The final confrontation in the Nerve Chamber was a masterpiece of misdirection. While Guard Baru fought the Blood Shadow assassins, and Lin tried to secure the Nerve for her sect, Zen was a ghost in the corners.
He didn't touch the Nerve. He touched the ground connected to it.
[Mirror of Nihilism: Parasitic Drain Mode Activated]
The silver, liquid energy of the Nerve flowed into Zen like a river of cold stars. He watched Baru and the Assassin Leader kill each other over a prize that was becoming a hollow shell.
When the absorption reached 100%, Zen's dantian exploded in a silent, blinding light. The solid metal in his body began to vibrate, turning into a swirling mist of energized particles.
[Evolution Complete: Nebula Rank - Stage 1]
Zen stepped out of the shadows. The battle stopped. The combatants looked at him, feeling a pressure that made their weapons feel like toys.
"Baru, Lin... thank you for the blood," Zen said, his voice echoing with a magnetic resonance. "It made the harvest much smoother."
With a single wave of his hand, Zen unleashed a Nebula Storm. The silver mist stripped the flesh from their bones and the secrets from their minds. He didn't just kill them; he erased their existence to ensure no witness could ever speak his name.
He picked up Baru's guard insignia, wiped the blood from it, and walked toward the Great Lift.
"The mines are for insects," Zen whispered, his figure blurring into a mist of grey. "The Floating Fortress... that is where the real gods hide. And they look delicious."