Before Dyon had come to the gate, he was already aware of the fact the Epistemic Tower was always the last tower to be conquered. The reason for that went further than just leaving the hardest for last. After all, wouldn't it make the most sense to conquer something difficult while you have less towers to protect? If you tried to conquer a difficult tower, all while protect eight others, you'd only make it more difficult on yourself.
No. The reason the Epistemic Tower was always conquered last was because only when you controlled eight towers would you have enough control over the laws of this gate to turn off the spatial tears that littered the area. This was what make it worth it. Conquering Epistemic Tower would suddenly become manifold easier if you didn't have to worry about.
However, if you looked at this like it was a game, were things really so simple?
If you looked at the Epistemic Tower like a special area of a game that could only be properly accessed under the right conditions, wouldn't turning off the spatial fluctuations, despite being easier, force people to miss out on something great?
Originally, this had been Dyon's plan. When he was speaking to Ri on the day he awoke, he had already planned to do exactly what Alidor was doing now. He wanted to see what was different about the Epistemic Tower if you didn't turn off the spatial fluctuations. Why? Because weren't spatial fluctuations evidence of spatial distortion?... And weren't spatial distortions only prominent when there was a new plane to enter?
Much like the spatial pocket Dyon had just been in, or a legacy world opening, tears in space only meant one thing: there was a portal to another place. And considering how violent the fluctuations were, this place was definitely worth exploring.
But, Dyon's problem now was that he was no longer the only one who had deduced this. He was used to be the smartest person in the room, but now a worthy rival had entered… A rival who had much more experience with the gates and the cultivation world than he did…
Alidor had proved himself from the very beginning. When Dyon had read the memories of the Vice Commanders, he had experienced an emotion that was all too rare for him… He was impressed.
There was one thing that was very clear about the gates: their spatial fluctuations were connected, and as long as you didn't die, you could take advantage of it.
When you delved into the deep portions of the game like Dyon had, you gained the ability to even connect to other gates! But, on this scale here, the scale the game meant you to use… Alidor was able to use them to connect to differing areas of this gate itself!
But, the problem with that was although the idea seemed simple, it required a level of array alchemy theory Dyon just didn't have… That's why he couldn't help but be impressed.
Although Dyon's talent in array alchemy was undoubtable, even Ri had better fundamental knowledge of it than he did. This wasn't because Dyon ignored it, it was simply because he hadn't had enough time.
Alidor and Ri had spent years studying array alchemy. Ri because she was simply interested, but Alidor did it as a means to survival. If he wasn't the best, he and his sister would have long died.
The calculations Alidor used to comprehend and bend the ancient game to his will were theories of array alchemy Dyon had not a single clue about. They were in portions of his master's memory he simply hadn't had the time to delve into…
Whereas Alidor practiced an array alchemy built on solid fundamentals and traditional theories, Dyon's array alchemy was almost as wild as a university student's note taking short-hand. In fact, the truth was that Alidor had not once studied anything related to alchemy. He had dedicated all of his life to studying formations.
In this match of tradition and new age… Dyon lost severely.
Dyon suddenly became aware that this was likely why he had never made heads of tails of the arrays etched into the tome… How would you understand the most complex of things without first grasping the basic fully?
Much of the arrays Dyon drew now were new and innovative ones he built on top of the old. Using teleportation relay stations or communication arrays powered by multiple people were things array alchemy didn't have normally. But, no matter how impressive that was, Dyon needed to know that the martial world wasn't to be underestimated…
Dyon's thoughts flashed back to his first interactions with Delia and his thoughts on the technology and innovation of the martial world.
'I have to remember. It's not that the martial world isn't as intelligent as those from the mortal realm. It's that they have no need to advance in areas if they can use power to replace it.'
Why would military tactics be rampant in a world where power spoke over everything? Why would they need storage bracelets when they had space will? And why would they simplify their arrays like Dyon did when they could build much more complex and intricate things without such simplification.
Dyon's wings burst from his back as he twisted in the air. He cut through the last of the thick trees to suddenly find Epistemic Tower before him.
The feeling of danger was palpable as Dyon hovered in the air silently.
It wasn't that Dyon's array simplification had become useless, but, if he didn't build a solid base first, his array alchemy would soon hit a bottle neck he wouldn't be able to surpass.
Dyon's goal was the same as it had always been: to leave the biggest mark on the martial world. All in hopes that his parents were looking down on him and smiling. For them, he'd make sure the Sacharro name never faded… And if that meant he had to form the perfect balance between martial world and mortal world… Then he'd do it.
"Dao of array alchemy. Epistemic Tower. My own legacy. I'll take control of them all."
Dyon's wings tucked as he dove off of the edge of the cliff without hesitation, the wind slicing past his face as he headed into an unknown adventure.
