blood, staining the pristine runes beneath her.
Just yesterday, she had been ecstatic, celebrating their technological breakthrough: the harnessing of the super black hole—an achievement on a universal scale. But now...
A suffocating dread settled over her.
She sank to her knees at the center of the platform, her trembling hands pressing against the cold stone. "How...how can we fight something like that?" she mumbled, her voice barely audible.
It felt impossible.
The force behind the invasion was beyond anything she had ever imagined. She didn't even know what it was, let alone how to counter it.
The weight of her own helplessness crushed her, a stark contrast to the triumph she had felt