Chapter 42: Chapter 37: The Heart of Infinity
The Evil Realm was vast, stretching beyond what even Shinsui had imagined when he first created it. Over the decades he had spent here, it had grown into something akin to a true world, one fueled by the endless flow of natural energy. Mountains towered in the distance, rivers of raw power flowed like veins through the land, and storms of condensed chakra raged in the skies. It was a world that existed outside of time, one that no other being could comprehend.
Yet, for all the power he had accumulated, for all the advancements he had made in sealing, creation, and manipulation of life, one thing still bound him—the limitation of his own energy reserves.
No matter how much he trained, how deeply he meditated, or how efficiently he molded the power around him, he remained bound by his mortal core. He was powerful, but not limitless. If he wanted to reach the true peak of existence, to become a force that nothing could oppose, he needed to eliminate this weakness.
And so, he began working on his most ambitious creation yet—the Heart of Infinity.
The concept was simple in theory, yet nearly impossible in practice. He needed to forge an artificial heart that could sustain him forever, drawing energy from the very foundation of the Evil Realm. It would act as a core, absorbing and refining limitless amounts of chakra and natural energy, allowing him to wield boundless power without ever exhausting himself.
The first attempts were failures. He crafted several prototypes, each made from condensed energy crystals and sealed with layers upon layers of intricate formations. Yet, they all had flaws. Some were unstable, their power fluctuating uncontrollably. Others lacked the ability to sustain themselves indefinitely. A few were outright dangerous, threatening to collapse into black holes that could devour even the Evil Realm itself.
But Shinsui did not waver. He refined his techniques, experimenting with the very laws of existence. He integrated the principles of time and space, using what he had learned from the Lock of Absolutism and the Fountain of Youth to create a vessel that could sustain endless energy.
After years of relentless effort, he finally succeeded.
The Heart of Infinity pulsed in his hands, a crystalline sphere that radiated an overwhelming presence. It was neither a solid nor a liquid, constantly shifting between states, its surface alive with swirling energy. It absorbed the natural energy around it effortlessly, never overflowing, never weakening.
Holding it in his hands, he could already feel the potential. With this, he would no longer need to rest, no longer need to gather chakra or meditate to recover. He would be an existence beyond limitations.
But to wield its power fully, he needed to integrate it into himself.
The process was not easy. As he performed the procedure, pain unlike anything he had ever experienced tore through his body. His own heart rejected the foreign core, his very being resisting the transformation. His vision blurred, and for the first time in a long while, he felt the creeping presence of death.
But Shinsui was not someone who bowed to weakness. He reached deep into his sealing expertise, rewriting his own existence as if he were molding a new creation. His body was forced to adapt, to accept the Heart of Infinity as its own. His cells shifted, his very essence altered to accommodate the limitless power now surging through him.
The pain faded, replaced by something new—something overwhelming.
Shinsui stood, his body feeling lighter than it ever had before. He flexed his fingers, and with a mere thought, the space around him twisted. Energy pulsed through his veins without end, an infinite ocean contained within him. He was no longer constrained by fatigue, no longer bound by the limitations of chakra.
He had achieved what no one else had. He had become something more than human.
As he looked out over the vast expanse of the Evil Realm, a sense of fulfillment settled within him. Yet, deep inside, he knew this was not the end. He had gained power, but what came next?
He turned his gaze toward the distance, where the world he had left behind still existed. They had sealed him away, discarded him like an unwanted threat. They believed they had built peace without him.
"They thought they could erase me," he murmured, his voice carrying through the empty expanse. "They thought peace could last without me. Now, I will remind them why they feared me."
With a wave of his hand, a portal to the outside world began to form before him. The time for isolation was over. The time for reckoning had begun.