Chapter 327: Expansion of Will (2/2)

Rubbing my temples, a lightning strike of inspiration struck me. I took my neural augment approach with my grimoire, and I came up with a way of using it on the armor. It required using my insights of converting mana into mental processing power. This essentially did the same thing, using my fabric's innate mana production to do so.

I kept the mental processing it produced related to movement-specific functions. I then tied that to a mind with only the capacity to move, giving it very narrow limitations. I prevented it from overloading the person wielding it by containing these features in the exoskeleton's mind.

At the same time, I put a telepathic tethering on the armor. With a simple thought, a person could link up to it through a golem core stored in its back. The movement-based mind acted like a set of controls for the armor, essentially.

Scratching my head at the creation, this mirrored a runic-based set of power armor. After finishing the first production, I peered at it from a few angles. It hovered in place via its own gravity wells, and when I stepped close, the plates and wire mesh moved to open and close around me. I rubbed the back of my head, wondering how powerful this thing made an average human.

They'd be a super soldier if I had to guesstimate.

I iterated these improvements across several sets of armors, and each specialized for different team members. I made Althea two different versions, one for war and one for stealth. I did the same for Hod, making sure our shadowy Eltari could always hide and warp through the shadows if need be.

Other members of the team didn't require two sets. For Krog and Chrona, I kept the armor geared towards waging war. In particular, Chrona's plating thickened the most. Her temporal magic made her a mobile fortress, and the thick plates played to that advantage. For Kessiah, I kept the mana streams and available defenses high as well.

Amara's suit came out about the same as before but with more strength augments. The most challenging person to handle was actually Torix. His entire body was essentially an old, outdated version of my current armor. The transition to a new body required a lot of life force, and it needed blood sacrifices. Possible to do, no doubt, but it was a hassle. More pressing of an issue, the mana production might overwhelm the guy.

It was one of the most perplexing issues about mana. After a certain point, it gained thoughts and a life of its own. Quelling that growing consciousness required discipline and experience. Otherwise, a person became possessed by their mana, in a phrase, mana devolution. It happened to Alfred Worm, Torix's son. It almost happened to me early on while dealing with my armor.

With my current mana production, I held on because my willpower expanded to otherwordly heights. Torix's would no doubt be impressive as well, but he may be overwhelmed in the end. Instead of pressing forward, I took the road of caution here, not wanting my master to be turned into a mindless abomination.

Instead, I'd wait until I created mental constraints for these armors. Peering at the massive pile of gear, I wondered how people would respond to them. These armor sets were implanted into individuals and synced with their minds, much like the Omega Strains. Unlike those viruses, these armor sets gave way to absurdity. They could easily overwhelm their wearers.

I intended on handing them off, one by one, and I'd ease people into the process of using them. I wouldn't leave Torix empty-handed, however. Before moving out of there, I brainstormed a gift to take the edge off. After a minute, I face-palmed. Of course.

I could make him a new grimoire.

Keeping the ball rolling, I settled into another installment of crafting. Using a previous outline for my own grimoire, I found a less emotive version. This acted as a generic template in the production process for comparisons. Taking an hour, I honed in on a few adjustments for Torix, so it meshed well with his own grimoire ritual.

After channeling the mana for a while, I cusped on its creation in my pocket dimension. A quick knock on Plazia's door, and I found the hivemind sitting cross-legged. He meditated or at least looked like he did. As I stepped up, his voice radiated from all around, ”What is it you wish for? This room as well?”

I raised my brow, ”I need another portal to disperse a grimoire's energy again. I made one for Torix.”

Plazia sighed before swirling his dimensional slicer. He cleaved time and space apart before sitting back down. After Plazia cast a bit of silencing magic on me, I finished dispersing the energy for Torix's grimoire. It was the first of many. I ended up creating grimoires for Kessiah, Althea, Hod, Krog, and Chrona.

I made minimal adjustments for most of them. These grimoires wouldn't be used for massive incantations, only for easing everyday magical procedures. After finishing the process, I walked out of Plazia's meditation center, the room identical to my own. Plazia seethed,

”Please, learn to warp, so I don't have to focus beside you while you go about dumping excess energy.”

I gave him a thumbs-up, ”No promises, but I'll try.”

Pacing back into my room, I created rings for everyone using an updated, more robust version of the previous runes. Handling another tune-up, I adapted the sigil strata for the golems. It was a brush-up, not a full remodel, which irked me while in my primordial mode. Outside the aura, I was just fine with it.

Getting everything stashed away in my pocket dimension, I took a breath, readying myself for reactions. Several days passed while I crafted, each component requiring a long time to finish. I lost myself in the process, kind of in my own world of crafting and whatnot. Snapping me out of that walking dream, a special notification pinged out in my mind.

It stood out because it mirrored a trumpet's ringing rather than the usual, satisfying bing sound. I opened the message, and I furrowed my brow.

It looked like Schema was on the move.

Hello Sovereign, you've been selected as a part of the 7,821st galactic council! As a new Sovereign, you shall be allowed to make an introduction to other ruling members and be allowed to speak with several Overseers and Schema free of charge!

| Note | Length of talk varies. You shall be meeting with other ruler sub-class members, each of you representing the might and prowess of your guilds.

You'll also be expected to create alliances with other guilds and form a tight-knit, galactic community! That's the Schema way! Due to the war with the rebels, donations will be mandatory, but Schema's not going to hold an event like this without the chance for an award. A lottery will be held with a special mystery prize!

Who will win it? It's time to find out!

| Note | Non-participation is considered a declaration of war against Schema. Noncompliance will not be tolerated.

Time till meeting: Galactic standard time - 4 hours. Earth time - 3.5 hours.