Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

Chapter 803: The Immovable Binding

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Berk could feel it…he doesn’t have much left in the tank.

Breaking the previous bindings was an incredible challenge, one that demanded everything he had, and yet even though he’s this close, it still demands more from him.

Anxiety crept up to him. Fast.

Having tasted what it’s like to be on the same pedestal as the Supreme Will, Berk didn’t want to go back. That power, the omniscience, the inevitability of his existence…it was a forbidden ambrosia, one that he deeply yearned for.

That little taste at the beginning was all it took for him to be willing to risk everything. So yeah, he’s not going down without a fight.

Berk threw caution to the wind. So what if he dies? His children are already cared for. He doesn’t have any family. And his fellow councillors? They will understand. They all got to this point knowing what’s at stake. They will respect his decision.

Alas, the Binding of Mystery cared not for his thoughts, his wishes, or his desires.

It didn’t budge, didn’t give hints, and didn’t concede. It was as still as a rock—uncompromising and grounding.

It didn’t matter how hard Berk tried. He reasoned, he bargained, he forced…nothing worked. The Binding of Mystery remained unresponsive.

And that brought endless frustration to Berk.

“Move, damn it! What the hell do you want?” he roared, his phantom mouthing his words soundlessly.

But again, no response from the shackle. It remained as is, binding Berk’s phantom like a cursed binding that no force of magic can break.

And the ceaseless discharge of the tribulation clouds certainly didn’t help at all. It struck at Berk’s phantom mercilessly, testing him, eroding his strength and resolve, and bringing immense agony to him just as much as this immovable binding.

Berk uttered every curse he could ever come up with, to the point that it made him speechless.

In the end, despite his reluctance and unwillingness, he had to retreat. He knows that this isn’t worth dying for. He really didn’t want to; he was so close. So very close. Yet this accursed binding just refused to budge.

Berk’s resentment climbed through the roof, but it doesn’t matter.

Neither the Supreme Will nor the Binding of Mystery cared about what he felt.

He failed and is in incredible pain. That’s his ending. Better luck next time.

As his phantom shrank, Berk’s heartbreak resonated with his surroundings. Colors seemed wilted around him, plunging the area in a very depressing mood.

As he opened his eyes to reality, he saw the worried faces of his friends, causing him to sigh inwardly while enduring the pain causing havoc in his spirit.

Patricia was already beside him, doing her best to alleviate the pain on his soul. What she couldn’t heal, however, was his heart. The overwhelming sense of defeat and misery was something that her healing hands couldn’t reach. Berk could only rely on himself to cure it.

Now, Berk understood why Urek and Gibson felt utterly lifeless and defeated after their respective breakthroughs. It’s really this disheartening.

“Damn it…that fucking shackle is a massive pain in the ass,” Berk humorously complained.

“Right!?” Gibson eagerly responded, relating completely with what Berk feels. “It’s so unreasonable.”

“Yeah, seriously. Not even a goddamn hint. I tried everything I could think of, but nothing…nothing worked at all. Hiss! Ow!”

Complaining hurts. Hell, even breathing normally hurts, too. Simply existing hurts. That’s how badly injured he was. The injuries weren’t physical; those already healed, the pain reaches deep, deeper than one could think of.

“We need to brainstorm some more,” Urek grimly stated. “We can’t allow Pat or Nick to attempt their breakthroughs without knowing how to move that thing.”

“Indeed. This isn’t something that could be solved through trial and error. Each attempt takes a massive toll on us,” Gibson added.

“But how” is the question. Urek massaged his temples in stress. “As far as I know, we’re the first ones to even attempt to reach this level. No one else from our kind reached this far. We don’t have a guide or an elder to clarify the road forward.”

That silenced everybody.

Urek’s words were true. They are indeed the first batch of humans who managed to reach this far into life’s evolution.

Nobody else has come this far. Not even a single one since the dawn of humanity. Most of their predecessors are either long dead or too damn old to be bothered, and even if they could be bothered, it’ll be useless since none of them managed to get to this point.

This was uncharted territory for them. In fact, Urek’s sacrifice to scout ahead and provide them information was already a historical feat. This information will benefit humanity through generations moving forward.

If it weren’t for his selfless act, the rest of the councillors would’ve struggled greatly to fill out the gaps. He has already done so much for them and the upcoming life evolvers in the future.

He was their unsung hero.

But the cold hard truth is that this wasn’t enough. The Binding of Mystery remains as a wall they just can’t pass through, a true bottleneck in their progress. It’s what’s stopping them from seeing the view on the other side.

If they could just find a way to break through this bottleneck, everything will be okay. They could endure the relentless barrage of tribulation lightning from the Supreme Will just fine.

It’s that last shackle that’s really stopping them.

“We’ll talk more about this later,” Patricia stated. “For now, Berk needs rest.”

Her words received their unanimous agreement.

**

“Failed again…” Cedric muttered as he watched Berk’s humongous phantom fizzle out of existence.

“That’s three out of five councillors. Only two left. Not much hope there, is there? They should be feeling the pressure now.”

Even as a bystander, Cedric could recognize the pattern. Something was up with those shackles they’re facing. Specifically that mid-section shackle. Out of all the shackles, that’s the only one none of them have managed to break so far.

It wasn’t for the lack of energy or strength. Sure, he could see that breaking through consecutive shackles drained them a lot, but in their position, they should be willing to risk it all for that small chance.

That’s the final stretch; if they don’t go all out there, when should they?

Dying has always been the risk of life evolution; it’s old news, a constant. Hoping to make it through the Primal Origin Lifeform Realm wasn’t any different. If anything, that’s the ultimate test of resolve.

And was the resolve of the councillors lacking? Of course not! If it were, then they wouldn’t be sitting in their current thrones right now.

So, the problem wasn’t them, nor the ceaseless discharge of lighting tribulation. It’s those shackles.

But what it is exactly, Cedric has no idea. That should be a closely guarded secret of the councillors. And an outsider like him had no right to probe.

But then, he thought…

“The Bug Empress should’ve recovered by now.” He pursed his lips. “Maybe she’s still recovering, but definitely not as weak as before. It’s been more than a hundred years since that happened, after all. There’s no way she couldn’t recover after so long.”

And that’s the problem.

The Bug Empress should be plotting her revenge on him, more specifically. Cedric wouldn’t put it past her to lower herself to attacking him personally.

He did, after all, snatch her opportunity right under her nose. He also caused her to be punished by the Supreme Will, forcing defeat, pain, agony, and misery down her throat.

Him, a tiny Universe Master. If he were in her shoes, he’d take it personally too. It’d be a goddamn miracle if she decides to leave him alone.

With this in mind, Cedric was now wary.

Not that he’s doubting the security measures against it, but she did give them a slip once, so the record wasn’t really favorable. If she could do it once, who’s saying that she couldn’t do it twice? Or more?

No defense is impenetrable. That’s the awful truth.

And despite having a bright future ahead, the point still stands: Cedric was still weak. He would certainly struggle against the Bug Empress.

More importantly, his position as a Sector Lord binds him to this place. He can’t just pack up and flee to the corners of the chaos realm to hide from her. He’s got responsibilities here.

He just settled his homeworld here recently. He didn’t want to take them away again so soon.

“I guess I should be thankful that they decided to do it one by one.” Cedric sighed stressfully, “At least, the other four could respond to outside threats while one of them recovers.”

Indeed. Urek’s act of getting ahead of everybody turned out to be the right call. Sure, he ultimately failed, but that was already a foregone conclusion he realized in himself.

With that clarity in mind, he went ahead and gathered as much information as he could, paving the way for his fellow councillors. Yes, he did fail, but it sure was one valiant attempt, nevertheless.

Like it or not, you have to respect that hustle.