But now, the situation had changed dramatically.
The Void Nest had been repelled and wouldn’t dare to return anytime soon. The Insect Race army was almost completely wiped out, with only Kerrigan’s forces remaining.
The Summoner Council, judging by Izera’s attitude, seemed ripe for submission.
’Is it possible for this world to be... "controlled"?’
If he could bring the Esok World under his control, he wouldn’t just be monopolizing the resources of a Middle World. Most importantly, there were the scattered Cosmic Subconscious Fragments!
The Summoners’ heaven-defying Talent for cross-world communication... if properly developed and utilized, the benefits would be immeasurable.
But the risks were equally enormous.
’The state of the World Will is unclear. How powerful is that deeply hidden Abyssal Will?’
’And, setting Aisala aside for a moment, how would I explain this to the Wizard Alliance?’
If a unique world like this was handed over to the Wizard Civilization for deep development, it would yield incalculable results.
’Then there’s the Void Empress, Belviss. Although she suffered a loss, she definitely won’t let this go. I need to prepare in advance.’
Just as Ian’s thoughts were racing, Izera seemed to have made a decision.
She snapped her head up, a look of resolve flashing in her eyes as she made the most important choice of her life.
"Respected powerhouse, the Esok World has reached its end. Without your help, we will be destroyed by the Insect Race sooner or later."
"I, Izera, in the name of the Chief Elder of the Esok Summoner Council, hereby swear an oath to you!"
Her voice suddenly rose, filled with the determination of someone burning their bridges.
"As long as you are willing to help this world survive this crisis, I will immediately summon all the remaining Council Elders and Summoners."
"From this day forward, the surviving people of the Esok World will completely obey your every command!"
"You will become this world’s new sovereign!"
A sharp glint flashed in Ian’s eyes. This was exactly the answer he wanted.
A chaotic, fractured Esok, with everyone fighting for themselves, was worthless to him. But a unified, obedient Esok that he could use—that was a quality asset.
He didn’t agree immediately, deliberately remaining silent for a moment to let the pressure on Izera build to its peak.
Only then did he speak, his voice betraying no emotion.
"Remember your promise. Now, take me to the Heart of the World."
"I want to see with my own eyes what has become of your World Will."
Izera felt as if she had been granted amnesty. Her tense body relaxed slightly, but her awe and fear only deepened.
"Yes! Please, follow me!"
Ian sent a mental message to Kerrigan: "Guard this place and keep the swarm under control. Do not attack any non-Insect Race units without my command, but self-defense is permitted."
"Yes, Master," Kerrigan replied obediently.
Ian followed Izera, flying toward the entrance of the passage leading to the Heart of the World.
According to the memories he had acquired and what Izera had said before, this area was originally sealed off by a dense Abyssal Mist.
But when the two of them reached the edge of the Rift, Ian’s brow twitched. Something was wrong.
The churning, dark purple mist from his memories had vanished without a trace.
In the depths of the Rift, there was only a profound darkness and a faint, deep pulsing sound.
"This... What happened to the Abyssal Aura?" Izera was also stunned, her eyes filled with disbelief.
She had been nearby not long ago, and at that time, this place was still an absolute forbidden zone.
’Did some unknown change occur with the World Will?’
Ian’s eyes narrowed as he considered several possibilities. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
’Could it be? The revival and shocking retreat of the Void Empress’s Will... scared it away.’
He didn’t voice his suspicion, only saying coolly, "Let’s go in."
Izera suppressed her doubts and was the first to leap into the Rift, with Ian close behind.
The moment they entered the Rift, a strange sense of spatial displacement washed over them.
It wasn’t like a normal spatial tunnel; it was more like passing through an elastic "membrane."
The surrounding light vanished completely, and even their Spiritual Perception was suppressed to some extent.
All they could feel was a sensation under their feet like a gravity slide, guiding them ever deeper.
This process lasted for about a few minutes before a faint glimmer of light appeared ahead.
The glimmer quickly expanded, turning into a soft, milky-white halo of light.
Ian sensed that they had reached the end of the "membrane."
He took a step forward, and the scene before him opened up. At the same time, a strange feeling of detachment came over him.
Ian looked down and realized he was not in his physical body, but was a faint golden Consciousness Body.
His physical body, it seemed, had been left at the entrance of the passage.
This was a pure space of consciousness and Rule; physical matter could not enter directly.
He had entered a Heart of the World before, so he quickly calmed down and began to observe his surroundings.
This was a space whose size could not be described in conventional terms.
There was no up or down, no left or right, no boundaries. It seemed infinitely vast, yet it also seemed to exist only within one’s mind.
At the bottom of the space was an ocean—a golden ocean so dense it was almost solid!
Within the liquid flowed the veins of mountains, the paths of rivers, the reflections of stars, the rhythm of life...
It emanated a vast aura of World Origin!
It was countless times purer and vaster than the origin converted by the Crystal Core Insects!
This was the Sea of Origin of the Esok World, a Middle World, accumulated over countless ages.
Even after being partially consumed by the Insect Race, eroded by the Abyss, and used up by the Summoners, its reserves were still so vast that Ian was shaken.
In the center of the golden ocean floated a constantly shifting mass of silvery-white mist.
At the core of the mist, a speck of golden light flickered, emitting the most fundamental aura of this world.
This was the true body of the Esok World Will.
But to Ian’s surprise, there was only a negligible trace of Abyssal Aura around this Sea of Origin and the misty Will.
The crazed and twisted Abyssal Will from before... was gone.
It had vanished completely, as if it had never existed.
Just as Ian was reeling in shock and suspicion, the golden light flickered and transmitted a piece of information to the two of them.
After Ian processed it, his eyes gradually widened.
"Fuck! That Abyss Demon King called Baal actually ran away? Doesn’t that mean my plans are all for nothing?!"
He had just probed it. The power of the Esok World Will was still... at Level Six!
It far surpassed the aura of the World Tree, Aisala.
It seemed that Ian’s previous plan to dominate this world would be very difficult to achieve.