Chapter 393: Luxury and Slaughter

On the edge of the Vital Republic’s star sector, inside the deepest cabin of the flagship *Monarch*.

Cassandra stood alone in this sealed space she had transformed into a blood-sacrifice altar, her purple eyes fixed on the chilling scene before her.

The entire cabin was an irregular oval, its originally cold metal walls completely covered by living flesh.

The writhing flesh tissue resembled the inner lining of a giant organ, its surface densely covered in a complex network of blood vessels like a spiderweb.

Whenever fresh blood flowed over them, those vessels would greedily contract and squirm, emitting a hair-raising sucking sound.

In the center of the altar, six "Seers" from the Vital civilization were arranged neatly in specific positions.

These creatures possessed soft, octopus-like bodies, but their heads were pure crystal structures.

Through the translucent crystal skulls, one could clearly see silver-blue thought-fluid flowing inside, rotating slowly like a galaxy.

They were originally the sages of the Vital Republic—rare lifeforms capable of foreseeing the future through a collective consciousness network.

Now, they were firmly bound to the flesh altar by specially crafted living chains.

Those chains were not inanimate objects, but a type of parasitic abyssal creature.

They burrowed deep into the Seers' bodies like blood vessels, slowly and continuously draining their life essence.

The thought-fluid in the crystal skulls was draining at a visible rate, dripping into a groove in the center of the altar.

Every drop of thought-fluid that fell stirred eerie ripples in space-time.

"The ability to foresee the future... how ironic..."

Cassandra stroked the edge of the altar, her voice tinged with a certain pleasure.

"You can see through the mists of time and peer into the tracks of fate, yet you could not foresee your own death at this moment. Or perhaps..."

She stopped her movements, a dangerous light flickering in her eyes:

"You knew the ending of this day long ago, yet you were still powerless to change it? Is this the sorrow of the so-called Seers?"

One of the Seers' crystal skulls turned with difficulty, its compound eyes, sparkling like stars, staring directly at Cassandra.

Through the thinning thought-fluid, intermittent mental fluctuations were transmitted:

"Conqueror... your... greed will... consume... yourself... the dark... future... has already... descended..."

"A dark future?"

Cassandra let out a shrill laugh.

The laughter echoed in the sealed flesh space, carrying a hysterical madness:

"My dear lamb, you are right, but so what?"

Void-remnant power began to manifest in her hands, and purple energy tentacles extended like vipers, wrapping around the Seer's crystal skull.

The moment the tentacles made contact, the Seer let out a heart-wrenching mental shriek, the pain transmitted to its kin through the consciousness layer.

"Since darkness is unavoidable, let me pull it even closer with my own hands."

Following her cold words, the Seer's consciousness was forcibly stripped away.

The silver-blue thought-fluid poured down like a waterfall, forming a constantly rotating energy vortex in the center of the altar.

Cassandra stood alone at the edge of the bloody altar, her purple eyes fixed on her masterpiece.

Her black hair was slightly messy, and her delicate face was stained with a few dried blood spots, but she seemed completely unaware of these details.

One of the Seers' crystal skulls remained intact.

Although the thought-fluid had been drained, its eyes remained open, as if silently accusing her.

Cassandra reached out and stroked the cold crystal surface.

Her fingers were very white, and her nails were neatly trimmed.

"Don't look at me with those eyes."

The witch said to the dead Seer, her tone actually carrying a hint of grievance:

"I had no choice either; you should understand... in this universe, if you don't advance, you retreat; if you don't kill, you will be killed."

As she spoke, her hands began to tremble slightly.

Not because of fear, but because of a deep-seated exhaustion and... emptiness.

"Mommy, what are you doing?"

That was a voice from deep within her memory, asked by Eve when she was very small.

At that time, Cassandra was in the laboratory concocting some kind of potion.

Upon hearing her daughter's voice, she immediately stopped her work and gently picked her up:

"Mommy is working, making something that can help people."

"Can it help many people?"

"Yes, it can help many, many people."

The answer at that time was sincere.

At the time, she truly believed her research could make the world a better place, even if there were some necessary sacrifices.

And now...

Cassandra shook her head vigorously, dispelling those memories.

She took out a strangely shaped alchemical device.

It was a scepter perfectly fused from a human skull and obsidian.

This was a container she used specifically to store negative emotional energy.

Cassandra held the scepter high above her head, beginning to collect the massive resentment released by the Seers before their deaths.

The anger, despair, and pain of those intelligent beings whose lives were forcibly taken surged toward the scepter like a black tide.

"Hatred, despair, pain... the essence crystals of negative emotions; I hope they will be of some use in the coming war."

She stroked the distorted patterns on the surface of the scepter, which had formed from absorbing the resentment, and sighed softly again.

Afterward, Cassandra slowly pressed her hands onto the groove in the center of the altar, feeling the thought-fluid that still carried body heat.

"Tell me..."

The witch's voice became low and devout, as if performing some sacred ritual:

"The best time to open the Other-Dimensional Box."

The divination began.

The next moment, her consciousness was dragged into a chaotic space composed of countless possibilities.

Countless potential future fragments flashed before her eyes like broken mirror shards:

The revelry of success, the despair of failure, the fear of death, the joy of victory...

Every image cut through her spirit like a sharp blade, but she gritted her teeth, enduring the pain that felt as if it would tear her soul apart.

In these chaotic time fragments, she desperately searched for that key time node.

Suddenly, all the chaotic images condensed into one clear and intense moment—

Now! It is now!

Cassandra opened her eyes abruptly, and two lines of blood tears slowly flowed from the corners of her eyes.

The backlash of the divination dealt a huge blow to her spirit, and a tearing pain radiated from her temples, but a satisfied smile appeared on the corners of her mouth.

"Found it... finally found it..."

Cassandra closed her eyes, and her consciousness began to sink inward.

In the deepest part of her mental space, a box that looked ordinary but radiated terrifying pressure was floating quietly.

That was the "Other-Dimensional Box."

A supreme treasure left behind by the previous Era King, a source of power capable of providing infinite possibilities.

The box had no fixed physical form; it was more like the manifestation of a concept beyond understanding.

On the surface, it looked plain and unadorned, even a bit worn.

But when Cassandra's consciousness touched it, she could clearly feel the infinite power contained within.

It was an absolute authority that transcended time, space, life, and death—a terrifying power capable of rewriting the fundamental laws of reality.

"Open."

Following her intent, the "lid" of the box slowly lifted.

The next moment, countless cards radiating different lights danced in her mental space.

Each one represented a specific authority, and each one possessed the terrifying power to change the laws of the world's operation.

The golden light was the most dazzling, representing the highest level of authority cards under normal circumstances;

Silver was second, radiating a metallic luster as elegant as moonlight;

Bronze and lead-colored cards were the most numerous, but their power was relatively weaker;

And there were a very small number of "Star" level cards flickering with rainbow light.

These were ultimate existences that transcended conventional classification; one had to consume three golden authority cards to randomly draw one.

Back then, in the family treasury, the moment she opened the Other-Dimensional Box, Cassandra's perception underwent a fundamental transformation.

She began to be able to "see" the true value and potential level of all things.

It was a special vision that transcended the five senses, as if she had gained the perspective of a creator.

In this state, every existence had a corresponding color of light:

Gold represented the Great Wizard level, such as her daughter Eve and her teacher Yuteer, who had already realized his potential;

Silver corresponded to those who might reach the Dark Sun level, such as Elliot of the Storm Clan;

Bronze was the Moon-Shining and Morning Star level, the level of most formal wizards, such as the half-dragon maid Franka;

Lower-level existences did not even have a faint glow, appearing as insignificant as dust on the roadside in her eyes.

The light on Luo En was the most complex.

When she first saw him, it was already a mix of gold and other strange colors—a special quality she had never seen before.

"Start drawing authority cards."

Cassandra focused her attention on the dancing cards, paying special attention to those secondary existences radiating silver light.

Her goal this time was very clear—she needed an "Extravagance" type authority card.

With an "Extravagance" card, she could enhance the effects when she spent various rare items to treat her daughter Eve.

According to the strict usage rules of the Other-Dimensional Box, only an authority card of corresponding quality could produce the best effect on a target of the same potential level.

The first card slowly manifested before her:

The golden border was incredibly ornate, and the pattern on the card was a graceful and luxurious female figure.