His eyes scanned the battlefield, now eerily silent.
"Fine. It wasn't my intention to kill you guys either way," he said, his voice softening as he continued. "I'm about to complete my Concept of Death. It should be enough to deal with Typhon."
"Concept? What's that?" Athena asked.
"…Think of it as a specialization," Neo explained.
"Then what is your Concept? It should be something powerful if you think you can defeat Typhon with it," she pressed.
Neo pursed his lips, hesitating for a moment.
The wind tugged at his cloak as he finally spoke.
"It is as a Concept that can kill Immortals."
"…?" Athena's furrowed. "Typhon isn't Immortal. Your Concept is useless against it."
Cold winds swept across the desolate plains and the overcast sky above seemed to mirror Athena's frustration.
Before Athena could complain again, he interrupted her.
"You should go back to your friends if you are not planning on coming with me to the Savage Expanse." He eyed the faintly glowing Space-Time Cube in her hand and added, "That thing is about to break."
Athena glanced at the cube.
Her brow furrowed as the swirling energy within flickered erratically.
The once stable artifact was cracking with faint beams of light leaking from its surface.
She used it one last time before it shattered, teleporting away after she said her final words to Neo.
"Ares and Emma won't be able to stop you anymore. I've teleported them far away. But I can't stop the others."
Her figure disintegrated into motes of light, scattering into the cold, dim atmosphere.
"Was that alright?" Jack asked as he jumped out of Neo's shadow, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and unease.
The shadow he emerged from rippled unnaturally, almost alive.
"Wouldn't it have been better if we fought the association? It would have increased your Concept's progress."
"It's fine. We'll find plenty of battles on our way. There is no shortage of monsters in this age."
Neo's tone was steady, almost detached, as he started walking toward the direction of the Savage Expanse.
The barren land stretched endlessly ahead of them, with jagged rocks and twisted trees dotting the horizon.
The occasional howl of distant creatures echoed through the oppressive silence.
On the way, Jack questioned Neo again, his green eyes glowing faintly in the twilight.
"How much progress is left to complete your Concept?"
"A bit," Neo answered honestly.
He recalled how he had started building his Concept when his mastery was decreasing.
However, after his mastery was sealed, the progress had slowed to a halt.
To increase the pace of his Concept's progress, he had to become closer to Death.
It was why Jack asked if Neo should have fought the association.
The battles and the deaths they would've caused might have helped Neo grow closer to Death.
They traveled for half a day before they stopped to take a short break.
The air was dry and heavy, with the faint smell of ash lingering in the wind. \\
Neo sat on a rock, his posture relaxed but his gaze sharp, scanning the horizon.
"When will you start meditation?" Jack asked, breaking the silence.
"For what?" Neo's tone was casual, almost bored.
"To build your Concept," Jack answered, settling down beside him.
His curiosity was evident in his expression.
A Concept was built by going through two stages: [Enlightenment] and [Intent Fusion].
The Enlightenment stage included knowing what kind of Concept you wanted and understanding how it would work.
Intent Fusion was fusing one's Intent with their Core. This Intent had to be made from the Enlightenment they gained for their Concept.
Both stages, [Enlightenment] and [Intent Fusion], could be done together.
Most—nearly all—demigods would gain a small Enlightenment, then fuse the Intent of that Enlightenment into the Core. Then, they would gain another Enlightenment and fuse the Intent again. This process would repeat until their Concept was completed.
"Intent Fusion needs tons of concentration. You need to meditate for it," Jack said, his tone insistent.
"I don't need to do it." Neo's calm reply caught Jack off guard.
"What…?" Jack blinked, momentarily stunned.
"You do know that Intent is the manifestation of our Willpower, right?" Neo asked, his tone matter-of-fact.
"Yeah," Jack nodded slowly, frowning.
"The stronger one's Willpower, the stronger Intent they can create," Neo continued.
He leaned back slightly, his black hair catching the faint glow of the setting sun.
"Only strong Intents can be fused with the Core, and the stronger the Intent, the stronger the foundation of their Concept. This is why people meditate during Intent Fusion. They need to focus on creating powerful Intents."
"And you don't need to do it?" Jack asked, incredulous.
His expression remained as calm as the still air.
His Willpower was strong. Even the weakest Intent he created was strong enough to be fused into the Core.
"I've been doing Intent Fusion every moment for the past nine months."
Jack didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He stared at Neo, his expression a mixture of disbelief and admiration.
He knew Neo well enough to understand that Neo wasn't bragging.
He was just explaining his Intent's strength.
Nonetheless, his words were too absurd.
The two stopped talking when they sensed the presence of monsters.
The cold air grew heavier, carrying a faint, rotten stench.
The distant moans of the undead echoed faintly through the barren wasteland.
"It's zombies and skeletons," Jack muttered, standing up. His green eyes narrowed as he scanned the fog-shrouded terrain. "I'll deal with them-"
"Let me do it. I need more Death to speed up the progress of my Concept." Neo's voice was calm but firm.
Neo unsheathed his sword and moved toward the approaching zombies.
A thick mist clung to the ground, swirling eerily around his feet as he advanced.
They had been encountering more and more undead monsters as they moved toward the Savage Expanse.
The landscape was barren and lifeless, dotted with jagged rocks and twisted, skeletal trees.
The oppressive silence was broken only by the shuffling steps and groans of the undead.
These monsters were the servants of the infamous Necromancer, Nile Radcliff.