The issue of incorporating the Void Engine] was the one that stumped him the longest , turning into a migraine-inducing catch-22 . Life , Death , Conflict , and Void were all needed to form the nucleus . If even one were missing , the whole thing would collapse .
His body was a safe harbor for Void Energy , but it was also incredibly voracious . Any time his Void Heart] spat something out , it would be consumed by the vortices in his cells . Zac estimated he would have five minutes at most before the refined Void Engine] was squandered , based on how much control he could exert on his bloodline through Heart Cultivation .
What were you supposed to do when you had no idea how long Void Heart] would take to refine the Void Engine]? Some energies took days before being released , while others were a matter of minutes . It wasn’t like the Hidden Node gave you an estimate either—it was radio silence until it spat everything out .
Zac estimated the process would take roughly fifty minutes to an hour , based on the energy involved and how much quicker his Void Heart] refined Void-based items compared to normal treasures .
If everything worked out , the refinements would finish in step , and he’d go on to form his nucleus before the materials destabilized .
But what if his estimates were wrong? Refining the Void Engine] could take twice as long because of how complex its inner structure was . If that happened , the Calamity Core] and Warstone] would have been wasted .
Zac could also see it swinging the other way . Such a pure Void Treasure might barely need refinement and get spat out in less than a minute . Then the Void Engine] would be long gone by the time the Nucleus Array released the refined essences . He only had a few minutes of leeway in each direction .
He did have all kinds of backup treasures in case Plan A didn’t pan out , but that would have huge ramifications . He couldn’t just throw a bunch of unrefined Void Treasures into the Hollow Core] in case the Void Engine] was released too late . Even if it worked out through dumb luck , the resulting nucleus would be extremely rough .
More likely , he’d end up with an incomplete core that couldn’t withstand more than a handful of levels . Then , it would all be for nothing . Fixing such a mess would take centuries if it were even possible . He could forget about Ultom , and his value to the Undead Empire would drastically decrease . His goals of catching up with Leandra and saving Kenzie would grow far more distant .
The timing was a huge risk , and it wasn’t even the only one . With the original plan , he’d have two unstable energies on his hands . He would have to perfectly combine them at a breakneck pace before they destabilized , where a single mistake would lead to disaster .
Zac was unwilling to take that risk , so he opted for his untested solution of using Chaos . If it succeeded , he would have a far easier time with this first step . So far , his choice had proven the right one .
A section of the main array lit up a few minutes after Zac dealt with the Void Engine] , and two bright blobs appeared . Forty-six minutes on the dot , just like Null said , and Zac finally relaxed . The guide had assured him the Perennial Vastness knew what it was doing—how could it fail in refining the items found within its domain? But it was impossible not to worry when so much was at stake .
Sendor had thankfully come through . Zac didn’t know how , but the arrays prepared by the Perennial Vastness melted the treasures without damaging their essence . The Nucleus Arrays were custom designed for these two treasures and the patterns he’d added . He essentially had a Supremacy personally overseeing the process , ensuring this first step would work without a hitch .
No energy leaked from the materials , and they weren’t fluctuating dangerously , either . The arrays he’d engraved had fused with the material itself , creating a stable structure that could be molded .
The glowing blob from the Warstone] looked like heated steel , emitting an aura somewhere between its original Dao of War and his Branch of the War Axe .
The Calamity Core] was a sphere of heated glass . Life and Death almost formed a Yin-Yang symbol , except for the missing dots . The two sides were in perfect balance in energy , aura , and Dao , which was why he picked the Calamity Core] over two separate Supreme treasures .
Of course , the balance didn’t mean the elements had fused , and stability was only a relative concept regarding Life and Death . The Nucleus Array had forced them together , and it remained an unstable union without the Void to keep the peace . There was a mutual rejection within the treasure , but it was within his expectations .
Zac dragged the two materials over with telekinesis as he disrobed to leave his chest bare . The tattoo on his belly was still there , ready to receive more materials . The main array had a similar function , but the tattoo was better as it was slightly faster . His skin rippled as the Calamity Core] entered his body . The Warstone] would soon follow , but he needed to complete the next step separately . Zac dragged the molten glass into his core , where the perfected Life and Death waited .
The molten treasure was a voracious black hole when it came in contact with the energies sealed inside the Hollow Core] . Vast amounts of Life entered the golden half of the glowing sphere , while the Quantum Death entered the black one . The sense of rejection was rapidly weakening as more and more energy entered .
That’s it! - Zac shouted .
This was exactly what he wanted to see . He’d been somewhat confident in his plan after seeing the Chaos Motes successfully split , but it was still a huge load off his shoulders to see the Calamity Core] stabilize . The twinned crystal was as stable as the Warstone] when two-thirds of the accumulated Dao had been absorbed .
Still , Zac crammed another two Chaos Motes’ worth of perfected truth into the Supreme treasure , ensuring it would stay stable even longer . The energy inside the Hollow Core] was fully drained except for lingering pieces of Conflict he hadn’t managed to prevent the Duplicity Core from absorbing .
The Warstone] entered the Hollow Core] the second that process was done , joining the Calamity Core] . Simultaneously , Zac released the floodgates in his mind , letting a storm of Dao emerge from his Spiritual Void] while the axe-wielding Dao Avatar was squeezed for over three-quarters of its accumulated truth .
The War-attuned treasure already contained significantly more energy than the Calamity Core] thanks to being left on the array until it couldn’t withstand it any longer . Still , it wasn’t a match to the Calamity Core] after it swallowed the four Chaos Motes . This was a second infusion to reach equilibrium between the three forces .
Zac shifted his attention to the platform beneath him . A nudge activated its main feature , and the whole thing came alive . The array started to absorb the vast amounts of energy provided by the Dao Tapestries , using it as fuel . An uncomfortable pressure built in his body , but he ignored the discomfort as he ensured none of his Hidden Nodes triggered .
A gleaming , three-colored sphere surrounded the Duplicity Core , releasing immense gravitational waves into the core . Seeing the Duplicity Core was fine , Zac sent out over twenty strings of Mental Energy . They entered the sphere , where they were transformed . They were still spiritual , but the array gave them physical characteristics , allowing them to interact with the materials .
Their function was similar to robotic surgical instruments sometimes used before the Integration . It was night and day compared to the Mortal Core Formation methods he’d found in Zecia . Those techniques pretty much took the base materials and put them under great pressure , squeezing them into a shape resembling a blueprint .
It took little time to get used to the transformation since it was ultimately his Mental Energy . The only problem was that his control was a bit clumsy due to the damage across his body .