My Talent's Name Is Generator Chapter 779 Hollow Star Structure

Soon enough, my summoned allies assembled the details I required.

Lyrate returned ahead of the rest. She alighted gently upon the tower's upper level, where I stood in anticipation. A subtle furrow etched her forehead, the expression she displayed solely when matters turned out more intricate than they initially seemed.

"This location holds no significance by itself," she stated directly. "Yet it carries some purpose all the same."

Knight showed up shortly after, tendrils of shadow sloughing from his form as he advanced. Ragnar came next, hauling a surviving traitor along like unwanted luggage. Aurora and the others spread out in the vicinity, murmuring comparisons of their findings in hushed tones.

I motioned for Lyrate to proceed.

"This outpost," she explained, "serves as a regional hub. Among numerous others. Its role involves shifting personnel, supplies, and tainted powers across a restricted area. Adjacent sectors and breaches. Sites such as this." She surveyed the emptied depression. "It's disposable."

"That aligns with our observations," I responded. "The previous site felt identical."

Knight inclined his head. "Minimal investment. Substantial throughput. They anticipate these spots won't endure indefinitely."

Ragnar huffed. "That accounts for why the guards were irritating yet not frantic."

I glanced at the tower, partially in ruins now. "What about the portals?"

Knight waved his tail toward the four immobilized entrances, the edge on its end carving a languid curve in the atmosphere.

"These function as regional portals," he noted. "Common in outposts of this nature. Their endpoints remain restricted and unchanging, looping repeatedly through a handful of spots. They're designed for regular transport, nothing vital."

Steve eyed him while cleaning the shadowy grime from his weapon. "And you're certain they avoid any key destinations?"

Knight's grin was subtle yet assured. "Since the traitors stationed here possessed no knowledge past their direct duties. And even more revealing, the phantoms displayed no unease."

That prompted a sharper look from me toward him. "Elaborate."

"They clashed with me," Knight went on steadily, "but without any frenzy. No alarm. Even as the outpost began crumbling and the portals locked, they showed no sign of losing something essential. That indicates they viewed this site as utterly insignificant."

North folded her arms, her eyes wandering momentarily to the tower's wreckage. "So where does the real importance lie?"

Aurora interjected before others could, her voice composed yet firm.

"In the relay gates."

"Relay gates operate in a wholly distinct manner," Lyrate pressed on, her tone even as she outlined the facts. "Unlike these scattered local versions, they're not widespread. Far fewer exist, and each receives intense safeguarding. They don't direct flow laterally or externally. All traffic proceeds unidirectionally."

Steve furrowed his brow a touch. "Unidirectional in what way?"

"Toward the core," Aurora added, moving closer, her gaze shifting from the stalled portals to the demolished tower. "Not directly to the central command, but nearer than any we've encountered thus far."

I nodded as the image crystallized in my mind. "They position themselves between the throwaway levels and the nucleus. All trivial elements get sifted out long before approaching that stage."

Ragnar emitted a deep rumble. "Which suggests this spot lacks one entirely."

"Indeed," Lyrate concurred. "No relay gate exists here. However, this outpost is aware of their presence."

She indicated the tower's remnants. "Partial logs surfaced during our search. Navigation patterns that defy logic without a superior layer. Much of it remains sealed by phantom clearance or scrambled past the traitors' reach. Yet one detail emerged prominently."

She hesitated briefly before adding. "Relay gate locations are never documented."

North fixed her with a keen stare. "How, then, do people access them?"

"Through memory," Lyrate replied, her face tightening. "Relayed straight to designated persons."

Knight took over seamlessly. "Specifically to upper Tier Three Transcendent phantoms. Each holds only a limited set of relay positions. Sufficient to travel as instructed. Insufficient to grasp the entire web."

I exhaled gradually.

"Thus, the phantom I eliminated before," I observed, "served as one such portal guardian."

"Correct," Knight affirmed promptly. "With his demise, all his secrets perished alongside him."

Steve shot me a sidelong glance. "Unless you'd extracted that knowledge from him beforehand."

I held off on answering immediately.

Instead, I directed my attention to the traitors Ragnar had pulled into view. They knelt now, postures defeated, terror etched plainly on their features. Masters. A few Grandmasters.

"Time to structure this clearly," I murmured, chiefly to myself. "A distinct chain of command is evident."

Aurora cocked her head faintly. "You've discerned it already?"

"I have," I confirmed.

I faced the assembly once more and spoke deliberately, ensuring all grasped it.

"Tier Five occupies the lowest rung. Traitors, hired blades, regional allies. Disposable pieces. Assigned jobs with no further details. No background. No enduring intel."

"Tier Four follows," I went on. "On-site agents. Phantoms and overseers placed at facilities like this. They comprehend nearby portal paths, but not their underlying reasons."

Knight offered a brief affirmation. "Power devoid of understanding. Adequate strength to impose directives, not to challenge them."

"Tier Three," I stated, "consists of upper Transcendent phantoms. Portal keepers. They commit relay positions to memory. Unaware of headquarters' site, yet capable of advancing nearer to it."

"What of Tier Two?" North inquired.

"High-level directors," Lyrate answered. "Essentially commanders. They supervise various relay points, orchestrate transfers over broad territories, and report straight above. They steer clear of peripheral activities."

Steve's tone lowered a bit. "Leaving Tier One."

"The genuine nucleus," I declared. "Those perched at the pinnacle. They handle neither paths nor outposts. They dictate course. Strategy. Objectives. All other elements defer to them."

Silence hung briefly.

Then Aurora murmured softly, "And beyond that lies the trunk gate."

"That's the bottleneck," I countered. "Present in every network. Concealed. Fiercely defended. It provides the sole route from the relay system into the organization's depths.

Regional portals channel into relay gates, those converge upon a trunk gate, and the trunk gate alone opens the way further."

Knight's gaze sharpened with realization. "Thus, if we seize a trunk gate—"

"We won't merely hinder their efforts," I interjected. "We'll seize command of them."

Ragnar chuckled deeply, pleased. "Far preferable to demolishing outposts piecemeal."

I pivoted toward the prostrate traitors. "Excellent. Now we interrogate."

They shattered quicker than anticipated. Devoid of phantoms overshadowing them, dread handled the unraveling.

From their confessions, we verified our hunches. This outpost linked to six additional regional hubs dispersed over two adjacent systems. None present had glimpsed a relay gate. They understood only when to transport and when to stay silent.

As the final element clicked, I rose straight.

"So," Steve remarked while sheathing his blade, "what follows?"

I surveyed the immobilized portals, the shattered tower, and my companions.

"No more random destruction," I announced. "That marked the start."

Knight's grin broadened gradually. "Now we ascend."

"Precisely," I agreed. "We seize a live Tier Three phantom. We draw out relay positions. We claim a relay gate."

"And then?" North pressed.

I held her eyes. "Then we locate the trunk gate."

Ragnar shrugged his shoulders. "And the central base?"

I grinned, the choice already set.

"That waits until the end."

The Hollow Star trusted its strata rendered it impervious. It assumed concealment sufficed.

It erred.

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