The moment Achilles uttered the command, Cataclysm's Heart trembled.
The gravity near it imploded, the runes that laced its surface flaring with ancient light. The forge, the core of the Dwarf Star, everything blurred into a singularity of force converging onto the hammer.
Streams of radiant crimson-gold threads burst outward from it, spinning and wrapping around Achilles' body like cosmic serpents. They sank into his skin, his bones, his blood, as his Adrastia Bloodline roared in ecstasy.
This was not an ordinary Assimilation.
It was not like taking land, life, or even Celestbone.
This was the forge of a generation.
The craft of an empire.
This was Cataclysm's Heart, and it did not yield easily.
Achilles' body trembled as his veins lit up like rivers of light, his cells trembling, his bones groaning under the weight of the assimilation.
The essence of the forge, the inheritance of a dead civilization's apex blacksmithing, and the will of Vulcaryn Adrastia himself all pressed down on him.
In his mind's eye, a new Echelon bloomed.
The power of a thousand star-fires compressed into a singular craft.
Cataclysmic Star Forge (Unique) (New)
Living Forge Physiology – Your body now hosts a Living Forge, allowing you to forge weapons anywhere, anytime, drawing heat and pressure from the ambient world itself.
Primordial Smithing Essence – You can infuse the core essence of your Bloodline and Assimilations into crafted weapons, granting them organic, Living qualities.
Adaptive Material Assimilation – You can absorb any material, terrestrial or cosmic, organic or inorganic, and reforge it at will, altering its properties to perfection.
Abyssal Tempering Flames – The forge fire you summon burns with the intensity of abyssal furnaces, capable of tempering materials beyond comprehension.
Weapon Soul Genesis – Every weapon you forge gains a rudimentary artificial soul, capable of resonating with its wielder and evolving based on their growth.
The essence of Cataclysm's Heart roared as it was half-claimed, half-consumed by Achilles. Not fully assimilated, but enough.
He felt his Existence shift.
His blood burned not with ecstasy, but with heavy, trembling pressure.
His Existence Corruption Value surged.
|Existence Corruption Value: 48%|
A sharp intake of breath.
Achilles staggered back, the entire world of the dream trembling, the Dwarf Star core trembling.
Vulcaryn Adrastia looked on, solemn and proud.
"Well done, Boy. You have only taken half, but even that is enough to stir the Star Seas."
The forge behind him dimmed, the weapons surrounding them began to fade.
The dream was ending.
Vulcaryn's figure began to blur into molten mist, his form being drawn back into the bloodlines from which he had emerged.
But before he vanished completely, he grinned once more.
"Go. Make our name feared again. Stretch our blood across the stars."
He lifted a hand in farewell.
"And remember. Not just power. Blood. Family. Empire."
The last of Vulcaryn Adrastia's words echoed in the boiling air, burning themselves into Achilles' heart.
The world exploded into molten light,
and Achilles gasped as his eyes snapped open.
The world of molten gold and collapsing stars receded.
Achilles felt his consciousness being pulled back, away from the inferno of lineage memory, away from the phantom image of Vulcaryn Adrastia and the magnificent forge that had seared itself into his soul.
The Life Spring rippled as his eyes snapped open.
A low, resonating hum echoed from his body, his very blood trembling with the aftermath of what he had done.
From the crystalline waters of the Life Spring, Achilles Adrastia Maxwell lifted his body, the water cascading down his form in radiant sheets, each droplet reflecting slivers of starlight.
The Primal Neon Tower stood still around him, silent, reverent.
The luminous bioluminescent forest canopy beyond rustled faintly under the breath of the Sea of Thalassara overhead, casting soft blue and silver hues across the crystalline throne and steps where Rose had sat hours ago.
He stood alone in the center of the clearing, and the world seemed to hold its breath.
It began as a vibration.
Deep. Subtle. Then growing.
The air around him pulsed.
The ground trembled as if acknowledging the return of something colossal.
Achilles clenched his fists, his body crackling with hidden thunder as his bones, his blood, his very essence sang with power.
The assimilation of Cataclysm's Heart had not merely enriched him.
His Complexity had surged.
Many of his previous Assimilations, the Terrestrial Planetary Body, the Organic Crystal, the Primordial Energy Source, resonated with his new power, ascending silently, almost reverently, to higher Echelons without effort.
The reinforcements layering over his form.
The way the stars whispered to him differently now.
His crimson-gold eyes narrowed, shining faintly in the dark.
First, he had something more urgent to test.
Something... glorious.
Cataclysmic Star Forge was terrifying as its own unique Echelon, with what he could build being utterly unfathomable.
But… he also had another forging Assimilation.
Organic Ancient Forgestone!
Pairing its exquisite qualities with the terrifying qualities of his Great Grandfather's Cataclysmic Star Forge would make something far outside even his great grandfather's expectations!
And Vulcaryn Adrastia had stated that had he paired this technique fully with his Adrastia Bloodline, he may have not died.
That was a blatant hint for Achilles to use it as much as possible!
Above the scintillating waters of a spring surrounded by a vibrant forest in the apex of a tower, with a radiant blue sea shining above,
Achilles brought up multiple qualities before him to utilize.
Organic Ancient Forgestone Echelon 5 (5%) – Qualities: Mineral Manipulation V, Forge Physiology V, Craftsmanship Magic V, Elemental-Mechanical Physiology V, Primordial Forgemind V, Titan Physiology V, Supernatural Artisan V, Star Forgestone V (NEW)
Cataclysmic Star Forge (Unique) (New)
Qualities: Living Forge Physiology, Primordial Smithing Essence, Adaptive Material Assimilation, Abyssal Tempering Flames, Weapon Soul Genesis
Without a delay, he called out.
"Living Forge Physiology."