William lay on his stomach, shirtless, in one corner of the infinite domain, and he felt a cold sensation on the skin of his back.

Tamasya, meanwhile, knelt beside him, carefully drawing intricate symbols with a thick blue gel that he had prepared by mixing the blood of vykers and some other ingredients. The gel glowed faintly as it touched his skin, leaving behind precise strokes that seemed to pulse with vibrant energy.

She wore special gloves made of thick Vyker skin; their dark, slightly glossy surface was resistant to the blood, though it was not corrosive. William still made these gloves for situations where the substance might show extreme reactions.

"Are you sure about this??" Tamasya asked from behind him, her voice carrying a mix of concern and hesitation. Her hands paused for just a fraction of a second before continuing their work, betraying her unease.

"Won’t die," William said calmly, his tone devoid of doubt.

His composed response, rather than reassuring her, made Tamasya even more uneasy. Something was unsettling about how casually he dismissed the risk as if pain and danger did not affect him.

Still, she complied; after all, she had already voiced her concerns more times than she could count, and William had not wavered once.

Soon, the symbols Tamasya was supposed to etch onto his skin were completed. The circular runic formation stretched across his bare back, each line connecting seamlessly with the next, forming a complex and ancient pattern that seemed almost alive.

The symbol pulsed with a dim and rhythmic glow spread across the formation, like a heartbeat echoing through his flesh.

The blue paste dissolved slowly, sinking into his skin. The lines sharpened, imprinting themselves onto his back like a part of his body, no longer mere markings but a part of him.

[Ding!! The living node has been created on the host, ready to form a connection with the Soul harvest formation]

William exhaled quietly.

A few hours ago, he had acquired a talent related to runic comprehension - something that had fundamentally altered the trajectory of his plans slightly.

The talent had resolved one of the biggest concerns weighing on his mind: the possibility of Primarchs interfering in the conflict. Against such beings, brute strength alone was rarely enough.

In this world, only a handful of methods allowed one to bridge overwhelming gaps in power. Formations were among the most effective - and at the same time the most demanding.

William had long understood this.

During his time in the Riverdale capital, he had lived under the guise of a chocolate merchant for two years. It had been a mundane life on the surface, but beneath that simplicity lay careful preparation.

At that time, believing he might never awaken a powerful talent, he had chosen a different path, one built on tools, knowledge, and contingency.

He had invested heavily in destructive arrays and formations, particularly those designed to counter demons.

The Heaven Suppressing Formation blueprint had proven invaluable during the World Academy trials, where it allowed him to control a chaotic crowd of cultists. Meanwhile, the Demon Annihilator Formation had been deployed recently, effectively countering Demon Lord Belial’s forces.

Of course, these formations were only of the Saint rank.

William could have purchased God-rank formations, but doing so would have been impractical. Not only would their use have drawn too much attention, but the materials required to sustain them were absurdly rare.

Even Saint-rank formations were costly.

The Demon Annihilator Formation, for instance, required superior-grade Light Stones - resources that could only sustain the array for a single hour.

The Heaven Suppressing Formation demanded a continuous influx of pure mana, something William had only managed because he was within the academy’s domain.

But that did not mean he had ignored higher-ranked options.

The formation he intended to use now was something far more dangerous.

Originally, it had been a legendary-ranked Demonic Soul Harvesting Formation, designed specifically to target demons by extracting their souls and help raise the cultivation of the master temporarily.

But after acquiring the Primordial Rune Master talent, he had modified it.

Using Property Mutation and Composite Rune Forging, he reshaped the formation’s very nature, altering its target from demons to mana users.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

It would be a harvest.

William stood up, rolling his shoulders slightly as he adjusted to the presence of the newly formed node within him. Without a word, he leaned forward and lightly kissed Tamasya’s forehead. Before she could respond, he vanished from the domain.

Moments later, He appeared inside a special merchant inn, where he was staying using a disguise. He then covered himself with Trickster’s Veil, which made him undetectable, and then he took to the sky.

As he rose above the clouds, the entire city unfolded beneath him.

The streets were alive.

Crowds moved in waves, their voices blending into a constant hum as preparations for tomorrow’s founders festival filled every corner of the city with activity. Decorations hung from buildings, merchants called out their wares, and the air carried a strange mix of anticipation and distraction.

William’s gaze sharpened.

William, with his mental hive, located the members of the New Dawn Legion mixed with the normal crowd using their shapeshifting talents.

One of them caught his attention.

The man adjusted his path mid-step, slipping away from the crowd and into a narrow, secluded alleyway.

William’s gaze followed him closely.

He then activated Eclipse Veil and disappeared into the darkness.

A few minutes later, after confirming that no one was tailing him, the man carefully appeared, dug into the ground, and planted a black box; its size was a few inches larger than a fist.

After planting the box and filling the burrow carefully, the man looked around and changed his face once more, ensuring no one was looking.

He then left the dark alleyway and blended into the crowd seamlessly.

Similar scenes unfolded across the city. From rooftops to alleys, from abandoned corners to bustling intersections—each placement was executed flawlessly.

William watched, a quiet satisfaction settling within him. The most critical phase of the formation setup was complete. He exhaled slowly and eased his tense nerves.

"Master!!" Sunchaser’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

William tilted his head upward, no longer looking at the chaotic streets below; instead, he looked at the sunset.

"How is it?" he asked.

"She has agreed, master," Sunchaser replied, though there was a faint hesitation in his tone. "But as compensation, she requires your assistance for her evolution."

William’s eyes narrowed slightly. "What materials??"

"She requires your participation in one of her rituals... as an ingredient. She guarantees no harm to you in any way."

Silence lingered for a moment. William’s expression darkened, and a trace of annoyance surfaced.

"Do you think we can trust her?"

"Cannot guarantee, my lord," Sunchaser admitted. "Though she has always honored her word with other spirits... we cannot be certain. Spirits are always desperate for evolution."

William clicked his tongue softly. He had no idea why she wanted him as one of the ingredients, but he knew there were a lot of things about himself that he was unaware of, so he did not ponder much on the reason, especially when he had other things to do.

"Tell her this," he said in a firm voice. "I will only summon her if I am ever in a predicament. Until then... It’s a no."

"Understood, master."

As the connection faded, William turned and flew toward the eastern horizon, his figure cutting through the dimming light as he prepared to scout the empire.