A dream.

Achilles had only a single dream the night before- one that took place on the surface of a terrifying sun where he witnessed the betrayal his father faced from the man he once called a brother.

The next dream came because of the blooming effect of Combination- Lineage Memory V.

In this dream, his eyes opened to find himself seated on a massive, grandiose golden throne.

The throne wasn’t housed inside a castle or a pristine temple, but it simply sat upon open earth, facing the blue sky above.

And all around this throne were rows upon rows, thousands upon thousands, of golden armored entities that were emanating waves of power that Achilles couldn’t even begin to comprehend. They stood tall, silent, and reverent, all facing him.

The nearest figures, the most powerful of them, numbered in the thousands and surrounded him closely. Beyond them stretched weaker beings that were hundreds of thousands strong.

This was a dream from a time long past. Even before Kaiser’s betrayal.

Because right now, Achilles could see Kaiser himself standing proud and vigilant beside him, looking every bit the loyal guardian who could do no wrong.

Then, the crowd erupted. Their weapons rose high as they shouted:

“Emperor King!”

HU!

“Emperor King!”

HU!

“Emperor King!”

They declared his majesty with every breath. And Achilles, almost instinctively, raised his hand to quiet them- his presence pulsing with a kingly weight he didn’t fully understand.

At his gesture, a woman stepped forward.

Her long, white hair shimmered like starlight. She raised her hand, revealing a crystal—an incandescent Millionstar Core, glimmering with countless celestial lights.

“From the domain of the Heretic Star Worshippers,” she proclaimed, “your legions have brought peace to their lands. Their people are no longer starving or oppressed. From them, O Emperor King, I bring you the Millionstar Core- the source of power of the mad king who once ruled them.”

…!

The obsidian crystalline object, glowing with stellar allure, floated toward Achilles and hovered inches from his grasp.

The woman stepped back, and a burly man in golden armor stepped forward, his twin battle-axes reflecting rays of light as he opened a cloth to reveal a single feather.

“O Emperor King,” he said, “I bring you the feather of the Nirvanic Sun Moon Phoenix. Its trace had been lost in the eons of time, but I found this sliver in the Endless Sun Cluster to the north. I will lead your armies there and continue my search for the truth of its disappearance.”

…!

The ethereal silver-gold feather drifted toward Achilles, hovering next to the first treasure.

Another powerful figure stepped forward. And then another. One after another, they presented treasures in a procession of awe.

It felt like Achilles was watching a vision of ancient royalty, a reverent ceremony where the greatest beings of existence bowed to his father.

And yet, he was seated on the throne.

He could feel the majesty, the weight, the terrifying regality saturating the air around him.

Then, his father’s hands moved, caressing the Millionstar Core.

It was almost painful to watch such a sacred relic being touched. It felt too pristine, too far beyond what someone of Achilles’ level should even be near.

And yet…his lineage made this ridiculous connection possible. These were memories of his father. Of another life and of a different time. Yet he could feel it as if it were his.

As his father moved away from the Millionstar Core and toward the Phoenix Feather, a thought sparked in Achilles’ mind.

How wonderful would it be…if I could have assimilated such a treasure?

…!

A ridiculous thought.

And yet, it clung to him.

That single feather was more radiant, more divine, than anything he had ever touched in the Colony City of Neon. So the thought stayed, buzzing and blooming in his mind, impossible to shake.

Assimilation.

A terrifying capability, but one that required physical contact. A connection.

He remembered the times he’d assimilated oceans of the Organic and Inorganic Terrestrial Planetary Body through the vines extended from his body- technically touching the planet itself.

Right now, though, this was just a dream.

A vision of the past.

Memories.

Not real.

The idea of assimilating something from a dream was utterly illogical. Impossible.

And yet…

His mind refused to let go.

His blood surged with obsession.

The thought rooted deeper.

As his father reached for the Phoenix Feather, Achilles’ entire being throbbed with urgency. He didn’t want the hand to pull away. He couldn’t let this treasure slip out of reach like the one before it, nor did he know what he would touch next.

And so, with his soul on fire and lineage crying out across time, he screamed in his mind.

ASSIMILATE!

HUUM!

The boldest command he had ever uttered.

As if commanding time itself. As if whispering to his ancestors across the eons.

And then…

BOOM!

A brilliant light of silver-gold erupted and slammed into his body, tearing away everything from view.

The feather shimmered.

Pieces of it flaked away and dissolved into his being.

Assimilated.

As they did, the dreamscape cracked and pulsed violently. The throne. The army. The sky.

Everything shattered.

All of it collapsed.

And then, crimson letters blared into existence:

[An Extremely Complex Object has had an infinitesimally small portion of itself assimilated into your Existence.]

[Your Existence Corruption Value is about to Exceed 50%.]

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

It felt like countless things were screaming inside his skull as his heart pounded like thunder and his blood roared wildly!

[All Evolutius Crystals within Crystal Vault IV are being used to reduce the Existence Corruption Value.]

…!

That burning blood.

That racing heart.

It woke him up!

He gasped as he returned to reality, only to realize he was being held in Solareth’s hands…and they were melting.

The hands of a being born of sunlight…were melting!

His senses surged outward.

He saw Myxilith shoving Rose out of harm’s way, shielding her with her own body as Rose’s arms and thighs looked scorched!

Because at this moment…

Achilles was radiating a heat unlike anything before.

White flames danced across his skin as if he had been reborn in fire.

Flames so scorching, they were melting the rays of the sun themselves- the very essence that made up Solareth’s body.

This…

This was just the preliminary effect of a reckless, impossible trial.

Achilles had assimilated something from a dream.

A dream drawn from the memories of his father.

A dream that occurred eons ago.

And yet, he had successfully assimilated an infinitesimally small portion of a feather. Not just any feather, but the feather of a Nirvanic Sun Moon Phoenix!

But it came with heavy, heavy consequences!