The Bloodline System Chapter 1667: Retrieving The Fragments

As the various squads prepared for departure, E.E. walked over to Angy, his expression softened by concern. "Are you certain you're doing okay? You seem... thinner. And exhausted."

Angy managed to produce a faint, forced smile. "I'm alright. Honestly."

Elevora joined them, placing a comforting hand on Angy’s arm. "Should the visions intensify, you must inform us. This bloodline of yours—it is uncharted territory."

Angy gave a nod. "I will."

She had no intention of doing so.

Nearby, Falco leaned against the wall as Aildris fastened multidimensional bands around his wrists. Aildris looked up and gave Angy a confident, reassuring grin. "We’re going to bring him back. No matter what it takes."

Angy’s gaze grew somewhat glassy. "I know."

This wasn't mere optimism.

It was a conviction she felt vibrating deep within her soul.

Xanatus began triggering the dimensional gates one by one. They spun like concentric halos of radiance, shimmering with ancient runes forged from both extraterrestrial craft and the knowledge Gustav possessed prior to his passing.

As each group moved toward their respective portal, Endric hesitated, glancing back at Angy. "Hold the line for us."

"I will," she murmured.

The gates expanded, turning into apertures that looked out onto the far reaches of the cosmos—flickering and unstable due to the chaotic divine tempests howling outside.

One after another, they crossed the threshold.

Aildris and Ria disappeared into a gateway leading to a pulverized nebula where a single fragment drifted in the void.

E.E. and Elevora stepped through a portal directed toward the shattered ruins of the Universal Alliance headquarters.

Falco and Xanatus entered a corridor that opened into a pitch-black rift, a place where the laws of time bent in unnatural ways.

Endric was the final person to depart, clutching the bottle. "Angy... ensure nothing disturbs the ritual site."

"I won't."

Then he crossed through the last gate, vanishing into the violent turbulence of reality.

The portals collapsed, leaving Angy in the massive hall accompanied only by the other refugees.

The moment the lights dimmed and a heavy silence took hold, Angy gripped her abdomen tightly, taking a sharp breath.

The child within her throbbed with a distinct warmth.

The visions manifesting in her mind had provided glimpses—fragments of a universal truth:

The Outworldly cannot return through simple means.

He must be summoned.

He must be guided.

He must be anchored.

And that anchor was comprised of more than just her bloodline.

It was also the very life she was carrying.

But she would never speak those words aloud.

If they were aware...

They would try to shield her.

They would hide her away.

They would keep her far from the line of fire.

The universe required her to spearhead the ritual.

The universe needed her unborn child.

She would carry this weight by herself.

She brushed away her tears, hardening her resolve.

"Time is running out," she whispered to her womb. "But your father is returning home. I will ensure it."

Her bloodline shimmered across her skin in subtle golden motifs—resembling constellations that formed and faded in an instant.

...

...

Far from the sanctuary of the concealed star, the squads were already submerged in peril.

Every dimension they set foot in bore the scars of divine havoc.

Metropolises had been reduced to cosmic silt.

Planets remained as hollow, fractured shells.

Rifts in space leaked raw energy.

Mortals drifted in ravaged armadas, offering prayers to deities who responded only with mockery.

And always, the shadow of a god loomed just behind the veil.

At any moment, being detected meant certain death.

Yet they forged ahead, understanding that every passing second was vital.

Aildris and Ria were the first to find their target.

A radiant thread of Gustav’s essence floated within the remains of a pulverized moon, its light wavering like the cry of a wandering soul.

Ria reached out, pausing for a moment. "It feels... just like him."

Aildris clenched his jaw. "Don’t let emotions distract you. Angy needs this. Take it."

Ria nodded, sweeping his hands through the glowing strand to guide it into their sub-container. The essence responded immediately, pulsing as if in recognition.

The 72-hour countdown was initiated.

There was no turning back.

While the others engaged in battle, hid, and traversed various star systems, Angy got ready to travel to the ritual site where Gustav’s final ceremony had been disrupted months earlier.

However, she was forced to wait... nothing could truly commence until the essences were gathered.

The pocket-dimensional star was quiet for the moment... far too quiet.

It was a sanctuary severed from normal space-time, shielded by a barrier of cosmic distortion and reinforced by Gustav’s unique reality-warping essence... yet even here, a sense of dread sat with them like a persistent ghost. Days spent in this refuge felt like being in the eye of a hurricane... peaceful, but only because total annihilation was howling just beyond the walls.

Fortunately, after the initial thirty-six hours of the mission, the teams began returning in sequence.

And while they had mostly met their goals... the task was far from finished.

Angy sat in a corner of the strategy room, her back against the chilly crystalline surface that formed the interior of the hidden star. Her breathing was shallow, her palms slick with sweat. Another surge of nausea hit her, causing her gut to tighten.

Not now... not in front of them...

She took a slow breath, holding her stomach beneath the table. A very slight swell met her palm. She fought down the rising panic in her throat.

It is getting worse... more rapidly than I anticipated.

She forced herself to breathe steadily. She couldn't draw any attention... they couldn't know. Not yet.

Her focus returned to the holographic map shimmering in the center of the room. E.E., Aildris, Endric, Ria, Sersi, and Xanatus were gathered around it, their voices rising and falling as they argued over paths, tactics, and timeframes.

They had salvaged six essence fragments so far. Four were still missing.

These fragments—shimmers of the Outworldly that persisted throughout space—were difficult to detect and even harder to reclaim. Angy was the one tasked with locating them. While many more than ten fragments were scattered across the cosmos, ten was the specific number required for the ritual according to Angy's insight.

However, every mission to retrieve them risked drawing the eyes of the deities.

And that danger was intensifying with every day that passed.

"The final four essences we require are all located within sectors controlled by the deities," Xanatus stated grimly. "One is near the Ruptured Nebula, another at the edge of the Void Axis, and one..." he let out a heavy sigh, "...one is at the remnants of Earth."

A heavy silence fell over the room....

Earth... The world that no longer existed as a whole. The cradle of nearly everyone in the room. The place Gustav had once pledged to defend.

Nostalgia clashed painfully with sorrow.

Aildris squeezed his fists tight. "We will divide into two combat-ready teams. Falco will command one. Endric will lead the other."