Against The True Gods-Chapter 180: Laplace

Caine's lips parted to speak, but before any words could be uttered, Laplace shook his head.

"Lerouge, please understand that some things are yours to unveil. I cannot light the path ahead. It is for your own good."

"You will have to uncover these mysteries yourself."

Caine didn't seem too surprised by these words. He nodded, allowing Laplace to continue.

"What I can tell you, though… is that you must pray you do not meet any True Defiants soon… you are not ready yet… not anywhere near…"

"And do not, under any circumstances, talk about the marks on your heart to anyone."

Caine raised a brow of interest upon hearing these words but didn't protest.

"I see," he nodded. "But how does any of this bring me here, to you? Or rather, how has all this brought you to me since…" Caine looked around. "…I don't suppose this is a part of the Weave, yes?"

Laplace leaned back in his throne as he nodded. "This indeed is not the Weave. I was sent to give you a few things."

Suddenly, Laplace's gaze lost all warmth, and he seemed to become an entity larger than life, his aura absent yet his presence pressing onto the world like a falling meteor of endless weight.

Caine immediately felt the change, his hairs standing on end as it occurred, his heart pounding in alertness.

"By becoming a True Defiant," Laplace's voice was cold and distant, its tone low and androgynous, just like when he had first met Caine. "The Weave has decided you are worthy of more."

"The first time we met, by solidifying your understanding of runes and reaching Quasi-Quintessence of Will, I unsealed your affinity to Fate and allowed your affinity to Totality to bloom further."

"But today, you've been allowed to receive all that was ever yours. Like all Heirs, you've inherited the affinities of all the previous fallen princes."

Laplace clenched his fist, and suddenly, a CLINK! echoed within Caine's Dao Hearts as his stars began to shake.

His Fate star suddenly ballooned to monstrous heights as, around it, thirteen stars, much larger than all his other stars, suddenly appeared.

'Fate—Yin-Yang, Karma, Destiny, Destruction, Creation, Samsara, Luck, Truth, Chaos, Void, Star, Time, and…'

The last and thirteenth star, the star of Totality, suddenly shook as its true form was unveiled.

The true and real form of Totality.

'…Heaven.'

The thirteen stars began to spin and revolve around Caine's Fate star, their might sinking into him and melding into the Fate star, becoming its branches.

A Fate affinity, branching out into thirteen mighty affinities.

Caine felt his body stir, but more specifically, he felt his Bone Structure tremble and evolve as his Heaven affinity sank into him, shredding apart the false and weak reign of Totality.

"These affinities are yours and now entirely unbound. And here…" Upon Laplace's palm, thirteen tokens appeared, all majestic beyond belief. "…are their Trial Tokens. When you are ready, undergo their trials, but be aware, these will be just as hard, if not harder, than that of Fate."

Caine took a few moments to adjust to the changes. "Thirteen affinities… was I not the ninth prince?" he asked.

Laplace tilted his head, his emotionless eyes slightly narrowed. "No, you are the thirteenth and last prince."

For a moment, the two of them remained silent. Caine didn't bother asking why Uriel would possibly lie to him about such a thing, already knowing what the answer would be.

'It's unfortunate. Had I had my affinities unsealed earlier, I could've forged an entirely different set of bodily structures. Should I let it be or entirely remake them…?'

Caine shook his head, sighing as he stood up from the throne of stone he sat upon. "I suppose our meeting is over then. Do you happen to know how I can go back?"

Laplace shook his head, and Caine's mood suddenly soured. Just as he was about to begin drawing a formation, Laplace spoke again.

"Our meeting is not over," Laplace stood up as well. "As I said, the Weave has decided you are worthy of more."

"Today, I'll be helping you."

Caine remained silent, confused.

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"The resources Fate has given you—take them out. I'll be helping you birth your Innate Bond."

"We'll use the tribulation awaiting you outside as fuel for it. This will both help you complete something that would've taken you decades and will also save you."

"Surely you didn't think the Heavens would allow you to defy so easily?"

"I see." Caine muttered. He then waved a hand. "Let us begin then."

Upon the floor, countless resources began to appear along with two peculiar things—Elura's egg and Uriel's soul.

Laplace assessed the resources before him, his eyes darting across the board to truly take everything in.

He then looked at Caine.

"Do you already know how you'll proceed?"

Caine nodded, and no more words were exchanged.

Laplace slapped his palms together, and suddenly, the skies of this endless expanse of white didn't simply split open—they tore apart, shredded by a force of endless majesty.

From the fathomless void above, a gigantic crimson eye appeared, full of rage and hate as it directly locked onto Caine.

A horrifying wave of pressure slammed downward, forcing Caine to his knees as, from above, countless tendrils of darkness began to rapidly descend while a flood of angels fell from the skies.

Chaotic storms of cosmic debris began to form all around as tribulation lightning, as thick as worlds, began to rage and crackle through the space.

SKRREEEEEEEE!

A demonic screech echoed as the fury of the eye above ascended and soared.

Caine forced himself up, his bones cracking as he did so, but he paid no mind to it.

"READY?" Laplace roared out amidst the chaos that had been unleashed.

Caine couldn't speak for fear of losing his mouth entirely, so he merely nodded, the grin on his face telling all that needed to be told.

Laplace's wings flared and stretched out, the Halos of gold above his head suddenly spinning as his palms separated and time seemed to slow.

Caine could finally move and speak. Biting his finger, he used his spilling blood to immediately draw a gigantic formation that used the gate as a core.

He roared out as his palms slammed against the white endlessness below, arcs of lightning flying as he did so.

"[NAMELESS CALL: EMBRYONIC SPARK!]"

BANG!