CH297 Void Orca

***

Merlin's hand paused mid-stroke along his beard. A faint frown crossed his face before easing again. He shook his head subtly but held his tongue, choosing instead to wait for Alex's next revelations before offering comment.

"My second major advancement also builds upon the lifted restrictions on my Rune-Tech," Alex continued.

"As you know, spell formations, inscriptions and arrays, and rune tattoos are all runic constructs. They share the same foundation, but they are distinct systems. One cannot convert a spell formation into an array, or an array into a rune tattoo. A spell formation is a spell formation, an array an array, and a rune tattoo a tattoo."

His lips curved into a smile. "Well… that has changed."

"I can now convert spell formations into inscriptions and rune tattoos—and vice versa. The faux Grand Array Formation I designed against the Kellermans relied on this principle. I converted [Heal] and [Rejuvenation], along with [Fireball] and [Fire Bolt], into component arrays of the grand array formation. I even wove in the [Link] components I extracted from the goblin [Shield] spell, ensuring our Fury soldiers remained connected to the array's benefits no matter where they fought on the battlefield."

A flicker of shock rippled across Merlin's otherwise calm eyes.

Since their conception, spell formations and arrays had always remained separate domains. Though their effects could overlap, they were fundamentally distinct. Countless mages across the ages had tried to break this boundary, yet it had always been as if a thin but unyielding veil of natural law prevented the transition from ever being possible.

Until now.

But Alex wasn't finished.

"Not only that," he added, "I took the energy-gathering and spatial arrays I studied from the Pangea realm's subspace sanctuary and converted them into a rune tattoo. I then used this tattoo to correct flaws in the Voidheart Core."

His eyes sharpened as he revealed, "The Voidheart Core was suffering from hypoplasia of the left atrium. To compensate, I inscribed a rune tattoo—a hybrid energy-gathering formation linked to a spatial array, fused with a splinter of my AetherKindle primal origin flame. This substituted for the missing function and restored efficiency to the Core."

"Can I see the maldeveloped heart?" Merlin asked.

Alex nodded. He reached into his Sanctuary pocket space and carefully withdrew the Voidheart Core.

Perhaps with anyone else, he would have concealed its true nature, but not with Merlin.

It wasn't blind trust simply because Merlin was his master. It came from Alex's understanding of the ancient dragon Uthvaazgol's nature.

For all his calm demeanour, the dragon carried pride heavier than most—a pride that would never allow him to stoop so low as to steal from his own disciple. Besides, Alex suspected that with the sheer depth of Merlin's strength, the Voidheart Core was little more than an intriguing curiosity, not something that could spark greed.

That assurance gave Alex the freedom to indulge in his quiet urge to brag about one of his proudest works.

Merlin's brows rose slightly. "Well, this is a surprise. I didn't expect to see the heart of a Void Orca here."

"A Void Orca—as in a dolphin?" Alex asked, incredulous.

"Yes." Merlin confirmed with a slow nod.

'No wonder the heart was mammalian, so close in design to a human's,' Alex mused inwardly.

Merlin's voice deepened, carrying a note of reminiscence. "Void Orcas are not so different from you humans. They begin as simple dolphins in their native seas, but with their relatively sharpened intellect, they step onto a path of cultivation. In time, they leave their worlds behind to roam the void in search of higher realms. Some awaken a mutation chain that transforms them into Void Orcas—a carnivorous archetype that forsakes planets altogether, dwelling in the endless void instead."

He stroked his beard, eyes glinting. "As you might expect, they are born masters of Space, and their offspring inherit this gift. The more extraordinary among them push even further, brushing against Temporal Laws once their comprehension of Space nears perfection."

Alex blinked. "Master… from your tone, you've encountered quite a few of them, haven't you?"

"You could say that." Merlin's smile curved into something sharper. A savage light flickered in his eyes as he chuckled. "They were quite the delicacy, back in my more… belligerent youth."

Alex froze. Then slowly, his expression shifted to alarm. He glanced at the Voidheart Core still resting in Merlin's grasp, suddenly worried for its safety.

Merlin didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Damned brat, do you think I'm going to eat your toy?" He tossed the heart back at Alex. Guided by some telepathic power, it drifted safely into Alex's hands.

"I can hardly fill the gap between my teeth with that!" Merlin said with mild annoyance. "Besides, their hearts were the one part I never liked. Constant washing in spatial energy made the muscles too thick and gamey for my taste. Thinking back now, had I known my future true disciple would have a use for them, I might have kept a few. It's too bad. I once filled one of my vaults with their hearts to trade with another Elder of the Dragon race a long time ago."

He shook his head with genuine regret.

'Master, just how many Void Orcas did you kill?' Alex couldn't help wondering.

The thought only reinforced his suspicion that Uthvaazgol was at least Class 8. Void Orcas, from Merlin's tone, were typically Class 7 or 8 beings—possibly higher.

Considering how vindictive orcas were in his previous life, Merlin wouldn't be standing here so casually if he had only been their equal.

"Tell me," Merlin continued, "this inter-conversion process of yours—is it unique to your Rune-Tech platform? Or is it a quirk of your True Name's concept? Could it be replicated by any Runesmith or Array Master?"

"A combination of the first two, I believe," Alex answered after some thought. "The True Name's concept only affects me directly, allowing it to ease the limitations on my magic and performance.

"However, it has also become embedded into my Rune-Tech platform. If I can cement the platform into the natural order, like you suggested, then this method should become accessible to anyone who walks the class."

"I see…" Merlin nodded, satisfied.

Alex returned the Voidheart Core to his pocket dimension.

At the same time, he drew out another treasure—his prized possession, the very tool he intended to use as the cornerstone of his craftsmanship legacy in Pangea: the Coinage Moonstone Interspatial Ring.

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