Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

Chapter 801: Filter’s Off

—

Today marks another important day for the development of the Rising Sun Domain.

Currently, Cedric stood before the Void Barrier—the very artifact that encapsulated the entirety of the Primeval Scarlet Dust Realm into a nebulous void, acting as a filter for the primal air of the Primitive Universe.

He watched as it simply existed there, warping, silent, and peaceful.

“We finally reached this point,” Cedric muttered. “How do you feel?”

“Fantastic, my lord! I must thank you again for giving me this chance.”

The Void Slave—the artifact consciousness—replied to him. Its voice was filled with glee and excitement as it felt greatness coursing through its body.

“You’re no longer filtering the primal air, right?” Cedric asked.

“Yes, my lord. The primal air of the Primitive Universe now flows unfiltered in the Primeval Scarlet Dust Realm.”

“Any risks or potential accidents that may occur?”

“Aside from low chances of mutations occurring in benign areas, there should be none, my lord. But rest assured, I will be monitoring everything closely and will report to you if anything important happens.”

“Good. But I’ll be happier if everything goes according to my expectations. There’s really no need for any more surprises.” Cedric sighed to himself.

What made today special was that from this day onwards, the Void Slave no longer has to filter the primal air of the Primitive Universe out of his homeworld.

Throughout these past decades, Cedric has instructed the Void Slave to adjust the filtering ratio, slowly incorporating the primal air outside to control the changes that might happen to his homeworld.

This was an important thing to do because if he had recklessly allowed the primal air to flow freely inside, even he wouldn’t be able to tell what kind of mutations would happen to his homeworld.

And as someone who’s unwilling to compromise with the safety of his home and family, there’s no way Cedric would allow that to happen.

Through the slow introduction and incorporation, his home adjusted well and accordingly to the primal air. Slowly but surely, as time passed, his home transformed, becoming more and more complete and no longer any different from the cosmic realms that had always been in the Primitive Universe.

Today, the filter comes off completely. Technically, they could’ve done this about a decade ago, but Cedric wasn’t one to take chances. If following the schedule ensures the safety and security of his people, he’d follow it to the dot. That’s how uncompromising he was when they were in the equation.

But while there might still be changes that happen to his homeworld even after this long, they should be so minor, inconsequential, even, that Cedric feels safe enough to let go of it completely.

Like the Void Slave said, they’ll continue to monitor the realm at all times just so that they can be ready. But Cedric was confident enough that nothing outrageous should happen anymore to feel relieved.

Now that the Void Slave was less occupied, it’s also time to fulfill one of his promises to it.

“You can occupy the whole central space of this domain now, if you want,” he said to the Void Slave. “Do it in moderation, though. You can’t destabilize yourself.”

The Void Slave almost vibrated in glee. It then said:

“Rest assured, my lord. I will be careful. Thank you for giving me this opportunity!”

Once upon a time, Cedric promised the Void Slave that, when the time is right, he would integrate it into the whole defensive system of the Rising Sun Domain, making it one of its key tools for protection.

It’s a responsibility that’s not one to be given lightly, especially with Cedric’s personality.

The Void Slave, though, had earned his trust. And this was a huge sign of it. And it deserves it.

From the moment that Cedric first enslaved it up until now, the Void Slave’s performance was consistent. Sure, that can’t be chalked up to the fact that it’s literally a slave to do so, but Cedric’s orders had been particularly demanding.

Even though the Void Barrier was made to act as a filtering/isolating artifact, its job was nevertheless very difficult. Even with the support of a stable power source, the job remains very demanding. Yet even so, the Void Slave did everything within Cedric’s expectations. It did not falter, didn’t fail, not even once.

Cedric was aware of all that, and it has earned his trust. Such dedication cannot remain unrewarded, so he granted it a gift…of more work.

Okay, that sounds bad. But it isn’t from the Void Slave’s perspective. In fact, this is probably the best reward it could ever get from Cedric. And that’s regardless of whether it’s enslaved or not.

Despite its intelligence and personality, it’s an artifact at the end of the day. An artifact whose whole purpose is to cover space, protect, isolate, and filter. Any ’job’ that requires any of those aspects is something it’s quite literally made to do, so how can it hate that?

Being allowed to expand and cover more areas of responsibility shows its owner’s trust in it and more fulfillment for its inborn duty.

Therefore, the Void Slave feels no resentment, only endless gratitude and happiness deep down. And so long as it continues doing its job properly, it will be rewarded even more.

**

Cedric watched as the Void Slave tentatively expanded its area of coverage. Its nebulous shape expanded outwards, covering more ground and space. It’s slow, slower than Cedric expected, but he didn’t call it out.

He knows that the Void Slave was trying to be polite here. He could feel its eagerness and its hesitation. It didn’t doubt his sincerity, but it also didn’t want to appear rude or presumptuous before him; that’s why it’s slowly expanding instead.

Cedric ignored this. Instead, he entered his homeworld. And finally, he could truly say that the environment inside truly doesn’t feel any different from the one outside.

He expanded his senses, covering the entirety of his home realm. He observed everything, from the largest things down to the smallest ones; nothing could escape his eyes.

What he saw satisfied him. Everything was alright.

Sure, the environment here had changed a lot since then, but that’s the entire point. This is what this place was always meant to be. It has just taken them this long to achieve it.

The life evolution ceiling has been raised here, which was a natural development upon reaching this point.

Furthermore, there’s no hiding it anymore. Those who are qualified to know now know about the Primitive Universe. They know where they are, and they know who Cedric is and what he has done for them. They have been made aware of the outrageous but cold truth, and more importantly, they have chosen to take a side.

That side being with humans.

Yes, humans have now become the de facto leader of the Primeval Scarlet Dust Realm. This was inevitable at this point, given what kind of prestige and reputation humanity has in the Primitive Universe.

In fact, they even agreed that, if they ever go out of this realm, they’d do so under the identity of a mutated human, instead of what they always believed they were.

This was to protect themselves and respect the prestige of the sovereign race of the new world they found themselves in.

Mind you, Cedric didn’t tell them to do this.

He didn’t suggest it, order it, or even imply for them to do any of this. He made it very clear to them that their history and identity are theirs. So long as they don’t betray their home and their people, they will always have a place here.

Not a single time did Cedric push the agenda of humanity’s sovereignty to them, but he also didn’t stop them from discovering it on their own.

Their decision to align themselves with humans was theirs right from the start. It might’ve started as an act of self-preservation (might still be), but it’s their decision nonetheless. Cedric didn’t force this idea upon them; they willingly did it on their own.

And Cedric wasn’t stupid. He knows why they did it, and he didn’t hate them for that. If anything, he welcomed it. Unity suits them better anyway, especially since they grew up in the same messed-up environment.

In his eyes, all of them were his people, just with different bloodlines.

And in the eyes of the humans outside of this realm, it’s also the same.

Nodding to himself, he flew to his homeworld, arriving at his home, the Sky Castle.

As usual, this place was serene, quiet, and calm. A tiny pocket of space where he’s not a sector lord or an unparalleled genius, just a family man.

His children weren’t here, nor their families. They were out there expanding their network and exploring new frontiers. Cedric didn’t stop them; if anything, he even encouraged them.

His wives, though. They’re here. Always here. Never going out too far from where he’s expected to see them.

They’re Cedric’s most important treasures, ones that he vowed to protect for the rest of his lives. Women that had been there for him through his highs and lows.

’I’m such a lucky man.’