[Ezra. We need to leave. Now]

Ezra didn’t argue.

For the first time in a long time—

A deep sense of dread filled him.

Whatever was happening here, it was far bigger than anything he had anticipated.

The scene before him was something out of a nightmare—a revelation that shattered all prior assumptions about the Madmen.

They were sentient.

They were organizing.

They were restoring something.

And most importantly—there was more than one Nascent Madman!

This is the biggest problem.

Ezra remains concealed, watching as the Nascent Madman and its unknown counterpart continue their discussion.

Their guttural, metallic voices carried a sense of deliberate purpose, each exchange hinting at a larger plan in motion as it echoed ominously throughout the chamber.

> "You have completed the recalibration?"

> "Affirmative. The restoration sequence is seventy-eight percent complete. Full capacity will be restored in approximately—three cycles"

While not certain of the central topic of the conversation, the implications gleaned from these words was vast.

Ezra’s gaze sharpens.

Three cycles? That was vague, but if these Madmen were preparing something, it meant danger on an unprecedented scale.

Just the fact that Nascent level madmen had begun resurging by itself meant this secret realm is now out of bounds for Transcendents.

From all the information Ezra procured from the red dragon clan, the Madmen had been known and categorized as nothing more than semi-autonomous remnants of the secret realm doomed to wander listlessly for multiple centuries.

No signs of hierarchy, no semblance of coordination—just mindless machinery with no purpose.

Yet now, standing before him, they weren’t just acting with purpose.

They were building something.

Ezra’s instincts screamed at him to strike. To put an end to this before it spiraled out of control.

But caution held him back.

Information first. Then destruction, this is how Ezra has always moved.

And so, with a slow, measured breath, Ezra retreated from the cavern.

The Desolate Madlands were massive, stretching across untold distances.

And if these Madmen were truly organizing, it wouldn’t be confined to just this mountain.

Once outside, he took flight, making his way toward the surrounding mountain ranges.

If one Nascent Madman was operating here, then it was safe to assume others might be as well.

To be certain, he needed to check the others.

Ezra moved swiftly but cautiously, ascending from the cavern and making his way across the jagged peaks of the Madlands.

It didn’t take him long to reach the next mountain.

He landed silently, crouched low as he peered over the ledge.

Unlike the first location, this one was eerily silent.

What should have been an unending battlefield of ceaseless mechanical savages was eerily silent.

But still, nothing.

Surveying the wasteland Ezra makes swift but not reckless advances, utilizing caution whenever deemed necessary.

For half an hour, Ezra scours the terrain, checking each mountain, each ravine, and each ruined facility.

And each time, the same sight greeted him—massacres.

The deeper he goes, the more unsettling the situation becomes.

The broken remains of Madmen litter the ground, shattered and torn apart.

Not by the unceasing passing of time, but by something else.

Something precise and methodical.

Zydrax’s voice echoed in his mind, confirming what Ezra suspected.

[Ezra, this isn’t just a gathering. This is organized]

Ezra didn’t need Zydrax to tell him that.

This was no longer just an observation meant to unearth a mystery to be solved at leisure.

It is now reconnaissance for an inevitable battle

At this point, the Madlands isn’t just quiet.

It feels abandoned, enveloped in an eerie silence.

No movement, no battles, no scavengers.

Zydrax remains silent for most of the journey, only chiming in when something truly abnormal caught his attention.

[This isn’t a simple restructuring. Someone—or something—has systematically purged the lower madmen ranks]

Ezra nodded grimly. The evidence was overwhelming.

But as he ventured deeper, his suspicions were finally confirmed.

Just as before, the ground is littered with broken Madmen—scraps of rusted metal, shattered limbs, and remnants of past conflicts.

Another massacre.

But what truly unsettled him was the presence of something else.

Amidst the wreckage stood another Nascent Madman—a Third.

Unlike the previous one, this one was inspecting the battlefield, moving between the broken remnants as if taking note of what remained.

Ezra exhaled sharply, narrowing his eyes.

If the same scene was happening at multiple locations, then whatever they were preparing wasn’t minor.

Though, his half an hour search also proved that the nascent madmen are still very few in number, no more than 10 at most.

This Nascent Madman in particular isn’t fixing anything like the first one—it is overseeing something.

’Hmm?!’

Ezra remains hidden, watching as it methodically moves through the battlefield, pausing occasionally to examine specific remains.

No matter how conceited one may be, it was clear that there is intelligence behind its actions.

This wasn’t just a mindless automaton.

Ezra’s gaze hardens. These madmen were clearly a serious threat.

With three distinct Nascent Madmen all engaging in different tasks, the implications were terrifying.

Ezra inhaled deeply. He had enough information and his energy reserves had run dangerously low.

The energy expenditure of traversing the Madlands had been significant, and even as a Third Step Nascent, he wasn’t immune to exhaustion.

Ezra’s face crumples, feeling the strain weighing down on his limbs.

He had pushed himself further than expected, and it was beginning to take its toll.

It was time to leave.

Ezra withdraws carefully, his body aching as he ascends into the sky.

[If they are capable of organic thinking, then their potential is much greater than we originally assumed] Zydrax explains.

He confirmed a pattern of purposeful movement, now he had thought of a way to send a warning to the black dragon clan so their Transcendents don’t get slaughtered like the piles of madmen he had just seen.

The question laying there is now...

’How exactly am I supposed to do that?’

While having such thoughts, Ezra exhales and activates <Gatekeeper>.

The moment he did, a shift occurred.

The surrounding space warped, and within an instant, his body was enveloped in a vortex of swirling energy.

Then—

He was back.

Ezra finds himself floating in space within the familiar landscape of the Halostar galaxy arraigned before him.

He had arrived in the sovereign universe far faster than he had expected.

The instant transition left him momentarily disoriented, but then he realizes something.

’I don’t feel any discomfort’

No aftereffects.

Unlike when he had first entered the Desolate Madlands, there was no nausea, no discomfort, no spatial backlash.

It was seamless, just as intended.

Zydrax’s voice hummed with realization.

[Interesting]

Ezra blinked. "Yes?"

[I suspected this might be the case. Ezra, you are the anchor of the Sovereign Universe. That means returning here is effortless, because you belong here in a fundamental way]

Ezra frowned. "And that means...?"

[It means your body won’t reject the transition. Unlike when you traveled to the Madlands—a foreign space—this universe is yours. It welcomes you. You are its core]

Ezra absorbed the information slowly.

"So, if I wanted to leave again—?"

[It depends on the destination and distance, some spaces can actively resist your intrusion, while traveling somewhere distant, will have space forcefully bent around you and thus reshaping your body to get you to your destination point]

[In contrast, coming back will always be effortless]

Basically, heading to a foreign environment so far away forced the space to compress his body and then uncompress it to survive.

But since Ezra’s soul itself held what one could call the door into the sovereign universe, opening the door and entering would never have any adverse reaction.

Another perk of his Sovereign status.

Far more than just a title yet neither a bloodline—it had fundamental effects on how Ezra interacted with reality.

The sovereign system on the other hand acts as to allow easy understanding and control of his abilities and is something Ezra is very grateful for.

Using the sovereign skills without it would’ve been a daunting nightmare.

Ezra folds his arms and a silence settles amidst the chatter.

Then, Ezra’s expression hardened.

"Three Nascent Madmen"

[Yes. But you can’t do things recklessly]

Ezra chuckles. "No promises."

For now, though, he needed rest.

The situation in the Madlands had grown worse than anticipated.

An ominous discovery, truly.

Whatever the Madmen were doing—whatever they were rebuilding—

It wasn’t just a problem.

It was a crisis in the making.

A coordinated effort and then talk of a restoration sequence.

Nothing about it all felt good.

While Ezra doesn’t feel much in terms of taking responsibility to do something about it, he didn’t want to see Transcendents massacred either.

But regardless of whatever was happening or planning, he needed to prepare.

If not for the issue with the nascent madmen, then for his revenge on Vorath.

"Well, that was an eventful visit" Ezra jokes, rubbing the back of his neck as he teleports straight onto his comfy bed.

Landing on it, Ezra does immediately fall asleep, rather pondering on how best to take advantage of the nascent resurgence.

With the understanding that it is an upcoming crisis, Ezra equally understands that it is an opportunity he could gain a lot from.

With his potential enemies now identified, his next visit is bound to be much more fruitful.

You could bet that Ezra had already forgotten about all other matters at this point in time.

Including the Transcendents—who are still sprawled on the ground and groaning in agony by the way.

And of course, the original reason he had taken a break from the tour back at the Scarlet dragon clan to ponder in silence.

As a sure consequence, things are bound to be interesting as Ezra eventually falls to the lulls of sleep.