"What the...?" Arnark was shocked as he was unable to notice what hit him, being sent flying straight towards Zaira.
Cause and Effect--Gloss Over!
Hazen's power enveloped the trio of Gehera, Stencil, and the Compass Carburettor that had formed beside them, allowing his attack to slam into Arnark without the other party noticing it. And the range of effect only enveloped Arnark, and hence, the rest of the spectators were unable to understand the reason for this.
"W-What are you doing, Immortal?" Mascot stuttered in shock, "Why are you antagonising Arnark? He's been our staunch ally..."
"Look at yourself, Mascot." Immortal said with conviction, "How long has Arnark been alive and what have we gained from him? In response, consider the advantages we obtained in the mere three decades since Compass Carburettor's arrival."
"Besides," Immortal pointed at Hazen, "That is the individual I'm trying to win over, not Arnark. So, if you're not planning to take action, move aside."
Immortal's figure teleported next to Stencil and Gehera, wrapping them with a spiritual hand as he teleported away. In the meantime, the figure of Compass Carburettor that formed out of the chains binding them transformed into armour that covered both, protecting them from harm.
Immediately after, Immortal blasted through the efforts of the Grade 3 Systems and arrived next to Hazen and Compass Carburettor, panting a little as hundreds of wounds covered his body.
In that short instant, he was hammered by dozens of Core Skills, the majority of which were from the Grade 3 Systems.
"Are you alright?" Hazen asked in concern, watching Immortal's injuries rapidly heal in response.
"I've seen worse." Immortal was strangely happy upon noticing Hazen's concern, "After being an arrogant disappointment for all these eons, I've finally found hope to protect my worlds. So, I'm glad."
"You know..." Hazen said, snapping his finger as Immortal was stunned all of a sudden, "I've already completed the fusion long ago. I was just waiting because I was apprehensive about Arnark, fearing that he might steal this, since we derived it from his corpse."
"But now that he has already appeared, I can proceed with it."
"I see..." Immortal closed his eyes for a moment, sensing a mysterious power surge from the Gaider Realm and flow into him. Even though this power was a trickle as compared to the vastness that he encompassed, it still meant that he now had the power to deal with Systems.
'I need to stockpile this energy and wait for the opportune moment.' Immortal thought as he stared at the gazes of the Grade 3 Systems fall on him.
Zaira, the Tell-Tale System, and Regression System were focused on Slayer and Arnark while the rest were focused on reclaiming Stencil and Gehera.
"D-Dad, I don't feel good." Stencil gasped for breath, collapsing when Compass Carburettor caught hold of her.
He inspected her, stating in alarm, "The loss of her Main Character System fragment collapsed her power. The three Systems are about to break free of her control."
Stencil's Personal Fragment was the Neural Impulse Actuator, a choker that allowed her to control a living being by tapping into their nervous system. In the Gaider Realm, she caused her Earth Divine Martial Spirit to consume it as its fusion material, causing the Martial Spirit to form the core of her power.
Though, the part that allowed her to stabilise and control Systems whose power structure was beyond the Gaider Realm was thanks to the Main Character System fragment. Without that, she was losing the universality of her powers, resulting in the three Systems in her control wrestle and inch towards breaking free.
Compass Carburettor hurriedly created another self of himself, presenting it to Stencil, "Hurry, control this. It will help stabilise your power a little."
"There's a solution, Compass." Hazen said, "Remember that the core of her strength is the Cultivation World I'm born from. And, it's the Earth Divine Martial Spirit."
"Immortal, please," Hazen said before staring at the Grade 2 Systems targeting them, grunting in response as his powers halted their approach. Though, the level of power he wielded at the moment wouldn't be able to destroy their minds, since his opponents weren't just a Grade 2 System fragment but an entire Grade 2 System.
While Hazen and Compass Carburettor kept the Grade 2 System at bay somehow, Immortal observed the inner workings of Stencil's power, muttering in response, "The reason you're breaking down is due to the loss of universality that the Main Character System fragment gave you."
"Is there a solution?" Gehera asked, focusing on the totems in her Ruin of Amagoth to see if there was any whose power could help her. She and Stencil shared a complicated relationship, but at the end of the day, she wished to save Stencil.
"It's pretty simple. I'm universal." Immortal stated in confidence as he broke off a tiny fragment of himself, his little finger, seeped the power of the Cultivation World into it and inserted it into Stencil, causing it to take the place of the Main Character System fragment.
Instantly, her body stabilised as the three Systems stopped resisting, fully falling under her control once again. Moreover, Stencil recovered and stared in shock as a mysterious power seemed to flow into her nonstop, empowering her constantly.
"What...is happening?" She stared at Immortal.
"You have a portion of my body forming your core." Immortal said, "Basically, it means you're a tiny Immortal."
"This wouldn't have been possible if you didn't have the power to become a Coordinate and the core of your power is from the cultivation genre." Immortal explained, "Don't assume that it's entirely to your benefit. Now that you're drawing power from my worlds, as you control Systems, my power will evolve gradually to counter them better."
It was because the Cultivation World had now morphed its Origin Essence into an energy form that could destroy the Systems. And it was this energy that primarily flowed into Stencil, allowing her to research the means to kill Systems better.
And since her core was Immortal's fragment, the moment she gains the means to destroy a System, Immortal too would gain it.
After all, just by lending a part of his body to her, Immortal was now able to access her power of Coordinate, allowing him to gain the means to delve into the depths of the power that made Systems seem invincible.
With this, Stencil became a miniature version of Immortal himself.
