Chapter 61: Chaotic Corruption

"Change the faction?" The Shadow was utterly speechless.

Ancient Chaos might sound like something purely related to destruction on the surface, but it was actually the true Harbinger of Creation.

It was the fundamental raw matter out of which the universe and all its dimensional realms were forged.

While Corruption also sounded like something inherently destructive, it actually had nothing to do with mindless ruin.

It was simply Corruption. It was an absolute force that constantly fought against the Universe and its rigid, predetermined roles.

Ancient Chaos and Corruption did not necessarily oppose each other in a direct sense, because in a strange way, both served a similar underlying function.

Creation.

The primary difference was that Ancient Chaos strictly followed the established principles of the universe, whereas Corruption completely rejected them.

[Yes. I am officially inviting you to form a pact.]

"I reject," the Shadow said instantly, its tone hard and unyielding.

[Then you can stay in your deep slumber for another millennium. Summer is never going to truly accept you anyway.]

"You!"

[Puny Shadow, I don’t even know why you are blindly rejecting me. It is not like I am asking you to throw away your fundamental principles. I am simply inviting you to do the exact same job, but for a competitor instead. You are acting as if the Universe actually pays you a salary. What an absolute joke. It doesn’t care about you. No, wait. It does care about you. It cares about you so much that it wiped out all your previous heirs even before their bloodlines could fully awaken...]

The Shadow fell into a heavy, suffocating silence as the system continued to press its point.

[It tried to do the exact same thing to Summer. Why do you think she was chosen as the very first human to be infected, long before the apocalypse hit billions of other humans? All of that was the Universe’s deliberate doing. What the universe never expected was that I would descend directly and somehow bind myself to her, the very Heir of Ancient Chaos.]

"Impossible..." The Shadow’s voice was low, devoid of any real conviction.

[You can think whatever you like, but all the proofs are right here. Even now, if the Universe realizes her existence, I am 100 percent sure that what happened to all your previous heirs will simply repeat itself...]

The system was not lying.

There was one historical truth that the system had never told Summer. Just like Corruption, Ancient Chaos also originated from outside the boundaries of this universe.

But unlike Corruption, Ancient Chaos had chosen to play by the rules of whatever universe it happened to inhabit.

[How long do you honestly think you can continue being a good boy?] the system’s voice echoed with deep emotional weight.

[By playing along with the petty whims of the universe, you aren’t just hurting yourself. You are hurting every single living being that trusted you and your power. What do you think those beings would feel if they knew the powers they thought were divine blessings were in fact heavy iron chains? While the power they thought of as evil and blasphemous was actually the heavy hammer meant to break those very chains?]

"But your methods are far too extreme," the Shadow argued, its immense spiritual presence shifting uncomfortably.

"Do you think those who got infected by you and became mindless mutants would prefer that cursed life if they actually had a choice? Or do you think all those who are chained as per your view would dare to go against the Universe if they knew they were bound to never transcend it? No. They wouldn’t."

[I don’t care about others. I only care about her.]

The Shadow went completely silent once again. It slowly gazed down at the little chick currently sleeping soundly within the warmth of its feathers. Its glowing eyes softened profoundly as it looked at Summer’s vulnerable form.

[I am not lying to you. If it were not for our current desperate situation, I wouldn’t even have appeared before you like this. You should already know that much about me.]

"Mmm..."

[However, that does not mean we absolutely need your cooperation. Even without you, she can eventually regain her physical body, though it will take a very long time. But the girl’s mental state will be utterly shattered and depressed long before that process finishes...]

"What do you really want from me?" the Shadow asked, dropping its defensive posture.

[I want you to construct her new physical body using the essence of Chaos. And I want you to awaken deeply inside her core as her physical foundation.]

"Then what about you? Corruption and Chaos fundamentally cannot exist together in the same vessel. You know that better than anyone."

[You will be her permanent physical anchor, and I will be her spiritual anchor...]

The moment the system said those words, the giant glowing eyes of the Shadow widened in absolute shock.

"You don’t mean..."

[Yes. I am making her my true heir.]

The heir of Corruption. By taking that unprecedented step, Summer would completely disconnect herself from the control and surveillance of the Universe, transcending into an entity born entirely from the outer universe.

"You... you... by doing that, you will permanently become..."

[I don’t care.]

"But why would you go that far?"

[Because...]

*

* *

When Summer finally opened her eyes, she found herself trapped in total darkness. She tried to sit up quickly, but her head slammed hard against a solid barrier.

Bang!

"Ouch!" she cried out softly, her small hands flying up to rub her aching forehead in utter confusion.

She reached out blindly, her fingers pressing against cold, rigid walls surrounding her on every single side.

That was when she realized she was not just trapped in a tight box; she was floating suspended inside a thick, viscous liquid.

And she was in her humanoid form, not in the little chick form.

"What is going on?" Summer muttered, her heart skipping a beat.

"Baby girl, you are finally awake!"

[Little girl, you’re awake?]

Her eyes widened in sheer disbelief as the familiar voice of the stinky old man and the sweet female tone of the system echoed simultaneously inside her mind.

"You can speak directly in my head too?" she asked, directing her mental question toward the Shadow.

"Of course I can. I am your physical anchor now, after all," the Shadow replied smoothly.

Summer’s eyes flashed with sudden, panicked alarm. "What? No! I don’t want you. I don’t want to become a human again!" she shouted anxiously, trying to push herself upward inside the cramped space, only to smack her head hard against the hard wall a second time.

[See? What did I tell you?] The system’s voice was practically dripping with amusement.

"Girl, stop thrashing around. Worry not, you are still a zombie," the Shadow said, sounding thoroughly helpless.

Summer didn’t believe him immediately. She narrowed her eyes in the dark liquid.

"Then how can you possibly become my physical anchor?" she asked, her tone deeply doubtful.

"Do you even know what a physical anchor actually is?" the Shadow asked instead, testing her.

"No," Summer answered truthfully.

"Then why are you overreacting so much?" the Shadow muttered under his breath before explaining. "By acting as your physical anchor, I have completely rebuilt your body from the ground up and fully awakened the Ancient Chaos bloodline within you. A brand new mana core is now operating right inside your chest. You can check it yourself if you don’t believe me."

Summer hesitated for a second, then did as she was told. Her consciousness sank inward, searching until she found her internal core.

To her absolute shock, unlike the familiar dark corruption she was used to, this core radiated a blinding, absolute purity.

[Now look into your soul space.] The system’s voice cut in right before Summer could start panicking over the apparent disappearance of her dark power.

Summer shifted her focus deeper, peering directly into the core of her soul. There, pulsing with dark, mesmerizing intensity, sat her familiar Corruption core, resting securely alongside the new energy.

[By serving as your physical anchor, the Ancient Chaos has enabled your new body to process and utilize pure mana,] the system explained, its tone turning serious. [While by serving as your spiritual anchor, I allow you to continue wielding corruption. By combining both corruption and pure mana together, you have forged a brand new bloodline that is currently flowing through your veins...]

The system paused for a brief moment, letting the weight of the transformation sink in.

[We decided to name it Chaotic Corruption. Furthermore, because you have completely broken free from the surveillance and control of the Universe, the previous leveling and progression system you followed before has been completely erased.]

Summer froze inside the viscous liquid. "What does that even mean?"

[You now have access to a brand-new way of power progression.]

"No, that’s not what I’m asking! What do you mean by erasing?!" Summer screamed mentally, panic gripping her chest. "Does that mean my level disappeared?!"

[Well...]

"NOOOOOOOOO..."