Ether clone stood quietly.
He told him to go and help others.
Then Ankit began connecting the energy pathways.
There were total 10,000 pathways for the throat core. Out of which 6,000 were big pathways. High quality. Very important.
Heart core had 15,000 pathways. But only 5,000 big ones.
Throat core truly showed the power of the upper cores.
He connected them carefully. One by one. No rush. No mistakes.
When all were linked successfully, he filled them with condensed ether essence.
Substage 4 was complete.
He did not stop.
Now came the next substage. Compression.
But this time, the difficulty was very high.
Compression of space was extremely difficult.
Space compression was extremely hard because it required forcing the boundless, resistance-less nature of space — which naturally expands and holds everything apart — to bend inward against its fundamental tendency to remain infinite and empty.
Ankit could not push the ether essence directly. It would only slip away.
So he used the four lower cores again.
The same four pillars that had built the throat core.
He focused on them.
Root pillar first. He made the earth essence denser. Heavier. The foundation pulled inward.
Sacral pillar next. Water essence thicker. Flow narrower.
Solar pillar burned hotter. Flame smaller. Brighter.
Heart pillar expanded fully first — vast and light — then pulled back sharply.
The four pillars moved closer together. Stronger. Tighter. Perfect balance.
The vast ether vault above them had less room now.
It folded naturally. Gently. Layer by layer.
The ether essence compressed on its own. Not forced.
But drawn in by the pillars below.
The core became Dense. Heavy with silent power.
Compression complete.
Stage 3, Substage 5 completed.
Ankit opened his eyes slowly.
He let out a soft hum. No words.
The chamber shook. Walls trembled. Dust fell from the ceiling.
Then perfect silence returned.
Ankit stood up slowly in the chamber.
The path forward felt wider now. Stronger. Clearer.
The throat core had changed everything. The compressed ether essence flowed like silent thunder inside him.
He felt the new abilities settle in. Natural. Powerful.
First, presence expansion or contraction.
He focused lightly. His presence spread out. The chamber felt vast. Like a mountain hall.
Then he pulled it back. The space felt small. Close. Heavy.
Useful for hiding. Or for pressing enemies without moving.
Next, Voice Transmission Through Space.
He could send his voice across great distances now.
By wrapping words in ether essence, the sound bypassed air and matter completely.
It traveled through the silent medium of space itself.
Then, Voice Shifting. Illusion of Sound.
He could change his voice completely.
Make it deep like thunder. Soft like wind. Old. Young. Even mimic any person he had heard clearly.
Combined with space transmission, he could make the voice appear to come from any direction.
From behind. From the sky. From inside someone's head.
Enemies would turn. Confused. Open.
Mental Voice Attack. Truth Shock.
When he spoke a command infused with pure ether intent, it struck the mind directly.
Not mind control. But overwhelming truth.
"Stop." The word would freeze thoughts. Fill the mind with doubt.
"Reveal." Hidden plans would rise to the surface.
Lies became heavy. Painful to hold.
Weak minds broke fast. Strong ones hesitated.
Sonic Spatial Attack. Ether Wave.
A focused shout released a compressed wave of ether vibration.
It cut through air silently at first. Invisible.
Then exploded on target.
Living things felt it inside. Organs shook. Balance lost.
His existing space abilities grew stronger too.
Distance felt thinner. Easier to fold.
He could sense spatial folds more clearly now.
Overall power leaped forward.
The space essence cleansing had refined his body again. Removed deeper impurities.
And this stage created a true bridge.
Heart core brought love, balance, harmony.
Throat core brought expression, truth, vibration.
Together, they connected the lower physical cores to the higher spiritual ones.
A perfect link.
His powers in substage 4 had been:
Strength — 3000 tons
Defense — 400 MJ
Destructive power — 300 MJ
Speed — 25,000 km/hr
Sensing power — 700 km
Lifespan — 15,000 years
Now, at substage 5, everything jumped.
Strength — 5000 tons
Defense — 1000 MJ
Destructive power — 1500 MJ
Speed — 40,000 km/hr
Sensing power — 1000 km
Lifespan — 20,000 years
The leap was huge. Justified by the ether cleansing and the bridge this stage created.
Ankit named this Stage.
Stage 3 — Harmonic Bridge Stage.
It fit perfectly.